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[1/3]Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Group G - South Africa v Italy - Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand - August 2, 2023 Italy coach Milena Bertolini reacts REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
WELLINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Italy's dented confidence likely played a major factor in their Women's World Cup group stage exit on Wednesday, coach Milena Bertolini said, after South Africa ended their campaign with a 3-2 upset in Wellington.
Italy had only needed a draw against their lower-ranked opponents to advance but were unable to convert any of their final chances after Thembi Kgatlana scored the winner two minutes into stoppage time.
They opened with a 1-0 win over Argentina but suffered a devastating 5-0 defeat by Sweden in their second match, a demolition that Bertolini said was hard to shake.
"I'm sure that the game against Sweden and also the goals we conceded effected our trust, our confidence, our peace of mind," she told reporters via a translator.
"It's clear that today the emotional side... was actually important, (a) major factor but this is an aspect that is part of the growth that this team has to make."
Their early exit marked the latest major disappointment for Italy after Euro 2022, where they finished bottom of their group following a demoralising 5-1 opening defeat by France.
It is a disappointing trajectory for the team four years after they stunningly reached the World Cup quarter-finals, following a two-decade-long absence from the tournament.
But Bertolini insisted there was cause for optimism.
"We're in a transition period for that historical group of players in 2019 and now we're actually inserting new players, young players," she said.
"This is part of our pathway and perhaps in (the) future, in the next competitions, the Italian national team will have young players that are very experienced, have accrued experience."
A Chinese soccer coach who slapped a referee on the side of his head during a second tier match last month has been handed an eight-month match ban and fined 150,000 yuan ($20,905), the Chinese football association (CFA) said on Wednesday.
