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.
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.
"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."
Persons:
Milena Bertolini, Thembi Kgatlana, Bertolini, Amy Tennery
Organizations:
WELLINGTON, Sweden, Italian, Thomson
Locations:
South Africa, Wellington . Italy, Argentina, Sweden, Italy, France, Auckland