STADIO PAOLO MAZZA (Ferrara): Playing well isn’t a necessity for Juventus Women, and Joe Montemurro’s side showed that once again on Sunday afternoon as they came from behind to beat AS Roma 2-1 and win the Coppa Italia Femminile. The win allowed them to dethrone the Giallorosse as holders of the cup.
? Supercoppa
? Serie A
? Coppa ItaliaIt’s been a good season for @JuventusFCWomen. ??? pic.twitter.com/iHl1jy6Egb
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) May 22, 2022
As has been the case so often in recent seasons, particularly in 2021/22 against Serie A Femminile’s bigger sides, the Bianconere have so often just done enough not to lose, and then in the blink of an eye, they go and take all three points. That’s exactly how it went in Ferrara on Sunday, and Roma will be returning to the capital wondering how they’re heading home empty-handed.
Roma led as late as the 79th minute, but Lucia Di Guglielmo was unable to cope with former teammate Agnese Bonfantini’s pace as she bore down on goal, and the Giallorosse defender opted to foul the tricky Juventus forward, leading to a penalty and a straight red card as it was deemed that she had made no effort to play the ball. Cristiana Girelli stepped up to convert, and Juventus had completed the turnaround just four minutes later as Sara Gama saw her volley take a wicked deflection and loop into the top corner.
The loss will be a bitter pill for Roma to swallow, and it showed again just how perfect anybody has to be to better Juventus in Italy. The Giallorosse might well have been the best side in the country from November until the end of the season, but were made to pay for a slow start to the campaign, finishing second with two defeats all term. Juventus lost just once.
Their Serie A Femminile meetings ended 1-1 and then with 2-1 win for Juventus, which was only sealed by an 87th-minute winner from Andrea Staskova.
Roma Women were good value for their lead
There weren’t too many clear-cut chances in the first half, but all of those that were carved out were by Serie A Femminile’s runners-up. It took an Andressa Alves penalty to give them the lead, but it was an advantage that they were more than deserving of.
Annamaria Serturini had a chance that she perhaps should have done more with on the counterattack, but she appeared to rush herself to shoot and sent her attempt straight at Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in the Juventus goal.
Juventus boss Joe Montemurro had said ahead of the game that the winner of this Coppa Italia would be the team who made the fewest mistakes, and for so long that was Roma. Andressa led from the centre of their midfield, playing the game at her own pace and looking a level above everybody on the pitch. Serturini and Manuela Giugliano were also excellent.
As Roma tired, their passing lost some zip, their decisions stopped being as spot on as they had been for most of the match, and that was all Juventus needed.
Montemurro’s changes made the difference
Joe Montemurro blinked first with his substitutions, and his decisions to bring on both Agnese Bonfantini and Julia Grosso proved t be the right calls. The former forced the penalty that allowed the Bianconere to level, and the Canadian saw her shot parried away before Gama volleyed in – via Giada Greggi – on the rebound in a crowded area.
Alessandro Spugna was slower to change things up, but when the replacements did come they were costly. Andressa’s withdrawal saw them lose control, and with just 10 players on the pitch Serturini and Paloma Lazaro were taken off as well, leaving them lacking a real threat going forward.
In the end, it was a slice of good fortune and shrewd changes that allowed Juventus to get their hands on another piece of silverware, adding to their Serie A and Supercoppa triumphs.
Image from: unsplash.com
