The Azzurre’s day began with a long-awaited piece of news: Valentina Cernoia has tested negative for Covid and is back in full team training. The Juve midfielder was greeted with a warm round of applause at today’s session, which encapsulates the tight-knit spirit of this group better than any words ever could. However, after taking just one point from their first two games, the Azzurre will need to beat Belgium at the Manchester City Academy Stadium on Monday to go through.

It’s a must-win game as the Azzurre look to go one better than they did in 2017. “It’s all in our hands,” Milena Bertolini said after the draw with Iceland. This sentiment has since been echoed by key players Elisa Bartoli and Daniela Sabatino, who spurred their team on in the second half against Hauksson’s side. Experience and positive energy at the disposal of the collective.

 “We didn’t expect such a tough start,” Bartoli said in a press conference today. “We know that we need to get out of the group, nothing else is acceptable after what we did in the World Cup in France, also because we feel the support of our fans and we’re disappointed to have had two performances like that. But nothing’s over yet and we’re ready to give it our all to get Italians to fall in love with us all over again, just like we did in 2019. Don’t stop supporting us; we can do it all together.”

On the topic of Belgium, who won the last encounter between the two sides in 2018, although the Azzurre did dominate the game, the Roma captain was clear and concise: “We’re coming up against a stronger side than Iceland and they have some great individual players. But I’m not too worried; right now, we’re our own worst enemy. I want to see the Italy that I know on Monday. We’re angry and we need a big reaction.”

While not wanting to downplay the quality of this Belgium side, Sabatino focused almost exclusively on what her own team could bring. “We’re aware of what’s at stake and I’m certain that we’ll be up for it,” said last season’s top goalscorer in Serie A. “We need to have the right approach to this game and bring our quality to the fore, without conceding anything to our opponents – that’s the only way to rediscover that special something from the last few years. We need to bounce back. We want to go through to the quarters and we’re happy to have Cernoia back with us. She’s really important for this team and will do her best to try and get on the pitch.”

Speaking of Cernoia, team doctor Matteo Guzzini also chipped in at the press conference: “She did a second test this morning and returned a negative result, so the good news is that she can train with her teammates from today,” he said. “She tested positive last Friday and we immediately followed the UEFA protocols, placing her into self-isolation away from the rest of the group. She has managed to train alone in recent days, at first just a few exercises in her room and then, subsequently, jogging in the hotel’s garden. It’s tough to say how many minutes she has in the legs; we’ll only really know tomorrow, although it is looking promising.”