At the end of a hard-fought match, Milena Bertolini’s team beat Portugal late on to reach the Algarve Cup semi-final. After a below par first half, which ended with the hosts 1-0 up, the Azzurre moved up a gear in the second half speeding up their tempo and posing more of a threat in attack. This led to Linari’s equaliser, assisted by Cernoia, in the 78th minute before Girelli precisely slotted the penalty that had been won by Cernoia again with just seconds to spare. 

On Saturday 7 March (at Parchal at a time to be defined), Italy will play in the semi-final against New Zealand, who beat Belgium on penalties in the third match on the opening day of the tournament. In the other half of the draw, Germany will be competing with Norway for a place in the final.

“As we had expected, it was a very difficult match,” said Milena Bertolini at the end of the game, “in the first half we made a mistake and could’ve done better tactically. However, the Italy we know showed up in the second half: we were more aggressive, more determined and played as a team with Portugal unable to cope. In the semi-final we’ll take on a very physical team and we need to recharge our batteries and be ready.”

THE MATCH - In this, the first Azzurre game of the year, Milena Bertolini relied on the tried and tested 4-3-3. Gama’s partner at the back was Salvai who has regained her spot after a long absence through injury. Next to them as full-backs were Guagni and Boattin, while the Juventus-based trio of Cernoia, Rosucci and Galli made up the midfield that supported Sabatino, Bonansea and Girelli up top. The game started slowly, but Italy were in control and almost went ahead after Cernoia’s shot from the edge of the box in the 18th minute. However, Portugal took the lead in the 34th minute through Diana Silva’s free kick that beat Giuliani in goal. The Azzurre tried to speed up their attacking play but couldn’t find the right ball to threaten the Portuguese rearguard. 

When play resumed for the second half, the three Azzurre lines were much closer, as requested by Bertolini, which sped up attacking play. In the 58th minute Guagni found Girelli free in the middle of the box but the Serie A top scorer was blocked by 20-year-old Pereira. Two minutes later Fiorentina’s full-back whipped in another precise cross to Sabatino who shot just wide. Eventually, the much-deserved equaliser came in the 78th minute thanks to Linari, having come on for Salvai, who took advantage of Cernoia’s perfect corner to hammer past the Portuguese keeper. 

That goal took a weight off the Azzurre’s shoulders and they became more enterprising by pressing in the hosts deep into their own half. Just seconds from the full-time whistle, the excellent Cernoia was brought down in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Girelli stepped up to convert the spot kick and send Italy through to the semi-final.

PORTUGAl 1-2 ITALY (1-0 HT)
Reti: 34’ Diana Silva (P), 78’ Linari (I), 90’ pen. Girelli (I)

PORTUGAL (4-4-2): Pereira; Borges, Rebelo, Costa, D. Silva; Pinto, Faria (68’ Pinto), Marquez, Neto (68’ Norton); J. Silva (16’ Mendes, 87’ Nazareth), D. Silva. Subs.: Morais, Jacinto, Marchao, Fidalgo, Gomes, Gomes, Santos, Martins. Coach: Francisco Neto.
ITALY (4-3-3): Giuliani; Guagni (89’ Bonfantini), Gama, Salvai (46’ Linari), Boattin; Cernoia, Rosucci (72’ Masdcarello), Galli; Bonansea (72’ Bartoli), Sabatino (60’ Bonetti), Girelli. Subs.: Baldi, Schroffenegger, Lenzini, Tortelli, Caruso, Bonetti, Tarenzi. Coach: Milena Bertolini.

Referee: Francia Gonzalez (MEX), Assistants: Mijensa Rensch (SUR) and Karen Diaz (MEX). Fourth Official: Catarina Ferreira Campos (POR).

Quarter-finals – Other results
New Zealand 1-1 Belgium (New Zealand won 7-6 on penalties)
Germany 1-0 Sweden
Denmark 1-2 Norway