Fino alla fine – until the end – is more than a motto for Juventus. It’s an attitude, an inner compass, even a command. You could sense it in every step, every look, every gesture on Thursday night. It could be seen on the faces of Cristiana Girelli, Barbara Bonansea and the rest of the squad, who lived it for 90 minutes on the pitch at the FC Bayern Campus. They never let up, fought for every blade of grass.
But FC Bayern Women were anything but uncertain hosts following their painful defeat in Barcelona last week. They were a team who had learned from that chastening evening. They’d already proven that by beating Wolfsburg away from home at the weekend. Now José Barcala’s side were once again focused, even if things looked to be going against them for long periods. Striking the bar, decisions not going their way, but their attitude never faltered. And it all came to a head in added time when Lea Schüller combined all those virtues in one decisive moment.
Confidence meets patience
But well before that, Bayern had made it clear from the start that they wanted to win this second game of the league phase in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. They needed only 11 minutes for Pernille Harder to power in a header from Klara Bühl’s cross. Their control was evident on the pitch and reflected in the stats, with 68 percent possession over the first 30 minutes and 16 shots to eight over the 90 as the game was played mostly in the Juventus half. However, the visitors from Turin had a response of their own as Eva Schatzer netted an equaliser from a free-kick to cancel out the deficit after just six minutes.
Drama throughout
Bayern reacted with the quality of a team aware of its strengths. The domestic double winners kept doing their bit as they sought to retake the lead. However, luck was rarely on their side. It meant the game between the champions of Germany and Italy developed into a tense affair, including shots from Momoko Tanikawa and Georgia Stanway that both struck the woodwork.
Again, the numbers reflected the flow of the game. Bayern completed 705 out of 766 attempted passes (92 percent), while Juventus managed only 199 out of 243 (82 percent). “We fought until the end. It was hard work. We didn’t manage to convert our dominance into goals earlier on, but it was still a deserved win,” said goalkeeper Mala Grohs afterwards.
Schüller’s magic moment
Bayern were forced to wait a long time until their moment finally game. It was literally the last minute. After a call for a penalty in the dying moments was turned away, it looked like the game would end level. But in the fourth minute of added time, Bayern’s No.11 stepped up as she so often does.
Bayern launched what was likely going to be one final attack. A cross from Giulia Gwinn, headed down by Harder. Schüller was then quickest to react, beating goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin to the ball. Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir tried to clear off the line. It went to VAR, where they first checked for offside and then whether the ball had crossed the line. Seconds turned to an eternity before the goal was finally given – Schüller’s 99th in Bayern colours and a dominance that finally earned its reward with a 2-1 win. It was hard work, but they’d done it.
Caruso a central figure
One player who’s emerged as a key figure for Bayern in recent weeks also played a crucial role in this victory is Arianna Caruso, who spent seven and a half years at Juventus and knew exactly what Bayern would face. She’d made it clear what virtues would make the difference against Italy’s champions. Bayern needed patience, precision and commitment. Even when she had to go off with a knock, her influence was still palpable as a quiet foundation within the team.
A sign for the future
Nothing was able to stop Bayern getting the job done on Thursday. Barcala stressed afterwards that his team had fought till the end and got that deserved three points. The biggest lesson for him, though, was a different one. “Never give up and always believe in yourself,” he said. Or as the Italians say: Fino alla fine.
🏟️ Bayern will host Arsenal at the Allianz Arena in November:
🗞️ Read more about the win over Juventus:
👀 Arianna Caruso in the spotlight:
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