Spain Eliminates England in Women’s U17 World Cup Semi-Final

England was knocked out of the Women’s Under-17s World Cup semi-finals following a 3-0 defeat by Spain, the reigning champions. Alba Cerrato, returning from suspension, scored just before halftime to give two-time world champions Spain the lead. Spain had previously beaten England 4-0 in the European Under-17s final in May. Pau Comendador added her fifth goal of the tournament, putting her in a strong position for the Golden Boot, while an own goal by England’s Zara Shaw sealed Spain’s progression to Sunday’s final in the Dominican Republic. This marks England’s second time reaching the semi-finals in three appearances, having finished fourth in 2008. They will now compete for third place against the United States in a play-off match scheduled for Sunday at 19:30 GMT. England coach Natalie Henderson commented on her team’s performance, stating, “I’m full of pride. The girls gave it a real good go, that’s all we asked of them at the start. We promised each other that we were going to give it our best shot, and I think we did.” Spain will face North Korea in the final on Sunday at 23:00 GMT, aiming to secure their third World Cup title. North Korea had previously defeated England 4-0 during the group stages.