Two precious goals to break Belarus' stubborn resistance and seize control of qualification. After a goalless first half dominated by Italy, the Women's National Team won at the 'David Petriashvili' stadium in Tbilisi thanks to Piemonte's header in the 66th minute and Polli's first goal for the Azzurre, which arrived in the 91st. A hugely valuable win that leaves Italy heading into the return leg of the first play-off for a place in the World Cup finals full of confidence, with the match set for Tuesday 13 October at 6.15pm in Florence.
Getty Images SportFederico Zanon
World Cup play-offs, Italy win 2-0 in Tbilisi against Belarus: Piemonte and Polli decide it
Franchi, a lucky stadium
"It is the win we wanted, that we were looking for and that makes us look to the next match with enormous optimism," Soncin said. "We created, played in their half and prevented all their transitions, even if we can certainly be more clinical in the final phase." In four days' time, the Azzurre return to the Franchi, a stadium packed with happy memories. That is where they sealed qualification for the 2019 World Cup and Euro 2022. This time, a place in the second and decisive round of the play-offs at the start of December is on the line, against Serbia or Finland, with the Scandinavians winning 3-1 at home, the final hurdle on the road to Brazil 2027.
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