Como Women beat Napoli 2-0 with goals from Kramzar and Kerr: Sottili's team finishes the opening round of the Poule Salvezza unbeaten

The match between Napoli and Como Women, valid for the fifth day of the Poule Salvezza opening round, was played. Stefano Sottili's girls conquered the "Giuseppe Piccolo" in Cercola, beating Napoli 2-0 with goals from Kramzar and Kerr.

The first minutes of the first half are lively, with Napoli having a good chance in the 5th minute thanks to a free-kick by Sciabica that hits the crossbar following Gilardi's providential tip. In the 18th minute, Como Women had a good chance with Kerr with a low diagonal shot that did not trouble Beretta in goal. The decisive moment of the match comes in the 28th minute: Vaitukaityte makes a cross from the left on which Kramzar is quick to anticipate everyone with a header, slotting the ball into the net and putting Como ahead. In the final minutes of the first half, there is another chance for Napoli with Andrup, whose shot is blocked by Gilardi.

In the second half, the match sees several opportunities from both sides. In the 49th minute, Andrup attempts a low diagonal shot, which goes just wide. In the 54th minute, Jelcic challenges the Como keeper again with a near-post flick, which is deflected for a corner. In the 60th minute, Kerr has a great chance launched at speed thanks to Del Estal's header, but Beretta saves her attempt. The second goal arrives in the 64th minute with the American, escaping her marker, scoring with her left foot, wrong-footing the Napoli goalkeeper and making it 2-0. In the 76th minute, Gilardi saves a curling shot from Muth, keeping her goal intact. Towards the end, there is another chance for the Como team with Karlernäs who nearly makes it 3-0.

Como Women finish the Poule Salvezza opening round in first place, in sixth position, with 32 points, the same points they had at the end of the previous championship.

Post-match comments

The analysis of the game by Stefano Sottili: “We played a good first half, where we could have capitalised better on the chances we had. In the second half, we had an important goal opportunity with Kerr, but Gilardi gave us a great hand. Paradoxically, speaking with Sassarini at the end of the match, they had more goal-scoring chances today, even though they didn't score, compared to the last regular season match when we conceded four. We suffered and were compact, but in the situations within the area, we conceded a bit too much, and it was Astrid who kept us afloat, maintaining a clean sheet.”

About Gilardi and Sagen: “I am only surprised when Gilardi makes mistakes or avoids unnecessary errors, because she is a top-level player for our championship. The credit is hers and the work she is doing with our goalkeeper coach, Stefano Grilli. Now she has to be good at maintaining consistent performance over time. Sagen, on the other hand, was bought and brought to Como at 17, she is a foreigner, and the evaluations of her have always been positive. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment to put her in ideal conditions to play. Maybe she could have debuted earlier, but when evaluations are made, all aspects are considered: the team and the type of match. I am happy that she played an excellent game today and contributed to the victory.”

About the standings and sixth place: “This is the goal we have set ourselves after failing to reach fifth place. There are team and club goals, but I also believe that the girls have personal objectives to try to achieve or surpass. This must be the motivation for the last four games. Now we have a three-week break, during which we must be good at recovering those who come from difficult periods in the best way, hoping that the internationals return in good condition and not like in October when we had a lot of problems”.

The words of the Norwegian defender Tuva Sagen, making her starting debut in the league: “I am very happy with the game and the result and especially because it was my first game from the start. Now I will go to the national team with great feelings after this performance”.

Match Summary

Napoli Line-up: 1 Beretta, 2 Lundorf, 44 Pettenuzzo (80’ Gianfico), 8 Breitner, 67 Giordano (64’ Santoro); 23 Bellucci, 13 Muth, 12 Andrup, 28 Moretti (45’ Sliskovic), 11 Jelcic (71’ Kullashi), 19 Sciabica. Coach: David Sassarini

Available: 3 Sandvej, 7 Novellino, 14 Holme, 21 Di Giammarino, 33 Pellinghelli, 42 Bacic.

Como Women Line-up: 22 Gilardi; 2 Marcussen, 24 Rizzon, 17 Sagen, 3 Guagni (77’ Engman); 33 Kramzar (89’ Karlernäs), 20 Vaitukaityte (90’+2’ Conc), 21 Picchi; 7 Nischler; 28 Kerr (77’ Bou I Salas), 9 Del Estal (90’ Bolden). Coach: Stefano Sottili

Available: 6 Bergersen, 12 Aprile, 13 Liva, 23 D’Agostino, 25 Marchiori, 36 Soggiu.

Scorers: 28’ Kramzar, 64’ Kerr (Como Women)

Yellow Cards: Vaitukaityte (Como Women), Sciabica (Napoli), Breitner (Napoli), Picchi (Como Women)

Red Cards: 0

MVP: Alexandra Kerr

Referee and Assistants: Erminio Cerbasi, Rodolfo Spataro, Ludovico Esposito and Alessandro Papagno