AC MILAN AND FIORENTINA LEVEL AFTER QUARTER‑FINAL FIRST LEG
Women
A good AC Milan went toe-to-toe with Fiorentina in the first leg of their Coppa Italia Femminile quarter-final. It ended 1-1 at the PUMA House of Football, with Severini scoring from the spot in the first half befor Arrigoni equalised after the break. Level going into the second leg, it all comes down to the game at Viola Parma on 28 January. The Rossonere played well. They were organised and it was an even encounter against the current fourth-placed side in the league. Suzanne Bakker's were, for large swathes, the better of the two sidses.
It wasn't an action-packed game but both sides had chances to win it late on. The Rossonere, after Arrigoni's equaliser, had opportunties through Ijeh, Dompig, Renzotti and Rubio. The guests, on the other hand, surned a huge chance through Severini in injury time. There were more good signs from our girls, who stayed in the game after going a goal down and reacted after the break. Now, we turn our attention to Sunday and the lunchtime kick-off against Sampdoria in the league as the Rossonere continue to aim for a top-five finish.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY OF AC MILAN V FIORENTINA
MATCH REPORT
The first dangerous move of the game was produced by the Rossonere as Renzotti came down the right and found Koivisto, who was too unselfish in her 1-v-1 with the goalkeeper and tried to lay it off but nobody was there (8'). Fiorentina responded with a brilliant solo effort from Janogy, who forced Swaby into a last-ditch - but clean - tackle. A similar chance fell the way of Renzotti at the other end; Toniolo made a borderline challenge to deny her, but Gauzolino, once again, waved play on. Renzotti again pushed down the wing and cut it back for Ijeh, but a defender got there first and cleared behind for a corner. Just after the half-hour mark, the referee awarded the Viola with a penalty for a foul by Soffia. Severini sent Guliani the wrong way to make it 1-0 to Fiorentina. Half-time.
The tide changed after the break, with the Rossonere camped in Fiorentina's half. The hosts got their equalised three minutes into the half: AC Milan kept the ball alive in the box and Ijeh played in Arrigoni, who smashed it just beneath the crossbar. With the Rossonere in the ascendancy, Ijeh's close-range effort was denied by Durante. In the 61st minute, Dompig received the ball from Arrigoni hit it on the turn from inside the box but the ball went sailing over the bar. Again Arrigoni led the charge, feeding Renzotti who, instead of completing the one-two, decided to shoot, off target. Rubio also had a chance but fluffed her lines (86'). The Rossonere came close to conceding in stoppage time when Severini picked up the ball from Longo and let fly. With Giuliani beaten, the ball whistled just wide.
MATCH DETAILS
AC MILAN 1-1 FIORENTINA
MILAN (4-3-3): Giuliani; Koivisto, Swaby (1'st Sorelli), Piga, Soffia; Cernoia (25'st Rubio), Mascarello (36'st Mesjasz), Arrigoni; Renzotti, Ijeh, Dompig (42'st Marinelli). A disp.: Fedele, Tornaghi; Vigilucci; Appiah, Karczewska, Stokić. All.: Bakker.
FIORENTINA (4-3-3): Durante; Færge, Ballisager, Georgieva, Toniolo (30'st Eržen); Curmark, Severini, Snerle (43'st Johannsdottir); Bredgaard (30'st Longo), Catena (43'st Pastrenge), Janogy. A disp.: Fiskerstrand; Bedini, Bettineschi, Breitner, Filangeri, Tortelli. All.: De La Fuente.
Arbitro: Gauzolino di Torino.
Gol: 32' rig. Severini (F), 3'st Arrigoni (M).
Ammoniti: 8'st Curmark (F), 38'st Piga (M).
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