Milan are currently flying high in Serie A they have a chance to reach even higher altitudes If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement And with the Bianconere right on their heels they might find life at the top of the summit a little bit too crowded for their liking Fortunately, the ladies of Milan will have a chance to remain at the very top of that table, when they take on provincial side Tavagnacco this Saturday considering Fiorentina is a much stronger team The previously mentioned results against Roma and Inter would again, attest to this, as would the result against Orobica provincial side (and one they managed to have success against) One would hope that the Rossonere would also have the same results against the Friulian side And even though it is Halloween season I don’t want to frighten the Milanisti by the prospect of dropping points here and the Rossonere should surely be aware of this as well Let’s just hope that Capitano Valentina isn’t too tired to lead her squad after fulfilling her promise to walk all the way home from practice after winning the derby (and having walked all nine of those kilometers too) Winning the derby ✅Keeping the resolution ✅Getting to know Captain Giacinti better ✅Walk home from training with us! #SempreMilan #FollowTheRossonere pic.twitter.com/AuPgfT4R7S Probable Formation and Line-Up: (4-3-3) Korenciova Here’s to hoping the ladies can take all three points from this game and remain on top of Mount Everest for just a little while longer Sara Gama did not expect to be invited back so soon. As the Italy team she skippers prepared to fly back from the World Cup in France put a line through the old destination and scribbled in the new one “They told us we were being diverted to Rome,” Gama recalls wanted to see her and the rest of the Azzurre Gama and her team-mates first visited the Quirinale — Italy’s equivalent of the White House or No 10 Downing Street — in September 2018 It was the 120th anniversary of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) but Mattarella wished to take the opportunity to congratulate the women’s team on a historic achievement stood in the Great Hall of the Cuirassiers awaiting another audience with Mattarella whose white hair perhaps reminded Gama of Gastone the director of the first team she ever played for in her hometown of Trieste “Usually the president only invites athletes after a famous win or a major trophy,” Gama explains This time the Azzurre had lost in the quarter-finals to the Netherlands of Vivianne Miedema But Italy won hearts and minds up and down the country Milena Bertolini’s side were never even supposed to get out of a group widely considered the Group of Death And yet the Azzurre surprisingly topped it, upsetting Samatha Kerr’s Australia in their opener before hammering Jamaica 5-0 They captured a nation’s attention and imagination More than four million viewers tuned in to see Valentina Giacinti send China home in the Azzurre’s first knockout game The audience for the quarter-final was even bigger especially after not conceding a single goal from open play — how quintessentially Italian is that — the result did not diminish the impact they had back home “The president wished to send a message,” Gama reflects The invitation placed more emphasis on what we’d done While we were away in France something shifted in Italy and we only became truly aware of it when we got back.” Growing up not far from the Slovenian border in Trieste Gama never thought she would be where she is now acting as a consigliere on the board of the players’ association and the FIGC When I ask the 31-year-old what she would say to her younger self she replies: “I’d tell her you’ve come a long way and who would have thought it Gama writes that making it a footballer didn’t even figure in her wildest dreams “It’s hard to imagine something that apparently doesn’t exist,” she says The exposure the women’s game received was next to nothing Even when Italy had one of the best teams in the world in the late 1960s and early 1970s — “they were the real pioneers” Gama says — and started producing players like Betty Vignotto it wasn’t as if you could easily follow them on TV or read about them in the paper Morace only truly became a household name when the eccentric and publicity-hungry Luciano Gaucci made her the first woman to coach in the men’s game appointing her to take charge of third-division Viterbese in 1999 He’d later try to sign one of the greats of the era “The other nations started investing and we stopped,” Gama says of Italy’s time in the wilderness As a kid kicking a ball around the Topolini — the concrete resort houses on the seafront in Trieste that resemble Mickey Mouse’s ears in shape — she didn’t know who to look up to She made a career for herself out of nothing “You create it without knowing you’re doing it,” the centre-back says Only years later did I come to realise the difficulties I’d taken in my stride I was lucky I faced up to them with the right attitude and had a series of people around me who were good influences who invited her to come practice with his team her grandparents Maria and Gaspare who picked her up and dropped her off and her mother Lilliana who always came to watch her play even if she had no interest in football “My family never stopped me from doing what I wanted and I know that’s not the case with everyone,” Gama says Gama did not allow herself to be pushed into another sport She committed to football even if training near the water and the moored up boats at Polisportiva San Marco almost always took place amid a scourge of blood-thirsty mosquitos Gama debuted as a 14-year-old in Italy’s third division and when the national team selectors began to take notice of her she couldn’t quite believe it “There’s a national team?” was her incredulous reaction She’d never heard of Italy assembling teams at youth level and why would she it was there at the Borghesiana that Gama met Rita Guarino for the first time Guarino was the assistant manager and will presumably have been present when Enrico Sbardella although Veronica Cantoro was chosen instead Italy’s under-19s went all the way to the final of the European Championship and beat Norway to the trophy It was and still is the only piece of silverware a women’s team has ever won in Savoy blue “One of the first things that came to mind was: ‘OK they always say you need to get results for people to take notice and now we’ve gone and done it’ beating the hosts who were “full of today’s stars like Wendie Renard and lots of the girls who play for Lyon who’d go on to make history at international level.” Painfully no one back home looked up from their papers or stopped what they were doing to applaud them The women’s game continued to be forgotten about leapfrogging a couple of divisions to the top flight but the precarious position Gama found herself in left a profound impression on her playing football was not recognised as a profession for women Many of Gama’s team-mates got other jobs to support themselves often studying until 3am to finish her coursework after training sessions and match days All that kept her going was her passion and love for the game Tavagnacco contributed €100 towards her expenses every month and it speaks volumes about the state of the game in Italy at the time that Gama was thrilled to receive so little recompense for her efforts As she graduated from Tavagnacco and Chiasiellis to winning league titles with Brescia Progress was glacial and it was only when Gama moved to Paris Saint-Germain