An ugly player revolt in the build-up to the Women’s World Cup had threatened to derail Spain’s campaign, but La Roja have enjoyed a deep run at the tournament despite major upheaval in their set-up.

In October, 15 players, known as “Las 15”, wrote to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) demanding changes to the national team set-up and made themselves unavailable for selection, directing the majority of their complaints at coach Jorge Vilda.

The players denied calling for Vilda’s sacking, saying they only wanted improvements in working conditions because the events with the national team had affected their emotional and physical health. But the federation claimed otherwise and backed Vilda.

While naming his World Cup squad, Vilda included only three of those rebels – Mariona Caldentey, Ona Batlle and Aitana Bonmati – as other high-profile players such as Barcelona’s Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Sandra Panos were left out.

A new-look Spain headed to the World Cup under pressure, but they settled in quickly, registering comfortable wins over Costa Rica and Zambia. Their biggest challenge came in the third game against Japan when they were outplayed in a 4-0 defeat and failed to convert their chances despite dominating possession.

Spain, however, bounced back in style with a 5-1 victory against Switzerland in the last 16 and a 2-1 quarter-final win over the 2019 finalists the Netherlands in extra time, booking their place in the semi-finals for the first time.