Belgium had to wait till the final matchday to register their first Euros win but their narrow victory over Italy was enough to take them into the next round.
With a draw and a loss to their name, Belgium needed a win to ensure their passage into the knockout stages of Euros in only their second appearance, and Tine De Caigny’s goal four minutes after half-time was enough for them to do so.
The forward collected the ball on the edge of the box before drilling her shot into the bottom corner for the only goal of the game. Italy’s best chance fell to Cristiana Girelli immediately after Belgium’s goal but her shot hit the bar and despite creating pressure and making a series of attacking substitutions they could not find a way through.
With the win over Italy, Belgium managed to take second place in Group D behind France and will face Sweden in Euros quarterfinal.
France, the Group D leaders, had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Iceland in their final match at New York Stadium.
Les Bleues got off to a perfect start, scoring the fastest goal of the 2022 Women’s Euro through Melvine Malard after just 43 seconds.
But after dealing with initial pressure under soaring temperatures, Iceland, grew into the game and came close to equalizing in the 11th minute when Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir’s header bounced off the crossbar.
Despite their best efforts, a wasteful Iceland failed to score a goal until the 12th minute of stoppage time through Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s penalty.
With a third consecutive draw, Iceland became the first side in Euros to crash out of the tournament without losing a single game finishing third behind Belgium with three points.
