LIVE Spain 0-0 Sweden - Women's World Cup LIVE: Live updates from the semi-final... with England or Australia awaiting in Sunday's final By Tamara Prenn For Mailonline Published: 08:10 BST, 15 August 2023 | Updated: 09:59 BST, 15 August 2023 e-mail 22 shares 27 View comments Advertisement Follow Mail Sport's live blog as Spain plays Sweden in the first of the Women's World Cup semi-finals in Auckland. Tamara Prenn Host commentator 09:59 David Warner and Usman Khawaja sledge England ahead of World Cup semi-final as they warn Matildas against changing the ball after Ashes controversy David Warner and Usman Khawaja aimed a cheeky dig at England as they threw their support behind the Matildas ahead of their World Cup semi-final. Football has never before featured in the rich tapestry that is the rivalry between Australia and England , which has normally been reserved to cricket, rugby and netball. The beautiful game will be added to the list on Wednesday night, when the Matildas take on the Lionesses in Sydney with a spot in the World Cup final at stake. READ MORE BELOW. David Warner and Usman Khawaja sledge England ahead of Matildas clash David Warner and Usman Khawaja aimed a cheeky dig at England as they threw their support behind the Matildas ahead of their World Cup semi-final. Mail Online 09:49 HALF-TIME: Spain 0-0 Sweden After just a minute of added time, Sweden and Spain head back into the dressing room, after an extremely cagey opening 45 minutes. Sweden came closest just before the end of the first-half, but neither Sweden nor Spain have been able to wrestle the tie from the other's clutches. Spain are continually frustrated by the well-drilled Blue and Yellow, but Sweden's counters are yet to force a difference-maker. Ideally poised, then, for the second-half. Or will it go to extra time... and penalties? 09:46 44 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Spain look a little rattled now, unable to push back Sweden, and their opponents win a corner. Andersson steps up to take the inswinger from the right... and Coll leaps off her line to punch the ball away. She doesn't get it far enough away, and Paredes has to punt the ball out of the six-yard box to finally end a nervy period for La Roja. 09:44 42 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Rubensson looks to slip down the right, before feeding Asllani. The captain's cross is blocked out by Spain for a throw-in. Sloppy Spanish defending sees the ball handed to Bjorn, who sends a neat cross to Rolfo in the box. First big chance for Sweden! Rolfo smacks the ball towards goal at close range, unmarked, and forces Coll into an important save. 09:41 39 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Another small chance for Spain, as Bonmati picks up a superbly cut-forward pass from Redondo to fire at goal from just outside the box! Eriksson puts her under pressure, however, and forces a mistake as the Barcelona player aims just wide. 09:39 37 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Asllani wriggles her way past Paredes to make her way into Spain's box from the left, but is quickly rebuffed. Bjorn has more luck after picking up a pass from the defender and surging forward. Quick thinking from Putellas sees her nip possession away from the Swedish right-back in good time. 09:36 34 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Caldentey and Bjorn tussle high up on the left as Sweden tries to shut down yet another But Putellas wins a freekick 25 yards out moments later to set up a dangerous-looking freekick. The ball is sent over the box to a waiting Putellas, who nutmegs an unlucky Swedish defender and sends a loopy cross towards Hermoso at the far post. Swedish heads knock the ball out for the first corner of the game, and Sweden again have to lock up to disrupt an unsettling spell of Spanish play. 09:32 30 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Rolfo sends a cross into the Spanish box but her team-mates can't catch up with her pace, and Paredes is unmoltested as she ushers the ball away from danger for Coll to collect. 09:30 28 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Caldentey curves in a good-looking cross from the left for a waiting Hermoso in the box, and Sweden have to defend mightily to neutralise the Spanish threat. Surging forward to capitalise with a quick counter, Rubensson topples Putellas with the ball to gift Spain a freekick just over the halfway line. 09:27 25 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Carmona has another shot at goal, having a punt on a hastily-struck ball that ends up looping over Musovic's goal. 09:26 24 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden For all of their posession and threat, Spain have only had one shot at Musovic's goal, with Sweden thus far capable of smothering their opponents well. Now, yellow shirts swarm red ones looking to make their way up the pitch, and captain Asllani tries to swipe the ball from Bonmati to set up a counter. Spain narrowly hold onto the ball, and try to configure their next attack. 