Oh, ok, I had supposed that, since it was strange that she wasn't even on the bench. Good for Rachele Baldi, who gets the chance to challenge her for a starting place.
I wonder if Lazio can be considered a contender for the title, this season, or at least for a Champion's League worthy placement. Anyway, they opened their league with a win at Como's home. The goals came in the 2nd Half, with two headers; Clarisse Le Bihan scored the first one of them and then assisted Martina Piemonte for the second one. The hosts only scored one back at 89', with 20 yo Veronica Berardi, at her first goal in Serie A Femminile. Milan also won an away game by 1-2, but it looked much less easy. It was Genoa who went ahead first, at the end of the 1st Half, with Swedish FW Alice Söndergaard; and in the 2nd Hald they almost scored again with Caterina Bargi, who hit the post instead. Then, when everything seemed lost, Milan at first managed to equalize at 84' with Evelyn Ijeh (from golden assist by Chanté Dompig) and then even scored the winner at 90'+7' with Emma Koivisto! Ok, this is worth the same three points as Lazio, but it looked less convincing. Today's games: Como 1-2 Lazio Genoa 1-2 Milan Today's highlights: I won't give the standings yet, for this first match-day of Serie A Femminile; come on, it's obvious, who won is at three points, who lost at zero, and the others at 1!
Personaly I put Lazio as a top4 in my league prediction, under the trio I think as challenging for the title- Juve, Roma and Inter. I thought they looked good, but not on winning level, but actually they got a team full of strong leaders and profiles, like Piemonte, Bihan, Simonetti, Oliveiro, so maybe? Maybe a Champions Leage chance at least. If Lazio is a pleasantly surprising side , I think Fiorentina is the opposite, especially now that Bouqete has left.. Lazio has avoided, what Sassuolo usually does , that is selling players to top clubs. Milan is for me a bit of a wild card this season, they managed to keep their most important players and got a lot of, hopefully, developing talents
The Milan coach Suzanne Bakker told us in pre-season that they will try to compete for a champions league place.
Well, they will sure find some competition: apart from the three team who made top 3 last season; I see another one or two that could look better than Milan.
I couldn't watch the match: I am going to comment on it as soon as video-highlights from it will surface, probably tomorrow.
Actually highlights are available already (hope they're not geo-blocked). Juventus managed to win but they anyway showed some shortcomings, since the defense often faltered, starting from minute 6', when they took a goal from Lúcia Alves, and some players keep not delivering (when Amelie Vangsgaard runs towards the opponent goal, you got the precise impression... that she's never going to score! ). Actually it's the Italian veterans who keep the team alive: Barbara Bonansea had an heck of a match, assisting the first goal, scoring one (that was VAR-disallowed for one of the usual totally inconsequential micro-offsides of a player who was barely involved in the action) and being dangerous on multiple occasions; Cecilia Salvai, instead, was the unexpected hero of the match, with two goals from set-pieces' actions (the typical moments when she moves up on the pitch to use her height and her accuracy in headers, although the late winner, at 86'! , was actually scored with her right foot). So, Juventus get these crucial three points (losing or even just not winning vs Benfica at home would have probably spelled the end of any hope for a good run in this campaign, given the level of the other teams the bianconere are going to clash with ), but it's not like there are no problems with this team. The score: Juventus 2-1 Benfica The highlights:
Bonansea was actually unbelievably good, shame she didn't get that goal. I feel Juve might have a problem,as you hint, who's gonna score? Well Girelli, but then? Last season Cantore shared that resonsibility. In Roma they got a lot of hot scorers, even in midfield. Others I think Juve have made wise investments and played very well. You're assesment of Vangsgaard is btw spot on, someone most put some killer instinct into the girl, Girelli help!
Ha ha. I expect Bayern, instead, to take their revenge on Juventus for the loss they suffered from Barça. Maybe with what Italians call the typical "goal of the ex", by Arianna Caruso.
These are the official line-ups (4 Italian starters ): INTER (3-4-3): 1 Runarsdottir; 33 Bartoli, 5 Andres, 4 Pleidrup; 27 Csiszar, 6 Santi, 20 Detruyer, 14 Robustellini; 31 Wullaert, 11 Van Dijk, 18 Glionna. On the bench: 12 Piazza, 32 Belli, 3 Bowen, 7 Bugeja, 9 Polli, 13 Merlo, 16 Tomasevic, 21 Tomaselli, 22 Schough, 24 Milinkovic, 44 Consolini. Coach: Gianpiero Piovani KFF VLLAZNIA (4-2-3-1): 12 Recalde; 26 Rojas, 5 Bajraktari, 4 Vuksani, 2 Myvett; 7 Deda, 6 Strkalj; 13 Renteria, 20 Montenegro, 11 Doci; 19 Groves. On the bench: 1 Wilson, 3 Leba, 8 Berisha, 9 Borci, 15 Madril, 17 Ndoci, 29 Cid, 30 Mesa. Coach: Nikolin Leka Observations: some of Inter's usual starters are rested (most conspicuously Haley Bugeja): obviously the Albanian champions don't scare much. Elisa Bartoli just scored with an header, but it's disallowed for off-side.
Inter scores at 15': an own-goal by Arbiona Bajraktari from a Corner-Kick action; 1-0 Meanwhile, starting line-up from Real Madrid-Roma, that's going to start in less than an half-hour: Real Madrid (4-3-3): Frohms; Eva Navarro, Lakrar, Maria Mendez, Yasmim; Dabritz, Angeldahl, Weir; Feller, Alba Redondo, Linda Caicedo. Roma (4-3-3): Baldi; Di Guglielmo, Heatley, Van Diemen, Veje; Giugliano, Rieke, Greggi; Haavi, Viens, Pilgrim.
Not sure: it's always difficult to get info about injuries; it's not impossible that they're just being rested by not even calling them for the match. Yes, in their own goal.
2-0 at 23': Tessa Wullaert, from an assist by Nikée van Dijk (this young Dutch FW hasn't been bad since her signing).
3-0 at 31', from an all Belgian connection: Marie Detruyer from an assist by Tessa Wullaert. I predict a 5-0 at HT and then the game going into sleep-mode in the 2nd Half.
Chiara Robustellini had two good middle-range shots saved by the opponent GK so far (the 2nd one was even deflected on the crossbar): I wonder if she will manage to score, eventually.
Brace by Tessa Wullaert at 41' (exceptional control to dribble the GK). We're still in time for the 5-0 I had predicted.
The referee whistles at 45':00", with no additional time (no reason for it, in fact). Inter 4-0 Vllaznia at HT.