Italy broke Serbia in Pisa after the break and kept alive its hope of direct qualification for the World Cup
Italy on Friday, June 5, 2026, in the fifth round of the league phase of Group A1 of UEFA's European qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, defeated Serbia 3:0 and thus remained in contention for first place in the group. The match was played at Arena Garibaldi in Pisa, and according to data from UEFA and the Italian Football Federation, it ended goalless in the first half before the home national team used its greater quality, squad depth and pressure in the second half, which gradually broke down the Serbian defence. The scorers for Italy were Valentina Bergamaschi in the 62nd minute, Arianna Caruso in the 82nd minute and Barbara Bonansea in the 89th minute.
The result carried greater weight for Italy than the victory itself because Group A1 is in its final phase and only the group winner goes directly to the final tournament in Brazil. According to the FIGC announcement, head coach Andrea Soncin stressed after the match that the only objective had been to win and go into the final round with the possibility of playing a high-stakes match in Sweden. Serbia, on the other hand, remained on one point and without a goal against Italy in two head-to-head meetings in these qualifiers, after losing 0:6 in Leskovac in April. This time the defeat was not equally convincing in terms of the flow of play in the first 45 minutes, but the finish again showed the difference in conversion.
A difficult first half for the home national team
Although the final 3:0 suggests a calm match, the Italian federation stated in its report that the first half was much more demanding for the home national team than could have been expected after the April meeting in Serbia. Serbia showed more determination in the opening minutes than in the first head-to-head duel, closed the central space and tried to attack after winning second balls. The situation in the ninth minute stood out in particular, when after a corner and several rebounds Violeta Slović got into a good position in the penalty area, but Laura Giuliani reacted in time and prevented an early goal.
That save was important for the psychological course of the encounter because Italy entered the match with a clear obligation to win. According to the FIGC report, Giuliani, on her 33rd birthday, had to intervene precisely at the moment when the Serbian national team could have opened the match and further burdened the Italian plan. The home team then gradually took possession, but in the first half did not have enough rhythm in the final phase of attack. Cristiana Girelli threatened on several occasions, while Giulia Dragoni and Arianna Caruso took part in attempts to speed up the play, but without a proper final shot.
Serbia in that period left the impression of a more organised and more compact team than in the earlier defeat in Leskovac. According to the official Italian report, the visitors defended in a disciplined way, did not give up on pushing forward and near the end of the first half had another situation in which Miljana Ivanović tried to finish the move herself instead of looking for a better-positioned teammate. Italy went into the break at 0:0, and that result confirmed that Soncin's team would have to change the tempo and structure of its attack if it wanted to avoid a complicated ending.
Cantore's introduction and a different rhythm after the break
According to the match data, Soncin introduced Sofia Cantore at halftime instead of Giulia Dragoni, seeking more directness and presence in attack. That change helped Italy raise the intensity, especially on the right side, where Giada Greggi increasingly found space for runs. In the second half, the Italian national team played faster, with more vertical passes and with a clearer intention to put pressure on the Serbian back line with deliveries toward the far post. Serbia found it increasingly difficult to get out of the pressure, and the gap between its lines gradually increased.
The first big chance of the second half again belonged to Girelli, who after a cross from Benedetta Glionna tried to beat Milica Kostić, but the Serbian goalkeeper positioned herself well. Soon after that came the moment that changed the match. Greggi held off a duel on the right side, escaped toward the touchline and sent in a precise cross to the far post, where Bergamaschi headed the ball into the net. According to the official FIGC match record, the goal was scored in the 16th minute of the second half, that is, in the 62nd minute of overall play, and marked the beginning of Italy's complete takeover of control.
After taking the lead, Serbia found it increasingly difficult to maintain the organisation that had kept it in the match during the first half. The Italian pressure continued through a series of crosses, shots and corners, while the Serbian players had to defend deeper and deeper. According to the Italian federation's report, one of the dangerous situations came after a Glionna cross, when an attempted clearance ended up on the post. Girelli then had another big chance after an error in Serbia's build-up play, but even then she failed to increase the lead. Nevertheless, the rhythm of the match already showed that a second goal was becoming increasingly likely.
Caruso and Bonansea sealed the match in the closing stages
Italy confirmed its advantage in the 82nd minute, when Barbara Bonansea, who had come off the bench instead of Glionna, received the ball on the right side after a long ball from Cecilia Salvai. According to the FIGC report, Bonansea sent a low cut-back toward Caruso, and the Bayern midfielder scored with a precise right-footed shot for 2:0. That goal practically settled the question of the winner because Serbia did not manage to develop a sufficiently concrete response toward the Italian penalty area before the end of the match. Caruso thereby confirmed an important role in this qualifying campaign, after also scoring in Italy's convincing victory in Leskovac.
The third goal came in the 89th minute and was scored by Bonansea. According to Sofascore data, the assist was credited to Lucia Di Guglielmo, while the ANSA report stated that Serbian goalkeeper Kostić failed to hold Bonansea's shot. In any case, the final goal gave the result a clearer margin and rewarded Bonansea's strong introduction from the bench. Italy kept its net untouched until the end, which was important both in terms of the result and psychologically because Soncin's team looked significantly more secure in the second half than in the first 45 minutes.
