Cristiana Girelli at the double as Italy strike late to reach Women's Euro semi-finals
GENEVA - Cristiana Girelli scored a 90th-minute winner, her second goal of a superb double, as Italy beat Norway 2-1 on July 16 to book their spot in the semi-finals at the Women's European Championship for the first time since 1997.
Italy started well but were on the ropes after Norway captain Ada Hegerberg cancelled out their opening goal, but Girelli, who had opened the scoring five minutes into the second half, was not to be denied and netted the winner to send thousands of blue-clad fans into ecstasy.
They will next face either reigning champions England or Sweden, who meet in Zurich on July 17.
'It's incredible, beautiful. In front of all these people, so many messages arrived from Italy the last few days,' elated Italy coach Andrea Soncin said.
'It's something fantastic. I think this is the biggest gift we can give to all those who watch us, to all those little girls, those young women who live football with passion.'
Norway, who hadn't played a knockout game at the Euros since losing the 2013 final 1-0 to Germany, got off to a stuttering start, turning over the ball in midfield and allowing Arianna Caruso to fire a shot just wide.
The Italians racked up several decent goal-scoring chances in the second half, but it was Norway's 20-year-old winger Signe Gaupset who went closest to breaking the deadlock before the break with an audacious lob from just inside the Italian half.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Over 600 Telegram groups in Singapore selling, advertising vapes removed by HSA
Singapore 2 weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore
Singapore Jail for man who fatally hit his daughter, 2, while driving van without licence
Sport 'Like being in a washing machine with 40 deg C water': Open water swimmers brave challenging conditions
Singapore Primary 1 registration: 38 primary schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2A
Singapore ComfortDelGro to introduce new taxi cancellation, waiting fee policy
Business Cathay Cineplexes gets fresh demands to pay up $3.3m debt for Century Square, Causeway Point outlets
Singapore Countering misinformation requires both laws and access to trusted news sources: Josephine Teo
The Italians took the lead five minutes into the second half, Girelli getting the slightest of touches on Sofia Cantore's ball into the box to steer it home, and they had the ball in the net again three minutes later only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Norway tried to make the most of the reprieve as captain Ada Hegerberg won a penalty a few minutes later, but for the second time at the tournament she sent her spot kick wide of the target, burying her head in her hands after her miss.
She made amends in the 66th minute, levelling with a deft finish to silence the raucous Italian fans in the crowd.
Italy then struggled to find their previous fluency until Girelli ghosted in at the far post to head home in the final minute of normal time for a famous victory.
Italy's Cristiana Girelli scores their second goal.
PHOTO: REUTERS
'It's bitter, it's really bitter,' Norway's Hegerberg said.
'I must honestly say that I am proud of the group and how we have performed. We are close to being in the top four in Europe, but it's not enough.' REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
‘It's just sport. Nothing more': How Florian Wellbrock, four-gold world champ, revived his career
King of the high seas: Germany's Florian Wellbrock won four golds in the open water during the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. 'Oh my god.' Leaning on a metal barrier, Florian Wellbrock does something unusual for him. He's the poet laureate of endurance swimming, the lean, liquid prince of persistence who can't stop, whose hotel safe must barely close because it's stuffed with world championship golds from the 10km open water, the 5km, the 3km knockout sprints, the mixed 4x1,500m relay and he's not finished yet. The German's life is measured in fractions but right now the seconds are slowly ticking away. He's a silent study in concentration. How do you tell a reporter the madness of your life, the rise, the Olympic gold in 2021, the fall thereafter, the struggles, the pressure so suffocating it 'killed' him at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the revival? So he thinks. For five seconds, 10, 14, the pause dramatic, broken only by the 'oh my god' at the question, and then this man, who always finds things, like his way back to greatness, finds the words. In a unique feat, Wellbrock collects gold in the 10km open water and 1,500m (in the pool) at the 2019 world championships and then gold and bronze in those events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 'At this point,' he says, 'it felt like normal to be on the podium, to win a gold medal, but to be honest it's not normal.' No, it's not. The podium requires a freaky confluence of talent and timing, of skill polished over thousands of kilometres and then unleashed at a precise moment to best an entire planet. 'You need a lot of work,' continues Wellbrock, 'a lot of passion, it's so hard to stay on the top level. It's easy to become a world champion, but to stay on this level is much harder.' He's talking pressure, that sneaky feeling that steals joy from athletes, freezes their joints, warps their perspective. Suddenly self-worth is measured only by which level you rise to on a podium. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks Business Property 'decoupling' illegal if done solely to avoid taxes: High Court Singapore HSA investigating teen who was observed to be allegedly vaping in MRT train Singapore 60 years of building Singapore Asia 'Every day, we think about how to upgrade': China's factories see rise in robot adoption Sport Spurs captain Son Heung-min says he is leaving the English Premier League club Life Tastemakers: Burnt-out serial entrepreneur cooks up $16m success with Lau Wang Claypot Delights Pressure for Wellbrock came from the media, friends, family, himself. His training group in Magdeburg in Germany was 'really strong' and 'everybody's talking about medals, about gold medals especially. And then you have the feeling that you have to win and even if it's silver you are losing because you didn't achieve the gold medal. 'And this is a kind of pressure which is not good for yourself.' Pressure flattens Wellbrock at the 2024 Olympics and he'll tell you this with disarming bluntness. Of the many fascinating parts which comprise the athlete, one is ownership of defeat. If they fumble, they own it. He's 14th in the pool in the 1,500m and eighth in the 10km open water and his verdict is unvarnished. 'I think the pressure killed me in Paris.' Redemption starts with an interrogation. Why am I doing this? What do I want from it? How does it fulfil me? Wellbrock has his own list. 'I was thinking, okay, I put so much work into my sport, is it okay to finish like 12th, 15th, whatever? 