that she began to feel a sense of fulfilment “I was able to experience with my own eyes what I knew existed what it really felt like to be a footballer PSG trained next door to the men The pitches were the best Gama ever played on The support network the club put on for the players was first-class — physios Gama did not play as much as she would have liked and tore her achilles As much as Brescia tried to lure her back to Italy It wasn’t simply the marked difference in conditions that motivated her decision, it was the attitudes and disdain for the women’s game shown by key stakeholders at the top of the sport. Gama remembers leaving the 2015 Champions League final in Berlin, which PSG ended up losing 2-1 to Frankfurt and being asked if she’d heard about a comment made by Felice Belloli who at a meeting regarding the development of women’s football We can’t always talk about giving money to this bunch of lesbians.” Her reluctance to head home understandably hardened “Going back to my country where we got no consideration whatsoever just wasn’t a good prospect for me,” Gama reflects Italy appeared more backward than ever and yet that summer was actually a major turning point for the women’s game managed to force through a couple of significant amendments to the licences that professional men’s clubs apply for to be allowed to compete each season The first one made it mandatory for them to open their doors to at least 20 girls under the age of 12 and develop them The second allowed clubs to buy an existing women’s team rebrand it as their own and participate in Serie A Femminile “Fail to invest in women’s football and you wouldn’t be able to play football at all,” was the message it sent there weren’t any professional men’s teams involved,” Gama says To go in under their wing was the real change Something happened that had never happened before.” Gama decided to answer Brescia’s call and bid farewell to PSG her team-mates had turned up for the Coppa Italia final against Tavagnacco only to find no lines had been drawn on the pitch The game went ahead but the players were so affronted at the lack of respect shown to them that they abandoned the medal ceremony and began lobbying for reform They wanted the abolishment of a law that prevents amateur athletes from leaving their parent club until the age of 25 better management of the league’s TV rights a relief fund to help support players when teams go bust and the ability to sign long-term contracts It was as if their demands fell on deaf ears At the Super Cup between Brescia and Verona that September the players held up a banner Gama helped design with the slogan: “Some points are worth more than the ones in the table.” Every one of them received a retrospective yellow card Outraged by the absurd sanction they threatened to go on strike for the first gameweek of the season The league didn’t care and planned to go ahead without them granting some concessions in a major triumph for Gama and her team-mates one that served as inspiration for the men at amateur level too Since that moment the women’s game has grown exponentially Gama was on vacation in Greece when the phone rang “‘Juventus are getting involved in women’s football’ Rita told me she wanted me to come to Turin Juventus had bought the name of Cuneo’s women’s team and were putting together a title challenger for the upcoming season “I spoke to the sporting director of our women’s team and understood Juve wanted to do well straightaway They weren’t doing it just for the sake of it Juventus dethroned Fiorentina in their first year in Serie A and haven’t looked back The game they played in front of a full house at the Allianz Stadium in March 2019 was another landmark moment Juventus took the points with a 1-0 victory but the sport was the real winner “The same things I had in Paris are now available to me here,” Gama says “in a place that lives and breathes football perhaps even more because in Italy we have a big footballing tradition To be at a club as longstanding and prestigious as Juve is even better the last few years have been the happiest of my life.” the facility that was home to the men’s team until only a couple of years ago when they moved to Continassa next to the Allianz Stadium I’ve built up a relationship with Giorgio Chiellini because we share a passion for the politics of our sport and Giorgio is a consigliere at the players’ association Gama is thankful that Juventus and other established names like AC Milan, Roma and Inter entered the women’s game “They gave us dignity and have attracted more young girls to the game with their authority We need to keep working at amateur level to increase the numbers playing grassroots football 30,000 women and girls are registered to play and that figure is growing the top European countries have over 100,000 and others are on the way there There’s work to do because to have quality and increase the elite level that’s what we have to do.” Serie A Femminile matches are now broadcast every weekend on Sky Italia and it was a shame that the first AC Milan-Juventus game at San Siro had to be played behind closed doors earlier this month because of the pandemic Its appeal is widening with the reforms and investments made in 2015 culminating in the watershed moment that was last year’s World Cup If a second visit to the Quirinale was unexpected we said we want to enjoy every single moment of our World Cup We’d pursued it and sought insatiably to end our long absence from the most prestigious competition in the sport “We didn’t know that the men and women of this country were ready to embrace us Italy’s No 3 concluded by reading Article 3 of the Italian constitution “All citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law without distinction of sex personal and social conditions.” Gama concluded: “It is the duty of the Republic — which we’re all part of — to remove the obstacles of the economic and social order that are limiting the freedom and equality of the citizens by impeding the development of a person and the participation of all workers in the political A debt of gratitude is instead owed to Gama and her generation of footballers in Italy If Sara didn’t have a role model to follow when she was a girl from Barbara Bonansea and Cristiana Girelli to Elena Linari and Laura Fusetti “We have done more in five years than in the last 20,” she says We’ve got to keep investing in the young girls and women who today are preparing to become professional footballers here in Italy.” (Top photo: Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images) James Horncastle covers Serie A for The Athletic. He joins from ESPN and is working on a book about Roberto Baggio. Follow James on Twitter @JamesHorncastle Como 1907 is pleased to announce the signing Rossella Sardu grew up in the ranks of the Sassari Torres women’s team she was a permanent element in the first team squad winning an Italian Cup (in 2007) and the last edition of the Italy Women’s Cup (2008) After various experiences including loans at Roma CF and Orlandia between 2009 and 2012 she moved to Tavagnacco where she returned to Serie A She stayed at Tavagnacco for three consecutive seasons concluding her time there with 63 appearances and 10 goals to her name she has been the leader and pillar of the yellow and blue midfield advisor to Como 1907’s Women’s team commented: “One of the biggest things we need in the squad right now is experience Rossella knows what it takes to win and knows the ups and downs of an entire season Her leadership will be critical