09:22 20 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Sweden are enjoying a mini-spell of dominance, but Blackstenius hands over possession as she strays lightly offside. But Spain are back in control now, with Redondo breaking down the left to push Sweden back into their half, as La Roja go hunting for the opener once again. 09:19 18 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden An excellent run by Rolfo sees her muscle her way to the edge of the Spainish box with the ball at her feet, but Abelleira and Paredes tag-team her and get the break under control. 09:17 16 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden But as soon as that's said and done, Sweden catch Spain unawares and Kaneryd slips forward to knock a curved shot towards Coll. The attempt flies wide of the mark, and Kaneryd was just offside, but she and Blackstenius outsmarted Spain there - and were unlucky not to have been awarded a corner after the ball was deflected out. 09:15 14 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Batlle dances up the pitch, with Spain looking to overrun Sweden yet again. Carmona runs onto a cute ball from Hermoso to leather a shot at Musovic's goal from outside the area, which the goalkeeper dives for but which skirts just wide of the far post. Spain are looking threatening... 09:13 11 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Spain are looking comfortable with the lion's share of possession, and Bonmati looks to exploit Sweden's defences down the right on the run. Flooding the Swedish half, Redondo looks to unleash on that profitable right side, sending in a cross looking for Hermoso, but the play flies just wide for Musovic's goal kick. The Chelsea goalkeeper sends the ball straight to a waiting Putellas, to set up a lethal period in Sweden's box! Redondo at the back post leaps for an inviting cross, and heads for a team-mate to neatly knock the ball in, but only some frantic defending from Ilestedt and Eriksson keeps La Roja from going 1-0 up. 09:09 8 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden A darting ball is passed long into the box for a running Redondo, but the shot is slightly overcooked and just misses the sprinting forward. 09:08 6 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Bonmati pulls off a crafty sliding tackle to knock a marauding Swede off the ball, but Asllani quickly wins possession back for Sweden again to surge down the right towards Coll's goal. Very even tempo so far - with both sides sizing one another up. 09:05 4 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Rolfo ushers the ball forward, feeding Blackstenius who sneaks into the attacking third. She's rebuffed, but the Arsenal forward has another attempt at pushing forward, sending a looping cross in from the right. Another straightforward catch, this time from Coll, to put the breaks on the burgeoning Swedish attack. 09:04 2 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden Sweden immediately get on the front foot, pushing Spain back into their own half. Former Chelsea captain Erikkson boots the ball upfield, but Spain quickly bite back, edging forward with Codina and Carmona combining on the left to sneak through Spain's defences. Caldentey gets her cross away but Musovic steps confidently out of goal to catch the first attempt. 09:01 Kick-off! Pennants are exchanged, hands are shaken, and Sweden get us underway in the first of the semi-final clashes. Let's go! 08:58 Here come the anthems First up, Spain's, which is received with a stoic - yet smiling - concentration. No belting here. Sweden are in full voice, however, for their slightly more downbeat tune. Pre-match predictions? Spain are narrowly the favourites, but Sweden are full of giant-killing fire and brimstone. Could we see yet more penalties Down Under? I think Sweden edge it - in extra time. Moments until kick-off! 08:52 Just one more day until the Lionesses are back in action Sarina Wiegman put the Lionesses through their paces in training on the eve of their World Cup semi-final against Australia. The England Women's side are gearing up for the last four stage of the tournament and were pictured hard at work at Central Coast Stadium on Tuesday. Wiegman was seen addressing the group in a circle, no doubt delivering the final key tactical messages to her side. READ MORE BELOW. Lionesses train on eve of huge World Cup semi-final against Australia Sarina Wiegman put the Lionesses through their paces in training on the eve of their World Cup semi-final against Australia. They appeared relaxed ahead of the game. Mail Online 08:51 Tension building at Eden Park The players are heading back into the tunnel in preparation for the anthems, with just 10 minutes to go until kick-off. It's a packed house in Auckland - but who fares better in the battle of the fan face paint? 08:47 A figure of controversy in the Spain dug-out... Jorge Vilda hinted at the turbulency behind the scenes in the Spanish national team camp in his pre-match press conference, when he said that Spain 'would not be here' if he hadn't been backed by the Spanish federation over the past year. 