SELA CUP: ROSSONERE DEFEATED ON PENALTIES BY NEWCASTLE

The second match of the season for Suzanne Bakker's AC Milan ended in a harmless defeat on penalties. At St. James' Park, the Rossonere drew 2-2 against Newcastle after 90' in the Sela Cup, with goals from Karczewska and Cernoia, but the penalty shootout favoured the English side. Boddy's early strike opened the scoring, but Milan's comeback came within four minutes: Nikola, wearing the number 10 jersey, equalised, and Valentina's left-footed strike temporarily put AC Milan ahead. However, Andrews' late goal forced the match into penalties without extra time.

A positive overall display from AC Milan with an experimental lineup, in a valuable friendly to build fitness and fine-tune the team's chemistry ahead of the league start. The result was secondary, as the match offered several interesting insights and showcased a clear style of play. After a lively and dynamic first half, the second half saw a drop in energy, pace and flow. The match against Newcastle, a Championship side on the rise, provided continuity after the 4-0 win in the friendly against Genoa. Up next is the Trofeo Gamper against Barcelona.

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM NEWCASTLE v AC MILAN

MATCH REPORT
A slow start saw Newcastle take the lead on their first attack. In the fourteenth minute, Boddy combined with Hayles and curled a shot into the top corner. AC Milan responded quickly, equalising on 20 minutes. A long pass from Sorelli found Marinelli, who delivered a low cross for Karczewska to tap in. The Rossonere kept pushing and took the lead four minutes later. Karczewska intercepted a pass and set up Ijeh, who dribbled and laid it off to Cernoia, whose left-footed strike made it 1-2. The lead settled AC Milan, but in the 40th minute, Arrigoni earned applause for a goal-line clearance of Furness's header, marking the last highlight of the first half.

At the start of the second half, both teams' energy and intensity waned, leading to a more balanced possession of the ball with neither side able to make a decisive move. In the 57th minute, Dompig had a chance to score but saw her right-footed shot blocked. Despite numerous substitutions, the game’s dynamics remained unchanged. AC Milan stayed in control while Newcastle struggled to create genuine threats near the Rossonere goal. In the 71st minute, Fedele comfortably dealt with Stokes' long-range effort, but heartbreak came late. In the 87th minute, Andrews evaded Piga and fired a right-footed shot past Fedele into the net. As the game approached its end, Gibson's double attempt in the final of the 7 minutes of added time missed the target. The match ended 2-2, leading to a penalty shootout, which saw the English side emerge victorious with a 6-5 win.

MATCH DETAILS

NEWCASTLE 2-2 AC MILAN (6-5 Pens)

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Hawkins; Cataldo (81' Greenwood), Potts (81' Watt), Cooper, Stokes; Lumsden (46' McQuade), Furness (67' Keegan-Stobbs), Boddy (81' Gibson); Andrews, Hayles (51' Elson), Barker (46' Haywood). Subs: Donnelly; Moan. Coach: Langley.

AC MILAN (4-3-3): Giuliani (64' Fedele); Arrigoni (64' Vigilucci), Sorelli (46' Swaby), Piga, Soffia; Ijeh, Mesjasz (73' Donolato), Cernoia (46' Mascarello); Marinelli, Karczewska, Bahlouli (46' Dompig). Subs: Tornaghi. Coach: Bakker.

Referee: Soneye.
Goals: 14' Boddy (N), 20' Karczewska (M), 24' Cernoia (M), 87' Andrews (N).
Penalty shootout sequence: Dompig (M) goal, Andrews (N) goal, Mascarello (M) saved, Haywood (N) goal, Marinelli (M) goal, Gibson (N) goal, Karczewska (M) goal, Cooper (N) goal, Ijeh (M) hit the crossbar.

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