Perfect Spain top group as Italy also progress

Spain cruised to a 3-1 triumph implicit Italy connected Friday that sees some sides done to the knockout stages astatine the Women's Euros, with the Spaniards topping Group B to acceptable up a showdown with hosts Switzerland, portion the second-placed Italians volition conscionable Group A winners Norway.

Spain finished apical of the radical with a cleanable 9 points from their 3 games, with the Italians 2nd connected 4 points, 1 caput of already-eliminated Belgium, who bushed Portugal 2-1 to snuff retired their chances of advancing.

The swashbuckling shot of the Spaniards has singled them retired arsenic the squad to bushed successful Switzerland but erstwhile much they got disconnected to a sluggish commencement earlier redeeming the time with immoderate outstanding attacking play.

The Italians astir took the pb successful the 10th infinitesimal erstwhile skipper Elena Linari smacked a almighty header disconnected the crossbar and seconds aboriginal they did people done Elisabetta Oliviero.

Italy worked the shot successful from the near flank and Martina Piemonte recovered capable abstraction to compression disconnected a changeable that Spain's Mariona Caldente tried to control, but she lone succeeded successful teeing up Oliviero to slam location the ball.

That jolted Spain into beingness and they levelled 4 minutes aboriginal arsenic the reigning satellite and Nations League champions began to predominate possession, Athenea del Castillo moving the shot successful from the close earlier playing a superb one-two successful a choky abstraction with Alexia Putellas and firing into the net.

Patri Guijarro enactment Spain 2-1 up successful the 4th infinitesimal of the 2nd fractional and the Italians struggled to get retired of their fractional for overmuch of the remainder of the game, with Esther González sealing the woody for Spain with a stoppage-time extremity to marque it 3-1.

Guijarro declared herself pleased with the business-like mode Spain had secured the radical win, adjacent if determination were things that could beryllium improved.

"I'm blessed for the 3 victories. The lucifer was hard [but] we are archetypal successful the radical and present let's spell for the quarterfinals," she said.

"They played precise well. Those balls that we lost, determination was a batch of space, truthful we person to tally backmost arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, we person to beryllium much connected apical of the unit aft losing [the ball]."

Spain volition instrumentality connected Switzerland successful Bern adjacent Friday, portion Italy conscionable Norway successful Geneva connected Wednesday.