Jenni Hermoso and Aitana Bonmati fire Spain to first-ever Olympics in Netherlands romp - leaving head coach Montse Tome beaming with pride after taking job 'nobody wanted'

Jenni Hermoso and Aitana Bonmati each scored in the first half against the Dutch, with Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle adding a third later on to secure a 3-0 win. Only one Olympic qualifying place was originally going to be available through the Women's Nations League finals - to be awarded to the overall winner. But with France victorious in the other semi-final against Germany and having already qualified as hosts, it means that Montse Tome's Spain automatically now get that place before the final has been played.

Tome said after taking Spain through to the Olympics for the first time in their history: "We took charge in a difficult moment that nobody wanted and we took a step forward. We are proud of the work we have done. This team deserves to play an Olympic Games after all the prior generations who fought for it and came up short."

Spain's World Cup win last summer was ultimately overshadowed by the scandal that erupted when the now disgraced former RFEF president Luis Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips without her consent after the final. He has since been banned from all football-related activities by FIFA until late 2026 and it has been proposed by a judge in Spain that he faces criminal trial on charges of sexual assault and coercion. Former head coach Jorge Vilda also stands accused of coercion and was sacked in the wake of the World Cup triumph, having previously seen 15 players refuse to be called up in the year prior due to problems with the regime. There was an even bigger player walkout after the World Cup and Tome, formerly assistant coach to Vilda, was left to pick up the pieces after being promoted to the top job.

Women's football at the Olympics is a far bigger deal than in the men's game, with no restrictions on age meaning that countries are free to pick all of their best players - the only limit is a smaller squad size (18) than other competitions. It is therefore much more more akin to a World Cup than the counterpart Under-23 junior tournament seen with the men.

Despite the problems that have befallen the team, Spain have the chance to make it consecutive major trophy wins when they take to the pitch in Wednesday's Nations League final against France. The game is on home soil in Seville but sees them go up against a French team, who had their own coaching problems last year, enjoying an impressive unbeaten run (excluding penalty shootout defeats) dating back to before the World Cup.