Juve women off the mark as Serie A returns in Italy after six months

Milan (AFP) – Juventus picked up where they left off with a 2-0 win over Hellas Verona as a new season of Serie A women’s football kicked off on Saturday after a six-month coronavirus break.

Rita Guarino’s Juventus were awarded a third consecutive Serie A title when the season was halted back in February, the Turin side having a nine-point gap on second-placed Fiorentina with six games to play.

Cristiana Girelli and Arianna Caruso’s goals sealed a Juventus win in Verona, where the champions also triumphed in their last match before the lockdown.

“It was important to start off on the right foot on a difficult pitch like Verona with our condition still not yet at 100 percent,” said Gaurino.

Fiorentina claimed a 4-0 win at home over Inter Milan, as they target a first Serie A women’s title since 2017, the year rivals Juventus were formed.

Napoli — one of two newly-promoted teams along with San Marino Academy — lost 1-0 at Pink Bari with the three remaining top-flight matches to be played on Sunday.

All matches this season will start behind closed doors, but Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina said it was hoped that fans could soon return.

“We hope to very quickly find solutions compatible with the current situation to allow fans to participate,” said Gravina.

The 12-team women’s league will run until May 23 next, with 22 games to play.