Cristiana Girelli became the second Italian soccer player ever to record a hat trick at the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Friday. In a convincing 5-0 win over Jamaica, Girelli scored goals in the 12th, 25th and 46th minutes.
Girelli was one of two Italian players to have a multi-goal game. Aurora Galli, who came off the bench, scored goals in the 71st and 81st minutes.
The first Italian women’s soccer player to record three goals in a game at the FIFA Women’s World Cup was Carolina Morace, in a 5-0 Italy win over Chinese Taipei on November 17, 1991 from Jiangmen, China. Morace scored in the 37th, 52nd and 66th minutes.
Despite Italy beating Jamaica handily on the scoreboard, in terms of chances, the game was relatively even. Italy had 13 attempts, compared to Jamaica’s 12. However, only two of Jamaica’s 12 attempts were on target, with seven shots being blocked and three attempts off target.
Italy is showing a commitment to women’s soccer and the results are showing. The Italians currently lead Group C with a perfect record of two wins and zero losses. They are one of five teams that have qualified for the round of 16 so far. The Italians are joined by four other European nations–France, Germany, England and the Netherlands. Jamaica meanwhile is now at zero wins and two losses.
On the men’s side, Italy has won four World Cups, the second most all-time. They beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final in 1934 in Rome, and then Hungary 4-2 in the final in 1938 in Paris. Those wins in the 1930’s were followed by a World Cup title in 1982 (3-1 win in the final over West Germany in Madrid, Spain) and an Italian triumph in 2006 over France in Berlin (Italy won 5-3 on penalty kicks after tied at one).
Italy’s performance at the 1991 Women’s World Cup where Morace was the star, was their best ever Women’s World Cup result to date. They reached the quarterfinals after a 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei and a 1-0 win over Nigeria. In the knockout round, Italy then lost 3-2 to Norway in the quarterfinals.
In other action on Friday from the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, England beat Argentina 1-0 on a goal in the 62nd minute by Jodie Taylor. England is at two wins, while Argentina is at one loss and one draw. Meanwhile, Japan beat Scotland 2-1 on a penalty kick by Mana Iwabuchi and another goal by Yuika Sugasawa. Japan is at one win and one draw in Group D, while Scotland is at two losses.
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