Following last Sunday’s victory over Portugal, the Women’s Under-23 National Team were defeated 1–0 by Germany in their second match of the ‘Friendly Week’ held in Spain. In Murcia, a strong performance from Tatiana Zorri’s side wasn’t enough to replicate the result from four days earlier. The decisive moment came in the seventh minute, when Luca Birkholz scored after being perfectly set up by Katharina Piljic: the Freiburg player rounded Beretta as she came off her line and slotted the ball into the net.

 

Germany had two more chances through Lisa Baum but couldn’t find a second goal, thanks in part to a goal-line clearance by Pellinghelli; at the other end, a free-kick from Melissa Bellucci struck the side netting. The second half presented less chances, with Italy holding their own. “We were punished by a single moment,” the coach said in her analysis. “I saw an organised and courageous team, playing without fear and pressing high. I’m happy with the performance and the attitude against a strong, well-organised Germany side. The only regret is the result: we didn’t deserve to lose because the girls gave everything, reacting well after conceding early. We’ll take many positive feelings back to Italy, the development path we started two years ago continues.”