Italy have turned over a new page and moved closer the World Cup. After the disappointment of the European Championship, the Azzurre resumed the path towards Australia and New Zealand with character and personality, easily overcoming the first of the two challenges that separate them from the objective. At the Zimbru Stadium in Chișinău, Milena Bertolini's side beat Moldova 8-0: three goals in the first half and five in the second as Italy dominated, dictated the tempo and did what they struggled to do in England less than two months ago.

What made the difference, in addition to the spirit with which the Azzurre approached these first 90 minutes, was the technical and tactical superiority in favour of Milena Bertolini's team, who, at 18:30 CEST on Tuesday, will play their final group game against Romania at the Stadio Paolo Mazza in Ferrara. If they win, Italy would celebrate their second consecutive World Cup qualification, a very important goal for the whole movement.

THE MATCH - Without the injured Gama, Bergamaschi, Bonansea, Cernoia, Durante and Linari, the latter suffering a muscle strain, Head Coach Bertolini - who today celebrated her 60th game in the Azzurre dugout - selected Giuliani in goal, Lenzini and Filangeri as the centre-back pairing and Bartoli and Boattin in the full-back roles. The three in midfield were Caruso, Rosucci and Giugliano, while Bonfantini, Girelli and Giacinti lined up in attack.

Italy immediately went on the attack against Moldova, who they defeated 3-0 in the reverse fixture and were last in the group standings with one point. From the get-go, it was clear that the Azzurre were superior to their adversaries from a technical point of view and also in terms of play. In the first 18 minutes, Milena Bertolini's team tested the Romanian goalkeeper Munteanu three times, first with a volley from Girelli (5'), then with a header from Bonfantini (14') and finally with a right-footed shot from outside the area by Giugliano (18'). And it was the latter who, in the 26th minute, gave Italy the lead with a shot from outside the box, with the Roma midfielder scoring her seventh for the National Team.

Having taken the lead, Italy began to put their foot on the accelerator: Giacinti netted the second goal in the 32nd minute before Caruso made it three five minutes later after Girelli had hit the post. 

The script did not change in the second half, even with Di Guglielmo, Greggi, Glionna and Soffia coming on for Bartoli, Giugliano, Girelli and Boattin. Italy remained always well in control. Once all the matches are over, in the case of a tie for first place in the group, goal difference will be the decisive factor in edging out the Swiss – awaiting their games against Croatia and Lithuania. The Azzurre knew this and, in the space of five minutes, added to their advantage. First, Bonfantini bagged the team's fourth (59') before Caruso netted a fifth (64').

Italy were well in the driver's seat as the Head Coach made another change, inserting Galli in place of Rosucci. There was still time for more goals: in the 78th minute, Caruso completed her hat-trick, while Giacinti then bagged her second on the 82-minute mark. The absolute star of the afternoon, Arianna Caruso, in added time, netted her fourth of the day to seal an 8-0 triumph. 

Coach Bertolini was satisfied: "It was important to start well because this was a tough match from a psychological point of view. Although we knew we were facing a weaker opponent, the team had the right approach and maintained the right attitude for the entire match. Now, we have a decisive match ahead of us that will be completely different; it will be tough and more difficult. We will rest to recharge our batteries with the aim of achieving qualification."