Como Women return to victory against Sassuolo: a clear 3-0 with goals from Karlernäs, Kramzar and Del Estal

The match between Como Women and Sassuolo took place for the 2nd round of the Serie A Women's eBay relegation play-off. Stefano Sottili's team beat the Neroverdi 3-0 with goals from Karlernäs, Kramzar and Del Estal.

Special guests in the stands

Present at the stadium was Lauren Holiday, a former American footballer and one of the most successful and influential players of her generation (two-time Olympic champion with her national team and World Cup champion in 2015) and recently appointed member of the board of Mercury/13. With her in the stands were also Victoire Cogevina Reynal and Mario Malavé, co-CEOs & co-Founders of Mercury/13, together with Lindsey Eckhouse, Chief Revenue Officer of Mercury/13 and Julia Moreno, vice president of Avenue Capital.

The match report

The first half between Como Women and Sassuolo saw a strong start by the visiting team, who in the first few minutes tried to take control of the game. However, it was Como Women who broke the deadlock at the first real opportunity. At the 21st minute, Alia Guagni put in a cross from the left which was unintentionally headed by Pleidrup into the path of Karlernäs, who without hesitation, scored with a header, putting the home team ahead. Shortly after, in the 32nd minute, the Lake Como team had another chance with Kramzar, who attempted a low shot from the edge of the area. The shot was straight and did not trouble Durand. In the 36th minute, it was Sassuolo's turn to threaten with Clelland attempting to surprise Gilardi with a long-range shot, forcing the Como goalkeeper into a great save, tipping the ball over the crossbar. Como Women, however, doubled their lead in the 43rd minute thanks to a precise assist from Kerr that allowed Kramzar to beat Durand with a precise low shot, placing the ball into the bottom left corner of the opposing goalkeeper. In the second half, Como Women continued to create potential scoring chances, first with Nischler who was denied a goal by the crossbar in the 58th minute, then with Del Estal, who, having just come on in the 67th minute, saw Durand deny her the third goal. However, the Spaniard's goal came a few minutes later, in the 76th minute, with a header from a corner kick taken by Kramzar, the match's MVP.

Como Women thus achieved their first victory in the relegation play-off and are now focused on the next league match, which will be against Lazio on 16 March at 12:30 at the "Mirko Fersini" stadium in Formello, Rome.

Post-match comments

Julia Karlernäs, who scored the first goal: "A very important victory considering the moment we were coming from. It was important for us to start this relegation play-off in the best possible way. This gives us confidence and demonstrates all our potential. The goal? I'm very happy on a personal level, it's always a joy to score and help the team win. Then with my head, which is my specialty, it's even nicer."

Stefano Sottili satisfied in the post-match: “We were coming from four games with negative results and a month without playing official matches, unlike Sassuolo who had already played three. There was this unknown factor, but the girls responded extremely positively. What could we have done better? Certainly the ball management in many situations, sometimes we forced plays without reason when we could have managed it better, gained ground with less haste. For the rest, congratulations to the girls, especially for the attitude on the field: they helped each other, they didn't hold back and they wanted to win at all costs. This is the aspect I liked most of all.”

On the group and team spirit: “Beyond Kramzar who has undeniable qualities that she displayed today and the other girls who scored, I particularly want to say a few words about those players who don’t always play but are always available. Picchi, for example, had less playing time compared to others, but today she had an excellent game: after the first few minutes of difficulty, she found calm during the match, recovered many balls and had a great performance. The same goes for Conc who came off two wins with the national team without conceding goals where she played in central defence. Joking with her and not too much, I told her that this is her path and today, alongside Rizzon, it seemed like they had been playing together for a long time. She is another player I can always count on for her professionalism and commitment, as well as other girls in the team.”

Match Details

Como Women Line-up: 22 Gilardi; 2 Marcussen, 24 Rizzon, 11 Conc, 3 Guagni (76’ Engman); 16 Karlernäs (85’ Sagen), 20 Vaitukaityte, 21 Picchi; 7 Nischler, 33 Kramzar, 28 Kerr (56’ Del Estal). Coach: Stefano Sottili

Available: 6 Bergersen, 10 Bolden, 12 Aprile, 13 Liva, 18 Hilaj, 23 D’Agostino, 25 Marchiori, 30 Ruma.

Sassuolo Line-up: 16 Durand; 8 Brustia, 20 Orsi, 4 Pleidrup, 23 Fusini; 11 Fisher (68’ Dhont), 5 Caiazzo (68’ Doms), 29 Mihelic, 10 Chmielinski; 9 Sabatino (85’ Monterubbiano), 26 Clelland. Coach: Gian Loris Rossi

Available: 1 Lonni, 2 Philtjens, 3 Mella, 12 Missipo, 14 Hagemann, 18 Gallazzi, 24 De Rita, 30 Perselli, 58 Girotto.

Scorers: 21’ Karlernäs (Como Women); 43’ Kramzar (Como Women); 76’ De Estal (Como Women)

Yellow cards: 48’ Fisher (Sassuolo); 59’ Nischler (Como Women)

Red cards: 0

MVP: Kramzar

Referee and Assistants: Rinaldi Carlo, Di Carlo Paolo, Chianese Luca and Passarotti Francesco