to the team” Rossella said: “The feeling is definitely more than positive the project and the ambitions of the club are important and we have the responsibility to play a championship that reflects expectations Working together to achieve three points in every game.” © Copyright 2025 Como 1907 Official Site Tavagnacco’s British Asian midfielder reflects on how football has taken her to Serie A in Italy via Blackburn and Dubai Millie Chandarana has come a long way since that rather unfortunate day when she had a trial for the boys’ school team. “I was eight years old and I scored a goal from the halfway line … but into the wrong net,” she says, laughing. “Afterwards my teacher told me I was good enough to join the local girls’ team but not the boys’ team just yet.” Chandarana did not let that mishap deter her. Only a few months later she had convinced the coach for the boys’ team at school that she was good enough to play with them. The rest, as they say, is history and she now plays for UPC Tavagnacco in Italy. The midfielder is one of few British Asian women – or men – who has made it to the top in football but she believes things are about to change. The Manchester-born 23-year-old spent one year with Leoni FC in Dubai in 2018 where she observed that attitudes among Asian women towards football are changing. Read more“I think it’s fair to say there are not that many Asian girls playing football That said I spent a year in Dubai and saw many Asian girls playing and participating and I imagine this interest will increase every year I think there has been a dramatic change in the last two to three years already so with time I think the development will be huge.” British Asian men make up only 0.2% of players in England’s top four divisions while the number of professional British Asian women footballers are even less prominent from the WSL down to the lower Northern and Southern National Leagues broke into Aston Villa’s women’s team last year and Kira Rai is a regular starter for Derby County Women is one of the people working on increasing these figures “Asian inclusion is a crucial part of the FA’s wider diversity and inclusion strategy as we recognise the importance of making football at all levels as truly representative and diverse as our society is,” he says Chandarana spent time at the Manchester United academy – despite being a diehard Manchester City fan – until she was 15 and played for the Blackburn Rovers LFC at the age of 16 Then came the move to Dubai before leading Loughborough University’s first XI to the National Championship finals for the first time in five years and Throughout her career she has felt fully backed by those closest to her “I have had the full support of all my family to pursue football as a career stemming from my family’s wish to push me to get a good education but also my realisation of the need for it.” Millie Chandarana scored against Juventus this season enjoys Serie A and is hoping she will get another contract at UPC Tavagnacco Photograph: UPC TavagnaccoThe move to Italy was tough but is also the thing “The move from England to Italy was a challenge I slowly became accustomed to communication on and off the pitch and now I’ve learned a new way of life Serie A is played at a greater tempo than where I have played before but the high intensity of training five times a week prepares me well for matches.” would like to continue playing in Italy and remains patient for news of the new season In the meantime she is hoping more young people will take pleasure in playing football If you are Asian or English or a boy or a girl Participation and enjoyment are the first steps to finding your passion becomes the first addition of the summer to coach Betty Bavagnoli’s squad Erzen spent the last two seasons at UPC Tavagnacco even scoring her first-ever Serie A goal against Roma when the two sides met at Stadio Tre Fontane during last season's campaign Erzen has previously played for clubs including LUV Graz and Olimpia Lubiana Betty Bavagnoli's side finished fourth in Serie A last term - and reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia - in what was their first-ever campaign I confirm that I have read the privacy policy – EU VAT IT09305501000 - all rights reserved logos and artwork are registered or unregistered trademarks of Soccer S.r.l All other trademarks may be the property of their respective holders Two leading clubs in Friuli join forces to coach the next generation The UEFA Round of 32 Tyreso 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Christen Press continued to build on her remarkable year with a pair of goals to give the Swedish side a narrow edge heading to Paris  Press was also whistled for the foul which led to PSG captain Sabrina Delannoy converting a penalty for the lone visiting goal  The game did not end without drama though as Tobin Heath hit the woodwork in an effort to bring the tie level now face the tough task of holding a one-goal lead in the return leg  Delannoy’s away goal means Paris Saint-Germain can go through with a 1-0 win next week FC Twente 0-4 Lyon: Lyon set a course for their 5th straight final by taking hold of this tie on the road in Holland  Louisa Necib put last year’s runners-up on top in the 22nd minute  Necib’s goal was supported by Saki Kumagai Lotta Schelin who all scored before an hour was up UPC Tavagnacco 3-2 Fortuna Hjorring: Maria Zuliani buried the deciding goal in the 74th minute to lead the Italian hosts back from 2-0 down after 28 minutes  Florentina Spanu Olar opened for the visiting Danish club in the 11th minute and captain Janni Arnth doubled the lead  It took only five minutes for Elisa Camporese to pull one back and Alessia Tuttino gave Tavagnacco a boost by leveling the proceedings in first half stoppage time  American Amanda McMullan was not available for selection by Fortuna Spratzern 2-2 Torres: Sabrina Marchese’s 90th minute goal delivered Torres a 2-2 draw away to Austrian side Spratzern and a decided advantage for their return match next week in Italy  Nicole Billa scored twice for Spratzern but was equalized on both times first by Silvia Fuselli and later Marchese who only entered the match in the 88th minute Glasgow City 2-2 Standard: Jessica Fishlock went the whole way for Glasgow and wound up in the referee’s book but it was teammate Suzanne Lappin who spoiled the party in Belgium by twice cancelling out leads for the hosts  Vanity Lewerissa (27th) and Tessa Wullaert (50th) gave Standard leads but Lappin struck back with goals in the 44th and 66th minutes Barcelona 0-0 Brondby: The only scoreless draw on the day give Brondby the edge with the tie on its way to Denmark and Kerys Harrop scored to give England a second away win on the day featured for the Finnish champs and was replaced after halftime Thor/KA 1-2 Zorky : Amy Barczuk and Ashley Nick went the full 90 for the Russian victors but neither factored in the scoring  Those honors went to Svetlana Tsydikova and Elena Morozova  Substitute Hafrun Olgeirsdottir gave the Icelandic side something to cheer about late and cut into the aggregate Parnu JK 0-14 Wolfsburg: The holders had a half dozen goals after 26 minutes and rolled to a lopsided win that will make for an awkward return leg next week in Germany  Lina Magull scored four times and Martina Muller had a hat trick in the win  Adding to the woes in Estonia was the 85th minute send off of keeper Elis Meetua CSHVSM-Kairat 1-7 Arsenal: Six different players scored for Arsenal in this first leg rout of the Kazakhstan side Katie Chapman and Freda