Giulia Giacobbo scored on either side of the break to lead Napoli Femminile to their ninth consecutive victory. With only two matches remaining, the Partenopee are very close to automatic promotion to Serie A Femminile.
Lineup
Biagio Seno made only two changes to the squad that defeated Lazio. Giulia Ferrandi started on the left side of the midfield trio over Sara Tui. Meanwhile, Serena Landa started alongside Elisa del Estal in the front two, relegating Adriana Gomes to the bench.
First Half
Though they didn’t create many chances throughout the match, Arezzo created the first chance in the second minute. The match official inadvertently blocked Giulia Giacobbo in the middle of the park, allowing Isabel Pirriatore to pass to Danila Zazzera. The left-footed forward went for goal from distance, and nearly scored, but her shot lacked the dip needed to finish in the top corner.
From that point onward, Napoli took and retained control of the match. The home side created their first chance in the 17th minute after a quick exchange between Martina Di Bari and Sabah Seghir. Di Bari subsequently played a long through-ball to launch Elisa del Estal into the Arezzo area. Her cut back was blocked but Serena Landa was first to the second ball, teeing up Giacobbo at the edge of the area. She hit the ball first-time but the shot took a slight deflection and finished narrowly over the bar.
Napoli were constantly threatening in the first half, particularly from the wings. However, Carlotta Nardi and her back line did very well defending the cross. That said, they didn’t do a particularly good job of defending the cross in the 34th minute, when Di Bari crossed the ball into the area. Del Estal wrapped her foot around the ball to volley it on target but she didn’t connect well and Nardi made the easy save.
Napoli steadily increased the pressure, breaking through in the 42nd minute. Landa, who made a rare start, pressed high to dispossess Eleonora Binazzi in the Arezzo area. The Napoli winger cut the ball back towards the penalty spot. Giacobbo was first to the ball and made no mistake, striking the ball first-time to beat Nardi with a powerful low shot.
Second Half
The second half started slowly, with neither side creating any meaningful chances in the opening 20 minutes, but in the 65th minute Giacobbo doubled Napoli’s lead. The play started with Giulia Ferrandi intercepting the ball on an Arezzo throw-in. Substitute Sara Tamborini squared to Giacobbo, who made a beautiful dribble to leave Marta Morreale rolling on the ground before firing the ball into the bottom corner from outside the area.
Giacobbo, who was player of the match, nearly added an assist 10 minutes later. The midfielder crossed the ball into the area from the right wing. Del Estal won the header but Nardi made a fantastic save to keep the ball out. On the ensuing corner kick, Ferrandi’s cross was cleared by Arezzo but Tamborini chased down the loose ball. The substitute tried her luck from distance but Nardi made another fantastic save, tipping the ball over the bar.
However, Nardi could only hold the Partenopee off for so long. Claudia Mauri took the ensuing corner kick from the left side, swinging the ball in front of the goal. Arezzo cleared the ball straight into Paola Di Marino and the ball bounced into the back of the goal. The Napoli captain was credited with her third goal of the season, all scored within the last five matches.
With Napoli up by three, the balance of the match was played out as a mere formality. Just like Arezzo opened the match with a chance, they also closed the match with a chance. On an Arezzo corner kick in the first minute of stoppage time, Martina Ceccarelli directed a header towards the bottom corner. It appeared as though the ball would find the back of the goal but Matilde Copetti got low to make the save and protect the clean sheet.
With the win, Napoli remained top of the Serie B Femminile table, one point clear of Lazio with only two matches remaining. Meanwhile, Cittadella fell four points behind the league leaders after a 0-2 defeat to fourth-placed Ternana. Cittadella will need a positive result when they visit Napoli on the penultimate matchday of the season.
Post-Match
After keeping a clean sheet, Matilde Copetti addressed the media after the match.
“It was a good save but above all the team performance was good because Arezzo proved to be a stubborn opponent and capable of putting us in difficulty. The ranking highlights the importance of this result and how it is now crucial to continue like this for the two remaining challenges. The first, next Sunday against Cittadella, could prove to be decisive. We have the advantage of playing it in front of our fans and I already invite all Napoli supporters to come to Cercola to give us their input”
