Coppa Italia Women, Ternana vs Como Women ends 2–1

The Round of 16 Coppa Italia match between Ternana and Como Women took place, with the Umbrian side claiming a 2–1 victory at the Moreno Gubbiotti Stadium in Narni.

Match report

It was an uphill start for Como Women, who went behind in the 2nd minute after Pirone headed home from a corner kick. In the 8th minute, the Lariane tried to respond, getting into the opposition box and creating danger with a shot by Pavan from inside the area, which Martins blocked with her body.
In the 19th minute, Ternana had another chance as Pastrenge delivered a low cross for Gomes, whose effort was deflected out for a corner. The hosts doubled their lead in the 22nd minute, once again from a set piece: following a corner, Corrado wrong-footed Gilardi with a low shot at the near post.
Towards the end of the first half, a goal by Bernardi was ruled out due to an attacking foul by Berisha on goalkeeper Ciccioli. The first half therefore ended with Ternana holding a two-goal advantage.

At the start of the second half, Ternana came out strongly once again, with Pirone testing Gilardi from the edge of the box, the Como goalkeeper saving in two attempts. Thirty seconds later, Como Women responded through Berisha, whose low shot went just wide of the Ternana goal.
In the 54th minute, from a rehearsed corner routine, Szabó attempted a first-time shot from the edge of the area, but her effort flew well over the crossbar. Five minutes later, Berisha tried again from distance, this time without hitting the target.
In the 67th minute, Chidiac had a chance after a fine central run, shooting on the move from the edge of the box, but Ciccioli saved comfortably. Shortly afterwards, Como Women were dangerous again with a long-range effort from Vaitukaitytė that went wide.
In the 71st minute, Ternana threatened once more, with Gomes narrowly missing the target with a header that sailed over the crossbar.
At the 75th minute mark, Como Women came close to scoring with a long-range shot by Howard that took a deflection and was heading towards the top corner, but Ciccioli did well to push it out for a corner. A few minutes later, again from a corner kick, the Scottish midfielder went close with a header that struck the crossbar.
In the 82nd minute, Lázaro tested Gilardi with a shot aimed at the top corner, which the Como goalkeeper tipped out for a corner. From the resulting set piece, Ternana nearly scored a third goal through a Pirone header that anticipated everyone but failed to hit the target.
In the 87th minute, Nischler came very close to scoring when, one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper, she slid to shoot but sent the ball just wide of the far post.
Como Women’s goal finally came from a corner kick, with Sagen getting ahead of everyone in the six-yard box during a scramble. It was the Norwegian centre-back’s first goal in a Como shirt. However, during stoppage time, Sottili’s side were unable to find the equaliser, and the match ended 2–1 in favour of Ternana, who advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Stefano Sottili’s post-match comments

“We knew very well that a difficult match was awaiting us, especially because we were facing a team that was coming off a positive run of performances. It’s true that we were affected by several absences, but that cannot justify what we saw on the pitch, particularly in the first half. I don’t want to focus on difficulties or on the unavailability of some players, which are normal situations over the course of a season. On the contrary, these circumstances should become an opportunity for others, but opportunities must then be taken.

In the first half, the performance was not up to the level of the opposition, the context we were in, or the objective we had in front of us: getting through to the next round of the Coppa Italia. It’s not just a matter of good intentions, but of doing things the right way and with the right attitude. Especially in the opening half, we were inferior to our opponents, and it was mainly an issue of our approach to the game.

We needed to be more determined, more eager to win duels, and more ruthless in decisive situations — those that develop in the final sixteen metres — both in attack and in defence. In this aspect, rather than the technical one, despite having our chances, we did not perform at the required level.”

Match Summary

Ternana: 12 Ciccioli; 29 Martins (45’ Erzen), 6 Corrado, 24 Massimino, 5 Peruzzo; 8 Pastrenge (66’ Ciccotti), 23 Regazzoli, 20 Pellegrino Cimò; 11 Pirone, 7 Gomes, 10 Lázaro (85’ Labate). Head Coach: Antonio Cincotta

Substitutions: 13 Ghioc, 15 Ferraresi, 18 Vigliucci, 21 Petrara, 27 Di Giammarino, 55 Ripamonti. 

Como Women: 22 Gilardi; 2 Marcussen, 24 Rizzon, 17 Sagen, 18 Szabò; 20 Vaitukaityte, 19 Pavan, 21 Picchi (64’ Howard); 10 Chidiac; 16 Bernardi (45’ Kerr), 11 Berisha (64’ Nischler). Head Coach: Stefano Sottili

Substitutions: 30 Ruma. 

Scorers: 2’ Pirone (Ternana), 22’ Corrado (Ternana), 89’ Sagen (Como Women)

Yellow cards: 26’ Pastrenge (Ternana), 44’ Ciccioli (Ternana), 60’ Sagen (Como Women), 70’ Vaitukaityte (Como Women)

Red cards: 0

Referee and assistants: Andrea Barbatelli, Alessandro Bara e Lorenzo Longarini