Spain’s Aitana Bonmati displayed her skill with two well-executed goals, leading her team to a resounding 5-1 victory against Switzerland in the Women’s World Cup. This win secured Spain’s first-ever quarterfinal berth in the tournament’s history.
Switzerland had an impressive record of three clean sheets in Group A, but Bonmati wasted no time in breaching their defense, scoring the first goal for La Roja just five minutes into the game. Further goals from Alba Redondo, Laia Codina, and Jenni Hermoso completed the rout, much to the delight of the record-breaking crowd of 43,217 in New Zealand.
The match featured moments of redemption and jubilation. Codina, who earlier scored an unfortunate own goal from a 40-yard back pass, redeemed herself with a goal in the 45th minute. Spain had previously secured victories against Costa Rica and Zambia with a combined score of 8-0 but suffered a surprising 4-0 loss to Japan in their last group match.
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However, Spain quickly bounced back from that heavy defeat to Japan in the round of 16. Now, they will face the winner of the Netherlands vs. South Africa match in the quarterfinals.
For Switzerland, this World Cup campaign equaled their best-ever finish, as they also reached the round of 16 in 2015, which was their only other appearance in the tournament.
Coach Jorge Vilda made five changes to the Spanish team for the match against Switzerland, including swapping out goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez in favor of Cata Coll.
Bonmati’s exceptional performance earned her three goals in the tournament, alongside Redondo and Hermoso, making them the leading scorers for Spain in the Women’s World Cup. With their impressive display, Spain aims to continue their journey and make a mark in the later stages of the competition.