It’s a little over 300 kilometers from Amsterdam to Valencinnes, so it makes sense the Dutch fans once again in droves to support the Orange Lionessess against Italy. Two set piece goals will now see the Dutch march towards Lyon on Wednesday against Sweden (2-1 winners over Germany) in a 2-0 win over Italy.
The Dutch held a majority of the possession, but for the first half, they were not able to make the most of it and Italy were able to produce counter attacks, albeit with equal success to the Dutch.
The European Champions came out roaring to start the second half and got more dangerous in attack as the match wore on and Italy eventually wore out. The Dutch attack was finally rewarded in the 70th minute as Sherida Spitse’s free kick was met by the head of Vivianne Miedema who headed past Laura Giuliani for the opening score.
Italy were unable to muster much of a response and it ultimately became wash, rinse, (almost) repeat ten minutes later as Spitse’s free kick would be headed in by Stefanie van der Gragt to put matters beyond reach. Eight of the Netherlands’ ten goals have come in the second half of matches in this competition.
Photo Credit: FIFA
Italy, who were their first Women’s World Cup in 20 years and first Women’s World Cup quarterfinal for 28 years, can leave with their heads held high for getting this far.
“They need to be proud of themselves,” said Italian coach Milena Bertolini. “The way they played and approached matches and their passion, they’ve shown people back home that football can be a sport where you have enjoyment, helping one another, unity and all these values. I think that’s why the public have fallen in love with this team.”
As for the Dutch, who entered as a dark horse, they are heading to Lyon and now have a chance to remain there through July 7th and the Final. The Orange Lionesses progress might be a surprise to some despite their European Title from 2017, but not to their coach.
“I’m not really surprised with how far we’ve come, but I’m very proud of the team,” said Dutch head coach Sarina Wiegman. “I think we have very good players but things have changed so much since the European Championships, we’ve gained a lot of confidence but we also needed to improve our game to perform on the level that we’re at at this World Cup. We have had some moments where we were lucky but there’s such a great team spirit and there’s such a great belief that we can perform well. The word proud is more suitable than surprised.”
The Dutch now take on Sweden in the semifinals on Wednesday (2pm CT, FS1).
