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France v Italy: Women’s Euro 2022 – live! | Women’s Euro 2022

France v Italy: Women’s Euro 2022 – live! | Women’s Euro 2022

Contents

Key events:

Half-time: France 5-0 Italy

I can’t believe I just typed that score, 5-0!

Geyoro has been amazing, Cascarino has been running rings, Renard is great!

But really the Italian defence is a shambles. This could be a huge score at full-time.

GOAL! France 5-0 Italy (Geyoro, 44′)

A first half hat-trick for Geyoro! On for the golden boot indeed!

44 min: And they nearly have a fifth! What is going on with Italy? I know France are higher in the world rankings but this is shocking at the back.

Debra has got in touch and described the French head coach as a ‘Mourinho’.

She said: “Long-time fan of the French National teams, but having the same struggle as Adam. The squad is playing well, but it’s hard to trust a manager who seems to pick fights deliberately with their best players.”

42 min: Giuliani came out to challenge Geyoro but the star taps around her. The player, on her 50th cap, the current leader for the golden boot!

She is the first player of Euro 2022 to score two goals.

I am flabbergasted at how fast that fourth came. I was lauding the screamer from Cascarino, which was beautiful, and then they had another!

GOAL! France 4-0 Italy (Geyoro, 39′)

I was describing the other and they’ve scored again.

That’s a howler for the Italian keeper.

GOAL! France 3-0 Italy (Cascarino, 38′)

What a screamer! The best goal of the tournament so far?

35 min: Cascarino works the ball well around the box to win a throw in.

A fun fact for you, the next goal scored for France will be the team’s 200th. If I was in the squad I’d want to be the scorer!

We will have to wait for it though as Diani fouls Boattin. A long ball forward ends in the possession of Peyraud-Magnin.

32 min: The free kick is sloppy and France head away, Italy do get it back but Toletti wins the ball.

Possession exchanges hands until Bergamaschi has a chance. She just can’t control the ball for a good shot.

Italy are ruled offside in another attempt to claw their way back in here. France have started to have less ball here, could the tide turn?

29 min: Italy have a corner but France deal with it well and launch a counter,

Diani is taken down in the box but it doesn’t look like there’s too much in that. Perisset then fouls, Italian free kick.

Riki has got in touch and said: “Italy just seem to be way too narrow. There is tons of space on the wings. Everything for France is coming from there.”

Couldn’t agree more. They need to cover the space and mark Renard!

26 min: Renard’s crosses are pinpoint but sail the entire pitch, what a player she is!

Cascarino has a shot outside of the box but it’s wide. A sloppy pass in the Italian defence sees them concede a throw in.

France on the attack again.

23 min: Jeez Italy almost hit back! Peyraud-Magnin leaps and has a fingertip to a cross which moves it away from the incoming runner.

France take it right back to the other end, they are controlling the majority of this. And wow! That was almost another for France. This could easily be 5-0 by now.

Adam has got in touch via email and said: “WHAT a start we’ve had here. Peyraud-Magnin has been a rock so far; I’ve been really impressed. I love watching keepers catch and hold the shots that bounce just in front of them.

“You can really see the outcome of the hours of training in those moments. Slightly cynically, I don’t really want France to do well this year — just because I don’t agree with how Diacre approaches player management and relationships, and I’m not sure what else beyond a failure would get the French FA’s attention.

“Nonetheless, it’ll be fascinating to see how far the undeniable talent of the French players can take the team despite Diacre and the talent she’s controversially left at home. How far do you reckon they can get?”

I think the French will get to the semis, especially if they can keep this performance up throughout the tournament!

How far do you think they can go?

19 min: The free kick is dealt with well by Italy but France quickly run the ball back into a good position.

The long crosses in just scream France know how much space Italy leave at the back. They have way too much space here. Diani wins a corner and Toletti takes.

It initially it intercepted but they run it back and Geyoro almost has another! This is a fantastic start for France.

16 min: Italy need to calm here and collect, if not France could run away with this.

We saw in the Switzerland Portugal game that 2-0 doesn’t mean you will lose the match. Italy do need to be the next to score though.

The crosses for France are just beautiful and Katoto would have been seen her name in lights there! Her header drifts across the goal and Giuliani just watches it as it hits the post. Jeez that was nearly three!

