The AC Milan Women came from behind to secure a point against Roma at the weekend, drawing 1-1 with the Giallorosse.
Although Milan had the opportunity to win the match in the late stages of the game they unfortunately could not capitalise on the chances given to them. Nonetheless, they walked away with a valuable point from the game against a competitive side.
The result means that the team are still third in the standings and are still on pace to qualify for Europe next season. Here’s a recap of the game…
The formations
AC Milan XI (3-5-2): Giuliani; Árnadóttir, Agard, Fusetti; Thrige, Grimshaw, Vero, Adami (69′ Jane), Bergamaschi; Thomas (55′ Stapelfeldt), Giacinti
Roma XI (4-3-3): Ceasar; Di Guglielmo, Swaby, Linari, Bartoli; Andressa, Thaisa (89′ Bernauer), Greggi (81′ Soffia); Glionna, Pirone (70′ Lázaro), Serturini
The first half
As was predicted in the match preview for this game, Roma would start the game off in an aggressive manner. They put the Rossonere under a lot of pressure, as they clogged the middle, closed off passing channels, and forced Milan to send in long balls over the top. However, it was Valentina Bergamaschi who had the first real chance of the game, as she fire one over the crossbar in the seventh minute.
Roma would respond five minutes later, as Andressa pounced on a rebound and directed it towards goal. Fortunately, her effort was cleared off the line by Fusetti. A few seconds later, Serturini beat Giuliani from a rather tight angle to give the guests the lead. Unfortunately, Sara Thrige was caught ball watching and did not mark Serturini properly.
The Milan full-back had a lot of trouble on the left-hand side, with most of the problems caused by Serturini’s speed.
Milan tried to steady themselves and tried to respond back immediately, as Vero forced Caesar into a save (21′). The guests, however, were still on top and, and in the 34th minute, Glionna fired from distance to try to double their advantage. Fortunately for Milan, the shot went wide of the goal.
The second half
Half time ended and both teams took the field with the same XI, and the Rossonere got a bit of good fortune in the 48th minute as they found an equaliser through Grimshaw’s cross turned goal. It was a rather fortunate goal.
Milan took control of the game in the second half, as they seemed more confident and had finally settled into the match. In the 52nd minute, Thomas came close to giving the hosts the lead as she latched on to Vero’s ball forward and went one-on-one with Camelia Ceasar.
Unfortunately, Milan’s ex-keeper would parry the shot away. The chances then came thick and fast for the Rossonere. In the 61st minute, Nina Stapelfeldt’s header was aimed at the target. Unfortunately, it failed to hit the back of the net. Valentina Giacinti’s limp effort fell right into the arms of Ceasar (72′).
Roma’s Valentina Pirone attempted an overhead kick that went wide. Perhaps she was paying homage to former Giallorosse player Marija Banušić, who scored a spectacular volley last year. Thankfully, she wasn’t as successful as her former teammate.
As the game drew to a close, the Diavole came agonisingly close to finding a winner. In the 77th minute, Grimshaw’s deft header from Vero’s freekick went just over the bar.
And just like that, the game was over and the spoils were shared by both parties.
Stats and post-game honours
This time around, Milan weren’t on the front foot. They had only 37.1% of possession. They also only had eight shots compared to Roma’s fourteen. The only encouraging stat is that they had the same amount of shots on target as Roma did (six).
Christy Grimshaw, who scored Milan’s equaliser, also made the FIGC’s team of the week.
Once again, there was much to be desired from this match. Milan could barely string together two passes in the midfield and they lacked a lot of concrete ideas. Lindsey Thomas also made quite a few mistakes, including squandering an open chance on goal. Vero also kept the ball for too long instead of passing it to her teammates.
This hurt the team’s buildup play as they transitioned from defense to attack. The midfield’s equilibrium was upset due to Refiloe Jane’s absence. One could speculate that she’s been sidelined due to injury. However, one also doesn’t know for sure. Either way, her presence was definitely needed in the midfield.
And though Milan’s trio of Agard, Fusetti, and Árnadóttir did well, they were also missing the presence of Laia Codina. Codina’s combination of steeliness and technical ability would have been a valuable asset against the Giallorosse.
Milan’s attack also leaves much to be desired. The team is too dependent on Valentina Giacinti and they would, at times, leave her to fend for herself. The Rossonere must consider bringing in another attacker to compliment her and relieve her of the burden of going at it alone.
All things considered, Milan were rather fortunate to walk away from this match with a single point.
Up next
Serie A Femminile will go on hiatus for the international break. Milan’s next match will be against ACF Fiorentina on October 31st. In the meantime, you can watch highlights of the match down below and a replay of the game on the team’s Dailymotion page.