In addition to an own goal, four different Napoli Femminile players found the back of the net on Sunday at the Partenopee won their sixth straigth match, remaining second in the Serie B Femminile table.
Lineup
Biagio Seno made two changes to the squad he fielded in the victory over Hellas Verona. Antonia Dulcic started at right back over Martina Di Bari. Meanwhile, with Adriana Gomes starting on the bench, Romina Pinna shifted up to play alongside Elisa del Estal at striker, while Sara Tamborini started at trequartista.
First Half
Napoli controlled the tempo of the match from the early stages, creating their first chance in the 9th minute. Elisa del Estal made a lovely turn at the edge of the area to get past Julia Hellstrom. The Spaniad cut the ball back to Romina Pinna in front of the goal, but her first-time hit finished wide of the far post.
It wasn’t long before Napoli opened the scoring. In the 18th minute, Claudia Mauri carried the ball across midfield before playing the ball wide to Giulia Giacobbo. She touched the ball on to Antonia Dulcic on the right wing. The right back attempted to cross the ball into the area but it floated fortuitously into the top corner at the far post, out of the reach of goalkeeper Matilde Macera.
Though Napoli continued to control the run of play, Genoa equalized on a rare foray forward at the half hour mark. Former Napoli player Eleonora Oliva played a long throw into the area.
Sofie Bloch Jørgensen did well to turn past Verritti in the area before lobbing the ball over a challenging Matilde Copetti and into the back of the goal.
The Partenopee did not let the goal deter them, responding immediately with a goal of their own. Mauri played a long free kick into the area after Giacobbo won a free kick on the right side of the midfield. Though Genoa cleared the cross, Napoli won the second ball and continued their attack.
Sara Tamborini controlled it with her chest and squared to Veritti on the left edge of the area. She slipped the ball through to del Estal, who danced past the goalkeeper before rolling the ball back to Pinna near the penalty spot. She struck the ball with her left, and though the keeper got a hand on the ball, it wasn’t strong enough to keep it out of the goal.
Minutes later, the Partenopee nearly doubled their lead after a lovely interchange between Pinna, Sara Tui and del Estal outside the area. Again, del Estal teed up Pinna for the shot, this time with her right boot, but the ball curled narrowly wide of the far post.
Once again, the home side showed their resilience. In the final minute of normal time, Jørgensen got the better of Veritti again. She beat the defender to the ball on the wing before turning and crossing it into the area. Caterina Bargi got in front of Dulcic before directing a header into the bottom corner. Copetti could do nothing as the Rossoblu leveled the score at two.
Second Half
Like in the first half, Napoli were unfazed after conceding the equalizer. Six minutes after the restart, the Partenopee moved the ball the length of the pitch with only three passes before re-taking the lead. Dulcic played the ball wide to Giacobbo on the right wing.
She played a diagonal pass towards the middle of the park. The ball rolled past Tamborini but found Pinna at the edge of the area. She slipped the ball through to del Estal, who outmuscled Noemi Monetini before going for goal from close range. The ball struck the upright but took a fortuitous ricochet off Sara Lucafò and ended up in the back of the Genoa goal.
After taking a lead for the third time in the match, Napoli never looked back. Midway through the half, Mauri won a corner kick on the right side. Substitute Sabah Seghir played an inswinging cross into the area with her preferred left boot. Napoli captain Paola Di Marino attacked the ball and headed in her second goal in as many matches.
Only minutes after the restart, Napoli scored a fifth after a brilliant solo effort by Adriana Gomes. The Portugal native, who started on the bench after taking a knock in the Hellas Verona match, blocked Monetini’s clearance before saving the ball on the touch line. Napoli’s top goal scorer dribbled past three Genoa players before being fouled by Hellstrom in the area. Gomes stepped up to the spot on calmly slotted in her 21st goal of the season.
Genoa thought they pulled one back in the 75th minute, after Copetti misread the flight of the Genoa cross from the right wing. Dulcic headed the ball clear, but only as far as Jørgensen at the spot. She teed up Bargi for the goal, but the official deemed Jørgensen to have handled the ball on the play, so the goal did not stand.
The final 15 minutes were played out as a mere formality. With Lazio and Cittadella winning their respective matches over Chievo Verona and Brescia, the victory was important for Napoli to stay second in the table.
Post-Match
After reaching double-digit goals, Romina Pinna addressed the media.
“It wasn’t an easy match, because we impacted it well but at the end of the first half there was their second equalizer which could have worried us. Instead, we returned to the field even more determined and this means that we have acquired the right mentality. Up front we have a lot of quality and different solutions, personally having reached double figures – thanks to the contribution of my teammates – is a further stimulus for this season finale”