Ayisi all found net as well The Gunners are well on their way to the Round of 16 Spartak Subotica 2-4 Rossiyanka: Natalia Shlyapina registered a hat trick – one the goals coming from the spot – to lift the ambitious Russian side past their Serbian hosts Nompumelelo Nyandeni had the other goal for Rossiyanka while José Nahi and Claudine Meffometou Tcheno scored for Spartak but questions remain on both sides of the.. The rookies have been stealing some of the show Gotham FC's midfield danced around the Washington Spirit in the team's 3-0 thrashing of.. If Lyon and Barcelona can win their Leg 2 matches “Playing in Europe was always a dream of mine.” This statement could be attributed.. Thinking back to her National Women’s Soccer League College Draft experience in 2021 17 December 2023 –  Matchday 11 of the Women's Serie B season Tavagnacco end 3-0 at the Il Noce Sports Centre in Noceto Colantuono's side were dominant from the start even if the returning Alessia Capelletti was the first keeper to make a save Captain Caterina Ambrosi opened the scoring inside the first 15 minutes with the first real chance of the game to deposit the ball precisely into the back of the net making it 1-0 Ambrosi tried to double the lead but the young goalkeeper did well to keep her out The shot topped off an impressive team action that started with a cross from Antoinette Jewel Williams onto the head of Gago a further header from Ferin and then the captain's shot The half hour mark saw an attempt from Benedetti that went over the bar and an intervention from Giada Novelli a minute later Nicole Peressotti took down DiStefano in the box and the referee pointed to the spot Parma were forced to make a change with Caterina Ferin going off injured and Primavera player Alessia Marchetti taking her place Vivien Beil stepped up and converted from the spot to make it 2-0 The same 22 players were out at the start of the second half Veronica Benedetti got her head on a corner kick and her shot flew just wide Alessia Marchetti picked up the cross to score her first goal in Serie B Colantuono made two changes in the 70th minute Aurora Pantano and Giorgia Miotto were on for Elena Nichele and Gaia DiStefano Veronica Benedetti passed from deep to Kelly Odette Gago who tried to beat the keeper Antoinette Jewel Williams off for Margherita Brscic and Federica Rizza for Viviana Aversa Vivien Biel served Gago in another good move ending in an explosive shot from Benedetti outside the box that went out of play That was it apart from a slight injury to Benedetti from a tackle who walked away just fine and the game finished 3-0 The Gialloblù remain second in the standings tied with Cesena (28) behind uo front leaders Ternana and Lazio (30) PARMA 3-0 TAVAGNCCO (Matchday 11 of Women's Serie B) Assistants: Simone Severini and Andrea Zanichelli Questo sito Web utilizza i cookie per migliorare la tua esperienza durante la navigazione nel sito Web i cookie classificati come necessari vengono memorizzati nel browser in quanto sono essenziali per il funzionamento delle funzionalità di base del sito Web Utilizziamo anche cookie di terze parti che ci aiutano ad analizzare e capire come utilizzi questo sito web Questi cookie verranno memorizzati nel tuo browser solo con il tuo consenso Hai anche la possibilità di disattivare questi cookie Ma la disattivazione di alcuni di questi cookie potrebbe avere un effetto sulla tua esperienza di navigazione I cookie necessari sono assolutamente essenziali per il corretto funzionamento del sito web Questa categoria include solo i cookie che garantiscono funzionalità di base e caratteristiche di sicurezza del sito web Questi cookie non memorizzano alcuna informazione personale Tutti i cookie che potrebbero non essere particolarmente necessari per il funzionamento del sito Web e vengono utilizzati specificamente per raccogliere dati personali dell'utente tramite analisi altri contenuti incorporati sono definiti come cookie non necessari È obbligatorio ottenere il consenso dell'utente prima di eseguire questi cookie sul tuo sito web Utilizziamo i cookie sul nostro sito Web per offrirti l'esperienza più pertinente ricordando le tue preferenze Cliccando su 'Accetta' acconsenti all'uso di TUTTI i cookie Brescia were scheduled to play Tavagnacco on Saturday but the match has been scrapped the association representing female players and coaches the president of the county’s amateur football association allegedly made the comments when discussing funding for women’s football in the country At a meeting of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti he is alleged to have said: “That’s enough we can’t always talk about giving money to this bunch of lesbians.” The Italian Football Association (FIGC) opened an investigation last Friday after it had been sent the minutes of the LND meeting but Belloli was quick to deny making the comments “I never signed those minutes,” Belloli told La Gazzetta dello Sport and I can tell you why – because minutes can be taken and amended by anybody I know how the minutes are taken at the LND All I am saying is that I did not utter that phrase.” Luisa Rizzitelli, president of the national association for female athletes, is among those calling for Belloli to resign while Patrizia Panico, the Verona and Italy midfielder said that if the comments had been accurately reported then they were “sexist "I have a great relationship with all of my teammates the ones who I knew before and the younger girls who have integrated well into the group Also with the foreign players that we signed as it's nice to exchange new ideas and see things from a different point of view "Rita Guarino and her staff work well together in a coordinated manner that are a reflection of this team good and united both on the field and off it just like the players are." "Despite our good start we still have to improve we want to gain even more wins and score even more goals given the number of games that are left we have to carry on winning and scoring goals "It's nice to be crowned winter champions and although we enjoy this moment we are aware that we haven't done anything yet Let's think about Tavagnacco first so that we can finish the first half of the season in the best way possible." "It will be a very important match and I'm happy that the girls of Tavagnacco have the chance to play at the Dacia Arena This is something that is significant about the development of the women's game "Playing against them will be like a double challenge for me as I will be playing not only against a direct rival but also one of my former sides Our opponents are a tough team and we have to keep the concentration levels high." one of the nation's largest distributors of sports and leisure clothing is launching a new format of multi-brand stores in Italy--Intersport Superstore--dedicated to consumers who like to play sports while paying attention to affordable purchases.  