With a 5-0 win over Jamaica, how far can Italy go in the Women’s World Cup?

After defeating Australia, Italy made another huge statement by blowing out Jamaica 5-0. But just how far could they go in the 2019 Women’s World Cup?

Italy entered the 2019 Women’s World Cup as a team on the rise, but expectations were tempered due to the difficult nature of their group. Though Women’s World Cup newcomers Jamaica were the clear underdogs, Italy would have to battle title contenders Australia and Brazil. Both of those teams are traditionally among the strongest in the tournament.

In their first group stage game, Italy took down Australia, surviving an early penalty from Samantha Kerr to win 2-1. It took a last-gasp winner from striker Barbara Bonansea, who scored both of Italy’s goals in that game, to give Italy all three points. However, it was a huge statement win by Italy.

Then, they really took care of business on Friday in their second group stage game against Jamaica. While Jamaica looked dangerous in the second half and have one of the tournament’s best strikers in Bunny Shaw, Italy made it look easy by winning 5-0. Cristiana Girelli was ruthless in front of goal with a well-earned hat-trick, and the classy Aurora Galli showed off her technical brilliance with a second-half brace. Her first goal will go down as one of the best-struck longshots of the tournament.

It was a comprehensive display from Italy, who now have six points as Group C’s leaders. Australia’s come-from-behind 3-2 win over Brazil was the highlight of Group C play thus far, but if Italy can defeat Brazil next week, they will head into the knockout stages as one of the tournament’s hottest teams.

Against Jamaica, Italy showed why they are a dangerous team in this year’s World Cup. It’s critical for any team to have great chemistry and awareness on defense, and this well-coached Italian side certainly defends as a unit. Their players are always filling gaps on the flanks and putting their bodies on the line, and their defense is spearheaded by one of the tournament’s sharpest center backs in Sara Gama. The Juventus star is a player to watch going forward, because her combination of strength and intelligence make her an almost impervious force in Italy’s back four — a unit that has yet to surrender a goal from open play in this tournament.

Of course, Italy’s attack is just as worthy of praise after hanging five goals on Jamaica. While Jamaica’s defending, once again, left something to be desired, that takes nothing away from the technical class in Italy’s midfield and attack. Girelli’s hat-trick displayed the type of efficiency Italy is capable of on the attacking end, and their midfield either controlled play in the first half or made brilliant decisions to quickly create dangerous chances on the counter when it seemed like Jamaica were heating up.

Italy have already proven that they can go head-to-head and win against a tournament favorite in Australia. Likewise, they showed flexibility in their styles of play and efficiency in front of goal against upstarts Jamaica. How they contend against a more skilled, aggressive Brazil side will provide a more comprehensive picture of Italy’s chances at going deep in the tournament, but, right now, they do look like a strong dark horse.

They have a handful of players who are legitimate threats on the attacking end (including three players with multiple goals) and operate as one unit tactically. Italy are a tough matchup for any team in the World Cup, and they have both the team chemistry and individual quality to go as far as the semifinals. By winning in the 95th minute against Australia, they showed that they can pull off a victory against a tough opponent in crunch time, and that resiliency will serve them well in the knockout stages.

All eyes should be on Italy next week on Tuesday when they take on Brazil, because this is an exciting, well-balanced team capable of making even elite teams like Germany, France and the United States sweat. From Gama to Galli, Italy has sufficient star power and should be considered one of the contenders.