Italy 2-1 Norway: Girelli’s late brace sends Azzurre through to semi-finals

Italy secured their qualification for the semi-final stages of the UEFA Women’s Euros at the Stade de Genève after a brace from Cristiana Girelli.

A hard-fought battle between two evenly matched sides ended 2-1, with Norway struggling to cope with Italy’s relentless pressure in the first half.

However, Girelli opened the scoring after halftime. Ada Hegerberg then brought Norway level in the second half, despite having missed a penalty just minutes earlier.

Andrea Soncin’s side secured a dramatic late winner and will now wait to see whether they face England or Sweden in the semi-finals. The match will take place on Tuesday, 22nd July at 20:00 BST (21:00 CEST) at the Stade de Genève.

As it happened

There was a rowdy atmosphere as both sets of fans watched their teams line up to sing the national anthems. The tension was palpable, with supporters fully aware of what was at stake.

This was the first quarter-final of the tournament, and both teams’ futures hung in the balance. It was set to be a historic night, with neither side having reached the knockout stages of the Euros since 2013.

There was no clear favourite going into this match; however, a period of intense attacking pressure from Soncin’s side showcased the determination of the Italian side.

An early chance for Italy saw Arianna Caruso dart through the Norwegian defence in the 8th minute, her effort narrowly missing the target. Gemma Grainger’s side responded with a few close opportunities of their own, but all were dealt with confidently by Italy’s goalkeeper, Laura Giuliani.

Another incredibly close shot came from Lucia Di Guglielmo in the 31st minute, a moment of hope in what was a tough yet rather dull first half hour for both sides. Hegerberg was unable to find the back of the net after receiving the ball from a beautifully deceptive pass through the box by Maren Mjelde.

An impressive save from Cecilie Fiskerstrand denied Caruso’s long-range effort in the 43rd minute. It proved to be the final action of the half, sending both teams into the break level.

The second half began swiftly, with Girelli opening the scoreline from a pinpoint Caruso cross in the 50th minute. This goal livened the atmosphere in the stadium as well as the gameplay on the pitch, as a period of intense chances followed.

This came to a head when Norway were gifted a controversial penalty. However, Hegerberg didn’t find the back of the net, instead firing the ball wide.

Hegerberg redeemed herself just minutes later, as she scored the equaliser through a slow shot which just edged its way under the goalkeeper.

That pressure remained as Giuliani did well to combat an onslaught of powerful shots coming from the Scandinavian side, the addition of Elisabeth Terland to their front line making a noticeable difference.

The score remained 1-1 until the 90th minute, when Girelli bagged her second goal of the night. Her header, meeting a perfect cross from Sofia Cantore, sent the Italian fans into a frenzy behind the goal, knowing there side were minutes away from the semi-finals.

Italy comfortably held onto their lead through four minutes of added time, securing a place in the next round as they continue their push for a first Euros final since 1997.

The lineups