Italy missed the move into the European Championship final on drama. The great outsider already had the sensation against defending champion England in mind. But then the “Azzurre” lined up with misfortune, so that the Italians sank in the sea sea at the end of a memorable evening in Geneva.
Since Emma Severini stood somewhere in the lawn of the Stade de Genève and looked into nowhere with steeped eyes. At least as long before the midfielder buried her face in the light green jersey. The 22-year-old was inconsolable after the preliminary round duel with England. And stunned. And above all: infinitely sad.
Severini could have become an Italian heroine if she had dusted off for 2-0 in the 86th minute from a short distance after a corner kick. But the player from AC Florence, which had just been 1-0, for Barbara Bonansea, the goal scorer, failed to keeper Hannah Hampton. Soon afterwards, the equalization that England brought into the extension fell. And there Severini finally became an accident rabin when she moved to the ground in Beth Mead in her own penalty area. Chloe Kelly converted the due penalty to the 2-1 success of the “Three Lionesses” in the margin.
Italy against the “lionesses” with the heart of a lion
This ended the Italian summer fairy tale in Switzerland. So abrupt. So painful. And somehow felt so unjust, the “Azzurre” had left so much sweat and heart on the pitch before tears rolled over their cheeks. “There are no words to describe the emotions we have experienced”said the depressed coach Andrea Soncin in the “Rai” interview: “We deserved a different end.”
The 46-year-old was correct with this analysis. And somehow wrong. Because his team didn’t contribute much to the game. With the (and actually outdated) Catenaccio, which has been proven on the Brenner for decades, the outsider tried to defend himself to the individual superiority of the English women. Of course, that only looked very pretty, but was a tried -and -testing recipe against the opponents that were too complicated in the last third of the field.
And because the “Azzurre” fought the “Lionesses” with the heart of a lion and really fought for every millimeter of the lawn, Soncin’s view was not entirely wrong that the outsider had deserved a different end.
The Italians are inconsolable after the final whistle.
Bonansea nourishes with leadership gate hopes for sensation
For a long time, the man was allowed to dream of writing another chapter of her summer fairy tale with his team with the white shirt, the blue tie and the tanned head without hair. After the indestructible Bonansea scored the 1-0 in its 114th international match, the “Azzurre” was able to break the attack waves of the English again and again.
With every minute, that could be seen in the Italian faces, belief in the sensation grew. Then Severini had the 2-0 on the foot. The fact that she awarded the huge chance seemed to be irrelevant at first. But then the tragedy started 60 seconds before the end of the seven -minute stoppage time. The previously flawless keeper Laura Giuliani fended off a cross in front of the feet of Michelle Agyemang, who met to compensate.
Soncin: “Delimating this way it hurts”
The role of the tragic heroine suddenly seemed for the former Bundesliga goalkeeper. But the former ball catcher of 1. FC Köln and SC Freiburg was unimpressed by her mistake and saved her team from the deficit. Then came minute 118 and the fateful clip in Severini against Mead. The fact that Giuliani was able to fend off Kelly’s penalty before the Englishman was successful in the margin, matched the Italian drama in Geneva.
Italy’s coach Andrea Soncin saw a sacrificing struggle of his team.
Tears followed the burst dream. A lot of tears. But none of these tears was in vain, they all testified to what the “Azzurre” had done. “The players should be proud of what they have achieved”said Soncin. He tried visibly to take the role of the comfort in the hardest hour of his term as a national coach. The 46-year-old could not make a killer pit out of his heart: “It hurts like this.”