Adriana Gomes scored her first hat trick of the season as Napoli trounced bottom-of-the-table Apulia Trani 5-1.
Lineup
Dimitri Lipoff made five changes to the squad he fielded against Trento, switching from the 3-4-1-2 to a
4-3-1-2.
Matilde Copetti started in goal over Sabrina Tasselli. With the back four, Aurora De Sanctis and Martina Di Bari started at fullback, relegating Michela Franco to the bench. Meanwhile, Lipoff nearly changed his entire midfield. Replacing Antonia Dulcic, Giulia Ferrandi and Serena Landa with Sara Tui and Giulia Giacobbo.
First Half
Napoli nearly opened the scoring only four minutes into the match, when Marie Lissom under-hit her back pass to goalkeeper Giulia Meleddu. Gomes intercepted the pass in the area but her touch was slightly heavy and the ball rolled out for a goal kick.
Elisa Del Estal came close five minutes later. Martina Di Bari picked out Romina Pinna in the area with a cross from the right wing. Pinna hit the ball first-time on the volley. The ball lobbed towards the far post, where Del Estal was waiting for the header, but Meleddu pushed the shot out for a corner kick.
Those two chances might have foreshadowed what was to come. In the 10th minute, Paola Di Marino played a long ball towards Pinna in the middle of the park. She took it down really well before slipping a through ball to Del Estal in the area. The Spaniard was clear on goal but elected to square the ball to Adriana Gomes for the tap in.
Napoli continued to push forward, eager to add a second. In the 17th minute, Sara Tui played a long through ball to Del Estal after a dummy from Pinna. The Spaniard carried the ball into the area from the left wing and had only the Meleddu to beat but hit the outside of the goal. Though the shot was from a tight angle, the forward should have done better.
The Partenopee came close again in the 29th minute, after Pinna won a free kick in a dangerous area. Claudia Mauri’s inswinging free kick, which was just out of reach for Gomes, bounced off the upright and stayed out. The rebound fell to Del Estal but her shot from close range was blocked by a crowd of players in front of the goal.
A minute later, Napoli doubled their lead and once again the play started with a long ball. Mauri played the ball over the top for Gomes to run onto. The striker wasted no time, blasting a shot from the right side of the area into the bottom corner at the far post.
It didn’t take long for Napoli to score a third. At the half-hour mark, Pinna drew yet another foul in a dangerous area. Gomes took the free kick quickly to Del Estal, catching Apulia Trani off guard. Del Estal spotted Meleddu off her line and took a quick touch before striking the ball into the bottom corner. With her sixth goal in five matches, Napoli took a 3-0 lead into the break.
Second Half
Apulia Trani responded well, pulling one back only five minutes after the restart. Sara Ventura played a throw-in down the line to Laura Rus, who chased the ball to the by line before crossing it into the area. Claudia Bistrian beat Aurora De Sanctis to the ball before firing past Matilde Copetti from close range.
With Apulia Trani pushing forward, there was plenty of space for the Partenopee to attack on the break. In the 59th minute, Del Estal played Gomes through on the left wing. She squared to Pinna at the edge of the area. Pinna dribbled through four Apulia Trani players before going for goal. The shot lacked power but Gomes was waiting on the doorstep to redirect the shot into the bottom corner. With her first hat trick and 14th goal of the season, Gomes pulled within two of Ternana’s Anastasia Spyridonidou in the race for capocannoniere.
Even with a 4-1 lead, Napoli continued to attack. Both Serena Landa and Sara Tui had chances in the final 15 minutes of the match, but it was Giulia Giacobbo who put the icing on the cake. The midfielder won possession in the midfield before passing to Sara Tamborini at the edge of the area. The Substitute held the ball up long enough for Giacobbo to rejoin the attack. Giacobbo steadied herself outside the area before igniting a rocket that soared into the top corner.
That was the final goal of the match, as Napoli coasted to a comfortable 5-1 victory. With Lazio’s 3-0 win over Tavagnacco, Napoli remain two points behind the league leaders. Meanwhile, Ternana and Cittadella remain hot on Napoli’s tail with respective wins over Sassari Torres and Chievo Verona.
Post-Match
Giulia Giacobbo addressed the media after scoring her first goal of the season for Napoli.
“I am happy on a personal level but above all for how the team took the field on difficult terrain. We won well and now we have to continue like this. After the defeat at Cittadella we shook ourselves up, we know that now comes the hot phase of the season and we are determined to face it in the right way. I settled in quickly here thanks to an exceptional group on and off the pitch. The dedication of the goal is for my mum who had her birthday yesterday.”