'You're asking about the past but first of all, I would like to acknowledge the backing and the support of our president Luis Rubiales from the very first day,' Vilda said. 'Without that we would not be here. I'm quite sure all of this would not have happened. We have a president who reacted with courage and put his trust in me and my technical team, and we are very happy about the whole process.' Last year, 15 of Vilda's national team's players threatened to quit international football altogether if the head coach wasn't sacked. But as the high-profile group, including Bonmati, Caldentey, and Batlle, were frozen out, the federation backed their choice - and eventually, the side reached an uneasy detente. What could reaching the finals do for group and Vilda's future? Or more pertinently, what could losing today's match do? Jorge Vilda is still standing 08:39 The players are out and warming up We're less than half an hour away from kick-off in New Zealand, and the atmosphere is building... 08:37 Ahead of tomorrow's semi-final, here's Kathryn Batte's SCOUTING REPORT The Women's World Cup stage is lit, and with less than a handful of matches away from crowing a new champion, England's competition is fierce against a strongly stacked Australia squad. Poster girl Sam Kerr proves to be one of the Matildas' biggest threats, though their lack of composure and complete finishing in the box against France allows England something to capitalise on. The Matildas enjoyed a penalty shootout win against France in the quarter-finals and a successful 2-0 defeat against Denmark... READ MORE BELOW. SCOUTING REPORT: Get to know England's World Cup semi-final opponents The Women's World Cup stage is lit, and with less than a handful of matches away from crowing a new champion, England's competition is fierce against a strongly stacked Australia squad. Mail Online 08:36 Spain and Sweden's journeys so far Sweden topped their Group G with commanding performances against South Africa, Italy, and Argentina, but they announced their intentions in some style by dispatching the title-holding USA on penalties in the round of 16, knocking out the side on penalties 5-4. In their quarter-finals, Sweden ensured that they'll be a new name engraved on the cup knocking out favourites Japan in a classy 2-1 victory to set up today's clash. Spain, by contrast, suffered a checkered run to make it out of their group after suffering a 4-0 defeat to Japan to finish second in the pack. Vilda's side breezed past Switzerland with a 5-1 rout, and overcame a doughty Netherlands team to snatch their quarter-final tie 2-1 after finding the decider in extra time. 08:29 Putellas back in the starting XI Excellent news for Spanish fans - far less so for Sweden supporters - as two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas returns to the starting XI. The Barcelona Femeni player suffered a huge disappointment ahead of Spain's Euro 2022 campaign after she was fored out on the eve of the tournament with an ACL injury. She's been struggling with a knee injury Down Under, and has had her minutes managed conservatively by manager Jorge Vilda so far, coming on late against the Netherlands and Switzerland after Spain made their way out of their group. Her inclusion should be a huge boost both literally and psychologically for La Roja as they bid to make their first World Cup final. Alexia Putellas: back in action, and warming up 08:18 TEAM NEWS: Sweden's starting XI Musovic, Bojorn, Ilestedt, Eriksson, Andersson, Angeldahl, Rubensson, Rytting Kaneryd, Asllani, Rolfo, Blackstenius Substitutes: Falk, Enblom, Sembrant, Sandberg, Lennartsson, Seger, Bennison, Janogy, Hurtig, Jakobsson, Bomqvist, Schough 08:17 TEAM NEWS: How Spain lines up Coll, Batlle, Paredes, Codina, Carmona (c), Bonmati, Abelleira, Putellas, Redondo, Hermoso, Caldentey Substitutes: Rodriguez, Salon Marcuello, Andres, Galvez, Guerrero, Zornoza, Perez, Navarro, Paralluelo, del Castillo, Gonzalez 08:14 Good morning! Hello and welcome to Mail Sport's live blog covering the first of this week's semi-finals, with Spain facing Sweden to line up at Stadium Australia on Saturday. Kick-off in Auckland comes in less than an hour, at 9am BST. Stick around as we bring you all the team news and build-up ahead of a tie that's sure to shred nerves - and nails. {"id":"12407953","channel":"/sport","greenBox":{"body":""},"pageUrl":"https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/live/article-12407953/Spain-vs-Sweden-Womens-World-Cup-LIVE-Live-updates-La-Roja-face-Blue-Yellow-place-Sundays-final.html","status":"running","lastDate":1692089949984} Share or comment on this article: Spain vs Sweden - Women's World Cup LIVE: Live updates as La Roja face the Blue and Yellow for a place in Sunday's final e-mail 22 shares I object to my licence fee being used to fly prese... by holland 15 Add comment Comments 27 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have not been moderated. View all The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . 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