Italy Kicks Off EURO 2025 Campaign with Hard-Fought Win Against Belgium

Italy commenced their campaign in the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship with a slim 1-0 win over Belgium, successfully breaking a three-match losing streak against their rivals.

This marks Belgium’s third successive appearance at the tournament, and they are steadily making progress at the elite level, having previously defeated reigning champions England in the UEFA Nations League earlier this year.

After a minute’s silence honouring the tragic loss of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, Belgium started brightly, creating several threatening chances, though they struggled to pose a significant threat to the Italian defence.

The first shot on target came from Italy midway through the first half when Arianna Caruso forced a save from Belgium’s goalkeeper, Lisa Lichtfus, while at the other end, Marian Toloba narrowly missed the target.

It wasn’t until the final five minutes of the first half that the match really started to heat up. Tessa Wullaert, found in the box, shot past the post, and shortly after, Jill Janssens also missed an opportunity from long range, sending her effort soaring over the crossbar.

Belgium would come to regret Wullaert’s miss, particularly when Caruso found the back of the net with a precisely placed strike just before half-time, leaving Lichtfus with no chance of making a save.

After half-time, Belgium sought to make a comeback, with Wullaert’s header being saved by Italy’s goalkeeper, Laura Giuliani, around the hour mark.

Shortly after, the Azzurre were presented with a brilliant chance to extend their lead. However, Lichtfus demonstrated great reflexes to deny Cristiani Girelli’s clever backheel, before Caruso’s powerful shot struck the woodwork.

Substitute Michaela Cambiaghi then attempted a curling shot that just missed the target as Italy aimed to secure a more comfortable cushion. Nonetheless, Caruso’s single goal proved sufficient for Italy to claim all three points.

Having faced elimination in the group stage during their previous two Euro campaigns, Italy now has fresh hope of advancing to the knockout stage, achieving their second opening victory in the tournament across six appearances.

Conversely, Belgium has a tough challenge ahead, particularly with current FIFA World Cup holders Spain next on the agenda— a team they recently fell to by a score of 5-0.

Check out the match summary here.