European Football Championship in Switzerland: Italy is the first team to reach the semi-finals

The dream of the title lives on: Italy, thanks in part to two-goal scorer Cristiana Girelli, surprisingly became the first team to storm into the semifinals of the European Football Championship. The captain fired the Azzurre to a deserved 2-1 (0-0) victory against the favored Norwegians in the quarterfinals in Geneva. After a determined performance, Italy is now in the semifinals of a European Championship for the first time in 28 years. Norway's leading midfielder, Ada Hegerberg, left Switzerland disappointed despite scoring to make it 1-1 in the 66th minute; Girelli's goals in the 50th and 90th minutes gave Italy cause to celebrate.

Hardly any advertising, few media reports, empty stands: In the land of Calcio, women's footballers have to fight for attention. Structurally, the league still has some advantages over the German one.

In the battle for a place in the final, Girelli and his team will face the winner of the Sweden-England match (Thursday, 9:00 p.m./ARD and DAZN). The German team will face France in their quarterfinal on Saturday (9:00 p.m./ZDF and DAZN).

Norway had marched through the group stage with three wins, but then Italy suddenly set the tone in Geneva. More pace, more ideas, more aggression – coach Andrea Soncin's team had some really good opportunities early on through Arianna Caruso (8') of FC Bayern and Emma Severini (22'). Norway seemed unusually inhibited and sluggish for a long time, but then, out of nowhere, captain Hegerberg missed a chance to take the lead (37'). And later, a poorly taken penalty could have equalized (60').

These were telling scenes, given that there had been a lot of fuss about the idol at home recently. Despite a flawless group stage, Hegerberg faced criticism before the match, with experts and the media even calling for the 30-year-old to be dropped from the starting lineup – but coach Gemma Grainger once again placed her trust in the Olympique Lyonnais center forward. Following the tournament's exit, the debate is likely to intensify, as both Hegerberg and her teammates were disappointed. Italy simply wanted the win more – and the truly impressive Girelli struck with ice-cold precision at the decisive moment.