Olga Carmona’s 89th-minute goal gave Spain a 2-1 win against Sweden in the semifinal match, and La Roja will now compete for its first Women’s World Cup title.
Spain, which overcame a player near-mutiny against coach Jorge Vilda last year, will compete in the final against the winner of the other semi final which will be played between co-host Australia and England on Sunday in Sydney.
Sweden will compete for a fourth third-place finish. This was their fourth loss in their last five semifinal matches.
In the 81st minute, Salma Paralluelo, a 19-year-old substitute who also scored the game-winning goal in Spain’s 2-1 extra-time quarterfinal triumph over the Netherlands, broke the scoreless tie. The crowd believed it was celebrating Spain’s victory in the final as she motioned for them to cheer.
However, the celebrations didn’t last long. In the 88th, Rebecca Blomqvist tied it for Sweden. Then, 90 seconds later, Carmona scored the game-winning goal in front of 43,217 fans, defeating Sweden goalie Zecira Musovic.
This is Spain’s third World Cup appearance overall. La Roja reached the knockout phase four years ago but fell to eventual champions the United States.