Lazio 1-8 AC Milan Women: Key moments, top performers and stats

By Steph Insixiengmay -

The AC Milan Women beat S.S. Lazio by a score of 8-1. The win was an emphatic one for the Milan Women, and the second-largest in their history.

Here’s an overview of how they won their match.

Line-ups

Lazio (4-3-3): Öhrström; Gambarotta (90′ Labate), Fördös, Thomsen, Heroum; Castiello (79′ Mattei), Mastrantonio (58′ Visentin), Cuschieri; Pittaccio (46′ Di Giammarino), Martin, Andersen

AC Milan (3-4-2-1): Korenčiová; Fusetti, Agard, Codina Panedas (46′ Árnadóttir); Bergamaschi (58′ Rizza), Jane, Adami, Thrige; Thomas (68′ Miotto), Vero (75′ Cortesi); Giacinti (58′ Longo)

The match

The only changes from the previous match were the insertion of Maria Korenčiová and Sara Thrige coming to replace Tucceri Cimini.

The Rossonere started off strongly as they took the game by the scruff of the neck and never let go. The team took the lead after five minutes after Lindsey Thomas scored her first goal of the campaign.

Milan were well in control and doubled their advantage on the eleven-minute mark after Greta Adami fired a through ball to Valentina Giacinti. The Rossonere nearly had a third after Thomas and Giacinti combined for interplay at the 13th minute. Bergamaschi also had a chance at the 21st minute of the match. Neither of those chances were converted.

Milan, however, would not have to wait long to triple their advantage. Giacinti netted her second and third goals in the space of two minutes, with the both of them coming at the 11th and 13th-minute mark. Valentina would then get her fourth after she finished off Thomas’ assist from the right at the half-hour mark.

Not content to rest on her laurels, the Rossonere skipper would then net a fourth just two minutes later. Bergamaschi would then come close to scoring a fifth for the Rossonere in the 41st minute. Just a few minutes later, Giacinti would have a goal ruled out for offside just before the half-time interval.

Second half

Lazio started off the second half with their foot on the pedal. The hosts had a go at the start of the second half, when Signe Holt Andersen forced Korenčiová into a save at the 52nd minute.

Milan, however, weren’t content with their four-goal lead and responded back in kind. First-half goal scorers Thomas and Giacinti would score the fifth and sixth goals of the match at the 53rd and 56th minutes respectively. After a brilliant through ball from Vero, Thomas struck from just over 15 yards out and slotted it Milan’s fifth goal of the game.

Giacinti, on the other hand, directed Adami’s cross into the net for her fourth of the day. Greta has proven to be quite the valuable addition to the Rossonere squad.

Ganz also used the six-goal cushion as an opportunity to make a few substitutions. Árnadóttir replaced Codina at the beginning of the half. Longo replaced the four-goal hero Giacinti at the 59th minute. Bergamaschi would be replaced by Federica Rizza.

In the meanwhile, for those still in the game, Lazio pushed forward to pull one back, but the Rossonere’s defense would not budge. They would then pile onto the Aquile’s misery and make it seven at the 67th-minute mark. Vero’s brilliance knows no bounds, and the way she pounced on a ricochet and rifled the ball home just reflects this.

In the closing stages of the match, Miotto and Cortesi made their league debuts for AC Milan, with the latter scoring with a wonderful 85th-minute free-kick following Adriana Martín’s consolation for the home side in the 78th minute.

Martín’s goal was the Biancoceleste’s only consolation, and it not only ruined Milan’s clean sheet, but it also ruined the Rossonere’s record of not taking a single shot on target.

In the end, that goal was only a small blemish in Milan’s near-perfect record. The Rossonere would emerge victorious from this match and would finish the match week at the top of the standings.

A proud first

Lindsey Thomas not only scored the first goal of the game but her first-ever goal for the Rossonere as well. May this be the start of many goals from the French forward.

The wonderkid’s wonderful start

Serena Cortesi, who is a member of Milan’s Primavera squad, made her debut in Serie A Femminile during this game. She came in at the 76th minute.

Ten minutes later, she also scored her first goal in the league. And what a goal it was.

It was a great way to herald her debut and may it also be a sign of many good things to come.

The defence

Milan’s defense deserves plaudits for how well they played this game. While most of them played well, in particular, Laia Codina, Guðný Árnadóttir, and Laura Fusetti deserve to be singled out for their contributions.

Witness Fusetti’s last-minute defending to prevent Lazio from getting on the scoreboard.

Or Árnadóttir’s ability to read the game. She made several vital interceptions and clearances.

And though Milan didn’t keep a clean sheet, they still have the strongest defense in the league as they’ve only conceded one goal in the league so far.

The stats

Not surprisingly, Milan dominated the stats. They had 60% of the possession, with twelve shots in total. Five shots were on target. They also converted eight of those twelve shots, which means they had a 66% conversion rate.

Milan also currently have the highest goal differential in the league, as the team leads the league with a goal differential of twelve. That also puts them at the top of the Serie A standings.

Not bad at all.

Up next

Serie A Femminile will go on hiatus for the international break. A total of nine Milan players have been called up for international duty. The players are Bergamaschi, Giacinti, and Giuliani (Italy); Longo (Italy U23); Thrige (Denmark); Árnadóttir (Iceland); Grimshaw (Scotland); Korenčiová (Slovakia); and Jane (South Africa).

Once the international break ends, Milan will play Sassuolo. The two teams will meet on Saturday, September 25th. Kickoff time will be at 14:30 CET.

In the meanwhile, you can watch highlights of the Rosonere’s resounding victory below.

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