Women’s EURO Qualifiers: Italy defeat Dutch, Austria give Germany a fright

Italy v Netherlands - UEFA EURO 2025 Women's Qualifiers
Valentina Giacinti of Italy celebrates with a teammate after scoring the first goal. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Match day 1 in UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Qualifying saw the Netherlands beaten by Italy, Germany overturn a two-goal deficit in Austria and Spain sink Belgium 7-0. 

League A

Group 1 – Italy 2-0 Netherlands, Norway 4-0 Finland, Switzerland 3-1 Türkiye
Group 2 – Czechia 1-3 Denmark, Belgium 0-7 Spain
Group 3 – England 1-1 Sweden, France 1-0 Republic of Ireland
Group 4 – Iceland 3-0 Poland, Austria 2-3 Germany

Goals from Valentina Giacinti and Agnese Bonfantini gave Italy a great start to the campaign, with a 2-0 defeat of the Netherlands.

Norway put four past Finland with one apiece for Celin Bizet Ildhusøy, Sophie Roma Haug, Thea Bjelde and Elisabeth Terland.

Viola Calligaris scored twice as Switzerland saw off Türkiye 3-1.

UEFA Womens European Qualifier - Norway v Finland - Ullevaal Stadium
Ingrid Engan (7 Norway) celebrates with opening scorer Celin Bizet Ildhusoy. (Ane Frosaker / SPP)

Spain were three up in half an hour away to Belgium, Salma Paralluelo netting either side of Jenni Hermoso goal. Two minutes into the second half, Paralluelo completed her hat-trick, Esther Gonzalez then scoring twice and Sheila Garcia once.

Denmark were pegged back by hosts Czechia but struck twice in the last quarter of the game for a 3-1 win.

Women's UEFA Euro 2025 League A Group 2 qualifying football match between Belgium and Spain at the Den Dreef stadium in Leuven
Spain’s forward #07 Salma Paralluelo scores her team’s second goal. (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Fridolina Rolfo scored to earn Sweden a draw with England at Wembley, the Lionesses having scored first through Alessia Russo.

Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored just six minutes in for France in a narrow victory over Republic of Ireland.

Austria shocked Germany with an early Eileen Campbell brace, Klara Buhl replying with a goal either side of the interval. Giulia Gwinn’s penalty just after the hour mark proved to be a winner for Germany.

Iceland scored twice in two minutes close to half time on the way to a 3-0 victory over Poland,

UEFA Womens European Qualiying - Austria vs Germany - Linz
Austrian players celebrate a goal against Germany, before letting slip a 2-0 lead. (Tom Seiss / SPP)

League B

Group 1 – Hungary 1-1 Azerbaijan
Group 2 – Slovakia 2-0 Israel, Serbia 0-0 Scotland
Group 3 – Northern Ireland 0-0 Malta, Portugal 3-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Group 4 – Wales 4-0 Croatia, Ukraine 2-0 Kosovo

Azerbaijan took a point from a 1-1 tie in Hungary, Slovakia saw off Israel with a quick first-half double.

Northern Ireland v Malta, UEFA Women's EURO 2025 qualifier
Malta pressure Northern Ireland during 0-0 draw. (Photo: Ephy McConnell)

It ended goalless for Scotland in Serbia and Northern Ireland at home to Malta, while Portugal beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-0 with goals from Carole Costa, Diana Silva and an own-goal.

Jess Fishlock set up a 4-0 win for Wales over Croatia with early goals in either half, Ukraine were 2-0 winners over Kosovo when scoring twice in a six-minute spell during the first half.

UEFA Womens European Championship Qualifier between Wales and Croatia
Jessica Fishlock of Wales gets one past the Croatia goalkeeper. (Jayde Chamberlain/SPP)

League C

Group 1 – Cyprus 0-3 Belarus, Georgia 2-2 Lithuania
Group 2 – Latvia 3-4 North Macedonia, Slovenia 2-0 Moldova
Group 3 – Montenegro 6-1 Andorra, Greece 1-0 Faroe Islands
Group 4 – Armenia 0-5 Romania, Kazakhstan 0-1 Bulgaria
Group 5 – Luxembourg 2-1 Albania

UEFA Womens European Championship Qualifier - Slovenia v Moldova - Sports park Siska
Nadejda Colesnicenco of Moldova (CL) in action against Mirjam Kastelec of Slovenia (CR). (Natasa Kupljenik / SPP)

Luxembourg fought back to beat Albania 2-1 with a late Amy Thompson decider, Lithuania came from two down to draw 2-2 in Georgia, two own-goals helped North Macedonia win a seven-goal thriller in Latvia.

Greece edged Faroe Islands with Veatriki Sarri’s 55th-minute penalty, Ivana Naydenova missed a penalty for Bulgaria in Kazakhstan but Simona Petkova netted for them from a free kick minutes later.

Republic of Ireland Women lose narrowly away to France

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