Cristiana Girelli scored a Ninetieth-minute header to safe Italy a dramatic 2-1 win over Norway and guide their place within the Euro 2025 semi-final.
Girelli scored twice within the second half, both aspect of Ada Hegerberg’s strike, sending Italy to the final 4 of the Euros for the primary time since 1997.
Italy dominated the primary half and perhaps ought to have taken the lead when Emma Severini was one-on-one with Cecilie Fiskerstrand, however the goalkeeper stored out her tight-angled shot from the left.
Signe Gaupset got here closest for Norway simply earlier than half-time, as her audacious long-range effort flew simply huge of the correct put up, a lot to the backtracking Laura Giuliani’s aid.
Italy began the second half brightly, too, and acquired their reward simply 5 minutes after the break. Sofia Cantore’s low drive from the correct of the field was missed by Fiskerstrand, and Girelli had stayed onside to assist it into the online.
Norway then gained a penalty seven minutes later when Hegerberg was rugby tackled within the field by Elena Linari to win a spot-kick. Nonetheless, she squandered that likelihood, curling her effort huge of the correct put up.
Hegerberg, nonetheless, took the following likelihood that fell her means, latching onto Maren Mjelde’s looping cross and poking it previous Giuliani and into the bottom-left nook after the goalkeeper had rushed out.
Norway piled the strain on however did not take their possibilities and have been punished for it. Girelli had the ultimate say as she discovered area on the far put up to move Cantore’s left-sided cross over Fiskerstrand and in off the underside of the crossbar.
Italy will now face both England or Sweden within the ultimate 4 as they bid to succeed in the ultimate for the primary time in 28 years.
Girelli’s double sends Italy by means of!#WEURO2025 pic.twitter.com/yQakFNNPrM
— UEFA Girls’s EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) July 16, 2025
Knowledge Debrief: Main by instance
Italy had not reached the quarter-finals since 2013, and had been eradicated at this stage in each 2009 and 2013, however they ended that hoodoo right here.
It was all because of Girelli, who has now scored eight main match objectives (World Cup/Euros), with solely Carolina Morace (12) ever scoring extra for Italy.
And Girelli (35 years 84 days) is the oldest European participant in main match historical past to attain a brace.
As for Norway captain Hegerberg, she endured a combined efficiency as they bowed out of the match, having change into the primary participant on report (since 2013) to overlook two penalties on the Girls’s Euros (excluding shoot-outs).
