Soncin on the penalty: "Would they have given it on the other side?"
Italy came within a whisker of eliminating defending champions England in the semifinals of the Women's European Championship in Switzerland – in the end, only a late equalizer and a penalty decision stood in their way. The verdict was accordingly mixed.
Decisive moment: Referee Ivana Martincic awards a penalty to England shortly before the end of extra time. IMAGO/Shutterstock
"I am very proud, the players can be proud too," said Andrea Soncin after the dramatic match and could not hide his feelings: "To be eliminated like this is of course very painful. I have no words at the moment. We really fought, everyone gave their all. It's a shame, but we are still proud," the Italian coach summed up on ZDF .
"A terrible defeat for Italy: they almost achieved a masterpiece, then a questionable penalty cost them their lives," was the headline in the renowned Gazzetta dello Sport - making it clear that the elimination had a bitter aftertaste not only because of England's late, albeit deserved, equaliser deep in injury time of normal time, but also because of a penalty decision at the end of the second half of extra time.
What happened? In the 118th minute, Emma Severini tugged on Beth Mead 's arm during a cross in the penalty area. The English player reacted by grabbing Severini's arm and moving slightly into her. Severini countered slightly, and both players fell. Referee Ivana Martincic immediately pointed to the penalty spot. VAR Dennis Higler apparently did not recommend that the Croatian player conduct a video review of the ultimately decisive moment.
Was it a strict interpretation? I certainly wonder if they would have given it on the other side.
"Of course it hurts. We were one minute short of the final in regular time, after many people said before the European Championship that we would hardly make it past the group stage. The players deserved a different ending. But that's football," said Soncin, who added of the penalty: "Was it a strict interpretation? I certainly wonder if they would have given it at the other end."
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Overall, Soncin – despite the painful circumstances for his team – drew a very positive conclusion from the tournament. Reaching only the second semifinal at a major tournament for La Azzurre since 1997 demonstrates "the level we're at now in Italy. We've made great progress in the last two years, even though we still have a lot of room to grow. The number of fans who traveled with us also showed how far we've come."
Looking ahead to the coming years, the 46-year-old coach expressed his anticipation after another performance that was not only combative: "We can be confident about the future, that's also a realization. Playing a game like this against the reigning European champions is great. We came close to achieving our dream."
