Manuela Giuliano: The Queen in the Middle Part IV #2302

First Champions League Campaign

Roma was cruising through the league they were on Pace to win the league title at the end of the season. They were heavily expected to do so with a big lead before the second portion of the season would begin. Manuela Giuliano certainly had played a part in all of that in addition to Valentina Giacinti As she was hitting historical goal-scoring marks in her first season in Rome. Along with a loaded squad from top to bottom with one of the best coaches in Europe. The European aspect was expected to be very interesting. The previous season the entire purpose of the campaign was more or less about qualifying for the Champions League for the first time. more than anything else. They ended up on the doorstep of a title and perhaps if one or two results had gone differently, they very well could have won something significant. All of what they did the previous season was leading up to the Champions League campaign the first they’ve ever experienced. Although Manuela Giuliano played for AC Milan, that occasionally was in the Champions League. it was going to be her first experience of Champions League football. Even though the majority of the Champions League campaign had taken place during the season, The experience that the Roma ladies had in Europe turned out to be a very memorable one. As I had already laid out earlier, Roma had to go through Glasgow City, Paris FC, and the qualifying rounds, and then Sparta Prague in the playoff over the two legs. Roma earned the right to be a part of the group stage. As I had mentioned before, their opponents in the group stage would be two-time Champions League winners German Giants Wolfsburg, Czech Republic side Slavic Prague, and St. Pölten from Austria. Ahead of their European campaign Only Valentina Giacinti, Andressa Alves, Haavi, and perhaps a few others had experience in the Champions League. It was a brand new world for these Romans including Manuela Giuliano after having her breakout season the season prior, she went into stardom during the season and now was going to have a chance to prove herself at the very best against the best. during the Champions League group stage, Roma’s difference Maker was Valentina Giacinti She galvanized on top of her experience proving to be a huge threat. Their first-ever match in the Champions League was at home against Sparta Prague. They had played their neighbors down the road Slavic Prague. Roma managed to take care of business A second-half strike from Valentina Giacinti made the difference as Roma won their first-ever match in the Champions League a truly historic moment. Next up was the big test against Wolfsburg. Roma continued to lean on Valentina Giacinti As she made it two goals out of two she cut open Wolfsburg inside of 3 minutes inevitably the German Giants fought back However, to the surprise of many, they held firm earning a massive draw At home. putting them in a good position. Four points out of the first two matches. Manuela Giuliano hadn’t found the back of the net yet, but it felt as if it would come sooner rather than later. The next time out it was in Austria against St. Pölten. It turned out to be an incredibly memorable evening. The Austrians took a two-goal lead before Roma managed to erase it. Roma scored four goals in the last 15 minutes starting with Linari 2 minutes later Valentina Giacinti then 3 minutes after that. Manuela Giuliano scored her first goal in the Champions League before Lazaro killed it and what turned out to be a seven-goal thriller. Roma ended up winning They were expected to win so perhaps It shouldn’t have required as much heavy lifting but they did get there in the end. However, they proved to be able to battle through adversity in a 4–3 victory. They then had to play Wolfsburg again this time in Germany. Let’s just say Roma did not have the best experience. Wolfsburg ran out to a two-goal lead before Alves nipped the advantage in the first half. Wolfsburg poured twice more running out to a three-goal lead before Haug scored a consolation goal in what was a six-goal Thriller in defeat. However, seven points through three matches is not too shabby, especially for a team that has never played in the Champions League. They then hosted St Pollen At home in Rome. Manuel Giuliano’s Best performance of the Champions League scored twice 2 minutes from each other bagging a brace in the Champions League continuing to be a standout for Roma that season. They then put three past Sparta Prague in Rome as Roma ended up with 10 points finishing second in the group. Unfortunately, finishing second in the group would have its consequences. They had to clash in the quarterfinals against Champions League favorites Barcelona. They played Barcelona in the quarterfinals before the second portion of the season as they wrapped up the title. It was a special occasion as They would play the first leg of the quarterfinals at the Stadio Olimpico where Roma’s men’s team plays. It was very emotional, particularly for those who had been at the club for many years. They weren’t expected to do anything, however, they did have their chances. a late goal in the first half gave Barcelona the victory, however Barcelona at that time was the best team in the world. yet they held them to just a goal at home. The second leg showed their dominance as they ripped off a 5–0 victory at the camp Nou. They lost 6'1 on aggregate. however, for their first season to take a draw with Wolfsburg a top three team in the world to get out of the group, and to hold Barcelona to just a goal at home, it was a positive performance and experience for the club’s first ever Champions League. Valentina Giacinti ended up with five Champions League goals leading the team. However, the second was Manuela Giuliano as she scored three goals all against the Austrians but nevertheless, the midfielder who hadn’t quite become the goal scorer that we know now was one of the team’s best players during the campaign. it ended rather ungloriously with a route in the end However, Roma undoubtedly made a step forward.

