Can anyone stop Spain? Even in defeat, Italy may have found an answer | OneFootball

Spain of course claimed the win, but it was Italy who claimed the night, and the second qualification place from Group B at Euro 2025. Their 3-1 defeat to the world champions was irrelevant, because previously eliminated Belgium beat Portugal 2-1. Italy had made it by a point, and no little grit.

There was even the extra satisfying scene of celebration, as the players gathered in a huddle to watch the final moments of the Portugal game. There shouldn’t really have been that much tension, since the Portuguese needed to score five goals in about two minutes, but you could still understand it.

You could certainly understand the scenes of euphoria once the result was confirmed. This is a massive step forward for a national team that has gone back and forth in their history.

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Cristiana Girelli celebrates as Italy booked their place in the quarter-finals (Getty Images)

“We managed to set aside the ghosts of the past,” manager Andrea Soncin said. It was a suitably poetic line, and that from a manager who had just said he struggled to find the right words. He did a good enough job.

“It feels magical. This reflects the passion we all bring to the game. Our goal was to make history and we are doing just that. Our dream lives on and we are determined to remain on this path for as long as possible.”

Next up for Italy is Norway, for what feels like a finely balanced quarter-final.

And even if they didn’t get an actual point here, Italy arguably deserved it for giving Spain more of a game than anyone so far. That was admittedly a Spain that made six changes, albeit with one the return to the starting line-up of Aitana Bonmati, but they still really rattled them at the start.

There was a good 10 minutes when the world champions couldn’t get out of their area. A flurry that involved Elena Linari hitting the bar eventually saw Elisabetta Oliviero turn the ball in.

Spain were behind for the first time in the tournament.

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Elisabetta Oliviero celebrates Italy's opening goal (Getty Images)

That of course didn’t last, which is one reason virtually all of their games at this point almost become little studies in what you can try and do to limit them. Not stop them. That looks close to impossible right now. It still seems like it ends up with the same outcome.

The Italians went with a very different approach to Belgium. Whereas the Belgians attempted to sit deep and concentrate on transitions, Italy tried to put most of their attacking energy into one early onslaught. It was as if they wanted to shock Spain first.

It worked for a time. Spain didn’t seem prepared for it. Player of the match Patricia Guijarro admitted it was “very intense, very hard”.

It still didn’t force Spain to adapt, as illustrated by how it didn’t take them long to equalise. A mere four minutes. Athenea del Castillo drove forward before slipping the ball to Alexia Putellas, who instantly flicked it back. Athenea then swerved a finish into the far corner.

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Athenea del Castillo finished off a lovely move as Spain equalised (Getty Images)

It was another divine goal, to follow on from what we saw against Belgium; as if Spain are enjoying their own goal-of-the-tournament competition.

The following two didn’t quite live up to it.

Guijarro’s own instinctive long-range goal was well struck but Italian goalkeeper Laura Giuliani probably should have done better. She definitely should have done better for the third, as the ball squirmed through her hands for substitute Esther Gonzalez to continue her campaign for the golden boot. She claimed her fourth, hammering the ball over the line from just centimetres.

To be fair to the Italian goalkeeper, you could simply say this is an inevitable consequence of so much Spanish possession and pressure. Spain scored 14 goals in the group stage, equalling England’s record set at Euro 2022.

Next up for Spain is the hosts, Switzerland, in this same Bern stadium. The wonder is whether they take something from both Belgium and Italy, or try to come up with something else. They’re certainly going to need something epic.

Right now, it’s hard not to see anything other than one outcome. And that doesn’t just apply to that quarter-final. In the meantime, a side like Italy must just revel in the moment, and try and seize the next day.