Keys to Victory: Aerial dominance puts European flights in sight

Our columnist takes a look over a few of the key takeaways as a late triumph against Fiorentina means the Giallorosse are just one win away from a major achievement...

Roma Women kept up their fine recent form to edge closer to Champions League qualification with a 3-2 win over Fiorentina on Saturday.

Twice taking the lead – first through Lucia Di Guglielmo and then via Paloma Lazaro – Roma eventually found a late winner without response when Sophie Roman Haug scored in the 89th minute.

Thanks to their triumph, Roma now need just one more win from their remaining two league fixtures to gain entry into the Champions League for the first time.

Key Player

All three of Roma’s goals came from corners, the first two of which were taken by Andressa Alves. Her left-footed delivery was headed in by Di Guglielmo for the opener, before Roma’s second goal saw her set piece headed back across goal for Lazaro to convert.

In a game in which Roma relied upon a certain route to overcome their opponents, Andressa was influential in making those opportunities effective.

In terms of open play, the Brazilian performed with substance in a central midfield position. Of her teammates, only Giada Greggi and Elena Linari bettered her pass completion rate of 78.4%.

Even so, Roma would have to wait for dead-ball situations to really unlock the Fiorentina defence.

And when that time came, it was in no small part thanks to Andressa that Roma were able to earn their advantage.

Key Moment

After the pressure Roma had been building – they ended the game with 10 more shots than their hosts – it was only fitting that their winning goal would come from a similar avenue.

This time it was a corner from Manuela Giugliano that landed for impactful substitute Roman Haug, who scored for the second consecutive game despite being yet to start a match for the club.

The mid-season arrival met the assist with confidence and control, calmly picking her spot with a directing header to confirm the win.

Making sure it was three points rather than one ensured Roma strengthened their advantage in the race for second place, remaining five points above Milan with two games to go.

And in a positive display of the confidence Roma currently feel invigorated by, it was a late goal that epitomised their belief and desire to clinch their target, which is edging ever nearer.

Key Decision

Although Roma could not find a breakthrough in open play, they tried various ways to change that – some of which would indirectly influence how they did manage to breach the Fiorentina goalline.

One example was the switch to a back three, which coincided with the replacement of centre-back Beata Kollmats with winger Emilie Haavi, returning after an injury absence.

It had been tough for Roma’s wide players to get on the ball, despite the efforts of the likes of Giugliano to pick them out. Hence, by adapting the way they approached those areas, the thought was they could have better luck.

And in effect, it worked. For example, the corner that led to Roma’s second goal was a result of a Haavi dribble down the left after she had been developing some pressure there.

It was a welcome return to action for a player who was beginning to become influential before her absence began – and the structure in which she re-entered the fray seemed to be beneficial for herself and others around her.

Another player to benefit from Roma being in a healthy position was an even more recent recruit, Sophie Roman Haug. The striker came on in the 65th minute and went on to get an assist for Valeria Pirone, who later returned the favour so she could score her own first goal for the club.

It demonstrates the increasing squad depth that Roma have been building, which has allowed them to compete right up to the closing stages of the season.

Everyone played their part to keep that momentum going in the 7-1 win.

Key Fact

The win in Florence represented the sixth consecutive away league game from which Roma have emerged without defeat. That spell matches a record for the club, previously set between the end of last season and the first few weeks of this one.

In fact, Roma’s last defeat on any ground in Serie A Femminile was when they lost to Inter back in October – more than half a year ago.

Since then, the way they have managed to maintain momentum both home and away has been an essential fuel to their pursuit of a top-two finish.

Now, after an interlude to try and reach the Coppa Italia final for the second consecutive season, they will have one home game and one away game remaining. Winning either would guarantee them the completion of their main season objective.

Although not yet ready to complete 90 minutes – and therefore denied the chance to record a hat-trick – Mijatovic had shown some promising signs within her performance.

“It’s a win we needed as we look to reach the Champions League,” she said after the game.

“We want to qualify and to do that we need to finish the season strongly. We want to win the last three [league] games.

“That's our first target, then after that we want to go as far as we can in the Coppa Italia. We have another big semi-final game coming up.”

As she summarised, the business end of the season is looming for after the current break. Roma will hope to continue the momentum they have built to get over the line and reach their targets.

Follow Samuel Bannister on Twitter: @SamBanno1