Only four teams remain out of sixteen. All of them are eager to secure a spot in the finals, but only two will make it through. When can we expect the decisive matches?
Italy barely made it out of the group stage and was not considered the favorite against Norway, which had been dominant up to that point. The match looked set to go into extra time, but in the last minute, the Italians scored a goal thanks to their captain Cristiana Girelli and could joyfully sing Ciao semifinals.
The Lionesses had an even tougher road. They were losing 2-0 to Sweden in the 79th minute, but then managed to turn the match around in two minutes, thanks in particular to Chloe Kelly, who assisted on both goals. Although both teams fought hard in extra time, the English women only made it to the semifinals after a lengthy penalty shootout, in which only 5 of 14 shots were converted.
England vs. Italy
Spain had to fight its way through host Switzerland to reach the semifinals. And even though they were the favorites in the match, they fell short of expectations in the first half. They had a chance when they won a penalty after a foul by Nadine Riesen, but Mariona Caldentey failed to convert it. The same thing happened to Alexia Putellas in the same match, whose attempt ended up in the hands of Swiss goalkeeper Peng. Nevertheless, Spain prevailed with two goals from Athenea and Claudia Pina, which sent them to the semifinals.
Germany had a more difficult path. After their 4-1 defeat against Sweden, they faced France, who had not lost a single point in the tournament and had also beaten the Lionesses in their opening match. Their 5-4-1 formation showed that they were focusing mainly on defense. From the 13th minute, they played with ten women when Katrin Heidrich pulled the French captain's hair and France took the lead thanks to a penalty. However, they later equalized with a header from Sjoeke Nüsken. The last semifinalist was also decided by penalties, where their goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger shone, and the Germans celebrated their advancement.
Germany vs. Spain
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