After a scrappy first half, Napoli Femminile scored twice in the second half to secure all three points in Arezzo to remain only two points behind league leaders Lazio.
Lineup
Dimitri Lipoff made four changes to the squad he fielded in Napoli’s previous league match against Lazio. Despite being eliminated from the Coppa Italia with a draw to Pomigliano, Lipoff kept a number of his non-regular starters in his starting XI.
Carmina Botta remained at left back, starting over Martina Di Bari. Valentina Puglisi made her first league start after making her club debut in the Coppa Italia, relegating Sara Tui to the bench. With the change in formation, from a 3-4-1-2 to a 3-4-3, Sara Tamborini dropped from trequartista to play on the left side of the midfield. That allowed Elisa Del Estal and Serena Landa to flank Adriana Gomes in the front three.
First Half
The first half was very scrappy. There were plenty of fouls and turnovers, with both sides playing out of the back and both sides pressing high. Meanwhile, the scoring chances were few and far between.
Napoli limited Arezzo to three half-chances in the half. In the 19th minute, Danila Zazzera dribbled through the centre of the park before winning a free kick in a promising area. However, Evelyn Vicchiarello’s direct free kick crashed into the wall.
In the 35th minute, Federica Veritti’s pass was intercepted by Costanza Razzolini in the middle of the park. The midfielder tried here luck from distance but Sabrina Tasselli stopped the bouncing effort.
Razzolini had Arezzo’s final chance just minutes before the break. After Arezzo lobbed the ball into the area, Razzolini flicked a header towards the goal but it was straight at Tasselli for the easy save.
Meanwhile, Napoli’s chances were also few and far between. The Partenopee’s best chance of the half came in the 22nd minute, after Tamborini won a free kick in the midfield. Giulia Ferrandi played a long free kick into the area. The ball bounced around before falling to Del Estal. She shot towards the bottom corner but goalkeeper Francesca Sacchi got down quickly to push the shot aside.
Three minutes later, Ferrandi tried an ambitious effort from 35 yards out and didn’t miss by much. Finally, in the 37th minute, Ferrandi played another long free kick into the area. This time Arezzo cleared the ball to Puglisi at the edge of the area, but the midfielder was unable to hit the target.
Second Half
Napoli took control of the match in the second half. Less than five minutes after the restart, Ferrandi again tried her luck from distance. This time she hit the target but Sacchi was well-positioned to make the save.
Only seven minutes later the Partenopee opened the scoring. Landa intercepted an Arezzo pass in the midfield before playing the ball down the line to Gomes. Gomes laid the ball off to Aurora De Sanctis, who got forward on the left wing. Gomes appeared to be fouled on the play but the match official played a smart advantage. De Sanctis played a low cross into the area, which Evelyn Vicchiarello should have cleared. Instead, she miscued on the clearance, allowing Del Estal to poke in her first of the Serie B campaign.
Napoli nearly doubled their lead five minutes later. After winning possession in midfield, Ferrandi passed to Del Estal on the right wing. She played a through-ball to Gomes in the area. The striker turned and fired with her first touch, beating Sacchi but not the upright. The Spaniard was first to the loose ball and nearly scored again, but her second effort was cleared off the line by Giulia Tuteri Maria.
With a narrow lead, Lipoff resorted to his bench, making four substitutions in the second half: Romina Pinna replaced Serena Landa; Michela Franco replaced Giulia Ferrandi; Martina Di Bari replaced Carmina Botta; and Paola Di Marino replaced Federica Veritti. With fresh legs on the pitch, Arezzo hardly got a sniff of the Napoli goal.
Instead, the Partenopee doubled their lead in the 78th minute. Puglisi dropped to win the long ball from Taselli, touching it to Pinna in the midfield. Pinna picked out the run of Gomes into the area and the striker made no mistake, blasting a shot over the shoulder of Sacchi and into the top corner. With her 10th goal of the Serie B campaign, Gomes moved to second in the race for capocannoniere, tied with Brescia’s Luana Merli and Chievo Verona’s Claudia Ferrato, two goals behind Ternana’s Spyridonidou Anastasia.
Gomes nearly added a second in stoppage time after Puglisi crossed the ball to the edge of the area. The Spaniard flicked a header past Eleonora Binazzi before attempting a pallonetto over the challenging Sacchi, but the shot finished on the roof of the goal.
Nevertheless, Napoli coasted to their second consecutive victory. With Lazio’s 1-0 win over Cesena, Napoli remained two points behind the league leaders. That allowed Cittadella to move into third position (still two points behind Napoli), with their 1-2 victory over Ternana.
Post-Match
Elisa Del Estal spoke to the media after scoring her first league goal of the season and second in all competitions.
“I am very happy because I came from a not-so-happy period in Spain. Instead, here I immediately found a welcoming environment and quickly integrated with my new companions. The level of the Italian Serie B is high but we demonstrated again today in Arezzo, like last Sunday against a Serie A team, that we are a valuable team which is also very determined in wanting to achieve the goal it has set for itself. I hope to contribute by always doing my best, regardless of the goals, which are always important for a forward.”