The first two openings on the agenda are in Tavagnacco (Udine) and Tor Vergata (Rome) by the end of June which will involve new 160 jobs and five million Euro in investments five more openings are planned by the end of 2025 for total investments of €11.5 million as well as 400 hires The new sign is part of Cisalfa Group's expansion plan which aims to grow in the Italian market by differentiating from the historic Cisalfa Sport sign “We believe in a world in which wellness comes from sport: so we intend to make sports activity even more accessible to everyone which is also a way to promote social inclusion and the culture of a healthy lifestyle and movement,” said Boris Zanoletti The new stores will offer items at affordable price ranges The target audience is a diverse audience of all ages The spaces are distinguished by their large square footage and by offering an intuitive shopping experience through subdivision by sport The superstores also have corners for dedicated services and a custom printing service for clothing There are more than 12 thousand online and 8,000 in-store references as well as a selection of proprietary or exclusively licensed brands The new concept has state-of-the-art LED lighting and heating and air conditioning systems The perimeter structures of the displays are made of environmentally sustainable materials including metal and FSC- and PEFC-certified wood all consumers will also be able to take advantage of Intersport.it e-commerce there are also self-service kiosks to check product availability and register for the loyalty program (and find out the benefits) consumers have the opportunity to interact with digital screens which provide information on current promotions and training tutorials News of the new business venture in Italy comes shortly after the announcement of a development plan in Germany for which more than €50 million in investment has been earmarked with the goal of exceeding 80 stores by the end of 2025 Growth plans include the relaunch of Sport Scheck   $(document).ready(function() { adition.srq.push(function(api) { api.renderSlot("renderSlot_Rectangle-2"); }); }); READ ALSO: The Stores Nicole Sciberras was in the starting formation for Tavagnacco as they travelled to Sicily to face Palermo in a midweek Serie B game Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.  please register for free or log in to your account This Saturday, Fiorentina host league leaders Roma as our women look to narrow the gap at the top It’s a fixture with a rather short history in a period where so much has changed on the landscape of Italian women’s football The first meeting between the two clubs came just over four years ago when AS Roma became the latest Serie A club to take over an existing women’s club Fiorentina had been the first to do so back in 2015 taking the place of Firenze in a Serie A which included the likes of Tavagnacco the club which would later make way for AS Roma When Fiorentina made their announcement to the press alongside Sandro Mencucci the president of the women’s side of the club and like many of the squad (including Guagni and Orlandi) was kept on when Fiorentina took over and had come up through the youth ranks at Fiorentina to make it to the senior side were more than happy to remain in Florence when Fiorentina took Firenze’s place There were plenty of other players who did likewise such as young goalkeeper Francesca Durante who ended up playing more games than the new signing Another international goalkeeper who arrived was Réka Szőcs of Hungary but she failed to make a single appearance for the club and was gone by January Other players who stayed on from the old Firenze club included Greta Adami arriving at the club for her final season as a player Panico would add experience and goals to the new squad having won ten league titles and finishing as the league’s top goal scorer on 14 occasions Having made her debut for the Italian national team back in 1996 the striker had made over 200 international appearances and scored over 100 goals Panico was immediately impressed by the club’s attitude “I was struck by the objectives that ACF Fiorentina set for itself but are above all those of breaking down all the prejudices that still exist today regarding women’s football” That first season saw Fiorentina finish in third place and the following campaign brought that historic first women’s Scudetto to Florence beating Brescia in the final to claim the double On their way to the league title Fiorentina hosted Res Roma in January 2017 where Tatiana Bonetti Elena Linari and Greta Adami were the scorers in a 3-0 win and the tough defender will once again come face to face with not just her former club where she then made her debut in the top flight at the age of sixteen By the time Fiorentina took Firenze’s place When Fiorentina took part in Serie A for their first season, Linari was winning the double with Brescia, which she would then repeat in her first season back in Florence. In the Res Roma side, which lost in Florence in 2017 were the likes of Melania Martinovic who went on to play for Fiorentina, Arianna Caruso now at Juventus as is Claudia Ciccotti who was on the bench that day Fiorentina also beat Res Roma on the final day of that season with Bonetti’s injury time winner the only goal of the game The 2017/18 season saw the arrival of Juventus in Serie A, who would go on to dominate the league. Fiorentina did retain their Coppa Italia, defeating Brescia in the final, but finished in third place behind title winners Juventus and Brescia. With Milan then taking over Brescia’s place in Serie A, this allowed Fiorentina to take their Champions League place They first had to overcome Tavagnacco in a play-off as both sides had finished the season level on points This would be the last appearance of Res Roma in Serie A 4-0 in the capital and a 5-0 win in Florence on the penultimate day of the season AS Roma would make their debut in the 2018/19 season Some of the players who remained from Res Roma included Ciccotti and Greggi Among the new arrivals were English born Emma Lipman signing from Verona Their captain would be another new signing but a player making a return to her home city where the defender had been a part of the double winning squad having previously won a Scudetto with Torres Roma CF have been around in one form or another since 1965 (before Serie A arrived) and are still going to this day The history of Roma CF is in many ways tightly linked to the history of women’s football in Italy and Serie A It may even be possible to connect a major piece of Fiorentina history with the founding of the club based in the Lido di Ostia area of the city The woman responsible for creating the club was Mira Rosi Bellei Her interest in football came after attending lessons at Bologna University from none other than Fulvio Bernardini was of course the man who led Fiorentina to our first ever Scudetto win in 1956 It was no easy feat setting up a women’s team in those days and the squad trained at 5am to avoid the derision of the many who saw it as a joke Opponents were hard to find for the friendly matches they played the first one coming against a team from Napoli and this was the main reason as to why Mira’s husband Franco Bellei started up another club the first Serie A championship for women would take place an Italy women’s team would play their first ever international game when they took on and defeated Czechoslovakia in Viareggio Now the stage was set for a league title to finally be fought for In the end two different organisations would run a championship The FICF (Federazione Italiana Calcio Femminile) had just been founded in 1968 and they attracted the largest number of clubs they were still able to run two groups of five clubs claiming victory in all eight games to finish four points ahead of Abano Milano and all of the players who appeared in that first ever Italy international game were members of the clubs taking part who competed against each other in Group B Roma topped the group winning all their matches defeating Giovani Viola 6-3 and 3-0 along the way Those were the only defeats the Viola team suffered but they ended up in third place