Boattin gets a yellow for a challenge, free kick to come …

13 min: Italian keeper Giuliani pushed away a first attempt but Katoto pounced on the rebound. The shot stopper will be kicking herself for not collecting that.

My prediction of 1-0 has already gone up the spout!

GOAL! France 2-0 Italy (Katoto, 11′)

Oh my word that was too easy. Fluid passes and a cracking cross sees Katoto through.

Italy are way too open at the back

Katoto scores.
Katoto scores. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

10 min: It has been a cracking start to this match, chances all over the pitch and here come Italy!

Renard cuts out a cross and then Peyraud-Magnin saves a long range shot from Galli.

GOAL! France 1-0 Italy (Geyoro, 8′)

Katoto has a shot, hesitant as she thinks she’s offside and then the flag is raised.

Girelli is fouled and so Italy have the first free kick, they decide to build from deep but France quickly win it back.

Possession exchanges hands a few more times but ends in a France chance as a great pass ends in an easy tap in.

France’s Grace Geyoro scores the opening goal.
France’s Grace Geyoro scores the opening goal. Photograph: Dave Thompson/AP
Geyoro turns to celebrate after scoring.
Geyoro turns to celebrate after scoring. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

6 min: Renard’s clearance is blocked but Peyraud-Magnin clears but Bonansea comes back with a great shot but the keeper saves!

The forward gets another chance from a corner but Peyraud-Magnin collects.

France run the ball up the other end and Boattin has to cut out a cross from Perisset for a corner. It doesn’t end in a clear chance.

3 min: There’s an early French corner with Toletti the taker, Italy don’t clear it immediately but they do deal with it in the end.

Renard cuts out an incoming ball into the Italian box and they now have a throw in.

But France come away with it and they do well to run around Italian defenders! Toletti crosses in after a battle with the Italian keeper but Diani’s chance goes over the bar. A tasty start!

Kick-off! France 0-0 Italy

Well here we go, one of the most exciting group matches is underway!

Who will get the win here? We will find out soon.

The echo on the BBC is already starting to annoy me so we will see how that goes haha!

Renard has spoken to the BBC ahead of kick-off.

She said: “We obviously have enough quality to go through but our opponents have the same objective.

“We should keep preserving. Keep believing. I’ve always said the Euros is more difficult than the World Cup.”

The teams will be out shortly of the pitch and the anthems will soon be in full voice!

I’m going to predict a France 1-0 win here. Will I be right? We will soon find out.

Who do you think will be the star of this match?

I’m thinking France’s Wendie Renard and Italy’s Aurora Galli will be ones to watch out for. Both have been in fine form of late.

While we wait for the kick-off to get underway, at 8pm, take a look at this.

England’s Jill Scott has spoken about what it means to have a home Euros.

Earlier today in the other Group D match Belgium and Iceland faced off in a 1-1 match.

There was plenty of drama with a missed penalty but it ended all square!

What are your thoughts on the match or on Group D as a whole? Let me know via Twitter or email.

The Guardian have written some in depth analysis for each team this tournament.

For tonight’s teams if you want more information, have a read of France’s here:

And Italy’s here:

Team news is in!

France starting XI: Peyraud-Magnin; Perisset, Tounkara, Renard, Karchaoui; Geyoro, Bilbault, Toletti; Diani, Katoto, Cascarino

Italy starting XI: Giuliani; Bartoli, Gama, Linari, Boattin; Galli, Giugliani, Caruso; Bergamaschi, Girelli, Bonansea

Preamble

France take on Italy as the two teams look to launch their Euro 2022 campaigns.
The French head coach Corinne Diacre is keen to get going and has hailed her caption Wendie Renard. She told L’Equipe: “The problem is that Wendie got injured at the start of the season and we didn’t have her for the qualifiers in October and November.

“She’s only been with us since February but she’s an important person in the squad, with her aura, her experience and her performances. The return of the captaincy to her arm has born its fruits, she is entirely satisfied in that role.”

The French are looking to put the infighting of their squad behind them and focus on lifting the trophy. Their opponents this evening are aiming to scalp their rivals in their opener and Italian head coach Milena Bertolini says they are taking it a game at a time.

“We are taking it game after game, so for now we are focused on France,” she told Uefa. “But we know that to progress we’ll need to beat the others too. Our aim is to progress from the group. To face a strong team like France, we need to go beyond our physical and technical abilities, and to do so we need to be united, and be tactically on point, in Italian fashion.”

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