Belgium have qualified for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 for the very first time after beating Italy 1-0 at The Academy Stadium this evening.
Although France were already guaranteed to qualify as group winners, there was still plenty at stake in the last round of games in Group D. Belgium and Italy knew that a victory in sweltering conditions in Manchester would give them a huge chance of making the quarter-finals as only an unlikely Iceland success against the French would then scupper their progression.
An early goal from France against Iceland opened the door for both Italy and Belgium to snatch second place in the group.
Despite the eclectic opening in the other game, it was a rather uneventful first half at The Academy Stadium with neither side really able to make too many inroads in the opposition half. Perhaps it was both teams being overly tentative given the stakes or maybe even the extreme heat zapping the teams’ energy. The best chance came when Barbara Bonansea shot from a tight angle, only to be denied by the fingertips of Nicky Evrard in the Belgium goal.
The crucial goal came in the opening minutes of the second half. Italy failed to clear a corner and diminutive full-back Davina Philtjens got her head to ball. The Belgium number two was brought down in the process and the referee could’ve easily given a penalty but Tine de Caigny didn’t wait to find out. The midfielder controlled the ball and kept a cool head to hammer her effort into the bottom corner.
Italy almost came back with an instant response. The ball was laid back to Cristiana Girelli on the edge of the area and her curling effort looked set to beat Evrard, only to bounce back out off the crossbar. The Italians continued to push hard for the equaliser but struggled to fashion anything of significance. A big part of that was the commanding performance from Evrard who claimed everything that was sent into her area.
As the trailing side pushed further and further forward, they then left themselves susceptible on the counter. Belgium’s Tessa Wullaert picked up the ball in the Italy half of the pitch but found herself lacking in support so she tried a speculative effort from distance. The shot nearly caught out Italian keeper Laura Giuliani who was grateful to see the ball bounce out of the woodwork. Italy couldn’t break down the strong Belgian unit and the match finished 1-0. That, coupled with France’s 1-1 draw with Iceland in Rotherham, means that the Belgians have made it out of the group stage for the first time in their history.
For Italy, they will be disappointed that they never really got going at this tournament and weren’t able to show what they’re capable of. There will be questions asked about their performances but the nation has the talent for a bright future.
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