On matchday 4 of the Nations League group stage, Italy came close to a win over Sweden. After going ahead in the 57th minute through Giacinti, Sweden found an equaliser deep in injury time with a header from Sembrant. It ended 1-1 in Malmö after Soncin’s girls defended their lead for much of the game that would have seen them catch Sweden in the standings. Italy stays in the 3rd spot with 4 points, 3 behind Sweden who are behind Spain with maximum points. In fact, they beat Switzerland 7-1 in the other game. The Azzurre will play on December 1 in Pontevedra against Spain, and 4 days later, will play their last match of the round against Switzerland at the Tardini in Parma.

The game. The starting line-up featured 4 changes following the Spain game, as well as the formation. Soncin returned to 4 at the back, with the tried and true pairing of Linari and Lenzini, supplemented by Di Guglielmo and Boattin. Bartoli, on the other hand, was absent from the 23-woman squad due to light muscle fatigue. Giuliano and Greggi started in the midfield, whilst Cambiaghi got her debut in the starting XI up front alongside Giacinti and Bonfantini who also played in Salerno. For Sweden, Seger was back in her role as captain and leader of the side with her 239 appearances, Musovic was back in goal, and winger Hammarby Janogy featured in attack given the absence of ex-Juventus player, Juve Hurtig.

Before kick-off, the two sides observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of the two Swedish citizens who were victims of the attack in Brussels on 16 October before the Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden. Despite the wet pitch, Italy imposed themselves straight away, pushing the hosts back into their own half. In the 14th minute, the Azzurre came close to the opener with a header from Cambiaghi that Musovic had to dive to keep out. Two minutes later, Blackstenius tried a header at the other end, the only chance for the Swedes in the first 45. The Scandi side couldn’t break free of Soncin’s formation or the sheer speed of Greggi who constantly threatened to put the strikers through on goal. This was clear in the numbers too as Italy ended with half with 8 shots attempted to Swedens 1.

The second-half started off in the same way with the Azzurre in control of the game, getting the deserved opening goal in the 57th minute. Giugliano launched the ball towards her Giallorosse teammate from the halfway line, Giacinti did well to control the ball and get a beautiful shot away to beat the Chelsea goalkeeper. Sweden started to feel the pressure, playing long balls and crossing to the midfielders to try and feed their strong attack. But nothing came of it. The Azzurre defence shut down the few attempts to push forwards, Linari and Lenzini won every aerial duel and the new arrivals, Galli. Bonansea, Glionna, and Girelli brought a breath of fresh air to the side that allowed them to keep the tempo. In the 8 minutes of injury time, Sweden came close to the equaliser following a corner kick that Caruso miraculously cleared off the line. Then, Sembrant brought the hosts level in the 96th minute with a header past Giuliani to seal the 1-1.

Soncin. Coach Andrea Soncin spoke following the last-minute draw: “The girls put in a great performance. I said that we shouldn’t be satisfied with applause, but they really deserve to be praised. The squad is fostering a specific identity, with a clear spirit: despite changing a few players, today we had another good game. We are starting to understand that we can control the game: today we played well, we created a lot and the girls deserved a win, but I want to repeat that we are following the right path. We have the chance to play against teams of the highest level, like Spain and Sweden. Well done to my squad, we need to keep heading in the same direction”.

SWEDEN 1-1 ITALY (0-0 pt)

GOALS: 57’ Giacinti (I), 96' Sembrant (S)

SWEDEN (4-3-3): Musovic; Bjorn ( 46’ Lundkvist), Eriksson, Sembrant, Andersson; Angeldal, Seger, Asllani (64’ Vinberg); Rytting Kaneryd (80’ Jakobsson), Blackstenius (64’ Anvegard), Janogy (86’ Kafaji). Unused subs: Falk, Holmgren, Nildén, Kullberg, Rybrink, Bennison, Zigotti Olme. Head Coach: Peter Gerhardsson

ITALY (4-3-3): Giuliani; Di Guglielmo, Lenzini, Linari, Boattin; Greggi (64’ Galli), Giugliano, Caruso; Bonfantini (81’ Glionna), Cambiaghi (89’ Girelli), Giacinti (81’ Bonansea). Unused subs: Aprile, Schroffenegger, Bergamaschi, Gama, Salvai, Tortelli, Dragoni, Tomaselli, Girelli. Head Coach: Andrea Soncin

Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA). Assistents: Camille Soriano (FRA) and Elodie Coppola (FRA). IV Official: Emeline Rochebiliere (FRA).

Note: Eriksson and Kafaji booked.

League A, Group 4: results, fixtures and table

Matchday 1 (22 September): Switzerland 0-1 ITALY, Sweden 2-3 Spain

Matchday 2 (26 September): ITALY 0-1 Sweden, Spain 5-0 Switzerland

Matchday 3 (27 October): ITALY 0-1 Spain, Sweden 1-0 Switzerland

Matchday 4 (31 October): Sweden 1-1 Italy, Switzerland 1-7 Spain

Table: Spain 12, Sweden 7, ITALY 4, Switzerland 0.

Matchday 5 (Friday 1 December): 21:30 CET – Spain vs. ITALY, Estadio Municipal de Pasarón, Pontevedra; 20:00 CET – Switzerland vs. Sweden, Luzern Arena, Lucerne

Matchday 6 (Tuesday 5 December): Spain vs. Sweden, Estadio La Rosaleda, Málaga; ITALY vs. Switzerland, Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma