Azzurre elated after England 'surprise'

On the eve of their side's UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ Group C opener against Italy, England's coach and captain earmarked themselves and Russia as favourites for second place in the section and a guaranteed quarter-final spot with Sweden expected to lead the way.

'Surprise package'
In the wake of their 2-1 defeat to the Azzurre in Lahti, however, there could be grounds for reassessment. "Our performance was unexpected for them, maybe, but not for us," said Melania Gabbiadini, the Carslberg Player of the Match. Her team-mate Viviana Schiavi took a more pragmatic view, on the other hand, insisting: "We were a surprise package today but we won't be a surprise anymore, with Sweden and Russia waiting for us now."

'Great' reward
Italy cancelled out Farah Williams' penalty opener through captain Patrizia Panico before midfielder Alessia Tuttino powered her side to victory with a blistering long-range drive. Amid the celebrations that followed the final whistle, Gabbiadini told uefa.com: "Everybody said we weren't favourites so to win a game like this, against England, was really great for us, especially after the hard work we put in just to make it here to Finland."

All-for-one
Schiavi, meanwhile, insisted the unity in the Azzurre camp was the key factor in making their dream start to UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ a reality. "In the four years since Pietro Ghedin took over as coach, we have created a fantastic team spirit," the ASD CF Bardolino Verona defender said. "We get along well together and I would say we are like a family. I think all the hugs and celebrations say a lot about the kind of atmosphere we have created. This victory was really important for us."

'Starting point'
Throughout the 90 minutes, Italy made their determination to succeed at these finals clear, but Ghedin's charges are acutely aware they still have a long way to go, as Schiavi underlined: "This is just a starting point and I hope it will help us to do even better in the future. With Patrizia Panico, who has been playing for the national team for many years now, and also all the other players, we know we have a strong team. I really think we have a fantastic group."

'Different' proposition
Now they are looking forward to Friday's Turku encounter with Sweden, who beat the Azzurre twice in qualifying and overcame Russia 3-0 on Tuesday. "England and Sweden play in a completely different way, but they're both strong sides," Roberta D'Adda noted, with Gabbiadini adding: "We will start thinking about Sweden tomorrow. We know they're a strong team and we have met them many times. But, who knows, maybe we will surprise them as well."