missing out on a spot in the final group That went instead to Cagliari who finished a point ahead of the Viola with the sides ending level in both their meetings Lazio ended up bottom of the group as they failed to win a single game Their single point came in a draw with Napoli while they suffered heavy defeats at the hands of their sister club Roma running out 9-0 and 5-1 winners when the two met The other group saw Real Torino come out on top four points ahead of both Genova and Ambrosiana These two teams then met in a play-off in Turin to decide who would make it to the final stage with Genova coming out on top as 3-1 winners The top four teams now played the semi-final stage over two legs with Roma getting the better of Real Torino they would have been expected to have enough to overcome Genova in the final Albertina Rosasco’s goal was enough to give Genova the victory they would go down in history as the first ever league winners in Italy Roma would have their revenge the following season with all ten teams competing in one single division for the FICF title Giovani Viola had become Fiorentina Elettroplaid Abano Milano came over from UISP and were now known as Sanyo Milano an early sign of things to come as many clubs would take on the name of their main sponsors and owners Fiorentina were unable to compete with the likes of Roma while also suffering a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Genova Roma went unbeaten throughout the championship and defeated Genova when the sides met in the capital but as they finished level on points a play-off was required to decide the title winners The initial game finished scoreless in Livorno in December This was held in Grossetto where Roma finally overcame their rivals Barbara Ostili was in the side to replace the league’s top scorer Stefania Medri and it was her goal midway through the second half which decided the tie Moments earlier Maria Grazia Gerwien had an effort hit the crossbar and Genova were forced to surrender their title to ACF Roma as a mutiny led by Gommagomma Meda (Milan) saw yet another federation formed The FICF’s reaction was to assign the previous season’s title to Genova as a punishment for Roma’s deflection and it wasn’t until three years later when the federations unified that Roma’s title was officially reinstated The new league organised by the FFIGC had now expanded to 14 teams which included two Swiss players Madeleine Boll and Kathrin Moser along with a young Betty Vignotto did lose an early season game at home to Roma but with just two defeats in their 26 games they had a five point winning margin over Brevetti Gabbiani Piacenza Fiorentina Elettroplaid did manage to defeat Roma 1-0 at home while they lost the away fixture by the same score line Roma ended the season in fourth place with Fiorentina in seventh Fiorentina lost both their meetings with Roma as the team from the capital ended the campaign as runners-up to Piacenza with Fiorentina in eight place 1971 also saw the first running of the Coppa Italia and Fiorentina and Roma would meet in the final Fiorentina defeated Autoroma Bergamo and Reggina to reach the decider while Roma overcame Napoli This was not the same Lazio that Mira Rosi Bellei’s husband had set up some of the players and the manager left to form another club Zucchet Lazio which then became Lazio Lubiam Lazio 2000 were at this stage known as ACF Lazio but were also competing in the Serie B regional league They would make just one return to Serie A in 1985 would go on to win five league titles and four Coppa Italia It was this Lazio which would concede their sporting title to the main Lazio club in 2015 while in Serie B Fiorentina’s side included two Danish internationals Hansen and Maria Ševčíková (originally from Czechoslovakia) while Roma had the English player Sue Lopez and the Austrian Monika Karner It was Karner who scored the only goal of the game as Roma lifted the first ever Coppa Italia finally there was agreement between the different federations her love affair with football was coming to an end When players from her team were tempted away by other clubs and receiving no support from the federation she withdrew her side from the 1974 campaign Bellei should always be remembered as one of the main players in bringing women’s football to the capital The club would continue on and return to Serie A in 1976 They have played under several different names but they would never again repeat the early successes of Bellei’s club Their last appearance in Serie A came in the 2011/12 season where they ended up bottom of the table without a single win While CF Roma never recovered and now compete in Serie C two seasons later Res Roma made their debut in the top tier the first time that Firenze came face to face with Res Roma While Res were in the process of winning promotion from Serie B and were drawn to face Firenze in the last sixteen could really be seen as the first meeting of the clubs which would go on to become the Fiorentina and Roma that we now see in Serie A Res Roma knocked Firenze out of the Coppa Italia The Res Roma goals were scored by Francesca Pittaccio who later moved to CF Roma and now plays with Lazio is still playing with the club which continued on after ceding their place to AS Roma Res Roma finished in ninth place out of 16 teams When the sides met in Rome early in the season Having already lost their opening three games they did get their revenge when Res Roma came to Florence in February The 2014/15 season would be the final campaign for Firenze though a long way behind the winners AGSM Verona Panico ended the season as top scorer yet again Firenze and Res Roma met in Florence in December and a late goal from Giulia Orlandi was enough to give the home side victory the home side took a 2-0 lead into the break Firenze came back in the second half and the game ended 2-2 Fiorentina’s first season in Serie A gave them two wins over Res Roma they arrived in Serie A for the 2018/19 season The game in Rome ended scoreless and when the sides met again in Florence it was on the final day of the season Roma were already guaranteed to finish fourth but Fiorentina still had a chance to win the Scudetto although it took a late penalty from Valery Vigilucci to claim a 2-1 win Juventus were already strolling to a 3-0 win Just three days before that last day meeting This was at the semi-final stage of the Coppa Italia with the sides level 1-1 from the first leg Tatiana Bonetti had given Fiorentina the lead away from home but Annamaria Serturini’s penalty meant it was all to play for in Florence This time Bonetti and Alice Parisi scored in a 2-0 win which took Fiorentina to the final It pitted a major piece of women’s football history The Serie A side made light work of the tie The 2019/20 season would be cut short due to the Covid pandemic but Fiorentina and Roma did manage to meet twice It also gave Roma their first victory over Fiorentina as they announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with The sides met in Florence on the second day of the season with Roma having suffered a 3-0 defeat at home to Milan on the opening day while Fiorentina had won 4-2 away in the Tuscan derby with Florentia San Gimignano Serturini opened the scoring just before the break a player who enjoys scoring against Fiorentina and Norway’s Andrine Hegerberg sealed the win later on Roma were in fourth place just one point behind both Fiorentina and Milan with those two teams having played a game less with Fiorentina taking the Champions League spot thanks to their