Lazio were left disheartened as they lost the match that best represented their chance of getting some points on the board in Serie A Femminile.
The Biancoceleste were promoted from Serie B last season as champions, finishing four points ahead of Pomigliano who came up to the top division with them.
The gulf in quality between the two divisions is extremely high and with the rules being changed so that three teams can be relegated from Serie A this season, it is vital for Lazio and Pomigliano that they beat each other. Their first meeting of the season came last weekend and it saw Pomigliano travel to Rome and come away with a 2-1 victory that is worth its weight in gold.
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Lazio took the lead after just 10 minutes through Signe Holt Andersen but they were pegged back at the beginning of the second half thanks to a poacher’s finish from Salvatori Rinaldi.
The game then turned in Lazio’s favour when Zhanna Ferrario was shown a straight red card for a foul that was deemed to be the denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity. She was enraged and the replays showed that she had clearly gotten the ball rather than the player.
With 10 minutes left, the heartbreak came. Pomigliano broke down the right-hand side and as Salvatori Rinaldi attempted to play the ball across the box, Lazio defender Beatrix Fordos got her feet completely mixed up and fired the ball into her own net.
The defeat means that Lazio have failed to take a single point from their first six fixtures this season and have a goal difference of -18. Pomigliano on the other hand ended the weekend up in seventh spot with seven points, having played one game fewer.
Juventus Women and Sassuolo keep winning in Serie A Femminile
The race at the top of the table between Sassuolo and Juventus looks set to carry on all season long as they both recorded victories once again.
Juventus got their work done within five minutes against Napoli at home. Arianna Caruso scored inside 26 seconds, heading in Valentina Cernoia’s excellent cross.
It was Cernoia herself who then doubled the Bianconere’s lead after five minutes. She followed in on Annahita Zamanian’s long-range effort that was parried by the keeper and calmly slotted it away. Juve conserved their energy for the rest of the match as they are the only team in the division with Women’s Champions League commitments to factor into their calendar, with Chelsea to come on Wednesday.
#Sassuolo showed something else to stay in the #SerieAFemminile title race, writes @ConJClancy https://t.co/wF9v0OvKou pic.twitter.com/OD9358YRQW
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) October 11, 2021
Sassuolo did not have as relaxing an experience as they ran out 3-2 winners over Empoli at home, with Juventus’ Caruso watching on at the Stadio Enzo Ricci. Sofia Cantore continued her fine form by lobbing the Empoli goalkeeper after five minutes and giving the Neroverde an early lead.
After a scramble in the box just before the hour mark Kamila Ducova poked home to make it 2-0 and a few minutes later it was 3-0 thanks to another composed finish by Cantore who is cementing herself as one of the division’s top strikers.
Things started to get harder for Sassuolo in the 70th minute though when Bianca Bardin’s shot found a way through the crowd and into the bottom corner to make it 3-1. Just four minutes later, another scramble in the box led to Norma Cinotti making it 3-2 and suddenly Sassuolo had to show a side to their game that they have not needed much this season.
Sassuolo held out to take all three points and they are now level on both points and goal difference with Juventus.
Gaps beginning to form
Now that the majority of the teams in Serie A have played six matches, the table is beginning to take shape more clearly. It seems Juventus and Sassuolo will be unrivalled at the top as they have now created a five-point gap between themselves and AC Milan.
The Rossonere could only manage a 1-1 draw with Roma. They fell behind after 11 minutes to an Annamaria Serturini strike but drew level just after the break when Christy Grimshaw’s cross/shot bounced off one post and then went in off the other.
Roma have still played one game less than Milan but sit three points behind them after that result.
? goals in #SerieAFemminile for @sampdoria_en captain Stefania Tarenzi! ??
We had the pleasure of interviewing her ahead of this season kicking off, and @burns_euan‘s article is still up on the site now.
? https://t.co/5LEtlTQOwI https://t.co/PR97IHKRXl
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) October 9, 2021
Inter slipped further away from the Champions League places as their downturn in form continued. They were beaten 3-0 by Sampdoria in Genoa, where Stefania Tarenzi scored her 100th and 101st Serie A Femminile goals. The other came from Cecilia Re.
Fiorentina’s slow start to the campaign is quickly being forgotten as they recorded their third win on the bounce. This time they were 3-1 winners away at Hellas Verona despite falling behind in the first half. Hellas Verona will be worrying about relegation now as they have just one point from six games.
There is an international break now for Serie A Femminile but two games will still happen this weekend. The rain-affected match between Sampdoria and Pomigliano that was interrupted when it was 0-0 will be finished on Thursday, and Roma’s match with Inter that was postponed due to COVID cases will be played on Saturday, October 16.
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