The game was choked for Spain, which started very well against Italy, but was diluted until Jenni Hermoso appeared to signify the team’s full victory. The Pachuca forward was not a starter, but she came on in the 68th minute to become the heroine of the match in her return to the Spanish team since the World Cup final and the hurricane unleashed after Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss.
With this victory, Spain remains undefeated leader and caresses its qualification for the Nations League play-offs before visiting Switzerland on Tuesday, which lost to Sweden and is bottom without having opened its locker.
The game started with an electric start from Spain, which accumulated arrivals on Giulani’s goal. Mariona Caldentey almost opened the scoring after three minutes with a shot that went over the crossbar. ‘The red’ also tested the Milan goalkeeper’s reflexes, first with a shot from Alexia Putellas and then with a left-footed shot from Aitana Bonmatí who advanced between rivals until she stood in the area and shot with all the intention, forcing the Italian goal to show off to avoid the goal. The arrivals were accumulating, but it was a sterile danger that Montse Tomé’s team managed to transform into a goal.
Italy gave the scare – or substitute – but Cata Coll once again demonstrated astonishing confidence under the sticks to deny Linari’s shot. The Italian team had no more danger, as they did know how to control the Spanish game more and neutralize the rival’s offensive avalanche in the first minutes.
Spain clearly went from strength to strength, losing the spark of the start and as the minutes passed this gave wings to an Italy that had the game where it wanted: with the scoreboard immobile and on the lookout for an error by the rival. The entrances of Salma Paralluelo and Athenea del Castillo also did not cause the revulsive effect sought by the coach who in ’68 brought on Jenni Hermoso, playing her first minutes with Spain since the World Cup.
The Spanish team continued without finding a goal, seeing how Sweden scored to get ahead of Switzerland and closed the gap with ‘the red’ to a single point. But the story had a happy ending. Alexia Putellas finished off a good pass from Salma Paralluelo, but Giuliani managed to reject the ball with such bad luck for the Azzurri that Jenni Hermoso was there, attentive, to catch the rebound and send the ball to the back of the net. A goal in the last minute to seal the return of the Madrid native with the national team. 9 points out of 9 possible for a Spain closer to qualifying for the Nations League play-off that will distribute the two European tickets to the Paris Games.
