There was no better response for Spain to the defeat at Wembley than a restorative thrashing against a weak Ukraine, a team battered by the Russian invasion that has ravaged their country for more than four years. La Roja, which by losing to England on Tuesday got into a quagmire to achieve direct qualification for the World Cup, which only the first place in the group grants, enjoyed themselves this afternoon in Córdoba against the team led by Iya Andrushchak to maximize their chances of being in Brazil 2027 without going through the play-offs. The national team swept aside their rival to equal the lionesses —who won 0-1 against Iceland in Reykjavik— in goal difference, a factor that could be decisive in determining who leads the group in June. Edna’s brace, who delivered two canonical headers, boosted Sonia Bermúdez’s team. The forward has a powerful aerial game thanks to which she has scored all four of her international goals since joining the squad in November. María Méndez, Vicky, and Eva Navarro completed the job in the final stretch.
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Bermúdez shook up the team with seven changes compared to the starting eleven she had fielded on Tuesday in London. Only Mapi, Alexia, Mariona, and Pina remained. The coach gave minutes to Nanclares in goal, opted for Eva Navarro and Corrales on the flanks, gave María Méndez a run in defense, chose the young and talented Serrajordi to play as a pivot, and Edna and Salma to complete the attack. The group seemed emboldened by the defeat at Wembley, as if the setback against the European champions had stung them. The pressure on the Ukrainian’s build-up was effective and intense, and the attacks were much sharper.
Edna’s goal in the second minute already rewarded Spain’s vertical approach. The ball moved quickly from right to left until Corrales got rid of Podolska with a controlled touch and then delivered a curved cross for the forward’s header. La Roja’s dominance unfolded from Serrajordi’s ability to organize play and Mapi’s fantastic left foot to break lines with well-placed passes. Ukraine, a team ranked 35th in the FIFA ranking and never having been in a World Cup, was boxed in around their area, with no other response in the first half than a counter-attack led by Ovdiychuk that hit Nanclares’ right post. The scare in injury time was tremendous after the superiority Spain had shown, unable to extend the lead after María Méndez missed a clear header from a corner and shots from Pina, Mariona, and Alexia failed to find the net.
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Vicky and Ona replaced Mariona and Pina at halftime. The changes pushed Eva Navarro to the right wing and Salma to the left, activating the team. The group, which had been losing steam as the minutes passed as if it were a drink, rushed downhill towards Ukraine’s goal. Edna scored the second with another powerful header from a Corrales cross, and María Méndez made it three with a header after a pass from Vicky. Bermúdez also gave Fiamma and Codina an opportunity and debuted Aiara Agirrezabala, the 17-year-old full-back who has impressed in her first season in Liga F.
Spain finished the match on the attack, completing the rout with a left-footed shot from Eva Navarro from the edge of the box and a marvel from Vicky, who caught a loose ball in the area and sent Olkhova and Keliushyk to the ground with a feint before tapping it into the net. The score wasn’t more scandalous because Salma hit the post with an attempt and Alexia’s chip went wide by centimeters. The world champions, who left Wembley bruised against a rival who beat them in the Euro Cup in July, recovered today against Ukraine before facing England again on June 5 at Son Moix, the group leader with a three-point advantage.
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| Group 3 | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 ENG | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 ESP | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
3 ISL | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 UKR | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Group 3 | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ENG | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 ESP | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 ISL | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 UKR | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
