Girelli hits century in Juve win as Roma dispatch Inter: Serie A Femminile Week 17 Round-Up

· Fiorentina’s UEFA Women’s Champions League dreams derailed as they now trail second place Juventus by three points with one match to go in the regular season

· Inter Milan suffered a setback following their 3-2 defeat to AS Roma as the league leaders cruised to a fifth consecutive win

Reigning champions Juventus bounced back from a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan last weekend to record a 3-0 win over champions league hopefuls Fiorentina away on Saturday.

The Turin side opened the scoring on 20 minutes through an own goal by Fiorentina defender Kaja Eržen who unwittingly knocked the ball into her net from very close range under pressure from Juventus defender Cecilia Salvai after fellow defender Linda Sembrant’s shot had rebounded off the left upright.

The visitors made it 2-0 through Dutch forward Lineth Beerensteyn who sent a right footed shot to the centre of the goal from the centre of the box 13 minutes into the second half with a direct pass from goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin before forward Cristiana Girelli put the match to bed seven minutes from time with a header from very close range into the bottom right corner with an assist from midfielder Julia Grosso.

The goal was Girelli’s 100th for the Bianconere in all competitions and 12th in 16 league appearances this term as she keeps pressure on top scorer Tabitha Chawinga in the Golden Boot race while the assist was Grosso’s seventh in 14 league appearances for Juventus as she consolidated her spot as top assist raker in the Serie A.

The win saw Juventus retain second spot on the standings on 37 points from 11 wins and four draws in 17 encounters whilst Fiorentina remained third on 34 points from 11 wins and a draw in the same number of ties.

Meanwhile, AS Roma remained eight points clear at the top of the Serie A following a 3-2 win over Inter at home on Saturday.

Forward Benedetta Glionna opened the scoring for the hostesses on 25 minutes with a right footed shot from outside the box into the top right corner before the in-form Andressa Alves doubled the lead eight minutes later with a right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal after pouncing on a Valentina Giacinti rebound shot.

Andressa has emerged as a force to reckon with inside Roma, registering nine goals in 15 league appearances for Le Giallorosse this term and is now joint-third top scorer on the Serie A scorers’ charts alongside Giacinti and Inter’s Elisa Polli.

The marauding Chawinga pulled one back for the visitors two minutes into the second half sending a left footed shot to the centre of the goal from the left side of the six yard box before midfielder Giada Greggi restored the hostesses’ lead in the 70th minute with a right footed shot from outside the box to into the top left corner.

Chawinga’s goal took her season’s tally to 14 as she consolidated her spot at the top of the Serie A scorers’ charts.

Midfielder Marta Pandini cut Roma’s lead to one goal yet again just two minutes later with a header from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner after pouncing on a Mina Mihashi cross but the visitors’ effort of the day would prove insufficient to stop the hostesses from recording their 15th win of the season.

Alessandro Spugna’s side are now on 45 points from 15 wins in 17 outings whilst Inter remain fourth on the standings on 32 points from nine wins and five draws in the same number of contests.

A solitary Martina Piemonte strike was enough for Maurizio Ganz’s side to collect maximum points over Pomigliano at the Centro Sportivo Peppino Vismara on Sunday afternoon.

The 25-year-old former Fiorentina forward sent a left footed shot into the bottom left corner from very close range on 69 minutes as AC Milan staggered to their 10th win of the season.

The Rossonere remain fifth on the standings on 31 points from 10 wins and a draw in 17 ties whilst Pomigliano slipped from sixth to seventh on 14 points from four wins and two draws in the same number of encounters.

Daniela Sabatino struck twice as Sassuolo recorded their third win of the term with a 2-0 victory over Como at the Stadio Enzo Ricci on Sunday.

The 37-year-old scored in the sixth and 30th minutes as Sassuolo jumped two places from eighth to sixth on the standings on 14 points.

The defeat condemned Como to ninth place from seventh on 11 points from two wins and five draws in 17 outings.

Parma recorded their third win of the term with a 3-1 victory over beleaguered Sampdoria at home on Sunday.

Former Roma striker Paloma Lázaro opened the scoring for Parma with a left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal with an assist from defender Erika Santoro before midfielder Niamh Farrelly doubled the lead on 35 minutes with a right footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner with an assist from fellow midfielder Bianca Bardin.

US striker Mia Corbin almost made it 3-0 to Parma just two minutes later but her effort crashed on the post.

Lázaro returned to complete her brace just three minutes into the second half with a right footed shot from the right side of the box to the centre of the goal to make it 3-0 with an assist from Corbin before on-loan forward Agnese Bonfantini pulled one back for Sampdoria from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute after the forward had been brought down in the box by Croatian defender Ana Jelenčić. The goal would, however, prove to be only consolation as the hostesses went on to collect a crucial third set of full points.

The win saw Parma move from ninth to eighth place on 13 points from three wins and four draws in 17 ties whilst Sampdoria remained at the bottom of the log on 10 points from three wins and a draw in the same number of outings.

RESULTS: Saturday 11 February, 2023 (ACF Fiorentina 0 – 3 Juventus)

RESULTS: Saturday 11 February, 2023 (AS Roma 3 – 2 Internazionale)

RESULTS: Sunday 12 February, 2023 (Parma Calcio 3 – 1 UC Sampdoria)

RESULTS: Sunday 12 February, 2023 (US Sassuolo 2 – 0 FC Como)

RESULTS: Sunday 12 February, 2023 (AC Milan 3 – 0 A.S.D Pomigliano)