Spain have made it through to the women’s FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history, following their 2-1 victory over the Nehterlands, but it was remarkable for another reason too.
Primarily, the length of the match. In total, it lasted for 140 minutes in total. In addition to the 90 minutes, and 30 minutes of extra time, the stoppage time in each period added up to an extra 20 minutes of playing time (4+12+2+2).
🥲 No vamos a llorar, no vamos a llorar…
¡VALE, SÍ! ¡HEMOS LLORADO! 🥺❤️
🥰 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗼 𝗵𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 y así lo han celebrado.#JugarLucharYGanar I #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/g9vxFFEY5x
— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) August 11, 2023
This follows on from the World Cup in Qatar, where lengthy added tgime periods often saw matches make the 100-minute mark. Last season in La Liga, there was no new charter as was the case with FIFA, but games were similarly lengthy.
The upcoming La Liga season is set for something similar, as new regulations come in to add extra time onto games. Each goal will require a further minute of added time, while substitutions will also receive more accurate additions.