Juventus Derby d’Italia winners, Roma pass litmus test and AC Milan complete season double over Fiorentina: Serie A Femminile Week 18 Round-Up
AS Roma widen UEFA Women’s Champions League gap after latest win as Hellas Verona record their first win of the season with just four matches to go in the Serie A Femminile season
Juventus made it 15 wins in 18 contests when they edged Inter Milan 3-1 in the Derby d’Italia at the Juventus training Centre on Sunday.
Full-back Lisa Boattin opened the scoring for Juventus on 26 minutes with a 25-yard strike from a Valentina Cernoia pass before forward Tatiana Bonetti made it 1-1 for Inter on 34 minutes with a left-footed strike from just inside the area. The goal was Bonetti’s ninth of the season and saw her become third top scorer in the current Serie A Campaign.
Boattin completed her brace making it 2-1 just four minutes into the second half before 69th minute substitute Agnese Bonfantini made it 3-1 with a shot from just inside the area from a Cristiana Girelli pass.
Montemurro said after the match that the Inter Milan clash was a difficult one and that the result was key for the Scudetto.
“Every Serie A match is important, declares Montemurro, and even this one today against a great team like Inter Milan was difficult for us . . . We managed the game quite well and kept some energy for the difficult match that awaits us against Lyon. I also did a small rotation of the team and this is also part of our path.
“This was a key game, because if you play against the French in the Champions League and then return on foot to the ground in Vinovo it could be a bit difficult to find the right balance of play.
“The group and the energy that has been created among the girls is unique, and these three points could be the key victory for the Scudetto,” Montemurro is quoted as saying by Calcio Femminile Italiano.
The win took Juventus to 47 points, five ahead of second place AS Roma. Joe Montemurro’s side have now registered 15 wins, two draws and one defeat in 18 outings whilst Inter, 15 points away, have registered 10 wins, two draws and six defeats in the same number of outings.
Elsewhere, AS Roma recorded a crucial 3-0 win over Sassuolo away in Reggio Emilia on Saturday, a result which has not only widened the UEFA Women’s Champions League gap but arguably also made them genuine title contenders with four matches to go.
Spanish forward Paloma Lázaro opened the scoring for Roma one minute before half-time, taking her goal tally to seven this season.
Forward Benedetta Glionna made it 2-0 with a strike in the 72nd minute before she completed her brace with another goal in second half extra-time to jeopardise Sassuolo’s UEFA Women’s Champions League dreams.
Sassuolo coach, Gianpiero Piovani, after the match said that they knew in Roma they had demanding opponents and that the fight for UEFA Women’s Champions League football next year was now complicated.
“The girls gave everything; they threw their hearts over the obstacle. We knew we were facing a demanding match against a strong team in Roma, then other defections were added, but I cannot blame anyone who went on the pitch, on the contrary, I thanked them in the circle for the path they took.
“The Champions League [fight] gets complicated but as long as there is life there is hope and we have an obligation to believe in it,” Piovani is quoted as saying by the Italian media.
The win took Le Giallorosse to 42 points from 13 wins and three draws in 18 matches whilst Sassuolo, on 36 points from 11 wins and three draws in the same number of contests, slipped from third to fourth on the standings.
AC Milan completed a season double on Fiorentina with a 2-0 win at the Centro Sportivo Peppino Vismara in Milan on Sunday.
Forward Valentina Bergamaschi opened the scoring for the home team with a strike on 22 minutes and the match would go to half-time with the Rossonere in the lead.
The match momentarily looked set to end that way before midfielder Linda Tucceri Cimini made it 2-0 with a strike three minutes from time.
AC Milan finished the match with 10 women after Spanish defender Laia Codina Panedas was shown a red card after receiving a second yellow late in the match.
The result saw Maurizio Ganz’s side rise to third place from fourth on the standings and are one point above Sassuolo whilst Fiorentina remain ninth just three points above relegation.
Milan have now amassed 37 points from 11 wins and four draws in 18 encounters whilst the visitors have registered 18 points from five wins and three draws in the same number of contests.
Relegation haunted Napoli succumbed to their 11thdefeat of the season with a 1-0 loss to Sampdoria away on Sunday.
A solitary goal from defender Giorgia Spinelli just nine minutes into the first half was enough to secure maximum points for Sampdoria while ensuring that their Naples visitors remain 10th on the standings.
Sampdoria are sixth on the standings and have recorded 28 points from nine wins and one draw in 18 matches whilst Napoli are on 15 points from four wins and three draws in the same number of contests.
Empoli played to a nil-all draw with Lazio away on Saturday.
The draw was the fifth of the season for the visitors and the second for the hosts.
Empoli remain on seventh place with 20 points from five wins and five draws in 18 matches whilst Lazio, who have a game in hand, remain 11thon the standings with a meagre eight points from two wins and two draws in 17 matches.
Hellas Verona recorded their first win of the season when they beat Pomigliano 2-0 at home on Saturday.
Midfileder Rossella Sardu opened the scoring with a strike on 19 minutes and the match would go to half-time with the hosts in the lead.
Defender Francesca Quazzico put the match to bed when she made it 2-0 with a strike four minutes into the second half.
The defeat saw Pomigliano slip from seventh to eighth on the standings whilst Verona remain bottom-placed. Pomigliano, who have a game in hand, have registered 19 points from six wins and one draw in 17 matches whilst Verona have registered four points from one win and one draw in 18 matches.
RESULTS (Saturday): Hellas Verona 2 – 0 ASD Pomigliano; Lazio 0 – 0 Empoli; US Sassuolo 0 – 3 AS Roma
RESULTS (Sunday): AC Milan 2 – 0 Fiorentina; Sampdoria 1 – 0 Napoli; Juventus 3 – 1 Internazionale