AUCKLAND (Agencies): Aitana Bonmati netted two well-crafted goals as Spain thrashed Switzerland 5-1 at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday to clinch a quarterfinal berth for the first time in their history.
Switzerland kept three clean sheets to top Group A, but it took a mere five minutes for midfielder Bonmati to breach their defence for the first goal for La Roja.
Additional goals from her, Alba Redondo, Laia Codina and Jenni Hermoso completed the rout to the delight of the crowd of 43,217 — a record for a football match in New Zealand.
Codina’s 45th-minute effort was a moment of redemption for the defender, who had earlier scored a calamitous own goal with a pass back from 40 yards that sailed past shocked goalkeeper Cata Coll. Spain finished second in Group C, beating Costa Rica and Zambia by a combined 8-0 before being run ragged in a surprise 4-0 loss to Japan on Monday.
Spain will play the winner of Sunday’s round-of-16 game between the Netherlands and South Africa. The 20th-ranked Swiss matched their best World Cup finish. They also bowed out in the round of 16 in 2015, their only other World Cup appearance. Coach Jorge Vilda made five changes to his team from that loss to Japan for Saturday, including dropping goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez in favour of Coll.
Bonmati got Spain on the scoreboard when she took a terrific turn with the ball to finish from close range, but the Swiss equalised five minutes later when Codina put the ball through her own net. It took La Roja — the Red One — six minutes to regain the lead when Ona Batlle swung in a cross that Redondo met with a header from the back post into the far corner.
Bonmati netted her second in the 36th minute with some exquisite footwork that sent two defenders and goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann the wrong way. She knocked the ball to her left foot and calmly curled a shot into the empty net. Codina stabbed the ball home during a goalmouth scramble before streaking away with outstretched arms and a wide smile of relief to celebrate a goal that sent Spain into halftime with a 4-1 lead.
Hermoso scored the only goal of the second half in the 70th minute, pouncing on a poor clearance by the Swiss that left her one-on-one with Thalmann. Bonmati, Redondo and Hermoso have three goals apiece in the tournament.
