24 hours of rest and relaxation to recharge before the next big date with history. After a light recovery session yesterday morning, the Azzurre were back on the pitch this afternoon at the Thermoplan Arena in Weggis to start their preparations for Wednesday night’s highly anticipated quarter-final against Norway (kick-off at 21:00 CEST). In Geneva, Italy – who, along with Norway, share the record for most appearances at the EURO finals (13 out of 14 editions) – will be aiming to reach their seventh European Championship semi-final. The last time they achieved this was back in 1997, when they beat Norway thanks to a memorable Carolina Morace brace.

After that, the Azzurre had to wait nine meetings and a full 25 years to secure just their second-ever win over two-time European champions (1987 and 1993) Norway, who have come out on top in 13 of the 19 previous encounters. That long-awaited victory finally came with a 2-1 win at the 2022 Algarve Cup (goals from Arianna Caruso and Valentina Giacinti), followed by two draws during EURO 2025 qualifying. The trend has shifted, and Andrea Soncin’s team now believe they can go toe-to-toe with any of the game’s giants – including Ada Hegerberg and co., who looked in fine form during the group stage, which they topped with a perfect record (eight goals scored and five conceded). “Norway are a really tough team,” said Barbara Bonansea at today’s press conference. “They have a good balance because they’re strong physically and on a technical level. However, we know them well and know we can face them head-on. Reaching the semi-finals would be incredible – a dream that now feels within reach. We believe we can do it and will give everything to take another step forward. Now the fun part begins!”

With 112 caps and 31 goals for the National Team, Bonansea is one of the veterans of the squad and is really enjoying this magical moment. After shaking off the pressure of just trying to get out of the group – almost like a self-imposed expectation after some disappointing recent tournaments – the team is ready to aim higher again. “We’ve qualified for the quarters despite not playing at our best,” she continued. “Now, we need to find our composed selves again and improve in front of goal, something we’ve been working on a lot recently.” For Bonansea and the millions of Italians cheering on the Azzurre, the memory of Andrea Soncin and Cristiana Girelli’s tears after the Spain game is still fresh. Those moments really show the spirit in the locker room, which the Juventus striker summed up perfectly: “The emotion shown by the Coach and Cri was wonderful – moments we’ll all remember for years. This group is special, and credit must go to the Coach and staff: they have given us confidence, made it fun and built connections that go far beyond the pitch. That’s the secret to winning.”

QUARTER-FINALS

Wednesday 16 July
21:00 CEST – Norway vs. ITALY

Thursday 17 July
21:00 CEST Sweden vs. second-place team from Group D

Friday 18 July
21:00 CEST – Spain vs. Switzerland

Saturday 19 July
21:00 CEST – Winners of Group D vs. Germany

SEMI-FINALS

Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 July

FINAL
Sunday 27 July