Italy Stuns Australia at Women’s World Cup With Last-Minute Winner

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Italy Stuns Australia at Women’s World Cup With Last-Minute Winner

Barbara Bonansea headed in a corner kick five minutes into second-half injury time — her second goal of the game — to give Italy a 2-1 victory over Australia in Valenciennes on Sunday.To get more australian women's soccer team, you can visit shine news official website.

It was a triumphant return to the World Cup for Italy, a power in men’s soccer that was making its first appearance in the Women’s World Cup since 1999.

Bonansea, a 27-year-old who powers the attack of her Italian club Juventus, also scored her national team’s first goal, stripping the Australian defender Clare Polkinghorne and slotting home a shot in the 56th minute. She scored the winner by outjumping Australia’s star forward, Sam Kerr, for a cross at the back post off a last-gasp corner kick.
Bonansea also had a goal disallowed in the first half after a video review confirmed she had started her run near midfield from an offside position.
Kerr, the 25-year-old striker who leads the Australian attack, gave her country an early lead when she won a penalty kick after she was pulled down by Italy center back Sara Gama. Kerr’s initial shot from the spot was saved, but the rebound came straight back to her and she slammed it in. It was her first World Cup goal in three appearances in the tournament.

The result scrambled the race to win Group C before all the teams have played. Brazil and Jamaica met later Sunday, and Australia still has to play both in the first round. Its next test — against Brazil on Thursday in Montpellier — could be even more difficult.The Matildas can’t seem to believe what has happened to them, but that was not a good performance: sloppy, shaky, and they let Sam Kerr, their best scorer, drift out of the game in the second half. And then they got punished.

Italy does it! Giacinti, the forward thrown on for a defender, wins a last-gasp corner, and they loft a ball toward Bonansea at the back post — and she scores!
Bonansea rose above Kerr to win that ball — driving it down into the ground and into the net. What a stunning finish to this one.Kerr is doing everything she can to find a winner now: crosses, a shot there blocked by Gama at the last moment. She even flopped once to try to win a penalty. If there is a goal coming, it really feels as if it will be an Australian one. But no guarantees Italy will buckle, and the Matildas’ pressure leaves them vulnerable to a counter if the Italians have one in them.
Sabatino, the substitute forward who came on earlier, just collected a rebound off the post and banged the ball under Williams for what looked to be the go-ahead goal.

But the lineswoman’s flag goes up almost immediately, and V.A.R. confirms quickly. That’s the second Italy goal wiped out by an offside flag today.