Juventus Women beat Sassuolo to clinch fifth straight league title

Juventus Women’s first chance to clinch the 2021-22 Serie A Femminile title this season involved some help from “friends” who reside in Florence. That help, of course, didn’t happen, which meant Juve’s next chance was going to come in the penultimate game of the season against a Sassuolo side that was in the midst of one of its best campaigns yet.

And on this Saturday afternoon at Vinovo, the champagne was flowing.

There will be another trophy added to the Juventus Museum at Allianz Stadium after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Sassuolo, giving Joe Montemurro the biggest prize in Italy for the first time since becoming the Bianconere’s head coach last summer. Juventus Women’s Scudetto streak now stands at five — in five years of being an official team, no less — after goals from Barbara Bonansea, Cristiana Girelli and Lisa Boattin gave Juve a 3-1 win over Sassuolo at Juventus Training Center at Vinovo.

This marks the first time that an Italian women’s team has ever one five straight league titles, with Torres Calcio Femminile winning four straight titles from 2009-10 to 2012-13.

Two of those goal scorers, the recently-extended Bonansea and Boattin, have been around for all five of those titles, the first four coming under former manager Rita Guarino. But this title, won with a game to spare ahead of next weekend’s season finale against Milan, follows up what has been a season in which Montemurro’s influence has come through both domestically and, especially, in the Women’s Champions League.

This season hasn’t been just one in which the best team in Italy won another Serie A Femminile title. It’s been one in which Juve has had another great year domestically and then with the added context of just how well the European campaign went.

Two different entities, sure, but it’s hard not to have one go with the other knowing just how dominant Juve’s been in Italy ever since they came to be five years ago.

“I have always followed Serie A, since I was a child,” Montemurro said after the game. “To be here, in a club that I have always supported, to win the scudetto is a very emotional moment. We’ve worked on the mentality, the girls have shown personality and character, which has brought them here.

“The most difficult matches? Those in which we were expected to win. This team has a very high standard, but a scudetto like this is just the starting point.”

Juventus Women — which will play Roma in the Coppa Italia final on May 22 — only isn’t the league leaders in goals heading into the final week of the season thanks to Roma’s 8-0 win over Sampdoria on Saturday. Juve’s again got the best defense. And even with a new coach, the quality of play has been a lot like it was during Guarino’s incredible four-year run.

And much like the final home game of the season in each of the four years Guarino was in charge, Montemurro’s final bow at Vinovo for the 2021-22 campaign ended with plenty of celebrations and a whole lot of champagne being busted out.