Sunday 13 December 2020 day of Santa Lucia, the 10th round of the Serie A Women’s Championship will be played, at the Stadium Caduti di Brema in Naples there is a very important match for the Neapolitan team as they face the Verona team in a decisive match for both given the low ranking in which the 2 formations are located. For the Napoli Femminile, winning this match would be fundamental to give a sign of strength to the Championship and above all to move the ranking to reach the penultimate place, overcoming the Pink Bari team defeated yesterday by San Marino; you can feel the air of the success given that up to this moment the first victory has not yet arrived despite this is the last match of the year 2020 and we are at the end of the first part of the sports season.
At the Stadium Caduti di Brema, we can safely talk about play-off game to stay in Serie A, between Napoli and Hellas Verona, because the two teams are only divided by six points in the ranking. Napoli shows up with the 2 new signings the Icelandic player Arnadottir, a defensive full-back, and the Dutch striker Rjisdjik from the 1st minute, while the US defender of California class 91 Mariah Cameron was absent due to injury. Usual particular and warm environment that welcomes the home team with applause and encouragement from the balconies of the buildings surrounding the playing field, can be defined as a real popular participation with shouts and choruses for their heroines who must find the way to victory to psychologically unlock and give joy to their supporters.
In the first twenty minutes nothing relevant happens, except for the injury of Di Criscio who leaves the pitch for Capparelli, practically only a replacement of central defenders takes place, nothing changes in terms of tactics and play In the 28th minute, a guest advantage with Asia Bragonzi who shoves the strong Colombian goalkeeper Perez with an angled low shot: it is 0-1 for Hellas Verona, an almost offside goal that finds the Azzurre defense displaced who cannot recover, really a pity given the amount of play that was being produced and some important opportunity had in front of goal but not adequately exploited. After 2 minutes, the hosts’ vehement reaction with the German midfielder Beil hitting a good header but the Veronese defender Ambrosi saves on the goal line, not defended at that moment by the Scaligero goalkeeper Durante. At 45 ‘opportunity for the Azzurre with the Bulgarian striker Popadinova who wastes very badly, they could go to the interval with high morale for having drawn a match that was played on a par with the opponents, without taking away the credit from anyone.
The second half begins with a strong desire on the part of the Azzurre to find a draw, there are 2 further substitutions in the ranks of the Neapolitan team, Goldoni enters forward for the Swedish Hjohlman, and Fusini for Cafferata in defense; unfortunately in a reversal at 60 ‘of play there is the escape of the Verona Bragonzi striker who is knocked down by Perez in the small area, at which point the referee has no doubts conceding the penalty for the number 11 of the Scaligero team, the latter with such coldness and decision from eleven meters marks the double for his team despite goalkeeper Perez had guessed the trajectory of the ball; Bragonzi, Bomber of Juventus school signs his own double.
At the 72nd minute Napoli finally shortens the distances (1-2) with a powerful shot by Popadinova, who returns a minimum of hope to be able to at least try to equalize a match fought in all spaces of the field. At 80 minutes of play, the attacking opponent Bragonzi, a real thorn in his side, goes very close to the hat-trick with a header that ends on the side luckily. The final minutes are those with more suspense because the hope of a sudden play or an episode that can straighten the match are all there, but in the 47th minute of the second half, for Verona, it is Nichele who tries to definitively close the game but Perez with great personality solves the problem; Just at the end of the 4 minutes of recovery granted by the referee, it is always Popadinova, who at the 49th minute of the second half has the same chance at the end of the extra time but unfortunately ends with nothing. The challenge ends with a heavy defeat that calls into question the possibility of an easy salvation. Surely the scoring opportunities had by both formations on the field were there, with Napoli more solid in defense and too slow in midfield, a situation that did not facilitate the offensive actions that were there, but the Neapolitan attack is not been very effective, wasting a lot.
As a conclusion to this match, we underline that Verona smiles and rejoices, which rises to 10 points, winning a tough and difficult match on a field where they battled for 90 minutes, stretching right on the direct competitors for salvation, that is Naples and Bari and also bypassing San Marino, with a score of 8.
For the Partenopee to rise from the last place in the standings is really a titanic challenge, which must be tried from the beginning of next year no longer thinking about all the scenarios but playing all the next games as if they were the finals, regardless of the factor of playing at home or not to avoid the specter of relegation, which could be a premature reality, if there is not a sudden reversal of the trend.
Naples Football City 