Caruso steers Italy to 1-0 win over Belgium in Women's Euro 2025
SION, Switzerland - Italy won their first match in the Women's European Championship since 2017 as Arianna Caruso struck just before the break to give them a 1-0 win over Belgium in their Group B opener on Thursday.
Lucia Di Guglielmo's quick pass from the right found Caruso unguarded just outside the box and the Bayern Munich midfielder calmly curled a right-footed shot away from keeper Lisa Lichtfus to find the net by the near post.
Caruso probed the Belgian defence with multiple attempts in the first 20 minutes, after the match began with a minute's silence following the death of Portuguese national men's team striker Diogo Jota in a car accident.
Belgium had more of the ball in the first half and made 10 attempts, two more than Italy, but failed to take the lead when Mariam Toloba shot wide in the 26th minute and Tessa Wullaert missed the target from close range four minutes before Caruso's goal.
Lichtfus's quick reflexes saved Cristiana Girelli's close range back-flick in the 64th minute to keep Belgium in the game, but the 2022 quarter-finalists were unable to find an equaliser as Italy made their first winning start in the tournament since 2009.
Italy will continue their campaign against Portugal on Monday, while Belgium play Nations League winners Spain. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Arsenal part ways with defender Tomiyasu after injury-ridden season
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Everton - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - May 19, 2024 Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.. Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is leaving Arsenal by mutual agreement after playing only six minutes last season due to a knee injury, the club said on Friday. The 26-year-old suffered multiple knee and calf injuries during his four years at the North London club, some of which sidelined him for months. He remains sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in February. "Unfortunately, injuries have limited Tomi's time on the pitch in the past two seasons, with the defender making just one substitute appearance last season," Arsenal said in a statement. "It was therefore mutually agreed to end Tomi's contract in order for him to start a new chapter in his career." The former Bologna player made 65 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, scoring two goals. Arsenal, who have finished second in the league for the last three seasons, begin their 2025-26 campaign at Manchester United on August 17. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
England are far from the team that were once in France's shadow, says Bronze
ZURICH - It was nearly a decade ago that Lucy Bronze played a lead role in England's first victory over France in 43 years, with her pinpoint through ball to Jodie Taylor for the goal that fired them into the 2017 Women's European Championship quarter-final. England begin the defence of their Euro 2022 title against their familiar foes on Saturday in Zurich, and if they once feared the French, their steady improvement in the years since has turned that into a healthy -- and mutual -- respect. "Now we just look at France as another team to beat, analyse as we would any other team, whether we played them two weeks ago or two years ago," Bronze said on Thursday at England's base camp in Zurich. "It's another team that if we play our best, we can win. "It's a game that we're excited for," she added. "Both teams are full of exciting attacking talent, and it's the game I think everyone's going to be watching, it surely has to be the most exciting group game, England-France. "I don't know that France necessarily fear England. I think they just have a lot of respect ... and likewise." Bronze is her team's oldest player at 33, and is playing in her seventh major tournament, while England have seven players with no major tournament experience at all. The veteran defender was excited about the youngsters, including bulldozer forward Michelle Agyemang, who scored 41 seconds into her England debut in April. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and measures following $3b money laundering case Singapore Seller's stamp duty hike will curb short-term speculation; market effect likely minimal: Analysts Singapore Trilateral workgroup formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1; floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Think like criminals, anticipate cyber attack tactics: Experts Singapore Tourism bump from Lady Gaga concerts raked in up to estimated $150m for Singapore economy Life Book review: OB Markers sequel Ink And Influence makes catch-22 proposal for The Straits Times "She just runs into people and bodies them. She's so strong," Bronze said of the 19-year-old. "She's so sweet and unassuming as a person, but on the pitch, she'd probably be one of my favourite ones to play against, because I can just run into her dead hard, and she likes to give it back. "She's been told that she needs to go a little bit easier. I said, 'no I prefer that'. I want her to give everything, it makes it hard for us. I don't think she's surprised any of us. She settled in like she's been here for years." France are also a team in transition, although Bronze said she was shocked when coach Laurent Bonadei dropped captain Wendie Renard, the team's heart and soul for more than a decade and who played with Bronze at Olympique Lyonnais. "I would rather she was here. I think it would have been good for the game, good for the France team. I would have loved her to be on the pitch on Saturday," Bronze said. In their last five encounters, France have won three and England two, including a 2-1 victory in their most recent clash a year ago. Asked if she felt like things were coming together for England in training, Bronze said that "click" moment does not usually come until the whistle blows for their opening game. "And I think we've got a good team as well, where, even if it's not clicking in the first five minutes, we've got the brains to figure out," she added. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Liverpool's Diogo Jota mourned by family, Portugal's PM in hometown wake
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Flower tributes are left outside Liverpool's Anfield Stadium after Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota died in a car crash near Zamora, Spain, in Liverpool, Britain, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY GONDOMAR, Portugal - Prime Minister Luis Montenegro joined members of Diogo Jota's family for a private wake on Friday in the Liverpool footballer's hometown in northern Portugal following his death alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain. Jota's longtime agent Jorge Mendes was also seen joining the family, including wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks earlier. Montenegro spent almost half an hour with the family before leaving without making a statement. A convoy of hearses carrying the bodies left for Gondomar near Porto on Thursday evening from the morgue of Puebla de Sanabria, near where the Lamborghini the brothers were traveling in had veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. A public wake is expected to take place at a chapel in Gondomar from 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) and a funeral on Saturday at a church nearby at 10:00 a.m. local time, the office of Gondomar's mayor said. The death of Jota at the age of 28 has jolted the world of football, with messages of homage pouring in from former teammates, clubs, national leaders and fans. Outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium fans left flowers, scarves and hand-written notes, many from children. Football clubs including Paris St Germain, who have several Portuguese internationals in their squad, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid observed a moment of silence during training for their matches in the Club World Cup taking place in the United States. MOURNING HIS FRIEND Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Thursday that forward Pedro Neto was weighing whether to play in Friday's quarter-final against Palmeiras, as the Portuguese international mourns the tragic death of his close friend. Jota's manager at Liverpool, Arne Slot, said in a statement on Thursday that his thoughts were with his family. "My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone," Slot said. "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special," he added. In Gondomar, a town of about 160,000 people in the Porto metropolitan area that is known for artisanal gold and filigree jewelry, residents were struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of a local hero. At the Diogo Jota Academy in Gondomar – whose motto is "It's not important where we come from, but where we are going" – people placed candles, flowers and scarves and shirts from the various clubs he played for and from the Portuguese national team, in tribute to the player. Jota opened the academy in 2022 for children aged 6-9 at the Gondomar Football Club where he played for 10 years as a child. It was at Gondomar's high school that he met his wife. They began dating aged 15 when in the same class and she became a pillar in his life. When they were 19, they moved to Madrid together, when Jota was transferred from the small Portuguese club Paços de Ferreira to Atletico de Madrid. "Besides being his girlfriend and best friend, I'm his number one fan," Cardoso told the newspaper 'A Bola' at the time. Jota was making his way back to Liverpool by car after he was told he should avoid plane travel for up to 6 weeks following lung surgery to address a fractured rib, his physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves told broadcaster Now late on Thursday. Goncalves said Jota was recovering well from the pneumothorax surgery and that he had planned to take a ferry to the UK from Spain. REUTERS
