Caruso goal gives Italy win over Belgium at Euros

Italy won their archetypal lucifer successful the Women's European Championship since 2017 arsenic Arianna Caruso struck conscionable earlier the interruption to springiness them a 1-0 triumph implicit Belgium successful their Group B opener connected Thursday.

Lucia Di Guglielmo's speedy walk from the close recovered Caruso unguarded conscionable extracurricular the container and the Bayern Munich midfielder calmly curled a right-footed changeable distant from keeper Lisa Lichtfus to find the nett astatine the adjacent post.

"It was what we wanted, the archetypal lucifer is ever complicated," manager Andrea Soncin told RAI aft Italy made their archetypal winning commencement successful the tourney since 2009. "We tin decidedly amended and we indispensable if we privation to proceed to grow, but I americium blessed with the cognition we showed."

Player of the lucifer Caruso probed the Belgian defence with aggregate attempts successful the archetypal 20 minutes, aft the lucifer began with a minute's soundlessness pursuing the decease of Portuguese nationalist men's squad striker Diogo Jota successful a car accident.

Belgium had much of the shot successful the archetypal fractional and made 10 attempts, 2 much than Italy, but failed to instrumentality the pb erstwhile Mariam Toloba changeable wide successful the 26th infinitesimal and Tessa Wullaert missed the people from adjacent scope 4 minutes earlier Caruso's goal.

Lichtfus's speedy reflexes saved Cristiana Girelli's adjacent scope back-flick successful the 64th infinitesimal to support Belgium successful the game, but the 2022 quarter-finalists were incapable to find an equaliser arsenic Italy made their archetypal winning commencement successful the tourney since 2009.

Italy volition proceed their run against Portugal connected Monday, portion Belgium play Nations League winners Spain.

"Feet connected the ground," Soncin cautioned.