Ruthless, spectacular and a little naive in a first half that somehow only ended with a one-goal advantage, then a gritty team performance in the second half: Italy beats Norway 2-1 in a match played with the awareness typical of great teams. The volley by Giacinti and the backheel assist for the second goal by Caruso are the manifesto of the National team coached by Milena Bertolini, who, relying on its quality and the strength of the squad, make it to their second consecutive final of the Algarve Cup.

On Wednesday at 11:00 (12:00 CET) at the Estadio Municipal in Lagos, Italy will face either Sweden or Portugal in the final, with the hosts needing a win in the afternoon match in Faro due to a worse goal difference. Whatever side the Azzurre end up playing, a great performance will be needed to win the trophy, but they are ready and want to bring home the trophy.

Milena Bertolini speaking after the game: "I want to congratulate the girls, they played well and were intelligent out there, they interpreted the match in the right way because against such a physical opponent it was necessary to use all our technical and tactical skills. The subs who came in the second half also did well, and I'm happy that the younger players were able to gain experience. We are happy with this victory and look forward to the final.

The match. There are five changes in the line-up compared to the opener against Denmark. Durante, on her fourth appearance for the national team, in front of her along with Orsi (who solidified her spot after that excellent performance in the opening match) was Linari, giving captain Gama some rest. In midfield, Caruso replaced Cernoia, while in attack the head coach relied on Giacinti, Bonansea and Girelli. Norway coach Sjögren had to once again do without star player Caroline Hansen, attacking mid for Barcelona, and also in the traditional 3-4-3, he selected four different players compared to the opening match against Portugal.

At the beginning of the match, Italy controlled the game by taking advantage of their technical quality: the distribution of Giugliano and the dynamism of her teammates allowed the Italian trident to put constant pressure on the opponent's defence. The Norwegians were then forced to dig in and try to strike on the counter. The Azzurre’s opening goal came in the ninth minute with a beautiful volley by Giacinti, who got on the end of a pinpoint cross from the edge of the pitch by Lenzini and scored her seventeenth goal for the national team. Taking advantage of the solidity of the defensive line, Milena Bertolini's team were able to express themselves freely, playing with quality and maintaining a rhythm that weakened the resistance of the physical Scandinavian players. This is what led to their second: In the 29^th minute, Girelli rewarded the run of another Bianconera Caruso with a brilliant backheel, who with a precise diagonal shot beat Fiskerstrad who had no chance of stopping it. Caruso dedicated the goal together with the rest of the group - bench included - to Sofia Cantore. In the last play of the first half, the Italians were caught lacking off a free-kick and were punished by the precise finish of the PSG's Celin Ildhusøy from 16 meters out.

In the second half, the match was more balanced, Norway attacked with more courage and Bertolini took action replacing the most tired players: Di Guglielmo immediately replaced Boattin, at 55' Cernoia and Bergamaschi replaced Galli and Girelli, while at 70' Soffia replaced an exhausted Lenzini. Italy suffered from the improved play of the Norwegians but defended well, only allowing their opponents a few shots from distance. At the final whistle, the celebration began, with Gama and her teammates running under the stand filled with Italian fans, ready to cheer on Italy in the final of the competition taking place on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, the two injured AC Milan players, Alia Guagni (calf injury) and Martina Piemonte (injury to the collateral ligament of the left knee), will return to Italy.

 

Tournament schedule

Wednesday 16 February
Denmark 0-1 ITALY 
Norway 0-2 Portugal 

Friday 18 February
Sweden-Denmark, match abandoned (victory awarded to Sweden, 3-0)

Sunday 20 February
ITALY 2-1 Norway
17:15 (18:15 CET) Portugal-Sweden (Estadio Algarve - Faro)

Wednesday 23 February
11:00 (12:00 CET) Final (Estadio Municipal - Lagos)
11:00 (12:00 CET) 3rd and 4th playoff (Estadio Algarve - Faro)

 

Standings

Italy 6 points, Sweden, Portugal 3 points, Norway 0 points