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Italy through to semis with a dramatic win over Norway
Italy captain Cristiana Girelli scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner as they beat Norway to set up a potential Euro 2025 semi-final against reigning champions England.
After a dominant first-half performance, Girelli opened the scoring in the 50th minute before Norway captain Ada Hegerberg recovered from missing a penalty to level the match.
However, with the game heading towards extra time, Girelli headed home Sofia Cantore’s cross to send her side through to the last four for the first time since 1997, where they will face Sweden or England, who play their quarter-final on Thursday.
“It’s a dream that becomes a reality,” Girelli said after the game. “It’s amazing.
“I felt something different, something special. I have seen in the eyes of my team-mates a special light.
“I just believe to fight until the end and to believe until the end until the referee’s whistle. If you have a flame you have to continue to live. We suffered a lot but we fought until the end.”
Italy were the better side throughout the opening 45 minutes and were left to rue missed opportunities at the break, with Arianna Caruso, Girelli, Emma Severini and Lucia di Guglielmo all going close.
Girelli broke the deadlock shortly after half-time, touching in Cantore’s cross with her left foot from close range, and Italy thought they had doubled their lead a few minutes later when Severini scrambled the ball over the line. However, it was ruled out for offside against Caruso.
Norway were handed a golden opportunity to level in the 60th minute when Hegerberg was awarded a penalty after being hauled to the floor by Elena Linari, but for the second time in this tournament she sent her spot-kick wide.
However, she made amends six minutes later, coolly slotting the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Laura Giuliani.
Momentum swung in Norway’s favour following the equaliser, with the best chance for a winner falling to Ingrid Engen, whose curled effort from the edge of the box went just wide, before Girelli popped up in the box late on to spark Italian celebrations.
While the headlines should be about Italy and their first appearance in the last four of a Women’s Euros for 28 years, an unfortunate spotlight has fallen on Norway captain Hegerberg.
Having sent a penalty wide in her side’s opening game against Switzerland, her nerves would have been jangling when the referee pointed to the spot on the hour mark.
There was a lengthy delay before she lined up to take the penalty, with a couple of team-mates gathered by the ball and plenty of gardening around the spot.
After the pause, she walked up to the ball and planted her penalty well wide of the right post before putting her head in her hands. Italy goalkeeper Giuliani had gone the right way.
Although she made amends six minutes later, the missed penalty was the latest blemish in an underwhelming tournament from a star-studded Norway side.
Despite topping Group A with three wins from three, their performances have left many fans underwhelmed, with their side benefitting from an own goal to beat Switzerland, needing an 84th-minute winner against Finland, and conceding two late goals to Iceland.
A common criticism has been their inability to get the best out of their superstars – and it was the case once against in Geneva.
Guro Reiten struggled as a makeshift left-back, finding herself hemmed back by a counter-attacking Italy, while Barcelona forward Caroline Graham Hansen was curiously absent throughout.
Norway have now not reached the semi-finals of a Women’s Euros since 2013.
[BBC Sports]
An estimated 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France today to protest against teaching conditions in schools, rising fuel prices and the cost of living.
Marches were largely peaceful and took place in several major French cities, including Paris, where 110,000 people attended.
“We just want to study, we just want a future” one student taking part in the protest in the capital told BBC News, while another said they were ” just trying to make things change”.
But French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some groups “at the margins of these protests” caused the situation to “degenerate”.
According to the French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, 1200 people were arrested. Officials also reported looting in cities such as Marseille, where masked 8ntruders also entered the city hall. In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire and shops were damaged.
French President Emmanuel Macron said any vandals and looters would be “prosecuted and punished”, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of left-wing party La France Insoumise, said demonstrations had been calmly mobilised.
Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at Limoges City Hall after a reported break-in and arson inside the 19th-century building during protests there.
(BBC)
A large fire near a Canadian military base in Alberta has killed and injured some people, the defence minister said, without confirming the number of casualties.
The Canadian Armed Forces were working with local authorities to manage the fire and were looking into what caused it, David McGuinty said, describing the situation as “very, very active and delicate”.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X that a “serious incident creating a major fire” had occurred, adding his “thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected”.
Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where the fire broke out, is one of the country’s busiest military training bases.
The blaze “spread rapidly due to high winds” and had torn through the fences of the base, the Municipal District of Wainwright said.
McGuinty told reporters he “cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory”.
It is unclear when the fire broke out, but the district first posted about the incident at about 17:30 local time.
Local authorities have urged residents to avoid the area and give all emergency vehicles right of way.
(BBC)
The Asian Youth Games gold medallist who has run sub four minutes previously returned a time of 3:55.97 seconds to become the first athlete in his age category at these championships to run the distance under four minutes.
Achintha who has a personal best of 3:53.05 from last year was representing Prince College Ratnapura today.
In another impressive 1,500 m feat Tharushi Abhisheka of Lyceum International School, Wattala established a new meet record in the Under-20 Girls’ 1,500m as she returned a time of 4:34.59 seconds to win.
By the end of the second day of the meet seven new meet records had been established.
D. V. C. de Soysa (of Galewela Central College) Under-16 Boys’ Discus Throw – 55.83m.
D. G. Lahiru Achintha (of Ratnapura Kumara Vidyalaya) Under-18 Boys’ 1,500m – 3:55.97 secs.
W. P. Nethula Induwara (Rahula College, Matara) Under-14 Boys’ 100m – 11.70 seconds
K. V. R. Gayesha (Ira Handa Kotuwa Wewa Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa) Under-16 Girls’ High Jump – 1.70m
H. M. D. S. Herath (Maris Stella College, Thimbirigaskatuwa) Under-20 Boys’ Long Jump – 7.65m
P. M. Amaya Semindi (Vijitha Central College, Dikwella) Under-14 Girls’ High Jump – 1.58m
Record 1,600 students take Russian Classical Ballet examination in Sri Lanka
Half a million people join protests in France, but some turn violent
Deadly fire breaks out at Canada military base
Showers or thundershowers will occur in most parts of the island after 1.00 p.m.
Buddhist hierarchy demands prison perks for monk convicts
Debate on NCM against Speaker postponed indefinitely
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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