Euro 2025: Girelli's two goals lift Italy over Hegerberg's Norway into semifinals

GENEVA (AP) — On a night of goals and drama for two veteran star strikers, Cristiana Girelli got the better of Ada Hegerberg to send Italy into the semifinals of the Women's European Championship on Wednesday.

Girelli's 90th-minute header, her second goal of the game, sealed a 2-1 win over Norway, whose captain Hegerberg had tied the game after missing a penalty.

Italy will return to Geneva next Tuesday to face either Sweden or England for its first Women's Euros semifinal since 1997.

“It’s something magical. I felt something special since we came to Switzerland," the 35-year-old Girelli said

She had seized the lead for Italy in the 50th by deftly guiding in a shot fired across the Norway goal by Sofia Cantore.

With extra time looming, Girelli met Cantore's perfectly weighted cross with a graceful leap at the far post to direct her header just under the crossbar.

“The joy is huge. My heart is full of pride,” said Italy coach Andrea Soncin, who joined his players and staff in a euphoric post-game team photo in front of their fans who got close-up views of Girelli's goals.

Hegerberg leveled the score in the 66th with her first scoring chance just six minutes after missing a penalty kick for the second time at Euro 2025.

Hegerberg ran clear to a long pass and poked a shot past onrushing goalkeeper Laura Giuliani. The slow-rolling ball just beat the Italian defenders in a race to the goal line.

“She gets the goal after the (penalty) miss, that tells a lot about her,” Norway coach Gemma Grainger said. "It’s heartbreaking to concede so late, it taints the feeling of the game.”

Girelli now has 61 goals for Italy and the last three all went into the same net at the mountains end of the Stade de Genève stadium.

She also scored one of the goals of the tournament, curling in a 22-meter yard shot against Portugal that shaped to be decisive in the group stage until Italy conceded an 89th-minute equalizer.

"We felt at home here," Girelli said of the Swiss city with a big Italian community where the Azzurre will play a third game next week. “Maybe I could ask Juventus to play in this stadium, I'm joking.”

The Norway star has taken two penalty kicks at Euro 2025 and missed both, placing her two shots wide of each post. She also scored in each of those games and has 51 career goals for Norway.

Hegerberg won this spot-kick by falling under a grappling challenge from Italy captain Elena Linari trying to meet a high cross. Replays suggested Hegerberg might have been offside.

Taking a short and slow run to the ball, Hegerberg sent her shot wide of the left hand post of Guiliani, who guessed correctly which way to dive.

The former Ballon d'Or winner also missed when Norway led 2-1 over Switzerland, shooting to the right of Livia Peng’s dive, in an opening day win by that score.

Italy got its tactics right in the first half, with Arianna Caruso and Emma Severini breaking in space through the Norway midfield. Both tested Norway goalkeeper Cecilie Fiskerstrand with shots.

Maybe it was Italian confidence that left it vulnerable to fast breaks.

Hegerberg missed a chance alone in front of goal in the 36th. She sent the ball wide after it arrived at an awkward height because of Linari’s deflection trying to block the cross.

Norway was stronger after halftime, with four attackers on the field chasing an equalizing goal and then a decisive second.

“Our second-half performance was our best performance in the tournament,” Grainger said. ”They had one quality moment at the end."

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Norway's Ada Hegerberg reacts after missing a penalty shot against during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Norway and Italy at Stade de Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Norway's Ada Hegerberg, second from right, scores during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Norway and Italy at Stade de Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Italy's Cristiana Girelli celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Norway and Italy at Stade de Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Italy's Cristiana Girelli (10) scores their second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Norway and Italy at Stade de Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Italy's Cristiana Girelli (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Norway and Italy at Stade de Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cam York buried the winner 17:32 into overtime and chucked his stick into the crowd in a wild celebration to send the Philadelphia Flyers into the second round for the first time in six years with a 1-0 Game 6 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

The Flyers are set for a second-round showdown against Carolina.

“Just tried to put it there,” York said. “We knew that it was going to be a greasy one. It felt really good to see that one go in.”

Dan Vladar was again sensational in the net and stopped all 42 shots and prevented the Penguins from playing for a shot at playoff history.

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins tried to become just the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0. They won two straight games to force Game 6.

It's the Flyers who are moving on in coach Rick Tocchet's first season.

Arturs Silovs made 31 saves.

The last playoff game to head to overtime scoreless was Winnipeg and Edmonton in a 2021 first-round series. The Jets won 1-0 in the first OT.

The Flyers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, when they last reached the second round in the bubble season. They played their first series at home since 2018.

“So happy for the guys in that room,” York said. “We battled all year long for this position.”

Silovs, who allowed about four goals per game over his last 10 starts of the regular season, steadied the Penguins in place of the ineffective Stuart Skinner with wins in Games 4 and 5 and about played like a Vezina Trophy winner in Game 6.

Matvei Michkov, the Flyer's leading scorer after the Olympic break, was scratched in Game 5. He returned to the lineup determined to be a postseason difference-maker. He had a great chance on a breakaway but was stopped. The Flyers kept the puck in the offensive zone and Michkov swooped in and tried to poke the puck into the corner of the net, only for Silovs to again clamp down and deny the goal.

The Flyers, the last team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot, had 10 giveaways in the first period and made it six straight games in the series without a goal in the first period.

They can try to end that streak against a Hurricanes team that just swept the Ottawa Senators.

Kris Letang dropped Travis Konecny with a right hand as the second period ended and the long-time Penguin started the third in the penalty box. No matter. The Flyers came up empty with the man advantage — Michkov was wide on a one-timer — and they fell at that point to 2 for 17 on the power play in the series.

Vladar played like the team MVP he was in the regular season in willing the Flyers to the second round. Crosby early in the third flicked the puck from behind the net at Vladar. Perhaps auditioning for a spot on the World Cup teams playing in Philadelphia, Vladar headed it like a soccer star over the back of the net and the game remained scoreless.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Philadelphia Flyers' Sean Couturier (14) and Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) meet after the Flyers won Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Flyers' Cam York (8) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal during overtime in Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Parker Wotherspoon, left, tries to keep the puck away from Philadelphia Flyers' Tyson Foerster during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Bryan Rust, right, attempts to get the puck past Philadelphia Flyers' Dan Vladar during the first period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Ryan Shea, left, is grabbed by Philadelphia Flyers' Luke Glendening during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Parker Wotherspoon (28) collides with Philadelphia Flyers' Tyson Foerster (71) during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Konecny, right, leaps past Pittsburgh Penguins' Samuel Girard during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)