THE ROSSONERE HELD BY NAPOLI
Women
AC Milan Women drew their second consecutive league match today as it finished 1-1 against Napoli Femminile. It’s a bitter result for the Rossonere, who gave absolutely everything despite being beset by absences. It had started so well, too, with Lindsey Thomas beating Baldi after just two minutes to open the scoring. The team then looked in control until the visitors grabbed an equaliser through Toniolo late on.
AC Milan were hoping to do better on matchday 15, with the latest round of fixtures having produced some unexpected results elsewhere too: Juventus were held by Roma, while Inter and Sassuolo lost to Pomigliano and Lazio respectively. Things have become that bit more complicated for the Rossonere in the fight for second place, a position which is currently occupied by a Roma side that sit five points ahead of AC Milan. Sandwiched in between these two teams are Sassuolo, who hold a two-point advantage over Coach Ganz’s girls. The next matchday provides the opportunity to close the gap: on Saturday 19 March, the Rossonere will come up against the Giallorosse.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM AC MILAN V NAPOLI
REPORT
The Rossonere made a lightning-quick start as Thomas fired past Baldi in the Napoli goal after just two minutes, striking the ball into the far corner with her left foot. The team controlled possession for the rest of the half, even if clear-cut chances were at a premium. Grimshaw and Thomas looked particularly threatening for AC Milan, who, however, weren’t able to put together a decisive move to double their advantage.
There were more opportunities after the restart, but a second Rossonere goal to kill off the match wasn’t forthcoming. This gave hope to Napoli, who looked more energetic as the minutes ticked by. It remained 1-0 until the 86th minute, when, after a foul on Sole Jaimes by Grimshaw at the edge of the box, Toniolo scored a free kick with her left foot. AC Milan pushed forward in an attempt to grab a winner, but it wasn’t to be. It finished 1-1.
This is what Coach Ganz had to say after the match: “It’s a draw that hurts. We’ve had a lot of injuries in the past two weeks, and we only had two changes available to us today: Fifi and Stapelfeldt. We had some opportunities on the counter, and, especially in the final 15 minutes, should have made it 2-0. Then, they punished us with a great free kick. We need to grit our teeth. We won’t give up, but it’s a shame because we could have taken a leap forward after yesterday’s results. We weren’t able to do so and will now focus on our next game.”
MATCH SUMMARY
AC MILAN 1-1 NAPOLI
AC MILAN (3-4-2-1): Giuliani; Árnadóttir, Fusetti, Agard; Thrige, Adami (58' Jane), Grimshaw, Tucceri; Thomas, Bergamaschi; Longo (69' Stapelfeldt). Subs: Babb, Cazzioli; Codina, Zanini; Miotto; Cortesi, Crotti. Coach: Ganz.
NAPOLI (4-2-3-1): Baldi; Erzen, Golob, Awona, Abrahamsson (57' Errico); Mauri (69' Toniolo), Corrado; Colombo (57' Acuti), Tui, Pinna; Sole Jaimes G. Subs: Gutierrez; Di Marino, Garnier; Botta; Berti, Galli. Coach: Castorina.
Referee: Burlando from Genoa.
Goals: 2' Thomas (M), 86' Toniolo (N)
Booked: 37' Corrado (N)
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