Spain vs Italy Women: Guijarro Fires La Roja to Win

Spain vs Italy women opened Matchday 3 of the UEFA Euro 2025 qualifiers with all eyes on Group A’s two heavyweights. What followed in Gothenburg was a 2-1 Spanish comeback that kept Jorge Vilda’s side perfect while still allowing the Azzurre to squeeze into the knockout stage on goal difference.

Spain vs Italy women: How the drama unfolded

Italy came in needing a point, and it showed from the opening whistle. Milena Bertolini set her team up in a compact 4-4-2 designed to frustrate Spain’s high-possession style. The plan worked early: in the 18th minute veteran striker Cristiana Girelli pounced on a loose ball after a corner, stabbing past Misa Rodríguez to give Italy a shock 1-0 lead.
La Roja responded with trademark patience. Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí began pulling the strings, gradually stretching Italy’s lines. The breakthrough finally came six minutes before the interval when Esther González climbed above Elena Linari to head home Olga Carmona’s teasing cross. Spain vs Italy women was level, and the momentum had swung for good.

La Roja’s tactical edge and Guijarro’s brilliance

Bertolini switched to a back five after the break, but Spain’s pressure only intensified. Eleven minutes into the second half, the decisive moment arrived. Bonmatí slid a perfectly weighted pass toward the top of the box, where Patricia Guijarro ghosted in unmarked. The Barça midfielder met the ball first time, arrowing a low drive into the bottom-left corner. Spain vs Italy women had turned on its head, 2-1 to the reigning world champions.
Guijarro’s goal epitomised Spain’s fluid midfield rotation. By allowing Putellas to drift wide, Guijarro could burst centrally, a pattern Italy never fully solved. Spain finished with 69% possession, 16 shots and 588 completed passes, numbers that underline their technical dominance.

What the result means for Euro 2025

The victory means Spain top Group A with a perfect nine points, setting up a quarter-final against one of the best third-place finishers. Italy, meanwhile, finish second courtesy of their earlier draw with Norway and superior goal difference over the Scandinavians. The Azzurre will face Group C winners Sweden in the last eight, a daunting task but one they will welcome after briefly staring elimination in the face.

Italy’s narrow escape

Despite defeat, there were positives for Italy. Goalkeeper Laura Giuliani turned in eight saves, while teenage winger Chiara Beccari offered direct counter-attacking threat that nearly yielded a late equaliser. Yet Bertolini must address her side’s chronic inability to maintain leads—Italy have now conceded second-half goals in four of their last five competitive fixtures.

Player of the match: Patricia Guijarro

Guijarro’s match-winning strike will dominate headlines, but her all-round influence was just as critical. She registered 92% passing accuracy, won five tackles, and completed seven progressive carries. Simply put, she was everywhere Spain needed her to be.

Spain vs Italy women: Key stats in numbers

• Possession: Spain 69% – 31% Italy
• Total shots: 16 – 6
• Shots on target: 10 – 3
• Expected Goals (xG): 2.14 – 0.63
• Pass accuracy: 89% – 71%
• Corners: 8 – 4

Group A final standings

1. Spain – 9 pts, +5 GD
2. Italy – 4 pts, -1 GD
3. Norway – 4 pts, -2 GD
4. Switzerland – 0 pts, -2 GD

Opinion: Why La Roja remain favorites

Spain vs Italy women showcased exactly why La Roja enter the business end of Euro 2025 as the side to beat. Even when trailing, their belief in a possession-heavy philosophy never wavered. The squad depth is frightening—Jorge Vilda could afford to leave Jenni Hermoso on the bench until the 80th minute—and their midfield triangle of Bonmatí, Putellas and Guijarro is unmatched in Europe. For Italy, surviving the group is success in itself, but unless Bertolini’s charges learn to hold leads and bypass heavy pressing, Sweden may expose their flaws.
In short, Spain march on with momentum, while Italy live to fight another day—just.