ROSSONERE SIGHTS SET ON EUROPE AFTER 4-0 WIN

Four goals to consolidate second place, a position now strengthened by an eight-point advantage, bringing the team ever closer to Europe. With just four matchdays to go until the end of the season, AC Milan defeated Napoli 4-0 to extend the gap to 3rd place to eight points, thanks also to Sassuolo's loss to Juventus. Qualification for the Champions League could be mathematically confirmed as soon as the next round. A 16th success in 18 days, which is yet another confirmation that this is a team who do not rest on their laurels, who want to continue their season as protagonists until their goal is reached.

An afternoon marked by four different goalscorers: the 'regulars' Giacinti and Dowie (respectively their 17th and 11th goals in the league) were joined on the scoresheet by Bergamaschi and Hasegawa, scoring their second and third goals of the season, respectively. In addition to the goalscorers, Vero was a shining light in midfield, Vitale was as reliable as ever, and Tucceri Cimini was dynamic for the whole match. Looking ahead for the Rossonere, two crucial Saturdays come up next. The return leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter is on April 24, where they will aim to overturn the 1-2 deficit from the first leg. Then, on May 1, an away match at Roma could be the day when European qualification is secured.  

MATCH REPORT
Coach Ganz made no changes to the line-up that started in the Derby three weeks ago, but it was Napoli who started strongest at Vismara, with Errico hitting the post after just 40 seconds. The Rossonere responded with Dowie, Hasegawa and Giacinti, each of whom had opportunities in the first ten minutes of play. The game was unlocked in the 21st minute with a goal by Bergamaschi, who was quickest to the ball after a cross from Tucceri Cimini was parried by Tasselli. The time was ripe for the Rossonere, who doubled their lead three minutes later with Hasegawa, skilfully heading the ball in from the edge of the area after a good cross from Vero was cleared by the Neapolitan defence. The 3-0 goal also came before the break, scored by Natasha Dowie in the 42nd minute: A left-footed shot in the area by Giacinti was saved by Tasselli but the English striker was quick to pounce and put it into the net.

The second half began with the goal that definitively wrapped things up Vismara: Valentina Giacinti added a fourth, neatly collecting Vitale's pass and making no mistakes when face-to-face with Tasselli. Immediately after the fourth goal, the Neapolitans tried their luck at beating Korenčiová in the AC Milan goal, with the newly entered Rijsdijk coming close in the 63rd minute. AC Milan controlled the rest of the game without taking many risks, even with efforts from Goldoni in the 79th minute and Nocchi in the 83rd minute. It finished 4-0.

QUOTES
Coach Ganz expressed his delight at the end of the game: “It was an insidious fixture on paper, but we approached it in the right way. It was an impeccable game mentally, tactically, and physically. I have to congratulate all the girls: who started, who came on and who unfortunately did not even play a minute today. We must not give up. It is still a long road, despite the points advantage, but here we are”.

“When you’re chasing down a goal, you can't stop for a moment. We have to keep winning, as much as possible. We have an eight-point advantage, and there are four games left. There aren't many points left but we have a very tough schedule after Inter in the Coppa Italia next Saturday. I'm happy, eight points is a lot but it's also not, because there are still games to play”, concluded the Coach.

SUMMARY

AC MILAN 4-0 NAPOLI 

AC MILAN (3-5-2): Korenčiová; Fusetti, Agard, Vitale; Bergamaschi, Hasegawa (74' Grimshaw), Vero, Jane (74' Rask), Tucceri Cimini (83' Kuliš); Giacinti (87' Salvatori Rinaldi), Dowie (87' Tamborini). Subs.: Piazza, Morleo, Spinelli, Mauri. Coach: Ganz.

NAPOLI (3-5-2): Tasselli; Huynh (60' Oliviero), Di Marino, Árnadóttir; Cafferata (68' Capparelli), Errico (46' Pedersen), Huchet (60' Rijsdijk), Goldoni, Hjohlman; Nocchi, Popadinova (46' Cameron). Subs.: Boaglio, Nencioni, Fusini, Kubassova. Coach: Pistolesi.

Referee: Delrio from Reggio Emilia.
Goals: 21' Bergamaschi (M), 24' Hasegawa (M), 43' Dowie (M), 51' Giacinti (M).
Booked: 55' Huynh (N), 64' Di Marino (N), 77' Rask (M).

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