England beat Italy 2-0 at the EuroHockey Championships at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London to qualify for the semi-finals. Helen Richardson-Walsh scored her 25th international goal to put her team ahead and Nicola White added a second just before the final whistle.
England started the better of the two sides and without Italy goalkeeper Martina Chirico could have been leading by the end of the first quarter. Italy grew into the game, and enjoyed a good spell of possession after in the second quarter but couldn't find a breakthrough as England looked the more likely to score.
Going into the half time break the scores were level at 0-0, despite English pressure almost paying off from a penalty corner. The Italian defence was standing strong, but England made the all important breakthrough just before the end of the third quarter. Georgie Twigg played the ball into the circle and Sophie Bray managed to keep the move alive, setting up Richardson-Walsh to stab home from close range.
In the final quarter, Italy went all out attack by taking off keeper Chirico to opt for 11 outfield players. But the decision backfired when Giuliana Ruggieri received a yellow card not long after which halted any attacking intent. And England took advantage of the lack of goalkeeper to put the game beyond doubt in the closing moments, when White forced the ball home when in on goal.
Danny Kerry's side have one final pool game left against unbeaten Germany, who currently sit top of the table. Germany, the defending champions, had earlier beaten Scotland 2-1 to secure their own semi-final place. The final pool games will take place on Wednesday.