A draw was enough for both Italy and Portugal to reach the final, but as the clock ticked towards the 80th minute – the final minute of a match played over two 40-minute halves – it looked like the Azzurrine might have missed their chance. Portugal were still 1-0 ahead, having taken the lead through Ferreira Mendes in the 50th minute. Then came Elisa Ciurleo, who cut inside and fired a superb left-footed effort across goal, finding the corner to earn Oddina and her teammates a dramatic 1-1 draw and book their place in the gold-medal final. The celebrations at the Iacovone were huge. And now the Azzurrine go again on Monday: at 19:00 CEST, once more at Taranto’s Iacovone, Italy will face Portugal with the gold medal at the Mediterranean Games on the line.

MALAGÒ. President Giovanni Malagò praised the team after the final whistle: “A huge round of applause to the Azzurre for everything they have achieved in this tournament. They showed great team spirit today, digging deep when faced with difficulties. We’re proud of their journey. They are guaranteed a medal and we’ll all be cheering for them to make it gold.”

DEL PRETE. Head coach Priscilla Del Prete was equally pleased with her side’s performance: “It was a game we dominated, in which we conceded just two chances, but we kept believing right until the end. The girls were brilliant and deservedly made the final. We showed that we have clear ideas, principles and values. We’ll face Portugal again, but it will be a different game and there will be many new factors at play. The team that wants it more will win.”

THE MATCH. Priscilla Del Prete made just two changes to the side that beat Morocco, both coming in the wide areas, with Cacace and Oddina replacing Grassi and Andreangeli. Ciurleo started on the bench, with Saccomandi taking her place. Portugal created the first major chance in the 11th minute, when Tavares unleashed a powerful effort that forced Agostini into an excellent save, turning the ball past the far post with her outstretched hand. Five minutes later, Italy went close themselves. Sterner cut inside onto her right foot from the top corner of the penalty area and curled a superb effort against the crossbar. The game remained finely balanced, but the Azzurrine began to take control as the half progressed. In the 27th minute, Martone slipped Pinchi through on goal, but the forward could only get a toe to the ball as she arrived in front of Horta Martins, allowing the Portuguese goalkeeper to make the save.

Italy started the second half brightly. Saccomandi made a powerful run across the pitch before sending Pinchi through, but Horta Martins came off her line perfectly to deny the Italy No. 21. At the 50-minute mark, Del Prete turned to her bench, introducing Messa and Ciurleo for Galluzzi and Saccomandi. However, it was Portugal who struck first. Italy were caught off guard and, ten minutes into the second half, Ferreira Mendes put the Portuguese ahead. The goal knocked Italy out of their stride and Oddina and her teammates struggled to find a response. As the final ten minutes approached, the Azzurrine pushed forward almost on instinct, sending a succession of balls into the box without finding the finishing touch. Then, with the final minute approaching, the breakthrough finally came. After relentless pressure, Ciurleo found the space she needed and made no mistake, drilling a left-footed effort across goal and into the net to make it 1-1 – a goal that sent Italy into the gold-medal final.

ITALY 1-1 PORTUGAL

Italy (4-2-3-1): Agostini; Cacace (57' Andreangeli), Rosso, Pieri, Oddina; Galluzzi (49' Messa), Guerzoni; Saccomandi (49' Ciurleo), Sterner, Martone; Pinchi. Subs: Pezzi, Grassi, Andreangeli, Miraldi, Ciccarelli. Coach: Del Prete.

Portugal (5-4-1): Horta Martins; Moreira, Jorge Monteiro, De Matos, Ferreira Mendes (80'+1 Fernandes Pinto), Tavares (41' Alves Fontes); Pecanins Gama, Gonçalves Matos; Vila Franca (41' Barbosa Oliveira), Fernandes Aguia (80' Fonseca De Braga); Pereira Branco (54' Da Costa). Subs: Pardal Serralheiro, Neves De Sa. Coach: Matos Paisana.

Goals: 50' Ferreira Mendes (P), 79' Ciurleo (I)

Referee: Koci (Albania). Assistants: Soklevska (North Macedonia), Cvetanovikj (North Macedonia). Fourth official:Cjapi (Albania).

Bookings: Oddina (I), Del Prete (I).

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Group: Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Slovenia, Kosovo

Matchday 1 – Saturday 22 August
Slovenia 0-4 Morocco
Portugal 3-0 Kosovo

Matchday 2 – Sunday 23 August
Portugal 2-1 Morocco
Italy 4-1 Kosovo

Matchday 3 – Tuesday 25 August
Morocco 4-0 Kosovo
Italy 1-1 Slovenia

Matchday 4 – Thursday 27 August
Portugal 4-0 Slovenia
Italy 3-1 Morocco

Matchday 5 – Saturday 29 August
Slovenia 1-1 Kosovo
Portugal 1-1 Italy

GROUP STANDINGS

Portugal 8, Italy 8, Morocco 7, Slovenia 2, Kosovo 0

Finals – Monday 31 August

Bronze medal match – 10:30 CEST
Morocco vs Slovenia | Brindisi

Final – 19:00 CEST
Portugal vs Italy | Taranto