12 October 2023
Juventus Women's attempts to defend their Italian Cup title got off to the best possible start on Thursday, with the Bianconere recording a big 6-0 win away at Chievo Verona.
The Bianconere started as they meant to go on, and had two goals inside the opening six minutes. They didn't take their foot off the gas as the game went on either, showing no mercy to their opponents.
Next up in the cup is a quarter-final tie with Sampdoria.
The game
It took just over two minutes for Juventus Women to take the lead, and the outcome was never really in doubt from then on. Estelle Cascarino played a ball from the back that allowed Lineth Beerensteyn to go through on goal, and she was composed when she made it into the box and finished coolly.
The lead soon doubled when Ella Palis found Lindsey Thomas in the box, but her first effort bounced back into Paulina Nystrom's path and she made no mistake in finishing. Roberta Aprile didn't have all that much to do at the other end, and she was able to make comfortable saves whenever Chievo tried their luck from range.
The third didn't arrive until the half-hour mark, when Thomas looked to have heded in her first goal for the club, but it was instead Roberta Picchi who turned into her own goal. At the other end, Melissa Toomey went close with a fine shot that hit the crossbar and the sides went in at the break with Juve leading 3-0.
Juventus started on the front foot, and Chievo were desperate to keep the scoring down. But the Bianconere kept coming.
Gloria Sliskovic came off the bench to replace Martina Lenzini for her first-team debut after an hour, and the fourth goal came when Thomas finally got off the mark with a fine finish.
Two substitutes made an instant impact. Ginevra Moretti and Maelle Garbino came off the bench, and within a couple of minutes Moretti put a chance on a plate for Garbino to tap into an open goal. The sixth was a little more stylish, with Barbara Bonansea brilliantly working her way into the box before chipping over the goalkeeper.
That was where the scoring stopped, but there was a late scare when Chievo goalkeepe Verena Beka went down with a late injury and had to leave the field on a stretcher. Of course, everybody at Juventus hopes she makes a swift recovery!
