WELLINGTON, July 21: Spain lived up to their billing as one of the tournament favourites with a rampant 3-0 victory over Costa Rica here on Friday.
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.
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, the FIFA reported.
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.
Spain midfielder Teresa Abelleira said, “Getting this result is very positive. I really wanted to start well in this tournament.”
Spain defender Ivana Andres said, “We are very happy to start the World Cup winning. This debut gives us confidence.”
(UNI)
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