Serie A Women Athora, the mixed zone of Como Women-Inter

Paolo Tramezzani’s analysis

“I really liked the girls’ performance. We stayed in the game until their second goal. Unfortunately, two incidents had an impact on a match that we had played well up to that point. It is a shame that we conceded the penalty, because we had defended very well and managed to keep them from getting into our penalty area too often. They did not create many chances and we tried to limit them. Then, obviously, at 0-1 we had to force certain situations in an attempt to get back into the game. We had a good chance with Flaminia.

Looking at the match as a whole, I am very satisfied with these girls, because being able to compete with a team like Inter today — a well-coached side with many quality players and plenty of strong options on the bench — means a lot to us. We are still at the beginning of our journey and, naturally, there is a lot of satisfaction, even though there is some regret that we did not manage to take any points. We know what we have to do, we know that we have to keep working, and we are convinced that this team can achieve important things during the season if we continue to play as we have done up to this point. Today was proof of that.

The fact that there was regret, disappointment and even a bit of healthy anger after the result means that the girls have the right mentality and that they do not accept losing. A winning mentality is built gradually. Today we showed that we can compete on equal terms with probably the strongest team in the league. I believe they are clearly stronger than the others.

We reacted very well from every point of view: technically, individually and mentally. This performance is a very clear message to everyone, just as the reaction we showed is another very clear message. We have to keep working quietly and stay united, as we are now, because it is a privilege to coach these girls.

One defeat does not change anything. It takes nothing away from what we are doing, it does not change our vision or our perspective, and it does not change the moment we are experiencing. This is our strength, and it always will be.”

Flaminia Simonetti’s comments

On the result: “Obviously, there is a lot of disappointment because it was a match we really cared about and, in my opinion, one that we had prepared very well for during the week. There were some incidents that had an impact on the game, and we certainly gave everything we had. We knew we were facing a strong team that competes in three important competitions and has a large pool of high-quality players. We gave it our all. There is certainly disappointment because, in my opinion, we played a great match, but there are some things that we will analyse and work on to make sure we can minimise our mistakes in the next games.”

On her performance: “I am satisfied with my performance, but only to an extent, because my priority is the team’s collective goal, which is to earn points. I am in an environment that allows me to perform at my best, so this is simply the result of the daily work I do with my teammates.”

On the break and the upcoming matches: “The break will give us the chance to recover some energy and continue working. In my opinion, it is the details that make the difference, so those are the aspects we will focus on with even greater attention and precision. In the next games, we will try to minimise our mistakes.”