A game with various elements: tomorrow’s clash against the Republic of Ireland (kicking off at 18:15 CET, live on RAI2) will be the first National team game at Fiorentina’s new sports centre, Viola Park, and will be an important test ahead of the imminent Euro 2025 qualifiers. The opposition is only growing in strength, they have moved up to 24th in the FIFA Rankings and emerged winners of their group in the UWNL League B. But above all else, it will be Sara Gama’s last game in an Azzurre shirt on Sunday. The captain of the ‘World Cup girls’ in 2019, the Euro 2008 champion with the Under 19s, will reach her 140th appearance for Italy; the fourth-ranked player for all-time appearances (ahead of her are Panico, Zorri, and Morace).

At a sold-out Viola Park, Soncin will return to the Azzurre dugout after the second-place finish in the ferocious UWNL group, behind Spain, the current world champions (who the Azzurre beat away from home), but ahead of Sweden and Switzerland.

“The emotional weight of this game will be massive” started Sonicn in a press conference in Coverciano on the eve of the match: “It will be the right tribute to a professional like Sara Gama. We need to continue our growth and this will be our main aim. I am incredibly proud of the mutual respect and esteem that we have with all of the girls, especially Sara. Before being a coach and players, we are people: the relationship comes above all else”.

Inevitably, the Head Coach’s responses to the journalists’ questions often came back to the relationship with his captain, who sat beside him in the press conference ahead of her final Azzurre game: “When the Federation asked me to be head coach, the first player that I called was Sara Gama. I told her my worries, as someone who could be an important figure on the path to rebirth. And she acted like an authentic leader: this has been the biggest gift she could have given me, the staff, and her teammates”.

Then, the thoughts on the game tomorrow against an opponent that finished their journey in the UWNL League B with the maximum points tally. Soncin emphasises: “Ireland is a physical side. We are expecting an intense game. As always, we have tried to work on the finer details to discover which elements can bring us an advantage. It is a high-level test and the goal of this retreat was to prepare ourselves for the hardest games that we will face on the path to qualification for the Euros. The last games allowed us to test the waters regarding our potential, we can take on anyone. But we need to be balanced, facing every game also aware that the level of our opposition is high.

What should the Azzurre take from Sara Gama? I want to see that courage that was there in our latest games. We need to be a tight squad, that accepts evenly matched defences: these are the characteristics of someone aware and a leader, as Sara has been. There are many things to take into consideration when building a squad’ in my opinion, the first thing to focus on is creating the right environment for the pliers to best express themselves. And Sara has been key for this”.

Finally, a word on the setting of tomorrow’s clash: “Viola Park is an example. The merit of Fiorentina is that it has developed a project that provides a guarantee, not just to the Mne’s First team, but to every side in the Women’s and Youth Sectors, of being able to train in a high-level environment”.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Fiorentina), Laura Giuliani (Milan), Katja Schroffenegger (Fiorentina), Amanda Tampieri (Sampdoria);
Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (Roma), Valentina Bergamaschi (Milan), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Aurora De Rita (Sampdoria), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Roma), Sara Gama (Juventus), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (Roma), Elisabetta Oliviero (Sampdoria), Julie Piga (Milan), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus);
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Giulia Dragoni (Barcellona), Aurora Galli (Everton), Giada Greggi (Roma), Eva Schatzer (Sampdoria), Emma Severini (Fiorentina);
Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Agnese Bonfantini (Inter), Michela Cambiaghi (Inter), Sofia Cantore (Juventus), Michela Catena (Fiorentina), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Benedetta Glionna (Roma), Miriam Longo (Fiorentina), Martina Piemonte (Everton), Annamaria Serturini (Inter).

 

Schedule

Monday 23 February
18:15 CET - ITALY vs. Republic of Ireland

Saturday 24 February
11:00 CET - Training (closed)

Sunday 25 February
11:30 CET - Training (closed)

Monday 26 February
10:30 CET - MD-1 official training at Coverciano (open to the media for the first 15 minutes)
15:15 CET - Departure for Malaga
19:45 CET - Walk around at the Estadio Nuevo Mirador in Algeciras

Tuesday 27 February
18:00 CET - England vs. ITALY at the Estadio Nuevo Mirador in Algeciras
Return to Italy following the game