Azzurre see off Finland and qualify for Euro 2025 as Beccari opens international account
The Italy Women's National Team claimed an emphatic 4-0 win over Finland in Bolzano to qualify for the 2025 Women's European Championship without needing to go through a play-off.
Andrea Soncin's side have tightened up at the back and failed to produce thrilling attacking displays since he took charge but they cruised past Finland in style with Chiara Beccari having a night to remember.
With League A Group 1 incredibly finely balanced coming into the final two matches, Italy have managed to finish top when they could just as easily have ended up at the bottom of the group. A 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and Norway means that Italy and the Netherlands go into Euro 2025 in Switzerland, whilst Norway and Finland will be part of the play-off.
Beccari off the mark
It’s been a good summer for 19-year-old Chiara Beccari. After two successful seasons spent out on loan in the Women’s Serie A with Como Women and then Sassuolo, the forward has returned home to Juventus and penned a new contract with the Bianconere as well.
Against Finland, she scored her first-ever senior goal for Italy. Her inclusion in the starting XI caught many by surprise, but her versatility allows her to play anywhere across a front three, or even as a second striker supporting a more traditional No.9, and she soon showed precisely why Soncin gave her the nod.
As well as striking the opener for the Azzurre, Beccari’s pace allowed her to cause more problems for Finland and was inches away from teeing up Valentina Giacinti for a third Italy goal just minutes into the second half with a troubling cross from the right. Her afternoon ended a couple of moments later when Michela Cambiaghi came on in her place.
With Euro 2025 now a year away and Beccari facing her first season as a first-team player with Juventus, she will be one to keep a very close eye on in Switzerland next summer and with the Bianconere between now and then.