Napoli Women - Inter 0 - 0

After winning their first three matches, Inter Women recorded their first draw of the Serie A season, held to a 0-0 stalemate by Napoli Women at the Stadio Comunale Giuseppe Piccolo. It was a tight contest in which Sassarini’s side struggled to break through the hosts’ defensive wall despite dominating on the pitch and maintaining their usual attacking approach. Inter pushed until the final whistle but could not find a way through. The draw extends their run to four consecutive league matches without conceding, taking them to ten points in the standings. Sassarini’s side will next travel to face OL Lyonnes in the Champions League on Wednesday 28 October, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 CET.

THE MATCH

Inter made several changes from their last victory against Parma. Sassarini started with Glionna on the left and Payne on the right, while Cambiaghi and Polli formed the attacking partnership, with Tomaševic and Vilhjálmsdóttir in central midfield. The Nerazzurre immediately looked to threaten from a corner, with a scramble ending in a Milinković header that Manner collected comfortably. However, the opening stages were evenly contested, with few clear-cut chances and Inter struggling to find space between the lines against Napoli Women. Glionna attempted to break the deadlock with a driving run through the middle in the 13th minute, but her effort was deflected behind for a corner. During the first half, Inter’s two wide players switched wings in an effort to disrupt the hosts’ defensive shape. In the 32nd minute, Glionna slipped a pass into the box for Polli, who fired a right-footed shot from a tight angle, only for Pleidrup to block it behind for a corner. Napoli Women registered their first shot on target in the 41st minute, when Kozak fired after the defence had cleared the ball, but her effort caused no problems for Rúnarsdóttir.

A cagey first half ended goalless, with few chances at either end. Inter looked to raise the tempo immediately after the restart and threatened twice through Cambiaghi within the space of two minutes. In the 50th minute, Polli found Michela on the edge of the box. Cambiaghi turned sharply in a tight space and fired just wide of the target. Two minutes later, she found the back of the net, but play had already been stopped for a handball during her control of the ball. Inter continued to press, but Napoli Women’s well-organised defence remained alert and disciplined, closing down the available space and looking to counter whenever they regained possession. The Nerazzurre’s back line also did well to maintain its defensive shape and prevent Spugna’s side from launching counter-attacks, holding a high line while the wide players worked hard to track back. Sassarini looked to inject fresh impetus into the attack with a series of substitutions, bringing on Bugeja and Garcia before introducing Raphino and Detruyer. However, the hosts remained compact and Inter could not find a breakthrough. The closing stages became an all-out siege on the Napoli Women penalty area, with Inter pressing relentlessly and searching for a way through. Their clearest opportunity came three minutes before the 90-minute mark, when Detruyer delivered a cross that Bugeja narrowly failed to connect with from a promising position. Sassarini’s players continued to push forward in stoppage time, but Bugeja and Detruyer were both denied by Napoli Women’s defence.

NAPOLI WOMEN 0-0 INTER 0-0 | MATCH REPORT

Goals: -

NAPOLI WOMEN (4-3-3): 22 Manner; 17 Carcassi, 6 Pettenuzzo, 4 Pleidrup, 67 Giordano; 77 Sulola, 90 Langella, 23 Bellucci; 99 Mece, 11 Dompig, 8 Kozak A disposizione: 43 Beretta, 47 Gaglione, 2 Ndaw, 5 Veletanlic, 7 Carstensen, 10 Banusic, 18 Poje Mhelic, 19 Romanelli, 26 Roviti, 31 Massombo, 44 Di Vaio Allenatore: Alessandro Spugna

INTER (4-4-2): 1 Rúnarsdóttir; 2 Kullberg (15 Garcia 68'), 24 Milinković, 5 Andrés, 4 Van Diemen (14 Robustellini 78'); 17 Payne (20 Detruyer 68'), 16 Tomaševic, 8 Vilhjálmsdóttir, 18 Glionna; 9 Polli (7 Bugeja 58'), 36 Cambiaghi (26 Raphino 68') A disposizione: 12 Forcinella, 99 Belli, 6 Santi, 29 Giudici, 33 Bartoli 46 Bressan Allenatore: David Sassarini

Booked players: 8' Carcassi (N), 57' Bellucci (N), 67 Pettenuzzo (N), 71' Van Diemen

Added time: 0', 5'

Referee: Rosario Assistant referees: Galluzzo - Gervasi Fourth Official: De Angelis FVS Operator: Scala