Biagio Seno earned his fourth consecutive victory after Claudia Mauri scored a screamer from distance and Giulia Ferrandi scored an Olimpico.
Lineup
Biagio Seno made two changes to the squad he fielded against Cesena. Paola Di Marino returned to the starting XI, allowing Melissa Nozzi to get a rare rest. Meanwhile, Giulia Ferrandi started at trequartista over Sabah Seghir.
Match
Napoli could not have gotten off to a better start, opening the scoring in the third minute of the match. Antonia Dulcic’s cross into the area was cleared by Brescia, but straight to Claudia Mauri in the middle of the park. The Napoli midfielder tested her luck with an audacious striker from 30 yards out and picked the top corner.
Napoli tested Alice Lugli two minutes after the goal, but Giulia Giacobbo’s volley from the edge of the area finished comfortably in the hands of the keeper.
Neither side created much after that. Brescia dominated the ball but the Partenopee were very organized defensively and limited the home side to nearly no shot attempts.
Control of play shifted back in Napoli’s favour five minutes before the break when Brescia, who were playing a very physical game, had a player sent off. Laura Ghisi, who was on a yellow card for a tactical foul on Dulcic, was shown a second yellow for a late, studs-up challenge on Adriana Gomes.
Napoli started the second half the same way they started the first, doubling their lead a minute after the restart. Giulia Ferrandi chipped the ball forward to Gomes at the edge of the area. Napoli’s leading goal-scorer ran at Laura Perin before curling a shot towards the bottom corner, but Lugli did well to get low and push the ball out for a corner kick. Ferrandi took the corner and scored an Olimpico, curling the ball directly into the side netting at the far post.
The visitors nearly added a third at the hour mark after del Estal won Napoli’s second corner kick of the half. Gomes was first to Mauri’s deep, inswinging cross, but got under the ball with her header and it finished over the bar.
Gomes came close again midway through the half. The Napoli forward played a give-and-go with Ferrandi at the top of the box before going for goal with her left, but Serena Magri got back to make the block.
Brescia’s best chance of the match came in the 75th minute after Véronique Braida won a free kick at the left edge of the area. Braida took the free kick herself and went direct for goal. She struck the ball well but it crashed off the bar and stayed out.
Brescia had two final half-chances in the latter stages of the match. In the 84th minute, ex-Napoli player Jenny Hjohlman slipped the ball through to Gaia Lonati, who was played onside by Martina Di Bari. Lonati appeared to be clear on goal but, instead of shooting, she elected to cut the ball back in front of the goal and Paola Di Marino cleared the danger.
Five minutes later, Christina Merli nearly scored an Olimpico of her own but Copetti punched the ball off the line. Elisa Galbiati and Magri both had attempts on the rebound but both shots were blocked.
Ultimately, the two-goal definite was too much for a short-handed Brescia side to overcome. With Lazio and Cittadella earning respective victories over Apulia Trani and Genoa, the top three clubs continued to pull away from the pack.
Post-Match
Federica Veritti addressed the media after the match.
“Today’s result is an excellent one because it came against a difficult opponent who even made us suffer in the first half, but we were good at defending as a team both after the opening goal of and after doubling the lead. We know that if we don’t concede goals, sooner or later our forwards will score one. We arrive well at this match and we look ahead thinking only of ourselves because we have a clear head of the goal we want to achieve”.
