29 July 2023
Matchday 2 of this year's FIFA Women's World Cup brought about a mixed bag of results for our Bianconere, as club teammates met on the international stage.
On Saturday evening in Wellington, New Zealand, Italy were humbled 5-0 by Sweden, who made took advantage of their superior height at set-pieces to outclass the Azzurre. On the pitch from the first minute for Italy at the Regional Stadium were Juventus Women's Chiara Beccari, Lisa Boattin, Barbara Bonansea, Sofia Cantore, Arianna Caruso and Cecilia Salvai, with Martina Lenzini coming on as a second-half substitute. Club teammate Linda Sembrant was an unused substitute for Sweden in their win.
With one group stage match left to play, Sweden top Group G with six points, while it's all to play for in the third and final encounter for Italy, who sit just two points above Matchday 3 opponents South Africa ahead of their direct clash on Wednesday.
At Brisbane Stadium in Australia, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin's France earned a memorable 2-1 victory over South American giants Brazil, the Juventus keeper playing the entire match and celebrating with her teammates as Wendie Renard's late header secured her side all three points. France now sit at the summit of Group F, one point above Brazil, and take on bottom-placed Panama on Matchday 3 on August 2.
Earlier in the week, the injured Lineth Beerensteyn was unable to participate in the Netherlands' match-up against powerhouses United States of America, the Dutch earning a 1-1 draw with the defending champions to sit joint-top of Group E on four points with one group stage fixture remaining.
