A penalty defeat, which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for how it has matured, but which carries with it decidedly positive impressions throughout the journey traveled by the Azzurre in this competition: after the 1-1 in the 90 ', the Italian women's national team goes knockout on penalties in the Algarve Cup final against Sweden, second world force according to the Fifa rankings.
"I'm certainly sorry - coach Milena Bertolini commented at the end of the match - but I want to see the positive aspect of the tournament: the girls have been exceptional, they have shown that they have grown up and that they can also compete against teams at the highest levels in the world".
Among the positive notes of the event, the confirmation of the skill of Bonansea, today author of the assist for the momentary advantage signed by Giacinti and elected best player of the tournament.
The Algarve Cup returned to being played after the cancellation of the competition in 2021 and after the final between Italy and Germany was not played in 2020, given the spread of the pandemic in those days of March.