With the opener between New Zealand and Norway, the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is now underway. The match took place in front of 42,000 spectators, who piled into the stands in Eden Park, Auckland, the same stadium where Italy make their debut against Argentina (08:00 CEST, live on Rai 1). The hosts won the inaugural match thanks to Wilkinson’s goal. Also present in the stands were the Azzurre, who wanted to watch the opening ceremony and get acquainted with the All Blacks’ Stadium. 

The first day of the World Cup began with the news of the shooting in a building in the centre of Auckland (a few hundred metres from the hotel where the Norway team were staying), a tragic event in which three people lost their lives. The Italian team, after a few hours of fear and waiting, received the green light from FIFA to leave the hotel for Shepherds Park, where preparation for their first match against Argentina was to take place. Runs, rondos, tactical tests and a final training match in which Milena Bertolini rotated her squad, also trying out her most likely eleven to start against Argentina.

“We are still a few days away from the match - said the coach after training - we are only concentrating on our work and what we have to do next Monday, the excitement will come closer to the match. We know that we will encounter a difficult opposition, of players with quality and big personalities. They have character and they’re very compact, we know it will be difficult but we will do everything to bring it home.” 

Milena Bertolini knows she can count on a compact yet unpredictable group, a national team formed of experienced players and young talents. This is the realisation of the activities undertaken at the Youth and School Sector of the FIGC through the Territorial Development Centres, where Chiara Beccari, Giulia Dragoni and Emma Severini were all trained. A national team that perfectly represents the current state of Italian women’s football: “We are in a moment of transition from the old group, who took part in last year’s world cup, to the young players who are showcasing themselves in the league right now. In Italy, there are many emerging talents. We’ve brought an ambitious team to New Zealand, to put Italian football on the map and prove our worth.”