This time, unlike in the round of 16 against China, penalties did not go the Azzurrine’s way. Italy Women’s U20 finished fourth at the World Cup in Poland after losing the bronze-medal match to Colombia in Lodz. The sides were level at 1-1 after 120 minutes, with Cabezas cancelling out Giada Pellegrino Cimò’s opener. Having converted their first three penalties, the Azzurrine twice had the chance to win the shootout. However, Martina Bressan hit the post and Azzurra Gallo was denied, undoing Belli’s two saves from Viafara and Arboleda. In the first round of sudden death, Venturelli was also denied as Italy missed for the third consecutive time, handing Colombia the bronze medal. The Azzurrine therefore fell short of matching the bronze won by Enrico Sbardella’s Under-17 side in Costa Rica in 2014, with Sbardella watching from the stands in Lodz. Spain and South Korea will contest the final tomorrow at 18:00 in Lodz. Nicola Matteucci’s players ended their World Cup in tears in the centre circle, but showed great sportsmanship by applauding Colombia during the medal ceremony. What remains is Italy’s extraordinary journey and an unforgettable life experience that will stay with this group throughout their careers and beyond.

“Fourth place inevitably leaves us with some disappointment, especially after another match decided on penalties, but it cannot and must not detract from the extraordinary journey completed by our girls,” said FIGC President Giovanni Malagò. “It was a historic tournament for Italy, an achievement that confirms the growth and quality of the Italian women’s game. I want to thank every player, every member of staff and everyone who worked each day to make this possible. I am immensely proud of them all.”

“The hardest part is seeing the girls so disappointed,” Matteucci said. “We had earned our place in this final and played with tremendous heart and determination. We could not win it in normal time or extra time, and then penalties become a lottery. The girls took responsibility by stepping up, and in football you can win or lose. I will carry every moment of this experience with me: every training session, every match and every meeting. We lived this World Cup to the full and must be proud of how far we came. This tournament showed the quality of our team and our players. They are dependable, never let you down and give everything they have, both as footballers and as people.”

THE MATCH. With Fadda, one of Italy’s standout performers at the World Cup, unable to start because of a muscle problem, and Appiah also initially among the substitutes, Matteucci opted for a 3-5-2 with Galli and Pellegrino Cimò up front. A combination between the pair, sparked by Gallo’s ball in behind, allowed recent Barcelona signing Galli to fire across goal, but she missed the target. As the half progressed, Colombia pushed further forward with increasing confidence but failed to register a shot at Belli’s goal. Pellegrino Cimò then tested Luisa, who saved comfortably (22’). The Colombian goalkeeper was powerless shortly before the interval, however. Bressan sent Venturelli in behind, and Martinez’s attempted interception produced only a weak clearance that fell to Pellegrino Cimò. She swept a perfect volley into the net with her left foot, supposedly her weaker side but anything but on this occasion.

In the second half, a lengthy VAR review saw a possible red card for Martinez overturned after Gallo was judged to have committed an earlier foul in the same attacking phase. Belli then struck Loboa with a clearance, giving the Italy supporters a scare. Nevertheless, Colombia equalised shortly afterwards through Cabezas, who had come on at half-time and sent an angled effort through Bressan’s legs and into the bottom corner. Matteucci then made his first changes, replacing Galli and Lombardi with Appiah and Tosello. Tosello curled a right-footed effort towards the far post, but Luisa produced a superb save (78’). The goalkeeper then comfortably gathered a right-footed attempt from another substitute, Ventriglia.

Shortly before extra time, Fadda replaced Cherubini. The Sassuolo midfielder fired over from the edge of the box five minutes into the first period (95’). Fadda then delivered a corner from the left, which Gallo met ahead of everyone else but could not direct on target. Appiah also missed the target midway through a second period of extra time dominated by Italy. The match therefore went to penalties, where the Azzurrine began flawlessly as Langella, Fadda and Ventriglia all converted. After Belli denied Viafara and Arboleda, however, Bressan and Gallo both missed opportunities to seal victory. Venturelli then also failed to convert, leaving Italy without a medal their performance had deserved.

ITALY 1-1 COLOMBIA AET (Colombia won 4-3 on penalties; 1-0 HT)

ITALY: Belli; Venturelli, Bressan, Gallo; Consolini (Cocino 99’), Catena, Cherubini (Fadda 90’), Testa (Langella 99’), Lombardi (Tosello 62’); Pellegrino Cimò (Ventriglia 77’), Galli (Appiah 62’). Unused substitutes: Di Nallo, Tornaghi, Zamboni. Head Coach: Matteucci

COLOMBIA: Luisa; Torres, Viafara, Martinez, Arboleda; Diaz (Cabezas 46’), Ortegón, Weiner (Cardona 67’), Silva (Cortes 77’); Mosquera (Rodriguez 106’), Loboa. Unused substitutes: Ospina, Marin, Bohorquez, Baldovino, Ortiz. Head Coach: Paniagua

Referee: Garcia (MEX). Assistant Referees: Quero (MEX) and Juarez (MEX). Fourth Official: Pennington (USA)

Goals: Pellegrino Cimò (Italy) 43’, Cabezas (Colombia) 61’

Notes: Booked: Mosquera (Colombia), Cardona (Colombia), Paniagua (Colombia, on the bench). Stoppage time: 1’ first half, 7’ second half. Attendance: approximately 1,200

Penalty shootout: Viafara (Colombia) saved, Langella (Italy) scored, Loboa (Colombia) scored, Fadda (Italy) scored, Torres (Colombia) scored, Ventriglia (Italy) scored, Arboleda (Colombia) saved, Bressan (Italy) hit the post, Cortes (Colombia) scored, Gallo (Italy) saved, Martinez (Colombia) scored, Venturelli (Italy) saved