Inter Women beaten by Juventus at the Breda

Inter Women suffered their first league defeat of the season as Juventus came from two goals down to claim a 3-2 victory at the Breda. The Nerazzurre dominated large spells of the match and took a 2-0 lead through a Brittany Raphino brace, but Juventus pulled one back from a set piece late on before completing the comeback in stoppage time. Goals from Chiba and Redondo in the 92nd and 94th minutes sealed the turnaround, ending Inter's unbeaten run. The Nerazzurre remain second in the table with 16 points from seven matches, five behind Roma. Sassarini's side will return to action on Wednesday 18 November, when they travel to face Real Madrid on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Women's Champions League.

THE MATCH

A cautious start, with both sides taking time to settle into the game. Inter and Juventus were wary of each other's attacking threat and focused on keeping things tight at the back. The Nerazzurre, however, were the first to threaten, making the most of Raphino's pace on the break. Twice the Haitian forward got in behind the Juventus defence and went to ground inside the penalty area, but the referee saw no reason to award a spot-kick, despite Inter using two review cards to request a check at the monitor. Juventus began creating chances around the half-hour mark, with Hayashi at the heart of their attacking play. Her first-time right-footed effort from the edge of the box flew narrowly wide of Rúnarsdóttir's right post. In the 38th minute, Hayashi delivered a cross from the right to find Pavan unmarked at the far post, but her header was comfortably gathered by the Inter goalkeeper. Rúnarsdóttir then produced a superb reflex save in the 44th minute. Noordman's cross was headed back across goal towards Carbonell, whose diving header took a deflection, forcing the goalkeeper to react brilliantly and claw the ball away despite being wrong-footed. At the other end, Inter's final chance of the half fell to Polli, who met Glionna's cross with a header from a promising position but failed to hit the target. After a first half that only came to life in the closing stages, Sassarini's side came out with renewed intensity and created two chances within a minute of the restart. The first came from a corner that reached Polli at the far post. She controlled the ball and got her shot away in a tight space, but fired over. Inter quickly regained possession and attacked down the right once again, with Bartoli delivering a cross that Bugeja headed over the bar. Caught off guard by Inter's fast start, Juventus responded through Hayashi, whose powerful right-footed volley looked destined for the top corner before Rúnarsdóttir produced a flying save. A breakthrough seemed inevitable, and it was Inter who struck in the 54th minute. Glionna swung in an inviting corner from the left, finding Raphino in the middle of the box. Brittany connected perfectly with her header before racing towards the bench to celebrate with her teammates.

The opener created more space for Inter as Juventus pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Raphino continued to trouble the Bianconere defence with her pace, forcing Rusek off her line, but Bugeja was unable to find the net from the rebound. The Maltese forward threatened again in the 71st minute, curling a right-footed effort narrowly over the crossbar. Inter were inches away from doubling their lead, and they only had to wait another three minutes. The tireless Glionna found space on the right once more and delivered a perfect cross into the middle, where Raphino met it with another powerful header to complete her brace in the 74th minute. The second goal appeared to put Inter firmly in control. In the 76th minute, Bugeja received the ball inside the box and struck a first-time left-footed effort against the crossbar. Magull, outstanding on her return to action, then went close herself, but her shot was deflected behind for a corner. Those missed chances would prove costly. Juventus pulled a goal back with just one minute remaining when substitute Chiba whipped in a dangerous corner that Sarriegi turned into the net. With four minutes of added time to play, the Bianconere sensed an opportunity. Chiba produced another moment of inspiration, collecting the ball on the left flank and spotting Rúnarsdóttir off her line. She sent a clever effort towards goal that struck the post before finding the net to make it 2-2 in the 92nd minute. But the drama was not over. Inter desperately pushed forward in search of a winner, only to be caught on the counterattack. Chiba played Redondo through on goal, and the Juventus forward kept her composure to beat Rúnarsdóttir with a right-footed finish, completing the comeback.

INTER WOMEN 2-3 JUVENTUS | MATCH DETAILS

Goals: 54', 74' Raphino (I), 89' Sarriegi (J), 92' Chiba (J), 94' Redondo (J)

INTER (4-4-2): 1 Rúnarsdóttir; 33 Bartoli, 24 Milinković, 5 Andrés, 14 Robustellini; 18 Glionna, 16 Tomašević, 8 Vilhjálmsdóttir (6 Santi 85'), 7 Bugeja (20 Detruyer 85'); 26 Raphino, 9 Polli (10 Magull 65'). Substitutes: 12 Forcinella, 99 Belli, 2 Kullberg, 4 Van Diemen, 17 Payne, 29 Giudici, 36 Cambiaghi, 43 Bressan. Head Coach: David Sassarini

JUVENTUS (3-5-2): 21 Rusek; 71 Lenzini, 8 Rosucci (15 Serturini 81'), 23 Salvai; 16 Noordman, 30 Hayashi, 6 Schatzer, 14 Bartel (22 Chiba 72'), 3 Carbonell; 19 Pavan (77 Sarriegi 72'), 20 Redondo. Substitutes: 1 De Jong, 40 Mallardi, 4 Sylla, 28 Graziani, 41 Piermarini, 46 Libran. Head Coach: Isaac Guerrero

Bookings: 27' Polli (I), 88' Andrés (I)

Added time: 3', 4'

Referee: Vailati. Assistant Referees: Allievi, Skura. Fourth Official: Comito. FVS Operator: Cassano