Spain cruised to a 3-0 win over Costa Rica in their Australia & New Zealand 2023 opener.
- Spain record their biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup win
- Three goals in six first-half minutes put La Roja in the driving seat
- Jorge Vilda’s side are now the tournament’s top scorers
Spain 3-0 Costa Rica | Group C
Goals: Del Camp OG (21′), Bonmati (23′), Gonzalez (27′)
Spain lived up to their billing as one of the tournament favourites with a rampant 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in Wellington.
A flurry of first-half goals put La Roja in the driving seat, where they would remain for the duration of the contest to soar to the top of Group C.
Match review
Spain took control of proceedings early on and made good on their fast start after just 20 minutes, when a driven Esther Gonzalez cross forced Valeria Del Campo to put through her own net.
That goal opened the floodgates at Wellington Regional Stadium, as Aitana Bonmati quickly found the net with a well-taken finish, before Gonzalez herself tapped home from point-blank range just four minutes later.
Costa Rica had goalkeeper Daniela Solera to thank for keeping the score down, most notably when she denied Jenni Hermoso from the spot with a fine diving save.
Spain’s relentless pressure continued into the second period, with Olga Carmona rattling the bar just five minutes after the restart. Gonzalez was next to try her luck, but her close-range effort was well blocked by Mariana Benavides.
While Jorge Vilda’s team didn’t add to their advantage in the second period, he was able to summon the returning Alexia Putellas from the bench for the final 15 minutes following a lengthy spell out with an ACL tear.
Key stat
Today’s game marked both Spain’s biggest victory and Costa Rica’s worst defeat at the global finals.
Some 93% of fans believed Spain would take all three points in our Hyundai Match Predictor.
VISA Player of the Match
Aitana Bonmati
Quotes
“Getting this result is very positive. I really wanted to start [well] in this tournament.”
Teresa Abelleira, Spain midfielder
“We are very happy to start the World Cup winning. This debut gives us confidence.”
Ivana Andres, Spain defender
fifa.com
