It was the World Cup version of the "Double Doink."
In American football, that's when a field goal attempt hits the upright and then the crossbar. In the World Cup on Thursday, it was when the ball hit the post on consecutive shots.
That was the unfortunate result for Spain's Alba Redondo, who had two attempts to break a scoreless draw during the first half of a Women's World Cup quarterfinal matchup with the Netherlands but was denied by the post on each. Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar also played a key role.
When Redondo attempted a header on a ball played over the top, van Domselaar made a diving save, deflecting the ball off the post and back into the box. It immediately rolled back to Redondo, whose rebound attempt struck the same post, keeping the game scoreless in the 16th minute.
Redondo had another golden opportunity later in the half off a cross in front of the net by Mariona Caldentey. Instead of attempting a shot, Redondo sent a touch to Esther Gonzalez, who scored a goal that was negated by an offside call after VAR review.
The two teams, which entered the game having combined for 17 first-half goals, went into the break scoreless.
Spain, which is playing in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup for the first time, controlled possession in the first half with 11 shots on goal and 86 more passes than the Dutch. The Netherlands, the runner-up in the 2019 tournament, was held without a shot on goal in the half.
The winner advances to the semifinals to play either Japan or Sweden on Tuesday in Auckland.
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