Goals, thrills, emotions: Juventus vs Inter finished 3 - 3

Goals, drama and entertainment under the rain in Biella: the Derby d’Italia, held on Matchday 21 of Serie A Women, lived up to expectations, with an Inter side already assured of second place facing a Juventus team in search of the point needed to mathematically secure a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds. The result was an electric encounter, full of twists in a breathless first half before a more controlled second period, ending in a 3-3 draw that both sides were pleased with. Everything happened before the break, with Inter taking the lead three times and Juventus responding on each occasion. Robustellini led the Nerazzurre’s flying start with a sensational brace in the opening nine minutes, interrupted only by an own goal from Andres. Penalties converted by Bonansea and Wullaert followed, before Vangsgaard struck in the final minutes of the first half to make it 3-3. Inter nearly snatched victory late on through Tomasevic, but the scoreline remained unchanged. Piovani’s side will now close out the season on Saturday 17 May at home to Como.

There was no tentative opening period: the match burst into life immediately, with three goals inside the opening ten minutes. The undisputed main figure was Robustellini, who repaid Piovani’s faith in spectacular fashion with a remarkable brace. She opened the scoring after just two minutes, meeting Bugeja’s pass on the right side of the area before unleashing an unstoppable finish beyond De Jong. Then, in the ninth minute, she timed her run perfectly at the back post to head home from an excellent cross by Glionna, just one minute after Juventus had equalised. The Bianconere had made it 1-1 in the eighth minute through an unfortunate own goal from Andres, with the ball deflecting in off the Spanish defender’s back. Inter continued to dictate play, but Juventus refused to back down and found another equaliser in the 28th minute. After a lengthy VAR review, referee Kovacevic awarded a penalty for a handball by Bowen following a Vangsgaard effort, and Bonansea converted from the spot past Rúnarsdóttir. As had happened earlier, however, Inter responded immediately. Following a scramble in the Juventus area, Bartoli beat Vangsgaard to the ball, leading to another lengthy review and a penalty for the Nerazzurre. Wullaert stayed ice-cool, sending the ball to the right of a motionless De Jong to score her 14th league goal of the season. Yet the drama was not over. Juventus stayed in the contest and equalised for the third time with virtually the final touch of the half: a deep cross from Schatzer found Harviken at the far post, and her clever play teed up Vangsgaard to fire forcefully into the roof of the net.

After a frenetic first half, the pace inevitably dropped after the interval. There were fewer chances and more mistakes, with both teams increasingly wary of leaving space. Juventus enjoyed more possession, while Inter struggled to find the same rhythm in build-up play. Piovani attempted to reinforce midfield by introducing Tomaselli and Schough for Glionna and Vilhjálmsdóttir in the 68th minute, but the Nerazzurre found it difficult to create clear openings, while the defence held firm without major scares. In the closing stages, though, it was Inter who came closest to a winner thanks to the lively impact of Tomasevic, introduced in the 81st minute for Detruyer. Just two minutes after coming on, the Montenegrin midfielder narrowly missed the post with a well-placed effort from the edge of the area, before nearly delivering the decisive moment in the 89th minute. Following a corner, she reacted quickest to a loose ball around the penalty spot, only to see her strike clip the top of the crossbar and fly over. It was the final thrill of a match that had everything — intensity, quality and emotion — exactly what you expect from a Derby d’Italia.

JUVENTUS-INTER WOMEN 3-3 | SCORESHEET

Goals: 2' Robustellini (I), 8' og Andres (J), 9' Robustellini (I), 28' pen. Bonansea (J), 34' pen. Wullaert (I), 50' Vangsgaard (J)

JUVENTUS (3-4-3): 1 De Jong; 71 Lenzini, 25 Calligaris, 5 Harviken; 19 Thomas (17 Godo 65'), 13 Walti, 6 Schatzer, 3 Carbonell; 11 Bonansea, 7 Capeta (36 Cambiaghi 79'), 14 Vangsgaard. Substitutes: 21 Rusek, 41 Martinazzi, 2 Perry, 4 Kullberg, 8 Rosucci, 28 Moretti, 29 Ferreira Pinto, 33 Brighton, 45 Rasmussen. Coach: Massimiliano Canzi

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Rúnarsdottir; 33 Bartoli, 3 Bowen, 5 Andrés; 18 Glionna (22 Schough 68'), 20 Detruyer (16 Tomasevic 81'), 10 Magull, 8 Vilhjalmsdottir (21 Tomaselli 68'), 14 Robustellini (13 Merlo 75'); 31 Wullaert (9 Polli 81'), 7 Bugeja. Substitutes: 23 Ivarsdottir, 34 Ferraro, 6 Santi, 19 Paz, 44 Consolini. Coach: Gianpiero Piovani

Added time: 5', 5'

Booked: 33' Vansgaard (J), 49' Walti (J), 95' Bowen (I)

Referee: Kovacevic Assistants: Storgato-Roncari Fourth official: Ferroni