Women’s football, Italy qualifies for the 2023 World Cup

“Let’s go to the World Cup”, we read on the big screens of the Paolo Mazza stadium in Ferrara. Mission accomplished and European disappointment behind it. For the second consecutive time after France 2019, the women’s national team flies to the World Cup: next year on the other side of the world (between Australia and New Zealand) without having to resort to a play-off draw that would have been full of pitfalls. Ferrara still did well: after the victory in April 2018 with Belgium which paved the way for a qualification won two months later in Florence against Portugal, Mazza got the one (2-0) against Romania, an indispensable condition for avoid checking the updates of the match between Switzerland and Moldova, overwhelmed 15-0 by the Swiss, who finish second and who would have instead closed first for goal difference if Italy-Romania had ended even. “I am very happy for the girls, having the opportunity to play a World Cup again is something fantastic – the words of coach Milena Bertolini -. For the first time Italy qualifies for two consecutive World Cups, and we know how important it is. for the girls and for the movement. We knew it was going to be a difficult match, but we did well to win it. ”

unlocks Hyacinths

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Italy, compared to the goleada in Moldova, has changed only one player: Greggi on the pitch instead of Rosucci. Attack trident with Bonfantini, Girelli and Giacinti. Romania, now out of the qualifying talks, obviously came to play the game trying to make Italy’s afternoon as difficult as possible: very short defense lines and midfield, few spaces for the blues. To wipe out the tension, in an unspectacular match, Valentina Giacinti took care of itwho in the 29th minute collected an assist from the new teammate in Roma Greggi and with a left footed the goalkeeper Paraluta.

Closes Boattin

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Two changes at the start of the second half for Bertolini: in Glionna and Di Guglielmo for Bonfantini and Bartoli, the latter victim of a shoulder problem. Then, in the 66th minute, out of Rosucci and in Greggi. The second half went away with Italy who timidly tried to find the goal of doubling with a couple of shots from distance and Romania who kept the blue with bated breath, since in the meantime Switzerland continued to score up to cancel the gap in goal difference. And for this reason, when Boattin threw the 2-0 ball into Paraluta’s goal in the 29th minute (same minute as the goal of the first half), the whole bench entered the field to embrace the Juventus full-back, who chose the day just to score the first goal in the senior national team.

countdown

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In the final minutes, even the unavailable players present in the stands went down to the bench, waiting for the triple whistle: among these, Barbara Bonansea caught in the stands moved by the Rai cameras (“Those tears are perhaps also for the disappointment of the European Championship”, Bertolini will say) and also Cecilia Salvai, who had to miss both the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 European Championship due to injury. Destiny gives her another chance.