Italian footballers: historic European Championship success against Norway!

Italian footballers: historic European Championship success against Norway!

There is a very special game coming up for the Italian footballers on Tuesday: in the European Championship semi-finals they will face the defending champions from England. This highly anticipated clash will kick off at 9:00 p.m. in Geneva and can be watched on both ZDF and DAZN. Antenna Unna reports that striker Sofia Cantore emphasizes the huge importance of this game for women's football in Italy.

After almost three decades, Italy has once again managed to get into the top four teams in Europe. The team led by captain Cristiana Girelli gained a lot of self-confidence after the exciting quarter-final game against Norway, which they won 2-1. Girelli scored both goals for Italy, while a converted penalty and a goal from Ada Hegerberg for Norway made the game exciting reports the FAZ.

A historic moment

After the win against Norway, the captain said with pride that this success was not only a great satisfaction for the players, but also for all the young girls who dream of a career in football. “It is a historic time for Italian women’s football,” said Girelli. Coach Andrea Soncin, who only took over the team in September 2023, can also look back on a moment of pride. Under his leadership, the team has come an impressive way after failing in the preliminary round of the previous European Championship tournaments in 2017 and 2022 explains Sportnews.

The Italian women's championship, which was created in 1968, has experienced enormous growth in recent years. In 1986, women's football was recognized by the Italian association FIGC, and it was only in 2022 that footballers received professional athlete status, which brought many benefits such as insurance and pension rights. Interest in women's football has now increased significantly.

Increasing popularity

A study shows that almost 40% of Italians are interested in women's football, which equates to around seven million fans. Last year, Juventus Turin set a record when 39,000 spectators attended the top game against Fiorentina - a real milestone for the women's league. In contrast, only 2,422 spectators were present at the first women's Milan derby at the San Siro. These developments indicate the continued growth and increasing acceptance of women's football in Italy adds Antenne Unna.

Overall, viewer numbers have increased in recent years since major men's clubs have also supported women's teams - another step in the right direction for equality in sport. On Tuesday, not only the team, but also the entire Italian society has the opportunity to celebrate women's football in all its glory and perhaps take the next step towards the European Championship crown.