Substitute Salma Paralluelo scored an extra-time winner to lift Spain to a nervy 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Friday and into the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup for the first time.
The 19-year-old Barcelona winger broke the 1-1 deadlock when she latched onto a through ball, turned a Dutch defender inside and out and unleashed a shot that clanged off the post into the net.
"It means everthing for me, it was a unique moment, great euphoria ... I'm extremely happy," Paralluelo said.
The sixth-ranked La Roja, who had not advanced past the round of 16 in two previous two World Cup appearances, will face either Japan or Sweden for a place in the final in Auckland on Tuesday.
"We went to extra time, but the team kept on believing," said coach Jorge Vilda. "They played on an extraordinary level, all players, and it was a match with a lot of emotional decisions, and the goal from Salma, it was sheer joy."
All the goals came late in a tight game with Mariona Caldentey scoring Spain's first from a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Dutch defender Stefanie Van der Gragt had handled the ball inside the box.
Van der Gragt, in her final match before retirement, earned some redemption when she equalised in the 91st minute to send the contest to extra time in front of 32,021 fans at Wellington Regional Stadium.
The ninth-ranked Dutch, who were runners-up to the United States four years ago in France, became the latest tournament favourites eliminated in a tournament full of upsets, with the U.S., Germany, Canada and Brazil already gone.
The Dutch had goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar to thank for not falling behind in the 17th minute after she made a fabulous diving save to bat Alba Redondo's close-range header onto the post.
The ball bounced back to Redondo, who pinged a second attempt off the same woodwork.
Spain continued to dominate possession and appeared to have been rewarded with a goal in the 37th minute when Redondo had trouble controlling a cross in front of the net, but Esther Gonzalez poked it in from an offside position.
The Dutch were poised to celebrate a penalty in the 64th minute after Spanish defender Irene Paredes barged Lineth Beerensteyn over in the area but again VAR intervened.
"It should have been a penalty after all, but it still doesn't mean that Spain didn't win deservedly," said Dutch coach Andries Jonker.
Beerensteyn had several excellent scoring chances late in extra time, but the Juventus striker fired one shot wide of the net and another just over the crossbar.
"That was the moment we should have taken a chance," said Jonker. "Had we made it, we'd have been convinced to make it through the semi-finals and make it to the final."
Spain's historic progress comes despite an ugly player revolt in the build-up to the tournament.
Fifteen players declared themselves unavailable for selection in September, saying events with the national team had impacted their emotional and physical health. They directed the bulk of complaints at Vilda.
The Spanish federation backed the coach but only six of the mutineers returned to play at the World Cup.
Sweden hold off Japan fightback
Sweden held off a late Japan fightback to reach the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup for the fifth time with a 2-1 win at Eden Park on Friday, leaving the tournament without a former winner in the last four.
Five days after ousting four-time champions the United States in the last 16, the Swedes dominated the 2011 title winners for most of the evening to set up a semi-final against Spain at the same stadium on Tuesday.
Defender Amanda Ilestedt gave Sweden the lead with her fourth goal of the tournament in the 32nd minute with Filippa Angeldal adding the second from the penalty spot just after the break.
Japan never gave up the fight but Riko Ueki missed a 76th-minute penalty and her fellow substitute Honoka Hayashi's goal 11 minutes later proved too late as Sweden held firm under immense stoppage-time pressure to progress.
"It's wonderful, obviously," Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson told Swedish radio.
"The game had everything. In terms of performance, we had our best of the tournament. It got very exciting, Japan are one of the best teams in the tournament ..."
Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda said Sweden had done a fine job stifling his midfield but he thought his players should hold their heads high.
"Our players grew at the World Cup," he said. "We lost this match but their work at this tournament is something that we should assess positively."
The Swedes, charged with confidence after dethroning the reigning champion Americans on Sunday, tore into their opponents from the start, swamping the midfield and clearly rattling the Japanese.
SWEDEN STRIKE
For a team whose most potent attacking threat came from set pieces, it was no surprise that Sweden took the lead via a free kick.
The Nadeshiko were unable to clear their lines as the ball pinged around the box and centre half Ilestedt buried it into the net with the fifth Swedish shot in the sequence.
It was only the second goal Japan had conceded in New Zealand and the first time they had been behind but they were unable to break the stranglehold the Swedes had on them.
Sweden captain Kosovare Asllani almost doubled the lead just before the break but was denied by a combination of the fingertips of Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita and the post.
Yamashita was quickly in action again at the start of the second half to tip away a Johanna Kaneryd shot but Fuka Nagano handled the ball from the ensuing corner and Angeldal made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Japan looked a pale imitation of the side that had romped in the quarter-finals and got their first attempt on goal in the 63rd minute.
They stuck to their task, however, and had a chance to cut the deficit when Ueki was bowled over in the penalty box by Madelen Janogy in the 75th minute.
The striker took the spot kick herself but was only able to clang the ball against the woodwork with her follow-up header going well over the bar.
Teenager Aoba Fujino's free kick then hit the bar and goalkeeper Zecira Musovic's head but somehow stayed out and Hayashi lashed the ball into the net from Japan's next attacking move to set up a frenetic final 13 minutes.
