Aitana Bonmati shines as puppet master to fire Spain into World Cup quarters

AUCKLAND – If Spain had not partially resolved the bitter feud between the players and the coach, their fans may never have witnessed Aitana Bonmati pulling the strings to guide them to the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

On Saturday, the Spaniards crushed Switzerland 5-1 – Bonmati playing a starring role with a brace and two assists in front of 43,217 fans at Eden Park in Auckland, a record crowd for a football match in New Zealand.

The 25-year-old midfielder was one of 15 players who had threatened to quit the team in 2022 if coach Jorge Vilda was not fired, but the football federation refused to bow to pressure.

But after a brief exile, Bonmati was

called up following an uneasy truce.

Vilda had given Bonmati her Spain debut back in 2017 when she was 19 and she has since grown to become an integral cog in midfield, a diminutive dynamo constantly on the move and with a sharp eye for goal.

Playing for double winners Barcelona, she is not used to losing and she was “really pissed off” when

Spain lost 4-0 in their final group game against Japan

without putting up a fight, finishing second in the group.

She clearly took that loss personally as Spain arrived fired up for Saturday’s match against Switzerland.

Bonmati may not be Spain’s captain, but there was no doubt she was leading the charge in the final third with her magical feet, scoring twice to take her tournament tally to three goals. Next up for her are either South Africa or Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

“I think it’s in my character to act (like a leader). Even though I don’t have the captain’s armband, I transmit that character to the team,” she said, after picking up another Player of the Match award at the World Cup.

“When I have the ball at my feet, I always look to help my teammates... We’re very happy and we should be proud of the work we’ve done today.”

The other scorers for Spain were Alba Redondo, Jennifer Hermoso and Laia Codina, who also scored an own goal.

Bonmati opened the scoring in the fifth minute when she pounced on a rebound, wrong-footing goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann with a swift turn and firing home.

Thirty-one minutes later, she grabbed her second – almost a carbon copy of the first. A quick flick in the box saw two defenders over-commit as she turned them inside out, before Thalmann was sent the wrong way for Bonmati to fire into an open net.

It comes as no surprise that her close-quarter dribbling and sublime passing ability to create chances earned her comparisons with Spain and Barca great Andres Iniesta.

For Bonmati, there is no higher praise as she shines a spotlight on the “Barca Way”, having watched her idol while growing up. She said: “I’m so proud when people compare me to Iniesta, what a player.”

Swiss coach Inka Grings admitted her side were simply overwhelmed.

“We tried to keep the Spanish away from our goal, but it is hard when they have so much possession,” she said. “It was a heavy defeat for us and a well deserved win for our opponents.” REUTERS, AFP