Girelli at the double as Italy strike late to reach Euro 2025 semi-finals
The Italians took the lead five minutes into the second half through Girelli's close-range finish and they had the ball in the net again three minutes later only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Norway captain Ada Hegerberg then won a penalty but fired her spot kick wide for the second time at the tournament before levelling with a deft finish in the 66th minute to silence the raucous Italian fans in the crowd.
With the game heading for extra time, Girelli ghosted in at the far post to head home her second of the game and send Italy into the last four for the first time since 1997.
They will next face either reigning champions England or Sweden, who meet in Zurich on Thursday. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Germany's Berger seizes her moment in shootout win over France
BASEL - Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger embodied her side's spirit of resistance in their Women's Euro quarter-final as they bounced back from an early red card and the concession of a goal to take France to a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes before beating them 6-5 in a shootout that saw her save two spot-kicks and score one herself. The 34-year-old, who has twice beaten cancer, lives by the motto of "All we have is now", and she seized her moment on Saturday, pulling off an incredible save to prevent a second-half own goal and then powering her side through to the semi-finals, where they will face Spain in Zurich on Wednesday. "I was not happy that we had to go to the penalty shootout because I would have loved to have won the game in 90 minutes and have it done and dusted," Berger told reporters before paying tribute to her squad. "I think credit should go to the team, not me, because maybe it (my save) was the decisive moment in the penalty shootout, but we, everyone here, should talk about this with him (coach Christian Wueck) now about the performance of the team, because that was amazing and incredible." Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nuesken had a penalty saved in normal time but converted in the shootout, and she was full of praise for Berger's skills. "She's an amazing goalkeeper. She's so calm, she's so clever. I knew she would save the penalties. She's such an amazing goalkeeper, and we are very happy that she's in our team," Nuesken said. With defender Kathrin Hendrich sent off in the 13th minute for pulling an opponent's hair, the Germans had to battle for more than 100 minutes with one player fewer than their French counterparts, but despite their heroics, Berger did not want to promise that they would beat Spain to make the final. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO Business Me and My Money: He overcomes a $100k setback to build a thriving online tuition business Asia At least 34 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Halong Bay "We do everything one step at a time -- first of all we celebrate, then we focus on Spain, there is a very hard and tough opponent we have to face and everybody really gave their ultimate effort here and we need to regenerate, we have to make sure we recover," Berger explained. "We like the stadium for the final match, and we will continue to progress towards that," she added. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Boxing-Motivation overrated, discipline the key for undisputed champion Usyk
Boxing - Oleksandr Usyk v Daniel Dubois - Undisputed World Heavyweight Title - BoxPark Wembley, London, Britain - July 19, 2025 Oleksandr Usyk during the press conference after winning the fight against Daniel Dubois Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers Oleksandr Usyk, with his characteristic pragmatism, shut down any questions over whether he can motivate himself to keep going after a knockout win over Daniel Dubois on Saturday helped him reclaim the undisputed heavyweight boxing crown. The Ukrainian put in a scintillating performance as he floored Briton Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium to add the IBF belt to his WBC, WBA and WBO titles. Asked how he was able to continue competing with such drive at the age of 38, Usyk told reporters: "I don't have motivation, I have discipline." "Motivation is temporary, today you have it, tomorrow you wake up early and you don't have it." "When I wake up early morning for training, I never have motivation, I only have discipline. Only amateur sportsmen need motivation. Motivation is good, but discipline is better." Saturday's unification fight was a rematch of one that Dubois lost by a controversial ninth-round knockout in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2023, after Usyk was given time to recover from what the referee ruled was a low blow. Usyk said he and his team had put the lessons they had learned from their first meeting with Dubois to use, adding that they had even named the precise combination of blows that led to their victory. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO Business Me and My Money: He overcomes a $100k setback to build a thriving online tuition business Asia At least 34 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Halong Bay "We prepared for this fight, with my team. We learned from the first fight, we had a long time, two years to prepare a combination," he said. "The punch is named Ivan. It's a Ukrainian name, it's like a big guy who lives in a village and works on a farm! It's a hard punch." While Usyk was non-committal on who he would face next, he stressed that he was not yet ready to hang up his gloves. "Now I want to rest. I cannot say who my next opponent is today, because I've been preparing for three and a half months. I don't see my family, my wife," he said. "Every day I live with my team, with 14 guys in one house. Every day, only same faces. Now I want to go back home. I want to make a choice about what's next." "I will continue in boxing, I will continue training, but now I cannot say who's my next opponent." REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Olympic champion Zheng pauses WTA Tour after elbow surgery
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Qinwen Zheng of China in action during her match against Angelique Kerber of Germany. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen said on July 19 she would take a short break from the WTA Tour after undergoing elbow surgery. The 22-year-old Chinese player was eliminated from this year's Wimbledon tournament in the first round by Czech Katerina Siniakova earlier in July. "Now begins the recovery journey," she wrote on Instagram. "Over the next few weeks and months, I'll be focusing entirely on rehab — doing everything I can to come back stronger and healthier." She powered her way to gold in Paris last year and reached the 2024 Australian Open final. Zheng added she had arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow on July 18. "This is just a short break, and I see it as a necessary step toward a better version of myself on the court," she said. REUTERS
