[1/3]Football Soccer – FIFA Girls’s International Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Workforce G – Sweden v Italy – Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand – July 29, 2023 Sweden’s Amanda Ilestedt ratings their fourth target REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
WELLINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) – A 3-goal blitz simply sooner than halftime helped Sweden to a dominant 5-0 win over Italy in Wellington on Saturday as they booked their spot within the Girls’s International Cup knockout degree with a fit to spare.
Amanda Ilestedt scored the primary of her two objectives within the thirty ninth minute when she were given up smartly to move house Jonna Andersson’s nook and additional efforts from Fridolina Rolfo and Stina Blackstenius inside of seven mins ended the fit as a competition.
Centre part Ilestedt discovered the web as soon as once more in a while after halftime — her 3rd of the match — and replace Rebecka Blomqvist finished the rout in stoppage time.
“I’m inspired – it’s now not the primary time I’m inspired by way of those gamers by way of the way in which,” Sweden trainer Peter Gerhardsson informed newshounds. “It’s ingrained of their mentality someplace to only stay going.”
Italy ruled ownership early on however may now not maintain the Swedish aerial danger at corners and the 2003 runners-up passed them their worst defeat in a International Cup fit.
The Italians had all of the early power and Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic used to be pressured into motion to avoid wasting ahead Sofia Cantore’s shot within the first minute and any other from the Juventus ahead within the seventeenth.
Sweden regularly labored their means into the sport and Ilestedt’s first target flung open the floodgates.
Rolfo were given her 2d target of the marketing campaign 5 mins later with a flick off her knee from shut vary because the Italian defence struggled to maintain any other nook.
The 3rd target got here from open play in first part stoppage time when Johanna Kaneryd broke down the best flank and crossed the ball to Blackstenius within the center for the striker to complete.
Ilestedt’s 2d target within the fiftieth minute used to be a carbon replica of the primary, because the Arsenal defender headed any other into the web off a nook from Andersson.
Cantore ignored probabilities within the sixtieth and sixty fifth mins and Valentina Giacinti spurned an excellent chance to drag one again for Italy within the 87th as she despatched a shot from the center of the field hovering over the bar.
The closing Sweden target got here on the finish of the fit when Blomqvist raced transparent of the Italian defenders and buried the ball within the backside left nook of the web.
“They have got numerous guns, numerous arrows of their quiver. The primary part hour we in truth gave them a difficult time,” Italy trainer Milena Bertolini informed newshounds.
“Then we unfold out and if you end up now not compact, if you end up taking part in a crew like Sweden, then you are confronted with difficulties.”
Despite the fact that a hammer blow to Italy’s self assurance, they may be able to nonetheless advance to the closing 16 by way of warding off defeat of their ultimate Workforce G fixture towards South Africa on Wednesday.
Reporting by way of Amy Tennery in Wellington
Enhancing by way of Christian Radnedge
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Believe Ideas.
