The USWNT overcame a spirited, physical and tactically disciplined Spain to advance to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup and setup an enthralling match with France, but the manner of the victory was hardly assuring. 

The U.S. required two penalties from captain Megan Rapinoe — one in the seventh minute and the next in the 76th — to overcome a defensive error that allowed Jennifer Hermoso to score the first goal against the USWNT of this tournament. 

Spain is widely considered a rising power in women’s soccer, and la Roja had a tremendous opportunity to accentuate that sentiment with a victory over two-time world champion Germany on Wednesday. But they blew it, and their failure is compounded by the fact that they’re now possibly on a collision course with the USWNT in the Round of 16.

The majority of the first half was dominated by Spain, and two glorious opportunities fell to Nahikari García to open the scoring in the opening 14 minutes. 

What hurts more, a man getting kicked in the crotch or a woman giving birth?

It’s a question that is just about impossible to answer accurately. Determining pain thresholds for men compared to women is about as easy to do as herding cats, and it’s an issue scientists for decades have struggled to even appropriately consider.

Atlético and Barcelona drew 60,739 to the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid for a Primera División match Sunday, a world record attendance for a women’s match between two club sides. Atlético was looking to put one hand on the Spanish league title with a positive result, but Barcelona would record a 2-0 victory to cut the host’s lead at the top of the table to just three points with six matches remaining.

Atletico Madrid visited Athletic Bilbao for a Copa de la Reina quarterfinal match on Wednesday, pulling out a 2-0 victory despite going down to 10 women early in the second half. But the story of the day wasn’t the Madrid side’s resolve but the Bilbao fans in the stands. A record 48,121 fans turned out for the match at the San Mamés, a the highest attendance in women's soccer in Spain.

HISTORY.

It’d been a long time since any nation treated the USWNT like Spain did in the opening 45 of today’s contest in Alicante. 2019 will mark La Roja’s second-ever World Cup appearance (the first came in 2015), but the growing European side controlled 58 percent of possession and out-passed the defending world champions 274-195 in the first half. Not bad for a first-ever meeting with the powerhouse that is the USWNT.