Tuttino sends warning to Sweden

Italy's spectacular match-winner against England, Alessia Tuttino, says the Azzurre will be taking the game to Sweden in their potential UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ Group C decider on Friday.

Win enough
A win would guarantee progress to the quarter-finals and, added to their 2-1 defeat of England, would give Italy a guarantee of first place unless Russia defeat Hope Powell's side in the day's other game. Sweden have been tipped as the biggest threat to Germany's reign as champions, but Italy upset the odds against England and Tuttino intends to do so again.

Positive approach
"We will go on the pitch and try to play our own game. This is what we always do, we don't like to wait for our opponents to do something and try to stop them," said the 26-year-old ASD CF Bardolino Verona midfielder. "If we waited for Sweden, if we let them play, then we would surely concede a goal."

True colours
Tuttino, nonetheless, is hoping that Sweden do consider themselves favourites, not least having beaten Italy twice in qualifying. "It would be better for us if they underestimated us, it would be easier to play, and if we were to win then the result would seem even more extraordinary," she said. "What matters now is that we know we are here, that we are in good shape and that we can be competitive against every team."

Team effort
That could well happen, especially if Tuttino repeats her long-range, 82nd-minute strike against England which she was more than willing to play down. "My goal was just an incident," she said. "I want to say that the whole team played well and without my team-mates I surely wouldn't even have had the chance to score. We all celebrated together and this means that the group all won together – it's not about individual players. Everybody is important, from the goalkeeper to the striker, from the players on the bench to Pamela Conti, who had flu and had to stay in her hotel room."