Italy Women laid two crucial foundations to crack Belarus's stubborn resistance and take a serious step towards the next round. After a goalless first half dominated by the Azzurre, they won at the 'David Petriashvili' stadium in Tbilisi thanks to Piemonte's header in the 66th minute and Polli's first goal in blue, which arrived in the 91st. The victory gives Italy real confidence ahead of the return leg of the first World Cup play-off, scheduled for Tuesday 13 October at 6.15pm in Florence.
Getty ImagesFederico Zanon9 Oct 2026
Italy
Women's football
Belarus vs Italy
Belarus
World Cup Qualification UEFA
World Cup play-offs, Italy win 2-0 in Tbilisi against Belarus: Piemonte and Polli decide it
Franchi, a lucky stadium
"It is the victory we wanted, the one we were looking for, and it makes us look to the next match with enormous optimism," said Soncin. "We created, played in their half and stopped all of their transitions, even if we can certainly be more incisive in the final phase." Next up in four days is the Franchi, a stadium that holds wonderful memories. The Azzurre sealed qualification there for the 2019 World Cup and Euro 2022. This time, a place in the second and decisive play-off round at the start of December will be on the line against Serbia or Finland, with the Scandinavians winning 3-1 at home, the final obstacle on the road to Brazil 2027.
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