Traditional contenders Spain and Argentina demonstrated why they were deemed favorites in the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, clinching berths in the inaugural event’s semifinals with lopsided victories over Colombia and Morocco, respectively, on Monday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Second-ranked Spain ended African representative Morocco’s underdog journey with a 6-1 drubbing. Sixth-ranked Argentina, meanwhile, dismantled fellow South American nation Colombia 4-1 in the earlier match.
Irene Cordoba was an overwhelming force for Spain, firing four goals — three in the first two minutes and one in the 21st minute — to give the Spaniards a commanding lead.
Late in the second half, Marta Lopez-Pardo and Irene Samper scored goals in the 34th and 37th minutes, respectively, to cap off the rout.
Nadia Laftah scored a goal for Morocco in the 13th minute; however, it was not enough to turn the tide for the Atlas Lionesses.
“We are very happy, I think we have played a very serious game, it was not easy at all,” said Spain coach Claudia Pons. “There are the emotions and above all the pressure of wanting to be in that semifinal, and above all, keep dreaming.
“I think there has been something very important here, which is the fans, the relatives from Spain that are here. We thank them, because without them this game would be much more difficult.”
On the other hand, Lucia Rossi stole the show, powering Argentina past Colombia to claim the first semifinal ticket.
Rossi’s goals in the fifth and ninth minutes highlighted the Argentinians’ three-goal blitz, which also included a sixth-minute strike by Carina Nunez.
Silvina Nava, who was suspended in Argentina’s last group stage match against the Philippines, marked her return with a goal in the 29th minute.
Colombia’s Laura Bustos managed to score a goal for her country in the 12th minute, but the Colombians failed to find the back of the net again, ending their run in the quarter-finals.
“I think the key is that these girls have a heart, a love for their discipline, for their country, which is tremendous,” said Argentina coach Nicolas Noriega. “I think that was one of the keys to playing defensively. They are having a lot, they are making a lot of progress. The truth is that we are fine. We took other steps that we wanted to be able to take.”
The two winning nations will return to action on Friday at the same venue to compete for spots in the final.
Argentina will face Portugal or Italy in the first semifinal match at 6:00 PM, and then Spain will go up against Brazil or Japan at 8:30 PM.
