Bianconere held to draw against Napoli | OneFootball

Juventus Women were held to a draw in Biella on Matchday 17 - the penultimate of the Regular Season - as their encounter with Napoli ended 1-1.

The Bianconere took the lead at the beginning of the second half through Sofia Cantore, but were pegged back by Klara Andrup's goal with a quarter of an hour left to play. The home team came close to retaking the lead several times in the closing stages, however they were unable to land a decisive blow.

First half: Juventus proactive, Napoli hold firm

Juventus started out with an attacking mindset and came close in just the fifth minute, when Cristiana Girelli’s effort was comfortably saved by Doris Bacic. In the 16th minute Hanna Bennison nearly gave Juve the lead with a right-footed strike from the edge of the box that hit the post, as a determined Juventus side tried to break the deadlock.

Napoli, however, reacted well and responded in the 39th minute when they pounced on a Martina Rosucci error that allowed Loreta Kullashi a shot at goal: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin was alert to the danger and parried the shot away.

The first period ended with score tied at 0-0, with the Bianconere the more enterprising of the two sides but imprecise in front of goal.

Second half: Cantore breaks the deadlock, Andrup equalizes

The second half started in the best possible way for Juventus: in the 52nd minute Barbara Bonansea delivered a precise cross for Cantore, who beat Bacic from close range to put the Bianconere ahead.

Juventus could have doubled their lead and they thought they had, through Paulina Krumbiegel, but the goal was disallowed because the ball was adjudged to have gone out of play prior to Cantore's cross. Napoli didn't give up and found the equaliser in the 74th minute through Andrup on the end of a counterattack.

Exciting but goalless end to the game

In the closing stages Juventus pushed with determination in search of the winning goal. In the 82nd minute Krumbiegel got free in the middle and tried a shot, but it flashed just wide. In the 90th minute Bonansea had a good chance, but her effort was blocked by the Napoli defence.

Despite a late home onslaught in the final minutes, there were to be no more goals and the Bianconere had to settle for a draw that left them ruing missed chances.

Gallery | Juventus Women vs Napoli

MASSIMILIANO CANZI

“What I take away from today is our spirit and desire to do well, except perhaps the first 10 minutes when we lost a lot of second balls, arriving late to challenges: then we grew into the game and we fixed a few things. I still have to see the match statistics, but we did a lot, created a lot of chances and only gave up a few. In that respect there were positives to take. We take a 1-1 draw which is not a result to throw away, but having so many chances and not taking them must require our attention so that we remain focused. If we look at the results it's a period in which we're not performing at our best: we will continue as we always have, we've never gotten overly excited when things were going well, and in the same way now I remain convinced of our qualities. We keep our spirits high and the results will keep coming. The tactical level of the league has risen a lot, so there are no easy games for anyone. The two new girls are fitting in well, they are showing their qualities, certainly settling into the Italian league is difficult, they are continuing their journey well.”

MARTINA ROSUCCI

“We lacked something in the final third, because we created a lot, conceding little: as always, when you don't put the game to bed, as was also the case at Sassuolo, you risk conceding goals. I'm sorry, because in my opinion it was still a good performance: we just weren’t clinical enough. However, we have a squad that we think can compete, a great group: in certain moments, our experience as Juventus players must make the difference. My role? Playing at the back is a bit different, and for me all the information I can take in during the week becomes fundamental. The goal is to get used to this role more and more, continuing to give all I can in terms of experience and presence with my teammates.”

JUVENTUS 1-1 NAPOLI

Pozzo La Marmora (Biella), Sunday 2 February, 2025 at 12:30 (CET) Women’s Serie A – Matchday 17

Goals: 52’ Cantore (J), 74’ Andrup (N)

Juventus: Peyraud-Magnin, Lenzini, Rosucci, Harviken, Krumbiegel (83’ Beccari), Bennison (72’ Brighton), Schatzer, Boattin, Cantore, Girelli (71’ Vangsgaard), Bonansea. Unused Substitutes: Kullberg, Lehmann, Thomas, Bergamaschi, Calligaris, Capelletti, Gallo, Proulx. Coach: Massimiliano Canzi.

Napoli: Bacic, Lundorf Skovsen, Pettenuzzo, Sandvej (61’ Sliskovic), Giordano (55’ Santoro), Bellucci, Muth, Di Giammarino (61’ Sciabica), Andrup, Kullashi (82’ Moretti), Banusic. Unused Substitutes: Beretta, Novellino, Jelcic, Langella, Gianfico. Coach: David Sassarini.

Referee: Giorgio Vergaro Assistants: Vittorio Consonni, Gianluca Li Vigni Fourth Official: Filippo Vigo

Bookings: 62’ Lundorf Skovsen (N), 89’ Bellucci (N), 90+5’ Sliskovic (N)

Next Match:

AC Milan-Juventus Women’s Serie A – Matchday 18 Saturday, 8 February, 2025 at 15:00 (CET) Cenrto Sportivo Peppino Vismara (Milan)