Geneva – Italy celebrated his victory in the quarterfinals over Norway as if they had won the 2025 Eurocup itself. The 2-1 victory last Wednesday saw fans and the team's party at night when the Christian front Girelli, probably in her last tournament at age 35, scored both goals to see them until their first semifinal since 1997.
It simply had to be her. With more than 120 caps and 60 goals that covered a 12 -year -old international career, there was only one story that would be suitable for Italy's history books: the player who had fought harder for sport and dedicated so much to his nation was the hero of the game.
Italy only allowed the players to become totally professionals three years ago, having confined them to the status of amateur, which makes only a maximum of € 30,000 per year, since 1981. But the national team has appeared in each euros Edition Bar the Tournament of 1995 (a joint record 11 in total), and has progressed a lot in a short space of time.
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“It is a dream that becomes a reality,” Girelli said after the quarterfinals. “Since we arrived in Switzerland, but also when we started the camp, I felt something special. I saw in the eyes of my teammates something that I cannot explain in words. We knew it was difficult to reach the semifinal, but we all knew we could do it.”
While Italy players snuggled around Gironelli after their winning goal, with substitutes running towards their beloved captain, there was also a strange view: the manager Andrea Soncin ran through the touch line from the shelter to join.
It was a brand of a boss who is fully integrated with his team and, since he began his term in September 2023, that connection has been vital to take the team where they are now. But what is even more notable are the vibrations and the spirit of team that Italy has brought to Switzerland.
“We are a group of girls with their feet on the ground gathered by a shared dream,” said forward Michela Change this week. “We feed on the energy of the other. Even when there is tension, we know how to shake it with a smile and a light heart.”
Italy looks like a team ready to enjoy every moment, absorbing every centimeter of atmosphere, celebration and joy as a sponge. It was visible after the end of the group stage when they had lost 3-1 against Spain in their final game and needed Portugal to lose against Belgium to pass. After the final whistle, the players snuggled around the defender Elisabetta Oliviero to tune the other result and, once confirmed, they jumped to the celebration; The entrantes, the substitutes and the staff, just as they are crowded around a Bluetooth speaker that explodes the Natasha Bedingfield song “Unwritten”.
After the quarterfinals, Arquera Laura Giuliani sang an interpretation of the song in the mixed area, with the weak sounds of the rest of the team singing in the background. Once he returned on the team's bus, the music changed to “Freed of Desire”, with the players who change the lyrics of “Turnelli's on Fire” to honor his winner and captain.
That speaker has been at the heart of all Italy celebrations since his 3-0 victory over Denmark in the League of Nations in April. Midfielder Arianna Caruso raised the notion of obtaining one and her promise honest, presenting the following camp with him in tow.
“Now you have your music,” he said at that time. “You know how to dance. I am not asking for results, that does not define us. I just ask you to believe in the dream we share. Nourish it every day.”
Soncin, former striker of a large number of low league teams in the Italian pyramid, assumed the role of assuming the position of Milena Bertolini in 2023, anxious to rebuild the team after the disappointing races in the Eurocup 2022 and the following year in the World Cup of the following year. A newcomer to the women's game, after having trained in male football with Venezia previously, made a real effort to understand his players and his recent rebirth under his leadership has reflected him.
The training has been intense; Airing gym sessions, innumerable hours in plays, analyzing scenarios and preparing meticulously for each opponent. Even medical staff is adequate and torn (literally) in Armani costumes and football boots when players in the field go out. But what stands out most under the leadership of Soncín is the atmosphere he has cultivated: one rooted in joy, positivity and a genuine love for the game.
The success of Italy in Switzerland has become a cheerful by -product of a team that is really having fun. The feeling of union and the mentality of “enjoying every moment” has been a defining characteristic of the best team campaign in recent memory. He Azzurre They have approached this tournament with freedom and courage, but they have not reached a euro semifinal since 1997 and they have done it only once before, during the inaugural competition of 1984.
Clearly, the defending champions of England are massive favorites. It is the fifth time that the teams have faced in the euros and at their most recent meeting, a friendly in Marbella in February 2024, ended up in a 5-1 victory for the lionesses.
But after exceeding expectations in this campaign, Italy enters the game with nothing to lose and everything to give. Its preparation has been meticulous, even extending to see the quarterfinals of Spain against Switzerland live in case they face any of those sides in the final, and trust is high.
As its iconic celebration song says, “the rest is not yet written.” Italy is perfectly prepared to write a new chapter of history when they face England in Geneva, and will have fun trying to do so.
