"The way Spain play football is the way it should be played," I tweeted afterwards. Fast forward six years and Spain have come a very long way since the rainy Sunday evening in Breda when they lost 2-0 against England in the group stage. Even then, the Lionesses ceded the vast majority of possession but found a way to win thanks to counterattacking goals from Fran Kirby and Jodie Taylor.
On Sunday in Sydney, I genuinely believed England would win again - this time in a World Cup final but, instead, everything clicked for Jorge Vilda's side. With the exception of Jennifer Hermoso's penalty miss, every single thing went right for Spain.
After beating Australia in the semi-final I had expected Sarina Wiegman's Euro 2022 winners to have the psychological edge but Spain proved the better team, monopolising possession and controlling large parts of the game.
Some of their one- and two-touch football was a joy to watch and, in a deeper than usual role, Hermoso maintained an effective tempo courtesy of some really clever touches. Although England created more chances initially they failed to score and their momentum began ebbing away in the face of the super talented Aitana Bonmatí, Salma Paralluelo and co.
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