'And for me it was clear, it's not okay. Because when I do like 80, 90 kilometres in the water, gym, pour everything to be in the top shape, I want to be one of the top athletes, I want to be on the podium.' Comebacks are born of humility, from an admission that life as it was isn't working, that bodies may have to be resculpted, plans redesigned, philosophies reworked. It's why golfers change equipment and badminton players their coaches and Novak Djokovic his diet. Sometimes all that needs tinkering with is attitude. Wellbrock makes progress after Paris with a mental coach and says 'now I find a way to swim again with fun and not with too much pressure'. It's a process and for some athletes this may involve mantras they recite and journals they write in, something which clarifies their mission and releases pressure, something not necessarily profound but powerful, something as simple as the word Wellbrock now tells himself. 'Relax.' You actually tell yourself 'relax'? 'Yeah. It's just sport. Yeah, nothing more.' Even in this no-frills, no-excuses 27-year-old from Bremen lies the hint of a poet and you can hear it when he talks about open water swimming. 'You float on the water. There's no gravity any more. Especially at home during the morning practice at 7am, early in the morning, it's so bright around you, it's just you and the water, nothing more.' A man in his element. In Singapore he enters the water one last time on Aug 3, in the 1,500m freestyle final, chasing nothing else but his best self on this particular day and not a specific colour of medal. 'At the moment, I don't care. Because I know the feeling, how it is if I win, and I know the feeling how it is when I lose.' He's saying he doesn't care if he comes second. Which may be exactly why in Singapore he has only come first.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
HSA investigating teen who was observed to be allegedly vaping in MRT train
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox On Aug 1, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said the 17-year-old was found with a vape in his possession and is assisting with investigations. SINGAPORE – A teenager who was filmed walking unsteadily inside an MRT train was observed to have been allegedly vaping by station staff. A 15-second clip posted on Reddit on July 31 showed the teen, who appeared to be in a daze, stumbling towards the train doors before falling b ackward s. In response to a Straits Times query, SMRT, which runs the North-South, East-West, Circle and Thomson-East Coast lines as well as the Bukit Panjang LRT line, said it is aware of the video which allegedly showed the use of Kpods, or etomidate-laced vapes, by the teen. 'Our station staff was able to locate the male commuter who was observed to be vaping, escorted him out of our train and handed him over to the authorities,' said Mr Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains. 'We have also issued a notice of offence to this individual for flouting the rules. The notice generally requires the recipient to pay a composition penalty within a stated period. SMRT did not provide details of the MRT station and line linked to the incident. On Aug 1, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said the 17-year-old was found with a vape in his possession and is assisting with investigations. Etomidate is classified as a poison and regulated under the Poisons Act. It has clinical use as an anaesthetic agent, and is permitted only in clinical settings and subject to strict conditions. Experts who spoke to ST said etomidate has been known to cause a type of muscle spasm called myoclonus, which patients may describe as tremors. Symptoms of etomidate overdose can surface in unsteadiness, sluggishness and mental confusion. Said Mr Lam: 'We take such illegal behaviour very seriously and strongly encourage commuters who encounter similar situations to report them.' On July 30, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam announced that officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be seconded to beef up HSA's enforcement efforts against etomidate-related offences. MHA is expected to list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in the coming weeks as an interim measure, as the Ministry of Health continues to study further legislative action against Kpod offenders. If etomidate is listed as a Class C drug, users can be subjected to supervision and mandatory participation in a rehabilitation programme or committed to drug rehabilitation centres, like what drug abusers undergo. Those who reoffend or commit other serious offences can also be jailed for at least a year. To report vaping-related offences, call the HSA hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, including on public holidays. The public can also do so online at
AsiaOne
a day ago
- AsiaOne
Man allegedly spotted vaping on bus wearing military uniform was held in SAF custody, Singapore News
A man was held in Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) custody after allegedly vaping on a public bus. AsiaOne understands that he has since been released. A video shared by SGFollowsAll recently went viral showing the individual, dressed in a No. 4 military uniform, taking several puffs from a pink device, presumably an e-vapouriser. Mindef told AsiaOne in a statement today (Aug 2) that the man had been identified and put in SAF custody to assist with the investigation. The ministry said that SAF takes a "serious view" on the possession and use of vapes by service personnel and called it "both a matter of military discipline and an offence under national law". Offenders could be fined up to $1,000 or detained if the devices are found to be laced with controlled drugs. "Besides enforcement, the SAF also undertakes awareness and education efforts, and provides cessation counselling and support," the ministry added. "Service personnel are encouraged to speak to their commanders or medical officers if they require help." Vape seizures and disposal bins Between January 2024 and March 2025, over 17,900 people were caught for possession and use of e-vapourisers, with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) seizing over $41 million worth of devices and components in 50 operations. Sixty people aged between 17 and 43 were also prosecuted for selling vapes. Starting July 25, the Ministry of Health (MOH), HSA and People's Association have placed vape disposal bins at 24 locations around the island for people to willingly curb their habit and safely dispose of their vaping paraphernalia. This comes after recent public concerns about vapes laced with etomidate, an anaesthetic agent that can cause seizures and psychosis which has been deemed a Controlled Substance under the Poisons Act. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung revealed that a third of vapes seized in Singapore were such 'Kpods'. The purchase, possession and use of e-vaporisers is illegal under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act and offenders can be fined up to $2,000. Possessing or supplying pods containing etomidate can result in jail of up to two years and/or a fine of up to $10,000 under the Poisons Act. As an interim measure, etomidate will be listed as a Class C drug and subsequently, persons caught using etomidate-laced vapes will face mandatory supervision and rehabilitation, and penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act. [[nid:720471]] drimac@
