Italy v Holland

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Italy v Holland

Spitse Free-Kicks Send Holland Into Semis

by Jeremy Ruane

Two Sherida Spitse free-kicks, resulting in headed goals from Vivianne Miedema and Stefanie Van der Gragt, sent Holland surging into the 2020 Olympics and the FIFA Women's World Cup semi-finals on June 28, with the vast majority of the 22,600 fans at the Stade du Hainaut in Valenciennes urging them on to their 2-0 victory over Italy.

The Dutch dominated possession early doors, but the early chances went Italy's way, the first of them materialising in the twelfth minute when Barbara Bonansea pounced on a Merel Van Dongen error and looked to picked out Valentina Giacinti with her cross.

Sari Van Veenendaal was wise to the danger, but was a relieved goalkeeper five minutes later when Alia Guagni's ball forward was flicked on by Bonansea into the stride of Valentina Bergamaschi, who scooped the ball into the 'keeper's gloves.

Bergamaschi squandered another chance twenty minutes into the match. Sara Gama, Bonansea and Giacinti combined on the right to allow the wide midfielder to rampage in-field off the right flank.

Into the penalty area she tore, two opponents trailing in her slipstream, at which point she got it all wrong, Bergamaschi completely miskicking the ball, gifting it to Van Veenendaal.

For all their dominance of possession, Holland didn't muster a shot of note until the 27th minute. Shanice Van de Sanden secured possession on the right before picking out Danielle Van de Donk, whose shot was blocked by Elena Linari.

Italy cleared their lines, but mere seconds elapsed before Van de Donk was in possession again, this time looking to work a one-two with Miedema on the edge of the penalty area. Linari's interception snuffed out that threat and sparked an Italian counter-attack which saw the charging figure of Giacinti foiled by Van Veenendaal as the 'keeper gathered the ball near the edge of her penalty area.

Van Veenendaal then plucked a Valentina Cernoia cross off the head of Italy's attacking spearhead seconds later, Giacinti's next chance coming eight minutes before half-time when she thrashed an angled shot narrowly past the far post upon being picked out by the unselfish Bergamaschi.

In between times, Miedema fired tamely at Laura Giuliani, who looked on soon after as two attempts by the out-of-form Van de Sanden failed to find their intended target, the second of them being cut out by Linari.

Holland swarmed all over the Italians in the minutes before the interval, the ever-dangerous Lieke Martens cutting in off the left before shooting tamely, much to Guiliani's relief.

Seven minutes before the break, Van de Sanden linked with the overlapping - and hard-working - Desiree Van Lunteren, whose low cross, intended for Miedema, was cut out by Italy's goalkeeper, who smothered a Spitse free-kick from the edge of the area in the 42nd minute after Linari had felled Miedema.

Martens, this time on the rampage, was foiled by

Giuliani as the game entered first half stoppage time. The goalkeeper cleared the ball downfield, presenting Giacinti with the chance to raid on the counter-attack, only for Van Dongen to shut her down well and bring the half to a close.

Holland came out all guns blazing in the second half, engineering three chances in as many minutes before the spell had reached the five minute mark. Linari headed Spitse's twenty-five yarder to safety, while Martens saw a volley well saved by Giuliani before charging past two opponents, only to see Gama block her drive.

Still they pressed, Martens drawing another save from Giuliani before Italy's 'keeper was finally beaten in the 57th minute, only for the crossbar to come to her rescue as Van de Donk struck the woodwork from twenty yards following a corner.

Italy had no answers to Holland's relentless pressure, and after a thunderbolt of a thirty yard free-kick by Spitse careered low past the target, clipping the outside of the upright en route, the Dutch finally opened the scoring twenty minutes from time.

The Italians were starting to lose their discipline by the time Uruguayan referee Claudia Umpierrez awarded Holland a free-kick out on the left-hand touchline. Spitse's delivery was a gem, and Miedema met the ball with a glancing header which arced just beyond Giuliani's despairing dive before finding the far corner of the net.

The Dutch twisted the knife ten minutes from time, and again, Spitse's free-kick was the source. This time, she delivered the ball in from the right flank, and Stefanie Van der Gragt soared above all-comers to thunder a header into the top corner of the net.

2-0 was surely too great a margin for Italy to overcome in the time remaining, but they very nearly conceded a third a minute after going two down. Jackie Groenen played in Miedema, whose firecracker of a shot was tipped over by Giuliani.

The Italians gave it a go nonetheless, with Van Veenendaal thwarting substitute Daniela Sabatino before spilling a cross from Annamaria Serturini at her near post, recovering before Giacinti could pounce on the opportunity.

The Dutch came roaring back, however, Miedema leading the charge in the 84th minute before feeding Martens, whose curling effort arced just over the top far corner, the last chance of a convincing victory for Holland, whose victory secured their passage to the 2020 Olympic Women's Football Tournament, as well as leaving them one game away from a maiden FIFA Women's World Cup Final.

Holland: Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Van der Gragt (Dekker, 87), Bloodworth, Van Dongen; Groenen, Van de Donk, Spitse; Van de Sanden (Beerensteyn, 56), Miedema (Roord, 87), Martens

Italy: Giuliani; Bartoli (Boattin, 46), Gama, Linari (booked, 41), Guagni (booked, 67); Bergamaschi (Serturini, 75), Galli, Giugliano, Cernoia (booked, 73); Giacinti, Bonansea (Sabatino, 55 (booked, 79))

Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (Uruguay)

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