THE ROSSONERE GET THEIR COPPA ITALIA CAMPAIGN OFF TO A POSITIVE START

A solid start for AC Milan Women, who began their Women’s Coppa Italia campaign with a 2-0 victory over Cittadella thanks to goals from Stapelfeldt and Giacinti. The Rossonere did what they needed to do against a team that no longer have a chance of progressing in the cup and are currently at the lower end of the Serie B table. A good performance and a goal in each half were enough for Ganz’s girls, and the Coach will be pleased the positive response he saw from players who have played fewer matches in the league so far.

A key figure on the day was Nina Stapelfeldt, who bagged the opener and also set up Valentina Giacinti to double the Rossonere’s advantage. The Swiss striker is proving to be an increasingly precious and decisive resource. Following this afternoon’s win, the Diavolo now sit at the top of Group A on three points, level with Verona. The game against Hellas, which is coming up in December, will decide who progresses to the straight knockout phase. There will be no Serie A action next weekend, with AC Milan’s next fixture scheduled for 14:30 CET on Sunday 5 December, when they’ll face Inter in the Derby.

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM CITTADELLA V AC MILAN

REPORT

Ganz made various changes to his side, leaving Bergamaschi and Giacinti on the bench and naming Jonušaitė and Rizza in his line-up. Korenčiová and Longo also started. After a promising start that saw Longo fail to direct the ball on target after Tucceri Cimini’s fourth-minute cross, AC Milan initially struggled to attack Cittadella, who were fighting hard and defending attentively. Grimshaw threatened after 24 and 37 minutes, while Longo then missed an excellent chance with 39 minutes on the clock. The Rossonere broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, when Stapelfeldt got in behind, shrugged off the attentions of the defence and coolly found the corner of the net. There was a scare on the stroke of half-time as Korenčiová brilliantly kept out Pizzolato’s shot across goal.

The second half began with no changes for either side, and Stapelfeldt had the first chance, firing over after 52 minutes. Nina was in inspired form and demonstrated this in the 61st minute, when she laid the ball on the plate for Giacinti, who, having just come on, was left with the easy task of tapping home. The Diavolo continued to push forward, with Giacinti coming close to scoring a second (72’) and Longo seeing her effort blocked by Toniolo (73’). The hosts never gave up and Korenčiová (75’) and debutant Fedele (88’) needed to remain alert in the closing stages, but Ganz’s girls had the final chances of the game. First, Toniolo kept out Miotto’s left-footed strike in the 89th minute; then, in added time, Selimhodzic sent the ball over the bar.

MATCH SUMMARY

CITTADELLA 0-2 AC MILAN 

CITTADELLA (4-4-2): Toniolo; La Rocca, Ripamonti, Masu, Fracaros; Peruzzo (58' Meneghetti), Pizzolato (68' Zanni), Domi (58' Nurzia), Corazzi; Vecchione (80' Zannini), Lattanzio (80' Begal). Subs: Lovato, Schiavo; Mounecif; Pantano. Coach: Colantuono.

AC MILAN (3-4-2-1): Korenčiová (73' Fedele); Árnadóttir, Agard, Fusetti; Rizza, Adami (65' Selimhodzic), Grimshaw, Tucceri Cimini; Longo (73' Miotto), Jonušaitė (54' Giacinti); Stapelfeldt (65' Thomas). Subs: Giuliani; Codina; Bergamaschi, Cortesi. Coach: Ganz.

Referee: Kovacevic di Arco Riva.
Goals: 42' Stapelfeldt (M), 61' Giacinti (M).
Bookings: 81' Corazzi (C), 85' La Rocca (C).

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