12 March 2022
The Bianconere were in control from the off and took a 2-0 lead in at the break thanks to Cristiana Girelli and Amanda Nilden. In the second half they ran riot, with another goal from Girelli, one from Martina Rosucci and an Agnese Bonfantini brace. Lindsey Thomas netted a late consolation goal for the Rossonere.
Joe Montemurro picked a 4-3-3 with Peyraud-Magnin in goal; a back four of Lundorf, Gama, Sembrant and Boattin; Pedersen, Cernoia and Grosso in midfield; and Bonansea, Girelli and Nilden up front.
Girelli drew first blood when she sent a fine finish beyond Laura Giuliani with a quarter of an hour gone.
The hosts sought an immediate response and had a great chance to equalise when Thomas found herself one-on-one with Pauline Peyraud-Magnin but the French keeper pulled out a crucial stop to keep the scoreline intact.
After a spell of few chances, with the Bianconere always looking comfortable, the second goal came on the half-hour mark. Sofie Pedersen and Nilden linked up well before the latter applied an unstoppable finish to make it 2-0.
This time the Rossonere were unable to muster a reply and the rest of the half petered out with little action of note.
The game continued in much the same fashion after the restart and Girelli grabbed her second of the day with an hour played. Barbara Bonansea orchestrated the counter-attack and teed up Cristiana, who fired home beneath the bar.
Most teams would have settled for a 3-0 first-leg victory away from home but not Juve. After dealing with a few Milan attempts they went and turned a great afternoon into an incredible one, with Rosucci and Bonfantini (two) adding three further goals between the 84th and 91st minute.
Thomas's late effort for the Rossonere does little to alter the mountain they will have to climb in the return leg.
MONTEMURRO'S ANALYSIS
“We've won an important game. It wasn't easy to come away from here with a positive result against an excellent side like Milan and six goals obviously put us in a good position for the return leg. We got off to a good start and were compact from the off. We did well to capitalise on the many chances we created. We have a decent advantage for the second match at the end of April when we'll be looking to reach the Coppa Italia final. We go home happy today after this big win. Now we'll focus on the upcoming fixtures.”
GIRELLI'S JOY
“We've got back to winning ways in style – here in Milan, in a cup semi-final. We're delighted but we have to quickly switch our focus to the next games. The fans' support is so important for us and together we can achieve our targets.”