better goal difference 2020/21 saw Roma fail to improve in the table but Fiorentina had started to slip away from the top The Viola did manage to finish ahead of Roma but they were 12 points off Sassuolo in third Fiorentina did manage a draw away from home Daniela Sabatino giving us an early lead before Paloma Lázaro levelled the tie Lázaro had just joined Roma from Fiorentina that summer put Roma in front but Bonetti made it 2-2 ten minutes from time Sara Baldi gave Fiorentina a first-half lead After the break a Manuela Giugliano penalty made it 1-1 and just three minutes later Roma found the winner That win put Roma eight points clear of Fiorentina with just four games to play Roma managed just three points from their remaining matches while Fiorentina claimed maximum points to pip them to fourth spot and a just reward for how much the club had invested in the women’s side of the game It was also more than just a sign that Roma could become one of the clubs to challenge Juventus at the top that their Champions League place would soon be at risk They had beaten Juventus over two legs in the semi-final showing that they were well able to mix it with the best Fiorentina now knew that they had yet another rival to compete with if they were to remain among the top Serie A clubs One of Roma’s early games on their way to winning that Coppa Italia saw them face CF Roma again CF Roma were competing in Serie B at the time and after an hour of play found themselves 3-0 down thanks to an Andressa hat-trick This allowed Roma to make some changes and bring on some younger players among those were Alessandra Massa who had signed from Genoa scored two late goals to round off a 7-0 win If the 2020/21 season had been about Roma breathing down Fiorentina’s neck last season saw them leave the Viola far behind In what could be seen as a season of transition for Fiorentina Patrizia Panico replacing Antonio Cincotta as manager the club was forced to worry more about avoiding a relegation battle than fighting for a Champions League place with Alessandro Spugna taking over from Bavagnoli who moved upstairs was strengthened gradually more than going through a complete overhaul They brought in the likes of Lucia Di Guglielmo who had already played under Spugna at Empoli and they also bagged themselves one of Italy’s brightest young talents Benedetta Glionna a player with a wealth of experience for her young age When Fiorentina travelled to face Roma in November on day nine the Viola had won three out of eight and suffered five defeats There was just one goal scored in the meeting between the two it was Serturini who again made Fiorentina suffer Roma’s gap over Fiorentina was now 10 points and when the sides would meet again in April they had increased it to a massive 27 points Sitting five points behind Juventus with three games left to play the Scudetto was probably out of reach at this stage but they also held a five point lead over Milan which meant that Champions League football was within their grasp for the very first time just three points above Napoli in the relegation zone Roma came into the game on the back of a 7-1 hammering of Verona where Milica Mijatović scored twice along with qualifying for another Coppa Italia final defeating Empoli The visitors opened the scoring in Florence through Di Guglielmo before a Sabatino penalty saw the sides go in level at the break. Lázaro put Roma back in front before Vigilucci drew the Viola level once more. There was heartbreak for Fiorentina as Sophie Haug scored an 89th minute winner, the Norwegian had joined Roma during the winter transfer window Roma now had one foot in the Champions League while Napoli’s draw with Sassuolo left Fiorentina sweating on their survival The penultimate day of the season saw Juventus confirm their fifth consecutive league title while Roma sealed their Champions League qualification in style with an 8-0 win over Sampdoria Fiorentina were guaranteed their place in this season’s Serie A thanks to a narrow win at Pomigliano and although they finished the season with a 6-0 win over Empoli which moved them up to seventh place that 30 point gap to Roma showed just how much they had fallen off the pace Roma were unable to retain their Coppa Italia title Two goals in the last ten minutes meant Juventus had done the double Roma did get some revenge earlier this season when they won the Supercoppa for the first time that Juventus had failed to claim that title too While Roma had clearly become one of the top clubs in Italy there may have been some doubts this season as to whether they could cope with Champions League football for the first time along with the domestic challenges Manager Spugna now had a successful first season under his belt at the club They brought in players such as Norma Cinotti of Empoli (another player who Spugna knows well after Empoli ceded their place in Serie A to Parma) Giacinti had spent the second half of last season with Fiorentina and Roma were only too happy to snap the striker up after her fallout with Milan They also brought in Japanese defender Moeka Minami who has settled in quickly and become an ever-present in the team The two Norwegian players who arrived halfway through last season have had the whole pre-season with the squad has been one of the most impressive players in Serie A this season Panico too has her first season out of the way Alice Parisi and Laura Agard have returned to the club and several new foreign players have already impressed Kaja Eržen is no stranger to the Italian league The Slovenian international spent last season at Napoli and before that she had two seasons with Roma after signing from Tavagnacco Jazmin Nichole Jackmon is an American defender but she already has Champions League experience having played with Serbian club Spartak Subotica last season Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir is an Icelandic international who has played with Eintracht Frankfurt and the midfielder made her senior debut with her first club Haukar at the age of fifteen Zsanett Kaján is a Hungarian international After failing to make the starting line-up when she joined OL Reign Zsanett made the decision to return to Europe She certainly made a quick impact at Fiorentina scoring twice on the opening day of this season to give Fiorentina a 3-1 victory away to Milan Another new arrival who scored on the opening day was Milica Mijatović The Serbian international will be coming up against her former club when we take on Roma this weekend having spent the second half of last season there Milica played seven Serie A games with Roma and the forward is a much-travelled player along with a couple of experiences in Sweden Milica has played in all 12 league games so far this season and also found the net in our most recent Coppa Italia win over Verona Fiorentina went to the capital to take on Roma The Viola came away with an impressive 3-0 win thanks to goals from Kaján When Fiorentina travelled to face Roma earlier this season we went there with maximum points from their opening three games This saw us as early leaders alongside Sampdoria while Roma were three points behind having lost their most recent game to Juventus Fiorentina went in ahead at the break in Rome but two second half goals from Haug and Giacinti gave the home side the win Roma won their next seven games which saw them take the lead in the table Their last league game brought them face to face with Juventus and they went into the game with a six point lead over their rivals Roma took an early lead through Serturini