Italy's Girelli vows to cause England trouble
Berlin
Italy captain Cristiana Girelli vowed to cause Euros title holders England some trouble in their semi-finals at the women's Euro 2025 on Tuesday in Geneva.
'They're the reigning European champions, so they're a really strong team. But, as with any team, they have their weaknesses,' Girelli told womenseuro.com.
'First of all, we'll try to make the most of our skillset as best we can, so we'll try and play football our way and cause them some trouble,' she added.
Girelli was Italy's quarter-finals hero, scoring the two goals in the 2-1 win against Norway. Twice champions Norway had won all of their group matches but it was Italy, who advanced with just one victory from the group stage, to reach the semis for the first time since 1997 - after failing to advance into the knock-outs at the last two editions.
Girelli, however, still believes Italy are the underdogs among the four teams left in the tournament.
'We are (the underdogs). It's true, because, on paper, we might be.
Out of the four semi-finalists, we're talking about the world champions (Spain), the European champions (England), and Germany, who have the most titles in Europe.
'I agree with those who see us as the underdogs. But football is decided on the pitch, not on paper. We'll be ready to give it our all. And when Italy give our all, it's always harder for everyone else,' she said.
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