Norway 1-2 Italy highlights: Late Cristiana Girelli header decides Women's EURO quarter-final

Italy captain Cristiana Girelli headed a 90th-minute winner to send the Azzurre into their first UEFA Women's EURO semi-final for 28 years.

Girelli had given Italy a well-merited lead just after half-time but Ada Hegerberg, after missing her second penalty of the finals, equalised and it seemed Norway were the more likely winners. However, Girelli had other ideas to spark wild celebrations in Geneva, where Italy will return on Tuesday in an attempt to make their third final.

What happened?

Signe Gaupset, the 20-year-old who, with Group A first place already clinched, was given a Norway start against Iceland and scored two goals and assisted two more, retained her place in attack. Fellow Matchday 3 introduction Lisa Naalsund kept her midfield role with Guro Reiten unusually deployed at left-back for the suspended Marit Bratberg Lund and Maren Mjelde now partnering Tuva Hansen in the middle. Italy reverted to a 3-5-2 formation, with Lucia Di Guglielmo, Emma Severini and Girelli restored to the XI following their 3-1 defeat by Spain.

Arianna Caruso came close early on, beating Naalsund and clipping the ball through the legs of Mjelde but her shot hit Tuva Hansen and skewed wide. Barbara Bonansea was a menace up the left flank and put in a fine cross that Girelli headed wide as Severini went for the same ball.

Severini was played clear by Manuela Giugliano's first-time pass but Cecilie Fiskerstrand saved. Italy continued in the ascendancy, and Di Guglielmo pulled a shot wide after combining with Severini.

Late in the first half Norway almost led against the run of play when Thea Bjelde put in a low cross, but Elena Linari did enough to prevent a clean strike from Hegerberg, who scored in a quarter-final 12 years ago against Spain. Then she was the young starlet, but her 2025 equivalent, Gaupset, tried an outrageous effort from distance that went only just off target with Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani out of position.

Cristiana Girelli heads in Italy's 90th-minute winnerUEFA via Getty Images

However, Italy resumed their dominance after the break and within five minutes were ahead. Caruso played Sofia Cantore down the right and her diagonal low centre was met by the foot of Girelli. The Azzurre pushed to add a second but when Naalsund sent in a high cross, Linari impeded Hegerberg in the box. The Norway captain stepped up, but just as against Switzerland on Matchday 1, put the penalty wide.

In the Switzerland game, Hegerberg had already scored. Tonight it was clear she wanted to make up for the penalty miss quickly, screaming for the ball when team-mates shaped to cross, and just six minutes after the spot-kick she indeed found the target, producing a deft finish from Mjelde's long ball after getting to it ahead of Giuliani.

Now Norway were doing most of the attacking, and if anyone was to win it before extra time, it looked like the two-time champions. Instead, twice runners-up Italy had the last word as Cantore sent in a long cross from the left which Girelli met perfectly with a header at the far post. She was soon leading the post-match celebrations in front of the thrilled Azzurre fans behind that goal.

Player of the Match: Cristiana Girelli (Italy)

"Girelli scored twice and was a threat throughout, showing her quality and heading the decisive goal."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Reaction

Andrea Soncin, Italy coach: "We are truly proud. Credit must go to those who were here in previous years. We’re reaping the rewards of their work. What the girls have done is extraordinary.

"Now we’ll enjoy this moment and, in a few minutes, we’ll start thinking about the semi-final. I told the girls to soak it all in – everything was amazing from the very first minute. We have to keep living this dream."

Cristiana Girelli, Italy captain and Player of the Match: "It's a dream come true! It's really something special, amazing. I felt something different, something special in this team, I've seen in the eyes of my team-mates a special light.

"In the group stage we didn't play how we can, maybe because of the pressure to reach the knockout phase. It's history for Italian women's football, I'm so happy and proud of this team. I also have to thank the fans, because we felt at home and they pushed us to score our second goal. It's a dream."

Sofia Cantore, Italy forward: "It is definitely something we’ve dreamed of [but it is] a little unexpected, because once we made it past the group stage, we decided to play... without any expectations, simply with a light-hearted approach. The goal was to qualify for the semi-finals, so once we achieved that, it was pure joy.

