Bianconere beat Napoli to end regular season on a high | OneFootball

The final game of the Serie A regular season went well for Juventus Women, dominating from start to finish as they claimed a 4-1 win over Napoli Femminile in Bielle. The goals came through Cristiana Girelli, Lindsey Thomas (two) and Julia Grosso, with Marija Banusic scoring a late consolation from the penalty spot for the visitors.

The match

Joe Montemurro’s Bianconere started on the front foot. With Lineth Beerensteyn and Lindsey Thomas operating around Cristiana Girelli, it didn’t take long for the first chances to come.

Even the opening goal came in the early minutes as Alice Pellinghelli handled in the area, allowing Girelli to open the scoring from the penalty spot.

The visitors looked to get in at the other end soon after, but Pauline Peyraud-Magnin was equal to their efforts.

With a little more than a quarter of an hour on the clock, the Bianconere doubled their lead. Girelli was again central, this time heading a cross back across goal for Thomas to turn it in from close range. Beerensteyn had a chance to add a third, but couldn’t finish.

Looking set to take a two-goal lead in at the break, Julia Grosso appeared in textbook fashion to finish in fine fashion to give the Bianconere a three-goal cushion to protect.

It can’t be said that Juventus stopped in their search for goals despite their comfortable lead, but the fourth evaded them for much of the second half, with Arianna Caruso coming closes as she unleashed a fierce left-footed strike from distance that clipped the crossbar on its way over. Girelli, too, came close to adding another in style as she improvised a flicked effort at goal that just wouldn’t come down.

In stoppage time, things went a little bit wild. First, Thomas put some further gloss on the result by turning home the Bianconere’s fourth, but the visitors then earned a penalty seconds later that Marija Banusic finished to spoil Peyraud-Magnin’s clean sheet as she looked to celebrate her recent contract extension in style.

Post-match comments

Coach Joe Montemurro's comments

“The goal we conceded at the end is an example of those things that we have to fully focus on. We need to take advantage of even games like this when the result is no longer in question, we have to work on those aspects of being attentive, which I care a lot about. We need to avoid those lapses in concentration, but overall I’m pleased with the performance. We played well in the first half, and then things changed in the second and we weren’t as effective but I have to say well done to the girls.

“We’ve had three important games this week, and we also had the chance to experiment a little in attack. Our way of understanding attacking football is to search for space, and not to be so positional, and I’m happy with the movement today. Of course, having so many options up front gives you a headache trying to decide who to play, but it’s a privilege to have so many options to choose from.

“I believe in the Scudetto. We have 24 points to play for, and we have a lot of direct head-to-head games to play as well. I’m sorry for what’s happened so far in Serie A, but I can’t complain about the girls’ efforts and we’ll believe until the very end. We’ve matured a lot, we know how to read different phases of the game, and we’ve worked on a lot of different things. In order to grow further, we need to work on those small details, but we will see the fruits of this work in the future.”

Lindsey Thomas' comments

“We are high-level professionals, and coming to play at an important club like Juventus we always have to be on the ball and at the coach’s disposal. That’s why I work hard and accept the decisions made. When I have the chance to play I try to give my best, always aware that the only goal is to win and take this club as high as we can.

“We’re always focused, I’d happily play in any position along the attack, it’s up to the coach where to play me. If I can help the team by playing on the right or in the centre then I’m available to do so.

“Individual satisfaction only comes after the team, and the thing I think about first is winning, then scoring. If my teammates can help me to score, then all the better.

“I hugged Barbara Bonansea after my goal because we are all united, regardless of who starts on the pitch or who starts on the bench.”

Juventus Women 4-1 Napoli

Goals: 8’ (pen). Girelli (J), 17’ Thomas (J), 45’ Grosso (J), 91' Thomas (J), 93' (pen). Banusic (N)

Juventus: Peyraud-Magnin, Lenzini (64' Gama), Salvai (Cap) (74' Cascarino), Calligaris, Boattin, Caruso (64' Palis), Grosso, Beerensteyn (64' Bonansea), Thomas, Girelli (74' Bragonzi), Garbino. Unused subs: Aprile, Nystrom, Cantore, Echegini. Coach: Joseph Montemurro

Napoli: Kobayashi, Di Marino (Cap) (74' Veritti), Del Estal Mateu, Chmielinski, Giai (46' Giacobbo), Gallazzi, Bertucci (56' Banusic), Lazaro Torres (46' Corelli), Pellinghelli, Bacic, Pettenuzzo Unused subs: Beretta, Di Bari, Mauri, Kajzba, Gianfico. Coach: Biagio Seno

Referee: Giorgio Bozzetto Assistants: Giorgio Ravera, Simone Biffi Fourth Official: Daniele Chindamo

Bookings: 92' Peyraud-Magnin (J)