The official FIGC match record states that Miljana Ivanović and Angelica Soffia received cautions, while the match was refereed by Finnish referee Lina Lehtovaara, with assistant referees Heini Hyvönen and Laura Koskinen. According to the same source, there were around 3,300 spectators in the stands of Arena Garibaldi. For Pisa, the encounter also had a local dimension because the Italian national team played at that stadium for the first time, and Lucia Di Guglielmo, a footballer born in Pisa, also came into the game in the second half, which local media particularly highlighted as an additional emotional point of the match.
Group A1 remains open, but Italy no longer depends only on itself
The victory over Serbia was not enough for Italy to take full control of the group. UEFA announced that Denmark defeated Sweden 2:1 in the other match of the fifth round, thereby retaining first place and reaching 11 points ahead of the final round. Italy now has eight points, Sweden seven and Serbia one. Such a standings order means that the Italian national team, in the final round scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, must beat Sweden away and at the same time hope for a Denmark defeat in Serbia if it wants to finish first and secure direct qualification for the World Cup.
According to the qualifying rules published by UEFA and FIFA, the four winners of League A groups qualify directly for the final tournament in Brazil, while the other national teams from League A go into the play-offs. That is why first place in Group A1 is exceptionally valuable, but second and third place also carry a continuation of the fight through additional qualifying rounds. After the meeting in Pisa, the FIGC stated that Italy had secured an important position ahead of the final round with the victory, but at the same time acknowledged that after Denmark's victory against Sweden it was no longer master of its own destiny in the race for a direct ticket.
For Serbia, the mathematical and competitive picture is different. The national team of head coach Lidija Stojkanović remained last in the group, with one point won in March against Sweden. In the five matches played so far, Serbia has scored one goal and conceded 13, which clearly shows how demanding Group A1 has been. In the final round against Denmark, Serbia will play against the leading national team in the group, and that encounter will have a direct influence on Italy's chances of first place. According to the available information, Serbia will remain in a difficult position in the League A standings regardless of the final outcome.
The wider framework of qualification for Brazil 2027
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, according to official FIFA data. UEFA's qualifying system for this competition is designed according to a model similar to the Nations League, with national teams arranged in three strength-based leagues. FIFA states that 53 national teams are participating in the European qualifiers, and UEFA announced that the league phase will last until June 9, 2026, after which the play-offs will follow in October, November and December 2026. Europe has 11 direct places at the final tournament, while one more national team can reach Brazil through the intercontinental play-offs.
In that system, the League A groups carry special weight because only their winners immediately receive a place at the World Cup. For Italy, which according to FIFA data has appeared at four editions of the World Cup, including the tournaments in 1991, 1999, 2019 and 2023, qualification for Brazil represents a continuation of continuity on the biggest stage. The Italian national team started badly in this group with a defeat to Sweden and a draw with Denmark, then returned with a convincing victory in Serbia, but the draw in Denmark reduced the room for error. The victory in Pisa therefore did not bring a final solution, but kept the battle open until the last 90 minutes.
For Serbia, competing in League A is in itself a demanding test against national teams that have greater international stability and a wider selection of players. Although the first half in Pisa showed that the team can be compact and dangerous in certain periods, the second half exposed the problem of squad depth and maintaining intensity against a technically higher-quality opponent. According to the official course of the competition, the final outcome of the group will have consequences not only for the path toward the World Cup but also for the future placement of national teams in UEFA's league system. That is why the final round is not only a formality, but also part of a wider fight for status in European women's football.
Line-ups and key match data
According to the official FIGC match record, Italy started the match with: Laura Giuliani; Elisa Bartoli, Cecilia Salvai, Angelica Soffia, Valentina Bergamaschi; Giada Greggi, Manuela Giugliano, Arianna Caruso; Giulia Dragoni, Cristiana Girelli and Benedetta Glionna. Serbia lined up with: Milica Kostić; Emma Petrović, Violeta Slović, Nevena Damjanović, Ana Šćepanović; Jelena Čanković, Živana Stupar, Miljana Ivanović; Allegra Poljak, Nina Matejić and Sara Stokić. The Italian federation states that Manuela Giugliano was honoured before the start of the match for 100 appearances in the national team, which further marked the evening in Pisa.
The match ended 3:0, halftime 0:0, and the goals were scored in a period in which Italy completely took over the initiative. Bergamaschi scored with a header after Greggi's cross, Caruso finished first time from a move prepared by Bonansea, and Bonansea set the final score in the very closing stages. Serbia had its best chance early in the match through Slović, but did not find a way after conceding the first goal to bring the match back into balance. The final 3:0 therefore faithfully describes the second half, but does not erase the fact that Italy had to go through an uncomfortable and cautious first half to reach victory.
Sources:
- UEFA – results and schedule of UEFA's European qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 (link)
- UEFA – official information on the Italy - Serbia match, stadium and refereeing team (link)
- FIGC – official report by the Italian Football Federation on the Italy - Serbia 3:0 match (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the European qualifying system and places for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 (link)
- Sofascore – match flow, goal minutes, substitutions and assist data (link)