Serie A Women’s Cup final: Redondo-inspired Juventus prevail on penalties after dramatic fightback | OneFootball

Juventus retained the Serie A Women’s Cup after they got the better of Roma in a dramatic final. Isaac Guerrero’s side mounted an impressive comeback from two goals down before they prevailed in the subsequent penalty shootout.

Roma came into the final on the back of an emphatic 7-1 victory over Sassuolo in the semi-finals. Kayleigh van Dooren netted a brace in that resounding win and soon had another to celebrate just shy of the half-hour mark against Juventus. The 27-year-old had the simple task of tapping home after Larissa Rusek failed to stop Valentina Bergamaschi’s pullback. 

After taking a narrow lead into the break, Roma doubled their advantage within 10 minutes of the restart. A low, driven corner from the left side was cleverly flicked on for Maya Antoine to net her first goal for Roma. However, Gianpiero Piovani’s side held a two-goal cushion for just three minutes until Alba Redondo halved the deficit. The former Real Madrid striker met Estela Carbonell’s deep cross on the full, calmly steering a right-foot shot past Valentina Soggiu. 

Despite their renewed hope, Juventus looked set to fall short after debutant Amaiur Sarriegi struck the post in the second minute of stoppage time. But just as Roma closed in on the trophy, Juventus were handed a lifeline deep into stoppage time. The referee pointed to the spot, ruling that Redondo’s shot had struck Antoine’s hand from point-blank range. Redondo stepped up to drive a low spot-kick out of Soggiu’s reach. 

Penalty shootout decides Serie A Women’s Cup Winner

Both teams struck the woodwork in a nervy but gripping additional extra time. However, with neither side able to find a decisive goal, the lottery of a penalty shootout was required to decide the winner. The first five penalties were dispatched before Roma’s Ella Ottey blasted her spot-kick against the crossbar. Eva Schatzer then calmly slotted home to pile the pressure on Elisabetta Oliviero. The full-back failed to find a way past Rusek, who dived low to her right to make the trophy-sealing save. 

Juventus have now won the first two editions of the competition. As for Roma, they missed out in the final for a second consecutive season. 

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What next for Roma and Juventus?

Roma will have to quickly pick themselves up for Wednesday’s away clash against Leuven in the Women’s Champions League league phase. Meanwhile, Juventus have little time to celebrate ahead of Tuesday’s UWCL meeting with Benfica.

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