Racing 2 AC Milan 0 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy Connor Cunningham
Racing remains undefeated against European competition after securing a 2-0 victory against AC Milan on Wednesday night. Racing's pressing style seemed to overwhelm Milan at times in the first half, but the Italian team will surely use the experience to help them in their upcoming campaign.
The ball was in the back of the Milan net 4 times, but only 2 of the goals stood. The first time was correctly ruled out after Milliet either touched the ball or at least interfered with the keeper’s line of sight from an offside position on Fox's shot. The first actual goal was a terrific header from Nadim on a set piece delivery from DeMelo. The second goal was either a skillful or lucky bounce shot from Wang. The final time was ruled out apparently for a foul called for interfering with the Milan keeper. To my eyes, that called looked incorrect but I also think keepers are way too protected. In the end it didn't matter as Racing were never in any real danger of relinquishing the lead.
The contrast of styles is the real selling point for the Women's Cup, and Wednesday was a very fun day of football. In the first match, Tokyo Verdy's disciplined passing and pressure kept Tottenham pinned into their own half for large sections of the game. Tottenham seemed to be working on playing out from the back in the first half which invited loads of pressure. In my opinion, Tottenham was using the match to work on specific parts of their game. A long ball over the top of Tokyo's press might have been prudent if Tottenham was “going for it” from the start, but you don't really learn much from that. In the end Tokyo Verdy prevailed and got a deserved victory on their first trip to the US. Personally, they were the most enjoyable teamto watch from a style of play perspective. Tottenham will try to finish in the Champions League spots this year, but I think mid table look likely for them. The second match of the day was a fairly even affair, but in the end the Reign were just a bit too much for Club America. The Reign rested quite a few if it’s starters, so the final could be a real battle.
Wang was able to show her world-class abilities with a full compliment of teammates on Wednesday night. Sometimes there is an indescribable quality that truly world-class players seem to have. I can't quite put into words what is so appealing about her style of play but the words smoothness, creativity, and ingenuity come to mind. I don't want to so that she looks “effortless” on the pitch because that implies that she isn’t working hard which absolutely isn't true. She does appear to fit in seamlessly and Coach Björkegren said to expect her to integrate even better going forward into the rest of this season and the next.
Racing lined up in a back 4 again on Wednesday. After the match, Freya Olofsson commented that the team set up with an overload of players in the midfield (4-4-2 on the lineup sheet). This seemed to help with possession, but I suspect it will be back to a back 3 on Wednesday depending on selection considerations.
