Match Review: AC Milan Women vs Pink Bari (6-1)

The AC Milan Women beat Pink Bari by a score of 6-1 on Saturday. It was a grand performance and perhaps Milan’s best of the entire season. The team fired on all cylinders and nary put a foot wrong.

Highlights of the match below.

The Formation

Milan lined up in a 3-5-2 for most of the match. Milan stayed in this formation for most of the match.

Wyscout

The most notable differences between this match and the others were the absence of midfielders Veronica Boquete and Refiloe Jane. They were being rested for this match and will make their return in the match against Juventus.

Bari, on the other hand, alternated between a 3-5-2, 4-3-1-2, and a 4-3-3 for this match.

Valentina Bergamaschi scores the opener

The opening salvo by Milan came at the sixth minute. Valentina Bergamaschi scored not only Milan’s first goal of the match but also her first goal of the season as well.

With the goal, the Rossonere’s resident Jolly proved how invaluable she is to the squad.

Giacinti con la doppietta

Milan’s captain came clutch as per usual. The Rossonere skipper scored not one, but two goals this match, including this absolute stunner.

Yui Hasegawa’s Debut

Few people can move to another league and make an immediate impact upon debut. Yui Hasegawa became of them. The midfielder put on a clinic during this match and it was capped off by this fantastic goal.

It was one of two goals for Hasegawa during this match as she scored a brace during her debut. Yui also seemed to accelerate the tempo of Milan’s play, as her one and two-touches seemed to accelerate the pace of the squad. She also displayed good, solid fundamentals and has proven herself to be an adequate dead-ball specialist.

Hasegawa also played in the LCMF role for this match. Usually, she plays as a left-winger. The fact that she played as an LCMF, which is a spot that has normally been occupied by Vero Boquete, does give one pause for thought.

If the trend continues, then we could see Yui moved to that position and Vero moved to other areas of the pitch, including behind the forwards. We’ll see what Ganz decides upon within the upcoming days.

Hasegawa was also voted the match’s MVP and given her fantastic performance, it was more than merited. And the best part of all this is, she’s just getting started.

Dowie gets her ninth

English forward Natasha Dowie scored her ninth goal of the season against Bari. The English forward has cemented her place in the annals of Milan history as she continues her streak of being the team’s highest-scoring foreigner.

Grimshaw’s assists

Christy Grimshaw did quite well during this match, as the midfielder helped create two separate assists that led to two, separate goals. And given her shaky form as of late, it was nice to see a confident display from her.

The Stats

Not surprisingly, Milan were dominant during this match and the stats corroborate it. The Rossonere had 70.64% possession during the game. They also had a 79% pass accuracy rate and had nine shots on target. It was a dominant display from them and they were the deserved victors of this match (Wyscout).

Up next

Milan will play il Big Match against Juventus this Sunday. The tie will be crucial and could be decisive in the race for the Scudetto this season.

The Rossonere have only lost one match so far this year and coincidentally, it was against Juventus.

They’ll be looking to get their revenge against the Bianconere next Sunday. The match will take place at 12:30 p.m. CET (3:30 a.m. PST / 6:30 a.m. EST).