How Arianna Caruso sealed opening win for Italy
An intriguing tactical battle in Sion saw Italy narrowly defeat Belgium 1-0
Arianna Caruso’s brilliant finish in the 44th minute was the difference between Italy and Belgium in the opening match of Group B at the 2025 Euros.
Belgium came into the game with a head-to-head advantage over Italy, having won four of their previous five meetings. Elisabet Gunnarsdottir’s Belgium failed to score against Italy, doing so for the first time since May 2001.
On the flip side, Italy managed to win their opening game at the Euros for just the third time, having previously done so in 2001 and 2009.
The match had a slow start, with back-and-forth action and little rhythm. Manuela Giugliano and Lucia Di Guglielmo combined to break Belgium’s block and set free Caruso to give Italy the lead. The Red Flames struggled to find the final ball, registering just two shots on target and mustering a 0.43 expected goal (xG) tally in the game.
Here is The Cutback’s breakdown of Italy’s win over Belgium.
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