12/02/25 02:18:00
Printable Page
12/02 14:16 CST Spain keeps Women's Nations League title as Pina scores twice
in 3-0 victory over Germany
Spain keeps Women's Nations League title as Pina scores twice in 3-0 victory
over Germany
By TERESA MEDRANO
Associated Press
MADRID (AP) --- Cludia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled as Spain won the
Women's Nations League final with a 3-0 victory in the second leg Tuesday.
Vicky Lpez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock after an hour
played with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a
0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday.
Spain was without three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmat, who broke her
leg in training on Sunday and will be out for five months.
Lpez took Bonmat's place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzlez
swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save from
Ann-Katrin Berger early on as the fans roared encouragement.
Nearly 56,000 flag-waving supporters attended the match at Atltico Madrid's
Metropolitano Stadium, easily a record for the Spanish team at home. Many
children were also present on a cold night in the Spanish capital. None of the
supporters seemed to mind the cold with most staying in their seats long after
the final whistle.
Gonzlez tried her luck with an acrobatic scissors kick as Spain maintained its
dominance. Mariona, Lpez, and Mariona again all had good chances before the
break, with Berger doing well to deny the latter.
Nicole Anyomi had a rare chance for Germany in a one-on-one with Cata Coll
before the halftime whistle, only to drag her shot wide of the right post.
"That has to go in, and she had another one in the box in the second half,"
Germany coach Christian Wuck said. "That's the difference between us and the
technically gifted Spanish players."
Pina got the party underway in the 61st when she breezed past a German defender
and played a one-two with Mariona before beating Berger with a low shot. Berger
got her hand to the ball but couldn't stop its progress inside the right post.
The 19-year-old Lpez scored seven minutes later when she cut in from the right
and unleashed a curling shot inside the far post.
Pina sealed the win in the 74th after getting a gift of the ball from Germany's
Janina Minge. The Barcelona forward set off for goal and let fly from around 20
meters (yards) past the despairing Berger.
It was only Spain's second win over old foe Germany. The previous came at the
European Championship last summer when Bonmat scored in extra time for a 1-0
win in the semifinals. Spain went on to lose to England on penalties in the
final.
That was the only disappointment after reaching the finals of the last four
major tournaments. Spain beat England in the 2023 Women's World Cup and
bettered France in the 2024 Women's Nations League. Tuesday's win over Germany
makes it three wins from four finals.
___
AP Sports Writer Ciarn Fahey contributed from Berlin.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
|
