27 April 2019
Destiny always seems to throw Juventus Women and Fiorentina together. Throughout the course of the Serie A Femminile season, the two battled each other for the ultimate prize: the Scudetto. And now, they will meet again on Sunday for a lunch time kick-off (12:30 CEST) at Parma’s Ennio Tardini Stadium.
Throughout the season, little has separated these two strong and dynamic sides, be it in the league, or the Italian Super Cup. Now it boils down to one more game
In fact, before these two sides had even met in the league, they had paired off against each other in the Italian Super Cup final in October 2018. The match, hosted at Stadio Alberto Picco in Spezia, saw a tightly-knit battle unfold.
Despite Juventus Women having the better chances in the first half, the two teams went into the break all square. Once the second half resumed, the pace and competitiveness was still at boiling point with both teams eager to turn the delicately poised scoreline in favour of themselves. However, it was Fiorentina who took the lead in the 68th minute when Clelland snatched the crucial victory and the Italian Super Cup crown. It would be a defeat that would hurt dearly, but one which would undoubtedly spark a determined and everlasting fire in Juventus.
A month after the Italian Super Cup disappointment, Rita Guarino’s ladies found themselves heading to Florence seeking revenge. At the time, the two teams were positioned second and third on the log, and the Bianconere knew that there was only one potential outcome for them: a victory.
Juventus came out with their guns blazing from the get-go, and they found themselves in front before the 10-minute mark when Girelli turned the ball into the back of the opposition’s net. Plenty of goal-mouth action then followed on either end of the field, and after the host’s squandered their best chance to draw level, Barbara Bonansea made no mistake in turning the result to 2-0 and putting the result beyond a doubt. Not only was the Super Cup defeat avenged, but the three points would be a crucial step forward in Juventus’ road to securing their second Scudetto trophy.
Perhaps the most significant victory in the ladies’ Scudetto triumph took place in the return leg league fixture at home to the Tuscan side. And what better stage to pull off a late than at the Allianz Stadium?
In front of a remarkable and record-breaking 39 000 crowd, the game saw a delicate battle unfold between the two sides. With emotions running high, each move was heavily calculated by both sets of players and coaches.
A defeat for either side would almost certainly double the chances of the victor’s success in the Scudetto race. It was because of that, that the two sides gave little to nothing away throughout the 90 minutes. It was only in the 85th minute, when the legs started to slow down, when Guarino’s charges put pressure on Fiorentina’s defence and capitalised on a defensive error to allow Sofie Pedersen to nod in the match-winner. It would be a victory that would allow Juventus to increase their one-point lead over their rivals to four with just four games to go.
With the overall scoreline from this season’s results, now 2-1 in favour of Juventus, one final game between these two competitive and impressive sides will take place. Fiorentina will be desperate to get their hands on the trophy after losing out on the league title on the final Serie A match day to the Bianconere, while Juventus will be eager to add yet another piece of silverware into their growing trophy cabinet.
If the three previous outings between these sides have proven anything, it’s that both teams will fight tooth and nail for the victory, and that fans can expect to see yet another incredible display unfold between these two sides.
