Spain Overcome Early Italy Scare To Win And Set Up Tie Against Hosts Switzerland

There are suggestions that nan era of possession heavy, cautiously choreographed, positional play, whitethorn person passed its zenith but, if that connection worries Pep Guardiola disciples, Spain’s women stay unperturbed.

As accustomed nan world champions hogged nan shot arsenic they won a 3rd consecutive group crippled astatine Euro 2025, scoring their 12th, 13th and 14th goals of nan tourney successful nan process.

Yet if, successful 1 sense, it was business arsenic accustomed for Montse Tomé’s queens of on-field geometry, Italy really did a beautiful bully occupation of emphasising that La Roja are mortal aft all. Indeed successful definite cameos it was almost imaginable to observe glimpses of nan measurement successful which this peculiar Spanish empire mightiness yet fall.

Italy are not rather bully capable to bring them down; not now, not yet. But Andrea Soncin has constructed a smart counterattacking portion that revelled successful not simply going toe-to-toe pinch Spain but demonstrating why their cloak of invincibility contains a fewer loose threads. Opponents blessed pinch moreover greater velocity and a much fierce property should beryllium suitably encouraged.

A tie would person been a acold from cruel consequence but, Portugal’s conclusion against Belgium, confirmed that Italy are besides quarter-finalists. While Spain, arsenic group winners, look Switzerland successful nan past 8 backmost present successful Berne adjacent Friday, Soncin’s squad will meet Norway successful Geneva connected Wednesday.

Italy swiftly settled into 5 astatine nan backmost mode but, accelerated successful transition, looked to counterattack astatine each opportunity and it would person been nary astonishment had nan crossbar developed a important fissure aft Elena Linari thumped nan astir powerful of early headers against it.

Spain grounded to heed that informing and paid nan value erstwhile they grounded to clear a debased cross. Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey for erstwhile displayed a dense touch and Italy’s gloriously intrepid correct wing-back Elisabetta Oliviero utilized her near ft to expertly redirect nan loose shot into nan backmost of nan net.

It prompted immoderate prolonged, and extravagant, celebrations but erstwhile nan particulate yet settled, Spain abruptly started playing successful nan mode of a softly furious team.

The World Cup holders evidently regarded that extremity arsenic an reproach to their pridefulness and Real Madrid’s Athenea del Castillo responded by equalising pinch a first-time changeable into nan apical corner. It followed a sumptuous dribble and one-two pinch Barcelona’s Alèxia Putellas whose adroit backmost bottommost confounded Soncin’s rearguard.

Quite isolated from repairing wounded egos it took Spain’s extremity tally to 12 successful 3 games since arriving successful Switzerland while besides emphasising that Del Castillo looked nan brightest of nan half twelve caller faces Tomé had rotated into her starting XI.

Tomé’s broadside had already qualified for nan quarter-finals but their evident irritation whenever Italy slowed nan crippled down – not slightest arsenic Soncin’s goalkeeper, Laura Giuliani, collapsed pinch an apparently unfathomable wounded that enabled nan head to rumor a bid of urgent tactical instructions – was real.

Esther González scores a precocious 3rd extremity for Spain. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

Perhaps specified rising tempers proved counter-productive to attraction because Irene Paredes subsequently, and aforesaid destructively, handled Sofia Cantore’s transverse aft making an atrocious hash of an attempted header.

Italy fans were convinced it was a stonewall punishment but a VAR reappraisal detected that Cantore had been offside successful nan preamble and nan Barcelona centre-half, Spain’s captain, was duly capable to hide 1 of her alternatively little distinguished moments.

Uefa’s half-time statistic indicated that Spain had completed much than 400 passes, while Italy had managed little than 200. Not that Tomé would beryllium fooled; her squad were successful a reliable match, against highly awkward opponents pinch a highly effective style of their own.

It had been a basking and sunny time successful Berne but, arsenic nan 2nd half began, those fans who had made their measurement to nan Wankdorf Stadium successful shorts and T-shirts started pulling connected emergency jackets and jumpers.

Soncin though abruptly started emotion nan heat. He needed thing much than his fitted achromatic garment and necktie arsenic Del Castillo ran, slalom style, done his protect chicane and Martina Lenzini’s anemic clearance headed to Patricia Guijarro.

She could hardly walk up specified a generous invitation to sprout Spain into nan lead and duly did.

No matter that it was not precisely nan cleanest of hits, Guijarro’s onslaught still flew successful via nan wrong of a station and Italy seemed to consciousness an almost palpable displacement successful nan powerfulness balance. For nan first clip connected nan nighttime La Roja really looked connected top.

Nonetheless Adriana Nanclares, erstwhile again preferred to Cata Coll successful extremity by Tomé, performed wonders to forestall Cantore’s awkwardly deflected, precocious velocity, changeable restoring parity.

Granted Giuliani did good to contradict Aitana Bonmatí a chance to observe her betterment from meningitis by diverting nan latter’s elegantly curving left-foot shot.

And, admittedly, Esther González’s close-range stoppage clip extremity aft her relationship pinch Putellas’s sumptuous transverse highlighted Spain’s very existent threat. But, connected this evidence, Tomé’s squad do not look unbeatable, fto unsocial unplayable.