Juventus put an end to any Women’s Champions League speculation, AC Milan continue to baffle

Another weekend of Serie A Femminile action gave more away at the top of the table than it did at the bottom with some important clashes being played out. It was Matchday 2 of the playoff phase and one of the biggest results came in Milan where Inter were hosting Juventus.

As the season has progressed, there has been a very, very minor chance that Inter could overthrow Juventus in second place and perhaps grab that second Women’s Champions League spot.

The Nerazzurre form meant that they were daring to dream and whilst Juventus have still been a superb side all season, there have been the occasional chinks in the armour which is why AS Roma have such a firm grip on the title race right now.

For Inter to really achieve the unimaginable, they needed to absolutely maximise the playoff phase, especially against Juventus.

Juventus issue a reminder of their quality

Inter have been enjoying some very good support for their women’s team this season and that meant that when the game against Juventus kicked off in Sesto San Giovanni, there will have been a lot of excitement around the prospect of beating Juve and cutting the gap up to the second Champions League place.

A scrappy goal from Linda Sembrant after 15 minutes soon cut through the atmosphere though and all those past memories of facing Juventus likely come flooding back for the fans and the players.

Inter did remain heavily in the game though and it was the sort of contest that could have easily gone in another direction, exhibiting how far they have come this season under Rita Guarino.

Juventus are inevitable, though, and a superb header from Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir with twenty minutes left to play meant the task simply looked too great for the Nerazzurre. Even with one of Tabitha Chawinga‘s trademark goals that leave defenders wondering what just happened to them, Juve could still secure the points with a late goal from Barbara Bonansea.

That victory for Joe Montemurro’s side means that they are now 11 points ahead of Inter having played one game more, but they will certainly only be looking up towards Roma from here on in, which is what they were almost certainly doing all along. As for Inter, the task now is to consolidate third place ahead of AC Milan and Fiorentina who faced each other this weekend.

AC Milan’s confusing season continues

AC Milan have been an incredibly confusing team throughout this Serie A Femminile season. They have some superb players with the likes of Martina Piemonti, Kosovare Asllani, Kamila Dubcova, Christy Grimshaw, Valentina Bergamaschi and others.

They can play some really good football too, but the regular fillings out between coach Maurizio Ganz and some players seems to create some very unusual results. The match against Fiorentina nicely summed it all up in 90 minutes.

The Rossoneri were impressive during the opening stages of the game and that is why thanks to goals from Valery Vigilucci and Asllani, they were 2-0 up just after the 20-minute mark.

It was then former Milan player Veronica Boquete, who left under a cloud, who got Fiorentina back into things with a penalty in the 69th minute. There must have been immediate fear for Milan fans but then a penalty from Piemonte five minutes later seemed to secure the three points.

Thanks to Milan’s ability to create drama and anguish for themselves even when playing well, though, a defensive mix-up and a penalty meant that two goals in the 88th and 95th minutes saw the points get shared. The result is not going to have much of a lasting effect on Milan’s season, but it perfectly exhibits why they are not in that fight for a Champions League place, and especially not for the Serie A Femminile title.

Sassuolo win again, Como and Sampdoria share the points

Sassuolo further distanced themselves from the real relegation battle in Serie A despite being in the Survival Pool as they narrowly beat Parma 1-0 at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. The goal came from Martina Tomaselli after smart play from Lana Clelland.

The game with the most riding on it coming into the weekend saw Sampdoria host Como, but the 1-1 draw which featured great goals from Agnese Bonfantini and Matilde Pavan was of little use to either of the teams.

Serie A Femminile Play-off Matchday 2 results

Serie A Femminile table after Play-off Matchday 2