"I saw many of us in tears, emotional, and now our eyes are even more full of dreams. We’ll keep dreaming the way we have up until now."

Gemma Grainger, Norway coach: "It's pretty devastating to concede the goal so late. I felt we were a strong team in the second half. To be able to get the equaliser, I thought we were in control for most of the game. Then Italy get that chance at the end with a really quality cross, and that's football sometimes.

"I knew this game was going to be tight and about margins, and it was. When you play against a team like Italy, you'll have moments and they'll have moments, and it's really important that you capitalise. If we'd got the second goal, we probably would have completely controlled the game. We were very dominant in the second half."

Ada Hegerberg, Norway captain: "We played well and fought hard, especially in the second half. Such small margins contribute to the result at this level. I have to mention that I’m proud of the girls. We held our head high throughout the whole tournament and should be proud of what we achieved. We’re not far from being in the top four in Europe, and that should give us motivation. But right now, we’re disappointed.

"We're going to be very disappointed tonight, but we need to stand tall. We wanted to give the best impression of Norway and we have. We've just got to continue to work, keep building and learn from this."

Cecilie Fiskerstrand, Norway goalkeeper: "We played well but it didn't go our way. It was an open game and could have gone either way. Well done to Italy.

"I'm proud of this team and thankful to be part of it. We're a great team who stick together and do our best. I'm so grateful to all the travelling fans and everyone who's watching from home – it means so much. That's what we play for when it gets tough. We wish we could have given them more but we really appreciate all the love and support."

Key stats

• Italy are into their seventh Women's EURO semi-final but their first since 1997 (when they were runners-up for the second time).
• Since beating Spain to reach the 1997 final, Italy had only won one major knockout game before tonight, 2-0 against China in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16.
• At 35 years and 84 days, Girelli is the oldest player to score two goals in a Women's EURO finals match. She beat by 67 days the previous mark held by Italy great Carolina Morace for her two goals in the 1997 group stage against ... Norway.
• Girelli is the first player to score more than one goal for Italy in a Women's EURO finals knockout game.
• Italy have scored first in all four of their finals games as well as four of their six qualifiers (the other two were 0-0 draws).
• Frida Maanum became the first player to play twice on a birthday at a Women’s EURO final tournament. She turned 26 today, exactly eight years on from her Women's EURO finals debut against the Netherlands.
• The 26,276 crowd is a record for a Women's EURO quarter-final not involving the hosts.

Reporters' views

Sara Nilsen Kilen, Norway reporter
All fairytales must come to an end, and Norway's journey ends in the quarter-finals. This was an absorbing encounter, with Norway showing real character – especially in the second half, when Ada Hegerberg’s equaliser gave them hope before a late winner sent them out. Although this match ended in heartbreak, there’s pride to be taken in their performances during this tournament and how they fought until the very end.

Francesco Corda, Italy reporter
After 28 years, the Azzurre are back in the semi-finals, their hero iconic captain Cristiana Girelli, who bagged a brilliant brace. Andrea Soncin lined up his team with a back four and, in the first half, Italy looked sharp and in control, even though the breakthrough came after the break. Girelli’s second sent their fans into raptures and sealed a historic milestone for Italian women’s football.

Ada Hegerberg and fellow goalscorer Cristiana Girelli speak after the matchUEFA via Getty Images

Fantasy star performers

Cristiana Girelli (Italy) – 13 points
Sofia Cantore (Italy) – 8
Ada Hegerberg (Norway) – 6

Line-ups

Italy celebrate victoryGetty Images

Norway: Fiskerstrand; Bjelde (Woldvik 87), T. Hansen, Mjelde, Reiten; Naalsund, Maanum (Terland 64), Engen; Graham Hansen, Hegerberg, Gaupset

Italy: Giuliani; Di Guglielmo, Salvai, Linari; Oliviero, Caruso, Giugliano, Severini (Greggi 77), Bonansea (Cambiaghi 77); Girelli (Piemonte 90+2), Cantore (Lenzini 90+2)