#WOMENF1RST

The Bianconere have done it! After a 22-league match season couldn’t separate Juventus Women and Brescia, Juve won the title when a goalless 120 minutes ended in a 5-4 penalty shootout win.

It was a battling first half display between the two sides at the Stadio Silvio Piola, with Juventus Women going closest to opening the scoring, when forward Barbara Bonansea nearly got on the end of a threatening corner inside the opening 10 minutes. Up the other end, Brescia too created a good chance of their own on the counterattack, which ended with Daniela Sabatino heading just wide of Laura Giuliani’s goal.

Brescia went close to scoring in 63rd minute of the second half, as Giuliani was forced to rush out of goal to intercept a forward ball and the opponents tried to capitalise on a mis-cued clearance but Juventus Women number one was able to rush back to goal to claim. The Bianconere attempted to sway the momentum back in their favour and were denied by only the woodwork shortly after, when Bonansea got away a shot goal with a clever turn in the box that came back agonisingly off the crossbar.

The two sides couldn’t be separated in either normal time or extra-time, so the game went to a penalty shootout in Novara. Bonansea stepped up first and her spot-kick was saved by Marchitelli, with Brescia scoring their first effort to put them 0-1 up in the shootout.

Martina Rosucci scored Juve’s first, making no mistake as she slotted home from 12 yards, however Giuliano stuck her effort away to keep Brescia ahead. The Bianconere drew level when captain Sara Gama put away her effort and Giuliani saved Brescia’s penalty to make it 2-2. Aurora Galli was next in the que and she scored and then Brescia slotted home to make it 3-3, with Valentina Cernoia and then Brescia again scoring to take the shootout to sudden-death.

With the pressure now on, Lisa Boattin sent her shot into the top right-hand corner, with Brescia’s effort going over the crossbar to hand Juventus Women their first-ever Scudetto in their first-ever season!

CAMPIONESSE d’ITALIA!