Italy

Italy is through to the knockout rounds for the first time since 1991 thanks to a 5-0 rout of Jamaica on Friday. Cristiana Girelli scored a hat trick and Aurora Galli added two for the Azzurre, but the Italians’ second straight victory was exemplified by the team captain, center back Sara Gama.

Gama, a 30-year-old Juventus center back, marshalled a back line that quieted the dangerous Khadija Shaw, the leading scorer in Women’s World Cup qualifying with 19 goals. 

It’s been 576 days since the Italian apocalypse at the San Siro in Milan. It was on that fateful evening that Sweden held Italy to a 0-0 draw in a playoff for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, sending the Scandinavian country through 1-0 on aggregate while the Azzurri missed out on their first World Cup in 60 years. 

For Cristiano Ronaldo, the path to UEFA Nations League glory was exceptionally similar to the one he trod to victory at Euro 2016. After a stunning hat trick in the semis to lift Portugal to the final — much like the towering, match-winning header he planted against Wales at the same stage in 2016 — Ronaldo was subdued at the tournament’s climax.

Australia, the dark horse candidate of many at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, suffered a shock defeat to Italy, making its first finals appearance since 1999, to begin Group C play in France. Australian captain Sam Kerr gave her side an early lead by following up her own saved penalty, but Italy’s Barbara Bonansea scored twice in the second half — including the winner five minutes into stoppage time — to give the Azzurre a dream start.

With a 3-1 victory over Sassuolo today, Atalanta B.C. has confirmed a third place finish in Serie A and direct qualification to next season’s UEFA Champions League group stage. In the 112-year history of the Italian club from Bergamo, Lombardy, this is a first on both accounts. 

61-year-old manager Gian Piero Gasperini — with a fraction of the wage bill of the clubs that finished around them — created an attacking juggernaut that scored a league-best 77 goals (yes, seven more than Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus), led by Duván Zapata, Josip Ilicic and Alejandro “Papu” Gómez. 

Cristiano Ronaldo received his award for being named Serie A Player of the Year on Sunday, one of three trophies lifted by Juventus on a celebratory day in Turin. 

Ronaldo was given the Serie A Player of the Year trophy at halftime of a match against Atalanta, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Ronaldo tallied 21 goals and eight assists in 31 Serie A appearances in his first season in Italy after moving from Spain. Real Madrid certainly missed him, scoring exactly 31 fewer goals in 2018-19, the amount Ronaldo accounted for in last season’s LaLiga campaign. 

You really gotta feel for Robin Gosens after the magnificent Joaquin Correa goal vs Atalanta on Wednesday.

In the Coppa Italia final at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Atalanta was pushing hard for a late equalizer, trailing by a goal to Lazio.

Atalanta pushed everyone up for a free kick; when it was cleared, Gosens sprinted 90 yards back to his own goal line.

Then Correa’s shot ricocheted off Gosens’ crotch and into the back of the net to clinch Lazio’s 2-0 win.

Torino stayed in the mix for European football next season — perhaps even the Champions League — with a 3-2 victory over Sassuolo in Serie A action on Sunday, and the entire match was really dictated by Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

The 25-year-old Italian missed a penalty in the 17th minute, had an incredible bicycle kick saved in the 47th, equalized 1-1 for Torino in the 56th and then converted the club’s match-winner in the 82nd minute with ANOTHER bicycle kick.

Look how similar these two efforts are.