Why Paralluelo is key for Spain in Women's World Cup final - ESPN

SYDNEY — Salma Paralluelo is the Kylian Mbappé of the women's game, and England might be about to discover that the Spain forward has become an unstoppable force at the Women's World Cup.

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Like France and Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappé, Paralluelo has blistering pace and can play anywhere across the forward line, and, come Sunday's final, she could claim a World Cup winners' medal as a teenager, just as Mbappé did aged 19 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. She is destined to be a superstar who can take her sport to a new level.

England will go into the World Cup final at Stadium Australia with the pedigree of European champions — Sarina Wiegman's team defeated Spain in the quarterfinals at Euro 2022 en route to winning the competition — but, in Paralluelo, Spain possess the player who can turn the game in an instant.

The 19-year-old has already done that twice at this World Cup. In the quarterfinal against Netherlands in Wellington, she came off the substitutes' bench to win the tie with a stunning solo goal in the 111th minute of the game. Four days later, she once again made a decisive contribution as a second-half substitute by scoring the opening goal in the 2-1 semifinal win against Sweden in Auckland.

Despite naming her in the starting side in Spain's first four games of the tournament, coach Jorge Vilda has since used Paralluelo as an impact sub, and the tactic has proved to be devastatingly successful.

«Against Sweden, the plan was to control the game and try and tire them out,» Vilda said. «We knew they would have their moments, and that's why we kept Salma's quality back for the second half. I don't have to explain her quality, but she is just 19 and