Keys to Victory: Andressa conducts in the cup

Roma Women put one foot into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia on Saturday afternoon by beating San Marino Academy 6-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

Having overcome Pink Bari in the previous round to book their place in the quarter-finals, Roma made the best possible start to their two-legged clash with San Marino, opening up a five-goal advantage ahead of the return fixture at the end of the month.

Angelica Soffia got things rolling with her first goal for the club, before Allyson Swaby headed in from a tight angle to give Roma a two-goal cushion at half-time.

Andressa Alves made amends for her missed penalty against Empoli last week by converting a spot kick this time around, before Elisa Bartoli smashed home a fourth shortly after.

There was even time for Agnese Bonfantini and Amalie Thestrup to get in on the act – before Simona Petkova took away Roma’s clean sheet with a consolation for the hosts late on.

Key Player

One goal. Four assists.

One goal. Four assists.

It’s an achievement for any player to play a part in more than one goal in a single game, but Andressa Alves left her stamp on the match by having a hand in an incredible five goals.

It was Andressa who set the wheels in motion for the opener with a strong turn in the middle of the park. Setting up Soffia on her right, the Brazilian then raced forward, her direct movement prompting the full-back to play it into the area.

Andressa then demonstrated her ability from set pieces by curling in the cross that Swaby headed across goal for 2-0.

The Brazilian midfielder was obviously a key figure in the third goal - as she was the one who scored it - while even the fourth, the only one she didn’t score or assist, came from another of her corners.

Goal number five began from Manuela Giugliano’s expert aerial pass to Andressa, which the 27-year-old dealt well with to set up a composed Bonfantini.

Andressa’s spatial awareness came to the fore yet again for Roma’s final goal, when she took advantage of Giada Greggi’s tenacity in winning the ball back to pick out Thestrup in the box.

For a single player to have such a large impact in every key moment is extremely rare, and shows just how influential she was.

Andressa’s role in the win should need no further emphasis. Her performance was dominant.

Key Moment

It was arguably the fifth goal that was the pick of the bunch. Demonstrating how well Roma made use of the whole territory, the move started deep in the Giallorosse’s own half.

After San Marino had cleared a prior attack, Bartoli held the ball off her marker before playing it back to Tecla Pettenuzzo in her own half. She noticed Giugliano unmarked in the middle, knowing full well the quality her teammate possesses when creating chances.

The midfielder didn’t disappoint, gliding the ball over the top for Andressa to run onto. The aerial ball bypassed San Marino’s entire midfield and defence, with Andressa timing her run well to get in behind the backline.

She wasn’t alone though, and selflessly picked out an unmarked Bonfantini to her right. As is often the case with her goals, Bonfantini did not rush her finish. Cutting back onto her left foot, she dodged a late sliding challenge before picking out the bottom corner of the goal.

It was a goal that showed Roma in full flow – dominating the turf by getting in the right spaces, and showing strength and technical quality in equal measure.

Key Decision

Against a second division opponent, and having endured a taxing few weeks of league action, Betty Bavagnoli could have been tempted to rest some of her star players.

Instead, she made just four changes, with big names like Bartoli, Bonfantini and Giugliano all retaining their starting berths.

This respectful approach allowed Roma to assert their dominance on the tie, building up a lead big enough to allow Bavagnoli to rest some players later on – with the aforementioned trio all being taken off when the margin of advantage was comfortable.

Bavagnoli had also made four changes from her previous lineup in the last round, but this time the starting XI she chose was much more effective. With that second leg still to come, perhaps the coach has now given herself more room to rotate then.

Key Fact

In getting her first goal for the club, Angelica Soffia has become the 21st different player to score for Roma Women.

Although her goal may not have been fully intended as a shot, perhaps it was fitting that it came via a cross – as she caused problems for the opponents with her balls into the box all throughout the encounter.

Goal number four for Roma owed some debt of gratitude to Soffia, after her cross was blocked to win the corner that led to Bartoli’s strike. And even when her crosses didn’t lead to goals, they were frequently well-placed, leading to several chances for her teammates.

Not for the first time this season, Soffia stepped up when given her opportunity, having often had to play second fiddle to Kaja Erzen this term. As long as the youngster keeps improving, both players will keep each other on their toes, a healthy example of the competition for places Roma have this season thanks to their newfound squad depth.

The right-back is one of 13 different players to score for the Giallorosse this season. When the next player scores their first goal of the campaign, Roma will have equalled the same number of unique scorers that they had last season.

With goals from all over the pitch already being one of Roma’s strong points in the last campaign, it bodes well that the trend is continuing as the squad continues to develop.