Alessandro Spugna made plenty of changes to his AS Roma Women XI for their final Women’s Champions League group game on Thursday night, but the Giallorosse still managed to secure a comfortable 3-0 win away at Slavia Prague.
Despite their performance on the road, though, the Serie A Femminile leaders were only able to advance as runners-up in Women’s Champions League Group B as Wolfsburg thrashed St. Poelten 8-2 to keep hold of top spot. Both Wolfsburg and Roma had clinched qualification to the quarter-finals in the penultimate set of group games, and top spot was up for grabs on the final matchday, though Roma needed an unlikely slip from the Germans.
A level above
Roma are deserved mid-season leaders and winter champions in Serie A Femminile, and they looked to be streets above their hosts on Thursday night even with Spugna having rotated his team. Much like they have done in many of their domestic games so far this season, Roma dominated the ball and the shots count. They went ahead after around half an hour through Valentina Giacinti’s close-range finish.
Beata Kollmats doubled their lead five minutes later as she headed home Manuela Giugliano’s corner to give the Italians a comfortable half-time advantage.
Roma came out with real intent in the second half as well, not looking to slow down just yet, and Elena Linari grabbed her second Women’s Champions League goal of the season to extend their lead further.
The urgency did ease from then on and Slavia grew increasingly frustrated as the game went on. Sophie Roman Haug and Paloma Lazaro had chances to score more for the Giallorosse but couldn’t take them.
Roma, then, advance as runners-up to Wolfsburg, progressing to the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals in their first-ever season in the competition.
Juventus Women, unfortunately, were unable to repeat last season’s achievements in joining Roma in the knockout rounds after they could only draw with European champions Lyon on Wednesday.
The quarter-final draw is on February 10.
