THE ROSSONERE FIGHT HARD BUT ARE BEATEN BY CHELSEA

A rare experience to help us grow. The match in London was a great opportunity for the Rossonere, facing Chelsea in a friendly, allowing us to play against the very top of women's football. The final result wasn't in our favour, but straight away you could see the English side's superiority, champions of the Women's Super League and knocked out in last year's Women's Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona. It finished 4-1 at Kingsmeadow. Beever-Jones got a hat-trick and Kaneryd also scored, while Ijeh drew one back for AC Milan.

Bakker's team resisted well in the first half: the approach was good, as well as the general attitude, and the performance of our new signings, including Kyvåg, who played a key role in the initial equaliser. After the break, Chelsea took control of the game, dominating the play and striking, without leaving any space. Il Diavolo can take positives from the game, and the privilege of playing in such a special match which gave key signs as to what to work on in both the short and medium term. Defeat in our first game of the Serie A Women's Cup still needs to be made up for: we will face Roma away from home on Saturday 6 September at 15:00 CEST.

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM CHELSEA v AC MILAN

MATCH REPORT
In the 3rd minute, Nüsken's header was too weak, and Ijeh's effort was blocked in the 5th minute. But Chelsea picked up the pace, and they were ahead after 16 minutes: the ball was played out to Kaneryd, who then crossed  into Beever-Jones who volleyed it home. We were then forced to suffer: in the 18th minute, Giuliani did well to save Hamano's shot, and in the 21st minute, she then pushed away Beever-Jones' free-kick, before Hamano hit the post directly from a corner, and then Bright shot over from the centre of the area. The Rossonere then reacted with real courage, and the equaliser came in the 26th minute: Ijeh found Renzotti, who then set up Evelyn perfectly before she curled it into the corner. Then we were in the driving seat: in the 40th minute, Ijeh found Arrigoni who couldn't find the target on the slide. In the 45th minute, Koivisto tried her luck from distance. Beever-Jones then saw her effort curl off target in the 48th minute, before, in the 49th minute, her soft left-footed effort (set up by Hamano) beat the onrushing keeper. The half-time whistle was blown: 2-1.

Then, the space began to open up in the second half, in favour of the Blues. In the 50th minute, Beever-Jones would've scored again if not for an offside offence. She was a real threat the entire game: in the 59th minute, she got on the end of a free-kick, but Giuliani saved. Beever-Jones then got her hat-trick in the 63rd minute with a left-footed shot that snuck through after some confusion between Soffia and Arrigoni. AC Milan didn't manage to create anything, but had a surprise double chance in the 64th minute: Kyvåg shot and it was deflected after Hampton's error. From the following corner, Van Dooren's effort was too weak and went straight into the arms of the keeper. The pattern then continued, with Beever-Jones and Nüsken both missing the target within the space of four minutes. In the 85th minute, Kaneryd got the fourth, getting round Keijzer and beating Estévez. Shooter had the final effort of the game, but her effort went wide in stoppage time. Final whistle. 

MATCH DETAILS

CHELSEA 4-1 AC MILAN

CHELSEA (4-4-2): Hampton; Carpenter, Bright, Girma (73' Potter), Baltimore; Walsh, Nüsken, Kaneryd, Beever-Jones (83' Shooter); Hamano, Ramírez (34' Sarwie). Subs: Spencer; Kagalwala. Coach: Bompastor.

AC MILAN (4-3-3): Giuliani (79' Estévez); Koivisto, de Sanders, Soffia (65' Cernoia), Keijzer; Arrigoni (79' Donolato), Mascarello (46' Cesarini), Grimshaw (17' van Dooren); Renzotti, Ijeh, Kyvåg (79' Appiah). Subs: Tornaghi; Bonanomi. Coach: Bakker.

Referee: Phoebe Cross (ENG).
Goals: 16', 45'+4 and 63' Beever-Jones (C), 26' Ijeh (M), 85' Kaneryd (C).
Booked: 54' Keijzer (M), 58' Renzotti (M), 67' Arrigoni (M).

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