Como Women conquer the 'Vismara' and win the direct clash against Milan
In the tenth round of the eBay Women's Serie A, the first match of the second half of the season, Como Women conquered the 'Vismara' and secured their fourth consecutive win, overtaking Milan to claim fifth place on their own.
It was a true direct clash between Stefano Sottili's team and Suzanne Bakker's Milan, with the Lariane winning 1-0 for the second time this season.
In the first half, Sottili’s team created far more chances than the Rossonere, with Nischler being the standout player on several occasions in front of national coach Andrea Soncin, who was in the stands. First, in the 13th minute, she had a shot from outside the box, then in the 24th, a free-kick from the edge. The breakthrough came in the 38th minute, when Alexandra Kerr took advantage of a defensive lapse by the Milan centre-backs and scored one-on-one with Giuliani, registering her first-ever Serie A goal. At the end of the first half, Nischler again threatened Milan with a header from a Del Estal cross, but narrowly missed the target and the chance to double the lead.
In the second half, Milan tried to trouble Como Women with shots from distance by Dompig in the 54th minute and Renzotti in the 57th, but neither effort truly tested Gilardi. The opportunity for a second goal came minutes later when Kerr, with a low diagonal shot in the 65th minute, narrowly missed the target.
In the final stages, Como continued to pose a threat, and in the 85th minute, Petzelberger fired a volley that was deflected for a corner, preventing a 2-0 lead. The match ended 1-0, the same score as the first meeting, with Sottili's team moving up to 16 points in the standings.
Como Women's next match will be at home, at the 'Ferruccio' Stadium in Seregno, on Sunday, November 24, at 18:00, against Juventus.
Post-match Comments: Chiara Cecotti and Stefano Sottili
Chiara Cecotti, a key player in the match, stepped up in the absence of Bou Salas, perfectly coordinating the defense alongside Rizzon: “There were a lot of difficulties due to the absences. Where it's needed, we always try to give our best, and today we did. It wasn’t easy, but we put in something extra and earned three crucial points.”
On the standings: “We’ve only played the first half of the season; there’s still a long road ahead. We’ll take stock at the end, and then we’ll see where we deserve to be.”
Stefano Sottili expressed great satisfaction, not only for the fourth consecutive victory but also for the attitude and response his players showed on the field despite the challenges: “They were fantastic. We were in an emergency situation in defense, and this motivated them even more to have a positive attitude on the pitch. This is the key to our growth process. They are aware that thanks to the work they put in during the week, they can perform at their best in the match. Even when it’s a difficult day, they are always useful to the team through their running and mental approach. That’s the biggest satisfaction they should take from this.”
A constant growth, both in terms of play and attitude: “This is a group where I find not only technical quality but also strong moral values. But as we know, this is a team that has been built along the way, and this mentality isn’t created in a week; it takes time. We’re working hard to nurture these aspects, and we need to be good at maintaining the progress we’ve made so far and not losing it.”
On the season goal: “Are we aiming for a top-five finish? Words need to be turned into actions, and today they showed that, even though they’ve been showing it for a while. We need to have the ability to be demanding with ourselves, to never settle. From Tuesday, we’ll get back to work to prepare for the Juventus challenge.”
On Juventus, Como Women’s next opponent: “Today we saw both Juve and Fiorentina slow down, which shows that, compared to the past, this league is more competitive. The top teams don’t have it easy in any match, and the result is never a given.”
Match summary
Milan Line-up: 1 Giuliani; 2 Koivisto, 6 Sorelli, 23 Piga, 20 Soffia; 19 Ijeh, 14 Rubio, 12 Mascarello; 18 Renzotti, 9 Nadim, 99 Dompig. Allenatrice: Suzanne Bakker
Bench: 7 Marinelli, 10 Karczewska, 13 Swaby, 21 Sevenius, 22 Fedele, 25 Mesjasz, 27 Cesarini, 28 Arrigoni, 29 Appiah, 38 Tornaghi, 73 Zanini.
Como Women Line-up: 22 Gilardi; 2 Marcussen, 14 Cecotti, 24 Rizzon, 6 Bergersen; 16 Karlernas, 27 Petzelberger, 20 Vaitukaityte; 7 Nischler; 28 Kerr, 9 Del Estal. Allenatore: Stefano Sottili
Bench: 3 Guagni, 8 Skorvankova, 11 Conc, 15 Bianchi, 17 Sagen, 18 Hilaj, 21 Picchi, 30 Ruma, 78 De Bona.
Scorers: 38’ Kerr
Substitutions: 66’ Skorvankova (Como Women); 67’ Marinelli (Milan); 76’ Cesarini (Milan); 80’ Picchi e Conc (Como Women); 87’ Swaby e Karczewska (Milan);
Yellow cards : 27’ Rizzon; 41’ Karlernas; 46’ Sorelli; 90’ Del Estal;
Red cards : 0
MVP : Alexandra Kerr
Referee and assistants : Fabrizio Pacella, Paolo Cozzuto, Luca Granata e Stefano Laugelli