Keys to Victory: Bonfantini the hat-trick heroine

Roma Women powered past Hellas Verona for the second time this season on Saturday, outclassing their opponents in a 6-0 win.

Having defeated the same opposition 4-0 in the reverse fixture, Roma were once again dominant, this time on home turf, to wrap up their first win at Stadio Tre Fontane in 2020.

Agnese Bonfantini stole the headlines by scoring a hat-trick, while there were also goals for Elisa Bartoli, Andrine Hegerberg and Andressa Alves.

Key Moment

In scoring her hat-trick, Bonfantini became the first player ever to net a treble for Roma Women – and her first goal had two added pieces of significance.

Her first strike was also her fifth of the season - which means she has already surpassed her tally from the previous campaign. Goalscoring was exactly what she needed to add on a more regular basis to take the next step after a promising debut season, and she is certainly achieving that.

As she performs well, so do Roma – and she took the honour of scoring the 100th goal in the team’s history by volleying home in the 20th minute.

It was Bonfantini who set the goal in motion by speeding into the space in front of her when she received the ball on the halfway line. She fed the ball to Kaja Erzen, whose cross then deflected into the path of Bonfantini’s continued run.

The winger showed exquisite technique to cushion the ball home with a laced volley from a tight angle, doubling Roma’s lead just moments after the deadlock had been broken.

That has, generally speaking, been one of Roma’s significant strengths both this season and last – not allowing their opponents any way back into the game after taking the lead.

Not only do Roma put their opponents on the backfoot by scoring first – by following their openers up quickly, they often give them a mountain to climb. Perhaps the win over Verona was the best example of that yet, as a five-goal lead was taken into half-time – the first time this season that Roma have scored five goals in a single half.

Even if the game was already won before the second half began, they made the best start to it possible when Bonfantini got her third goal just two minutes after the restart – in another significant blow to the opposition.

Bonfantini’s hat-trick took her overall tally for the club to 11 goals, making her the second player ever to reach double figures for the club after fellow winger Annamaria Serturini.

Key Player

It wasn’t just the fact that Bonfantini scored three goals that made her stand out, it was the manner in which she got them.

As mentioned above, her opener was a fine example of how to make the most of a ball in the air, showing she can finish from different angles and heights.

She followed that impressive start up with a strong work rate to add to her tally. It was illustrated by the way she powered forward to latch onto a loose ball in the run-up to her second goal.

Bonfantini seemed to be running at double the speed of anyone else around her as she surged from inside her own half to intercept a pass, before knocking the ball past two defenders.

With momentum on her side, she continued her charge forward beyond those opponents, leaving her one-on-one with goalkeeper Camilla Forcinella.

Always composed in front of goal, she slid the ball past Forcinella to give Roma even more breathing space.

And she demonstrated her cool head once again for the completion of her hat-trick, slotting home from just outside the six-yard box.

Bonfantini kept working hard after that, even having a chance for a fourth when she was thwarted by Forcinella from close range when trying to lift it above her.

Overall, the energy she brought to the table was backed up with her composure and skill, as she played a bigger role than anyone in taking the game well beyond Verona’s reach.

Key Decision

With the game wrapped up by half-time, Betty Bavagnoli took the chance to inject new energy into proceedings with some early substitutions.

Giada Greggi was the first player to enter the fray, and having struggled for as much gametime this season as she got last year, it was a major opportunity for the midfielder to impress.

As soon as she replaced Andressa Alves, Greggi was back to her tenacious best. Some players have deceptive pace, but Greggi is deceptively strong. For a player of a relatively small frame, she does not shy away from a physical battle – and often wins them.

Bringing her on so early was a resourceful move from Bavagnoli. Having a deeper squad than last season can be both a blessing and a curse for a coach, given that there are more players to keep happy.

However, Bavagnoli’s early introduction of Greggi was one example of how well she is managing her players. It gave the midfielder, who turns 20 this week, plenty of time to grow into the game and to rediscover the rhythm she has missed out on to some degree this season.

Ultimately, Greggi made an impression right away, and the later decisions to bring on Petronella Ekroth and Annamaria Serturini were also wise.

Ekroth was given more time to settle in following her recent signing, replacing the ever-improving Allyson Swaby alongside Tecla Pettenuzzo in defence. She was another one to benefit from coming on when the scoreline was comfortable, as she was able to ease into the action ahead of potential involvement in tougher tests coming up.

The final player to come on, Serturini, remains one of Roma’s biggest goal threats, but has had to settle for a place on the bench in the last four matches. She is always ready to make an impact, though, and Bavagnoli is maintaining that for all her players with the way she is using her substitutions.

Key Fact

Their second 6-0 win of the season after beating Orobica by the same scorline in their last win at home, Roma continued to display their dynamic attacking threat.

High-scoring games are becoming a relatively regular occurrence for Bavagnoli’s side, who had also scored six in their last game, against San Marino Academy in the Coppa Italia.

They were unable to hold onto their clean sheet in that game, but this time, the defence maintained their concentration and stayed resolute. By shutting their opponents out, Roma once again equalled their biggest ever win.

While there have been five games in the club’s history in which Roma have scored six goals or more, this was the first time a pair of those matches had come back-to-back.

Perhaps this can be taken as a sign that Roma are building up the momentum and consistency they will need to push them towards their targets in the latter stages of the season.

Follow Samuel on Twitter: @SamBanno1