Spain celebrate Women’s World Cup at home with Carmona remembering her late father

MADRID: Spain celebrated their Women’s World Cup title at home with Olga Carmona being thrown up into the air by her teammates in front of thousands of fans who welcomed the newly crowned champions on Monday.

Carmona, who scored the winning goal in Sunday’s final against England, participated in the celebrations despite being told after the match that her father had died following an illness. Her family decided to wait until the match was over to inform Carmona.

“Today is a very special day for the entire country, but it’s also a bit complicated for me,” Carmona told the fans who greeted the players a day after La Roja’s 1-0 win over England in Australia.

“Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions for me,” she said. “At one point it was the best day of my life, but then it became the worst. I’m really moved to be able to offer this joy for the entire country. Now you have the star that you all wanted so much, and not only the one that we will carry on our chests, but also all the ones that are in the sky and that accompanied us.”

Carmona had been thrown up in the air by her teammates shortly after she entered the stage prepared for the team’s celebrations in Madrid. Fans chanted her name repeatedly, “Olga, Olga, Olga...”

Carmona’s father was ill and died while her mother and other relatives traveled to Australia to watch her in the final. The 23-year-old Real Madrid player was named the final’s most valuable player and became the first player since American Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semifinal and final.

Carmona and her teammates earlier paraded on an open-air bus past some of Madrid’s most iconic sites, dancing and waving to fans who lined up along the streets of the capital carrying Spain flags and