(+mm') played, or 450' (-mm') if negative. Underlined 450' (!), bold 0' (!!). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venezuela (Kenneth Zseremeta): 4-3-3. GK #13 Caceres for #12 Franyely Rodríguez, #20 Gonzalez for RCB #4 Barbara Serrano. Guessing that #7 Zambrano resumes her RM position for more longball artillery. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11 Gabriela García, 9 Deyna Castellanos, 11 Tahicelis Marcano (-25') 5 Daniuska Rodríguez (-2'), 10(c) Lourdes Moreno, 7 Yosneidy Zambrano (-21') 2 Veronica Herrera (-5'), 6 Michelle Romero, 20 Nikol Gonzalez (20'), 3 Sandra Luzardo 13 Nayluisa Caceres ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Italy (Enrico Sbardella): 4-diamond-2. #16 Rizza for LB #6 Sara Mella, otherwise their A+ line-up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11 Gloria Marinelli (-144'), 18 Martina Piemonte (-207'), 7 Valentina Bergamaschi (-137') 8 Flaminia Simonetti (-15'), 10 Manuela Giugliano (-71'), 4^ Federica Cavicchia (-16') 16 Federica Rizza (-180'), 3(c) Lisa Boattin (-90'), 13 Nicole Peressotti (-90'), 2 Marta Vergani 1 Francesca Durante (-90') #4 Cavicchia got a [y]ellow card in the semifinal, but oddly it does not appear in this line-up. FIFA wipes single-yellows before and after the semis?
01' 0-0 Venezuela surge to 24m mid-right, vertical pass splits Italy's retreating backline. #9 Castellanos runs through box top mid-right to 14m, pulls a cross to 4m left post and #11 García, dragging right instep, volleys over the bar -- but she's offside. Italy sprung some leak there.
Venezuela obviously chose the side of the pitch with the wind blowing behind them, carrying them forward... Latest kick by GK Durante was badly bent by the wind, way more than she could expect. I officially hate Eurosport's announcer's pronunciation of Italian names... in particular, he spells Bergamaschi as Bergamashi, while it should Bergamaski instead!
16' 0-1 Italy intercept a Venezuela through-ball try up wide left, instantly counter up right touch to #4 Cavicchia(?). She drops off a pass into the stride of #11 Marinelli, who takes LB #2 Herrera(?) down box right to 3m mid-right. Sharp cutback cross finds the 2 CBs too deep on their 6-top, with #7 Valentina Bergamaschi unmarked at the spot. Bergamaschi takes one step rightward to the ball, finishes one-touch right instep across her body, beats new GK #13 Caceres under her rightward sprawl and into 2/5 left back low.
24' 0-1 RB #3 Sandra Luzardo heavily fouled on her right lower leg. Pause, stretchered into touch. Venezuela play with 10 ... 26' 0-1 On the restart, LM #5 Daniuska Rodríguez leg-wrestles with #11 Marinelli just past midfield wide left, gets ball and is promptly clipped from behind. She's down too. 27' 0-1 Rodríguez declines the stretcher, hobbles into touch. Luzardo returns, V. still with 10.
31' 0-1 Venezuela launch a ground pass from box top wide left to 8m 6-left, where #11 García has a 2-step lead over the CBs. She has one window for a hop-left instep half-volley, whiffs -- #3(c) Boattin, trailing behind her inside shoulder, clears ball over. 32' 0-1 Venezuela left corner, to nobody at 4m 6-right. Italy lift a tentative foot, miss, ball curls over endline right. AR calls a phantom touch 33' 0-1 Venezuela right(?) corner, pings around, creates havoc. García knocks it square to 6-top left post, bounces off a defender's planted heel and out to 10m 6-left. #5 D. Rodríguez runs on first, but scoops her shot way high and wide right.
37' 0-1 Venezuela send a high ball to García facing away in box top arc center. She chests ball to her own head, flicks a header over the very high line, sends #10(c) Moreno through box top mid-right to 10m. Moreno misjudges the high bounce, pulls her volley high over crossbar left. 37' 0-1 Bergamaschi surges up box left to 9m mid-left. Cross blocked back to her, she half-volleys high. 38' 0-1 Marinelli outruns Luzardo's tight pressure through box top right to 6-top right, finally shakes free as Luzardo falls. Soft tap square too close, Caceres dives on it with Bergamaschi lurking at 6-top center. 38' 0-1 Venezuela run down wide right, cross headed over. End to end!
