In the opening match of Group G, both Sweden and Italy were tested and struggled to beat their opponents in the closing stages of the match. However, in my opinion, Italy may have predicted before the game that they would end up being the winners in this matchup.
Italy narrowly beat Argentina 1-0 thanks to a crucial goal scored by veteran striker Jileni, who came on as a substitute, in the 87th minute of the match. Despite the fact that the team was able to win against a tough opponent, it will certainly be a huge boost to the players' confidence. Ariana Caruso and Kia Cendi each had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half, but I believe that if Roma striker Kia Cendi can get more support from her teammates, she can expect to see her goal tally rise significantly this tournament.
Paulanes, who plays for Zuyondas, remains an integral part of the Italian team, and despite being in her late thirties, she is still incredibly fast, both in terms of deftly getting away from opponents' defenses and in creating threats from different positions.
Meanwhile, Sweden turned the tables on South Africa 2-1 thanks to Elise Dieter's killer goal late in the game. Although Sweden fell behind at one point, they seemed to be in control of the game throughout. Arsenal's stalwart Elisditte was outstanding in the corner kick attack, and I wasn't surprised that she managed to grab a header in the 90th minute to break the rival's goal.