but ended up losing 4-2 This means that Juventus are now just three points behind in second place and a win on Saturday would take them to within two points of Roma Roma have made a big impression in the competition defeating Glasgow City and then Paris FC on penalties To reach the group stage they needed to overcome Sparta Prague and they won both legs on a 6-2 aggregate score line and finished a point behind the German giants Qualification for the last eight in Europe is a massive achievement in their first season in the competition and they now await the draw on January 20th to see who they will face at the quarter-final stage Fiorentina have already been active in the January market with the Swedish striker signed from Häcken ⚜️ ! ⚜️@pallohammarlund è una nuova giocatrice viola! ➡️ https://t.co/ZDDT7BVmW2#ForzaViola pic.twitter.com/tu9lE8xkt2 The latest arrival is Linda Tucceri Cimini who will bring plenty of experience to the defense ⚜️ | Linda Tucceri Cimini è una nuova giocatrice viola! ➡️ https://t.co/cMhR2I68HX#ForzaViola pic.twitter.com/IaudAFcu3Q It’s extraordinary to think that this is the first season of professionalism in the Italian women’s league This was something which decades ago seemed just around the corner when players from all over Europe wanted to come and play here when clubs and their sponsors were able to attract the top players Italy was at the forefront of organising international tournaments the proper investment and improvements never happened This left Italy lagging behind other countries and left women’s football here struggling for survival The men’s league suffered too and lost its place as the league where every player wanted to be it should now become easier to attract big names to Italy looking back at those early days and the very first season of Serie A in 1968 a team from Florence would take on a team from Rome and it’s good to know that not only were Florence and Rome a part of women’s football history but they are also very much a part of both its present and its future has put pen-to-paper on a new deal as her journey as a Rover continues Chandarana joined the club as a youngster and made her first-team debut at only 17-years-old in 2014 The 25-year-old went onto make 18 senior appearances during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons before departing the club for Loughborough Foxes Chandarana joined Italian side U.P.C Tavagnacco in the Serie A Feminie in 2019 The midfielder then moved to fellow Serie A Feminie side San Marino Academy for the 2020-21 season before returning to Rovers last summer Chandarana racked up 20 appearances last season as she enjoyed her first season in the Championship and will be looking to add more in the upcoming 2022-23 campaign Nicole Sciberras entered the fray in the second half as she featured in Tavagnacco’s 2-1 defeat against Cittadella in the Serie B Femminile Sciberras and her Tavagnacco team will cross swords with Como Women next Wednesday where the Malta women’s international will meet fellow national team member Emma Lipman Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.  To view comments, please register for free or log in to your account. The 24-year-old re-joins the club after six years away which has seen her play in Italy and San Marino Chandarana joined Rovers as a youngster and progressed through the youth ranks before making her first-team debut at 17-years-old in 2014 She went on to make 18 appearances for Rovers throughout both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 season before moving to the East Midlands to play for Loughborough Foxes Tavagnacco for the 2019-20 season where she played in the Serie A Feminine Chandrana also spent the 2020-21 campaign playing in Serie A but this time for San Marino Academy as she joined the side in 2020 But Chandarana is now back in the blue-and-white and is available for selection for today’s FA Women’s Championship game against Watford Malta women’s international defender Nicole Sciberras is set to start a new chapter at Tavagnacco as she is close to put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the Serie B side has been on the books of Italian champions Juventus Women for the past two seasons with whom she won a Viareggio Tournament in the 2019/2020 season and finished runner-up in both Serie A Primavera campaigns Sciberras played 27 games in two seasons with two goals against Sassuolo and Chievo Fortitudo Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.  Sampdoria is pleased to announce the signing of Italy international Agnese Bonfantini Meanwhile Sabah Seghir and Mariia Taleb have been loaned to S.S.D Malta women internationals Nicole Sciberras and Martina Borg crossed paths in the Serie B Femminile as Tavagnacco hosted Roma Calcio Femminile Defender Sciberras was in the starting formation for Tavagnacco as she played a full game Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.  Malta women internationals Emma Lipman and Nicole Sciberras met in Wednesday’s Serie B Femminile matchup between Como Women and Tavagnacco who are battling leaders Brescia for a Serie A promotion survived a late scare to claim a 2-1 victory Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. Malta women’s international forward Kailey Willis scored a couple of goals in her return for Hellas Verona Women’s youth team Willis contributed to her team’s 10-1 win over Tavagnacco in the Italian’s youth league with two goals after coming on in the second half Continue reading this article on Sports Desk.  Shona Zammit was handed a Serie A Femminile debut as she played in Pink Bari's 1-1 draw with Tavagnacco.  Nicole Sciberras played in Juventus Primavera's league game against Sassuolo with the Bianconere winning 7-1 The Malta defender was one of the scorers and was also named one of the best players by the journalists reporting the aforementioned game.  After missing out on Colchester United's 2-1 win over Leyton Orient in League Two Luke Gambin played 68 minutes as his team dumped out Tottenham Hotspur from the League Cup.  Read: Knocking out Spurs a great feat, says Gambin. Joe Ellul played a part in Maidenhead United's 1-1 draw with Harrogate Town in the National League.  Jordan Williams was in the starting XI as Thatcham Town drew 1-1 with Melksham Town in the National League.  Today's Lineup #kingfishers #kingfishersontheroad pic.twitter.com/YiVL30SUyX Havant and Waterlooville defeated Taunton Town to advance into the third qualifying round of the FA Cup with Sam Magri deployed in the starting XI.  Here’s the lineup in full #COYH pic.twitter.com/NZRzSH9uSx Maria Farrugia scored Sunderland AFC Ladies' second goal as the Black Cats emerged winners 2-0 over Burnley to advance to the first proper round of the FAWNL Cup.  47' GOAL FOR SUNDERLAND! What a goal from Maria Farrugia! The midfielder picks the ball up just inside the Burnley half, cleverly beating three defenders before finding the bottom corner from the edge of the area (2-0) pic.twitter.com/VWwuZHpHCg Jacob Borg was in the starting XI for Finn Harps as they held Cork City to a goalless stalemate.  Godwin Mckay's B.93 suffered a thumping 5-0 defeat against FC Helsingor in Denmark's third-tier Jana Barbara played a part in SGS Essen U-20's 7-1 rout of Herforder SV Borussia Friedenstal.  Zach Muscat was one of the starting defenders as Olhanense eased past Lagos 4-1 in Portugal's third-tie.  Another goal for Andrea Borg at Seton Hall Pirates as he was one of the scorers in their 4-1 win over NJIT.  please register for free or log in to your account.