45+2' (of +3') 1-1 #14 Tahicelis Marcano taps harmlessly at circle top arc right, looks upfield and -- shoots from six mowed stripes = 34m, helix-curling slightly to 2/5 right. Tall #1 Durante backpedals, jumps falling backward, reaches front and up and gets right fingers on ball -- no power in the lift, ball continues under the bar. Italy's CBs promptly turn and flap arms at their midfield: do something about the ball -- HT 1-1.
50' 1-1 Venezuela jailbreak into Italy's box right, #7 Zambrano cuts back to 10m mid-right, shoots and blocked. Venezuela dump ball back down wide right, Zambrano chases to endline and cuts back a cross to #9 Castellanos at 12m 1/3 right. Castellanos spins cw away from 2, shoots smoothly on the turn -- rising off upper left 90, bounces outward. Italy break the other way, find #18 Piemonte inside box top centerline -- she shoots hard just over upper left 90.
55' 1-2 #11 Marinelli(?) at box top right backpasses square to #8 Simonetti at 25m arc right. She sweeps ball along to #10 Manuela Giugliano unmarked at 23m mid-left. Giugliano stops ball, promptly shoots high flat toward upper left 90 -- #13 Caceres backpedals, pushes ball not-enough going backward, and it glides into upper back left.
59' 1-2 Venezuela roll a ball to #11 García running on alone at 18m arc left. She shoots one-touch low toward left post, Durante dives and fingertips ball wide and over. 60' 2-2 Venezuela left corner, to 6-top right. CF #18 Piemonte misjudges the flight, steps toward ball, then backpedals -- #11 Gabriela García steps forward from 8m as ball skims over Piemonte's hair, stoops and heads it down into the scrum -- off somebody's leg back, deflects to Durante at her left post. She blocks ball across the goalline, but it slowly topspins in. 61' 2-3 Italy promptly surge to box right, cross to the spot and #2 Herrera heads it out to 24m arc right. #10 Manuela Giugliano steps into it, blasts one-touch cross-court -- micro-deflects at the spot off Romero(?)'s heel, beats Caceres' late dive just inside left post low. Caceres is about ready to cry.
64' 2-3 Italy subs in (1 of 3) FW #15 Annamaria Serturini for RF #11 Gloria Marinelli. 65' 2-3 #11 García fouled at 30m mid-left, Italy cede a corner. She hobbles into touch. 66' 2-3 Venezuela left corner, cleared.
68' 3-3 #10(c) Moreno goes right-to-centerline at center circle top, stops ball and switches feet. Chips left instep through box top arc left for #11 Gabriela García sneaking past the right flank, to 14m. #1 Durante charges out but is stranded at 10m, awkward high bounce, García calmly swings chest-high right instep and softly lobs Durante, bouncing into back right low. This game is nuts!! 69' 3-3 Venezuela subs in (1 of 3) CB #4 Barbara Serrano for MF #7 Yosneidy Zambrano. 70' 3-3 Yellow card on RM #4 Federica Cavicchia. Good thing she had that SF [y] waived!! 71' 3-3 Italy subs in (2 of 3) LB #6 Sara Mella for #16 Federica Rizza.
Team A has a player with a hat trick, each goal getting her team up one... but team B gets the sixth and seventh goals of the game. Hey, I've read that script before!
72' 3-3 Venezuela long ball post route catches Italy amok, #3(c) Boattin heads it poorly, into García's stride loping past #13 Peressotti(?), who falls at her own box top. García creeps alone to 8m 6-right, 1-v-1 -- shot blocked back as Durante sprawls down. García jumps on loose ball at 6-top right, 2nd shot skitters off Durante's lower back, deflects across the mouth and trickles over endline wide left. 74' 3-3 García, facing away at 22m mid-left, one-touch half-volleys diagonally outward. #15 Serturini, chasing back toward her own endline, doesn't put left hand away, ball bounces up into her arm just outside box left. Free kick. 77' 3-3 All Venezuela around Italy's box top for the last 5'+.