A night to remember, an unforgettable comeback and a victory that earned its place in Juventus Women’s history. Ahead of another European encounter with OL Lyonnes, our thoughts turn back to 23 March 2022, when the Bianconere defeated the French side 2-1 at the Allianz Stadium in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals.
It was a special victory, Juventus’ only win in their seven previous meetings with Lyon in the competition. A night that remains one of the most memorable moments in the Bianconere’s European journey.
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THAT NIGHT AT THE ALLIANZ STADIUM
Joe Montemurro’s Juventus went into the match having reached the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in their history, after progressing from a challenging group featuring Chelsea, Wolfsburg and Servette.
Their opponents were Lyon, seven-time European champions and one of the dominant forces in continental women’s football. The match got off to a difficult start for Juventus, with Catarina Macario heading the French side into the lead in the eighth minute from Selma Bacha’s cross.
Lyon controlled much of the first half, but Juventus stayed in the contest and found the determination to turn the match around after the break.
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THE COMEBACK: GIRELLI AND BONFANTINI ON TARGET
In the 62nd minute, Ellie Carpenter was sent off, leaving Lyon down to ten players and changing the balance of the match. The Bianconere stepped up the pressure and found the equaliser in the 70th minute through Cristiana Girelli, who capitalised on a mistake by goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi.
The Allianz Stadium came alive, Juventus continued to push forward and, in the 83rd minute, the decisive moment arrived. Agnese Bonfantini, who had come off the bench just two minutes earlier, latched onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Arianna Caruso and beat Bouhaddi with a diagonal finish to make it 2-1.
It was the goal that completed a remarkable comeback, with Bonfantini also earning the UEFA Player of the Match award for her decisive contribution.
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A VICTORY THAT MADE HISTORY
The victory at the Allianz Stadium was not enough to send Juventus through to the semi-finals. Lyon won the return leg 3-1 on 31 March and continued their journey towards an eighth European title, which they secured by de
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
