01 October 2023
Juventus Women enjoyed the perfect inauguaration of their new home in Biella as they put four goals past Sampdoria to earn back-to-back Serie A wins, continuing their strong start to the 2023/24 campaign.
THE MATCH
Juve made a fast start to the encounter and had a trio of near-misses in the opening exchanges, with Cristiana Girelli sending a right-footed effort just off target, Maelle Garbino’s shot getting saved by Amanda Tampieri and Lineth Beerensteyn failing to convert a decent opportunity.
The Bianconere’s excellent start put the Blucerchiate under pressure and they carved out another chance on 18 minutes when Sara Gama went on a marauding run from defence into attack to set up Girelli, whose shot lacked accuracy.
The maiden goal at the Pozzo-Lamarmora Stadium did follow soon after, however, when Garbino served up an unstoppable left-footed shot on the turn to fire the hosts ahead with 20 minutes on the clock.
The visitors attempted to bounce back through Alice Sondergaard on 38 minutes when Pauline Peyraud-Magnin was called into action for the first time. It could have been 2-0 to Juve heading into the interval, but Beerensteyn was denied by Tampieri.
At the start of the second half, Samp were presented with a chance to draw level when Peyraud-Magnin brought Taty down in the box and the forward picked herself off to convert the penalty. Doria’s joy was short-lived, however, as Juve were back in front on 63 minutes when Beerensteyn latched on to a sublime back-heeled assist by Garbino to send a right-footed shot into the net.
With the game back on track, Juventus wanted to make sure of the victory, which was all but confirmed when Girelli headed Gama’s pinpoint cross into the goal on 66 minutes before Lineth notched her second with 78 minutes on the clock. The hosts did have to see the game out with ten players after Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir was given her marching orders for a second bookable offence, but it did not affect the outcome.
All in all, it was a successful opener on home soil for the Bianconere, who proudly stand on six points after two games.
POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS
MARTINA LENZINI
“It was fantastic to play here in front of a packed stadium. We’re thrilled with the welcome to Biella and, of course, with the victory. Playing on a grass pitch helps up. We want to play at pace and the conditions are perfect. We prepared for today’s game by working on the mistakes that we made against Pomigliano.”
CRISTIANA GIRELLI
“It was so important to start in this way. We’ve had some really positive feelings. We’ve found ourselves in a wonderful and welcoming place. It’s a new start and we hope to feel more and more at home here. The fans were fantastic today and we must thank them and repay them for their unwavering support. In terms of the game, we’ve been trying to work on a more attacking style of play in training. We have so many players here who can change the course of a game with a moment of magic. [Maelle] Garbino is one of them. She has incredible technique and much more too. We have so many attacking weapons and we’re working on finding the best way to use them. We’re pleased with today but there were a few lapses that shouldn’t have happened.”
JUVENTUS-SAMPDORIA 4-1 (HT: 1-0)
Goalscorers: 20’ Garbino (J), 51' Sena Das Neves (S), 63’ Beerensteyn (J), 66’ Girelli (J), 76’ Beerensteyn (J)
Juventus: Peyraud-Magnin, Gama (Cap), Lenzini, Cascarino, Nilden, Caruso (82’ Bellucci), Gunnarsdottir, Garbino (74’ Grosso), Cantore (74’ Thomas), Girelli (82' Nystrom), Beerenstyen (76’ Boattin). Unused subs: Aprile, Bonansea, Palis, Salvai. Coach: Joseph Montemurro
Sampdoria: Tampieri, Benoit, Sena Das Neves, Heroum (74’ Huchet), Oliviero (79’ Battelani), De Rita, Sondergaard (57’ Cuschieri), Re, Pisani, Tarenzi (Cap) (57’ Bragonzi), Giordano. Unused subs: Karresmaa, Nespolo, Marenco, Schatzer, Grassi. Coach: Salvatore Mango
