Gama game for Azzurre advance
Monday, August 31, 2009
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Italy have experienced plenty of highs and lows already in Finland but 20-year-old defender Sara Gama is confident they can secure a quarter-final place when they take on Russia on Monday.
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From the high of beating England 2-1 in their UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ opener to the low of the 2-0 defeat by Sweden in their second Group C fixture, Italy have experienced it all but 20-year-old defender Sara Gama is confident they can book a quarter-final place when they take on Russia on Monday.
Win wanted
A draw would be enough to progress, either in second place to meet Germany or third to take on hosts Finland, but Gama – part of the Italy team that won the 2008 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship final – wants more than just a point. "We don't have to think about just getting a draw," she told uefa.com. "We are feeling good, both physically and psychologically."
Successful summer
The Azzurre have a lot to live up to in Finland considering the achievements of other Italian female athletes this summer, the swimmers outdoing the men in the FINA World Championships in Rome and tennis player Flavia Pennetta reaching the top ten of the WTA ranking. Indeed, if Pietro Ghedin's side advance to the knockout phase, they will have outdone Marcello Lippi's Azzurri, eliminated in the FIFA Confederations Cup group stage. "We don't feel rivalry with them, instead we are sorry about their early elimination," Gama said. "We don't have to think about these things, we can only say we're happy for our colleagues who have done great things this summer."
Tough opposition
What they have to think about is making sure they are not outdone by Russia at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium. "We saw their [3-2] loss against England and I have to say that they played better than in their previous match against Sweden, they improved," Gama said. "They are a strong team that is improving and won't make our life easy."
Calculations
A rampant Germany side could be next up yet Gama is loath to look too far ahead with progress still to be confirmed. "We don't have to think about who we could meet in the next stage, of course it would be a positive thing not to meet Germany but we have to concentrate on our match now," Gama said. "In any case, even Finland would be tough opponents."