Press Room | Comments after Juventus Women-Benfica | OneFootball

The Juventus Women's First Team got their 2025/26 Champions League campaign off to a great start, beating Benfica 2-1 with two goals from Cecilia Salvai.

MASSIMILIANO CANZI

"The start was quite shocking because we conceded a goal after just a few minutes, but the girls reacted brilliantly and we played almost the entire first half in Benfica's half. We scored our first goal and then a second, which I think was disallowed by a matter of centimetres. It was a great victory. We'll take these three points, and not only that, but the performance was also top-notch, apart from the first few minutes. We know we'll be facing six different teams in this League Phase, and they'll all be top-level matches.”

CECILIA SALVAI

"Honestly I don't even know, everything is so crazy. I've never scored two goals in a match before, but I'm so proud of my team. For me, this is the result of teamwork and not because I scored two goals. It's crazy, I'm so happy because it was also here, in our home, in our stadium, with this shirt and these colours, so I'm very proud. We wanted to start with three points, it's always important to start with a win and we worked so much for this. It's not just the players that were on the pitch, but also the ones on the bench, so I'm very happy with how it's gone."

LIA WALTI

"I'm very happy with tonight's victory, so late on against a strong team like Benfica, and playing my first game as a starter. We only scored the winning goal in the final few minutes, but we created lots of important chances, especially in the first half, and during the break we told ourselves that we had to keep pushing because sooner or later the goal would come. I think this new format is very exciting because we have the chance to face six different opponents, all of whom are top-level teams. It makes the competition even more fascinating.”

BARBARA BONANSEA

"We didn't start the match well, but conceding the goal probably helped us get into the game. I'm happy that I felt good physically, it was a great feeling. The team is maturing with every match, which is definitely a positive sign. We wanted to win this first match at all costs to start with three points and to give our fans something to cheer about. I'm delighted for Cecilia [Salvai]'s brace; she deserves this great feeling because she has suffered a lot in her career through injuries. This new format? I still have to fully work it out, but I can say that I find it interesting because it allows you to compete against more European teams and, as a result, allows you to improve more quickly."