Wrapping Up the First Title

After getting ousted by Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals. Roma redirected their attention to closing down on their title. They went into the second portion of the season. Still holding an eight-point advantage remember Juventus was the only team that Roma lost to during the first part of the season. Winning against the rest again would almost guarantee the title even if they were to lose to Juventus twice in the championship round. Roma’s opponents during the championship round would be Fiorentina, Inter, Juventus & AC Milan. Against those very teams, Roma collected 18 out of 24 points. There was a growing confidence in their ability to close the deal in the championship round and win the title. Manuela Giuliano was very much at the center of everything. She may not have had the best numbers across the board, however, with what Rama could offer in the midfield with Greggi beside her and then in the attack with Haavi, Valentina Giacinti & Andressa Alves been very Stout defensively with one of the league’s best goalkeepers. The title was going to sit on their doorstep eventually, it would have taken a seismic collapse for that. not to be the case. However, before the championship round began Roma had to deal with the Copa Italia semi-final. They ended up with a little bit of adversity from a team not named Juventus before the second half of the season beginning they brought in. Vicky Losada from Manchester City to be a part of a late push for the title. They suffered a 1–0 defeat to AC Milan in the first leg of the Copa Italia semifinal. It was somewhat surprising in the second leg it looked like AC Milan was going to finish the job. Piemonte scored the first goal in the second leg as well as she did in the first. This put Roma in a two-goal hole. However, miraculously Roma managed to come back from dead. Andressa Alves got Roma back within distance with an equalizer at the end of the first half. Valentina Giacinti continued to be a superstar in attack as she leveled The tie late in the second half before. Vicky Losada killed it off as the new signing won it at the death-in-stoppage time to knock out AC Milan coming back from a two-goal deficit at a point to punch their ticket into the final against Juventus again. A League double was sitting on the table for them. It was unclear how everything was going to transpire but certainly Roma would at least collect one trophy shortly after the championship around the second portion of the season would begin. this was the inception of this. the first season in which this was the format. Roma would play Juventus, AC, Milan, Inter, Milan, and Fiorentina all twice through the next eight matches, Roma had the opportunity to mathematically clinch the title in the last three matches If all goes well. Their first match of the championship round was against Fiorentina. Manuela Giuliano scored on that night but she was not the only one as Roma rolled through them. Valentina Giacinti scored twice Wenninger scored another and Glionna added another. It was a 5–1 victory to start the second phase of the season sending a huge message then nothing will stop them from their title. AC Milan came next and turned out to be a 3–1 victory with goals from Linari, Haavi & Glionna. As they were cruising toward it. They then took on Inter Milan and absolutely smashed them to pieces It turned out to be a 6–1 victory Haavi twice Glionna twice Valentina Giacinti & Andressa Alves also added one a piece. Manuela Giuliano had a lot to do with many of the goals scored. In that match. She was the second-highest-rated player on the pitch. This set the much-anticipated clash with Juventus. Roma with the victory would be able to officially clinch the title the next week against Fiorentina. Roma had failed to beat Juventus all season. They haven’t had success beating Juventus other than in the Copa Italia the year before but in the league, they had no victories against Juventus in the last few seasons. it was going to take a lot and it did. Bonansea struck first for Juventus. It was immediately replied by Alves Juventus retook the lead with Caruso. Then Valentina Giacinti again proved to be a huge star for Roma and a huge difference score. The Equalizer was a half hour to go. In the dying moments of the match, a ball comes across the top It is fed by Manuel Giuliano to Haavi it the attacking areas. Haavi then unleashes An iconic cross from the right wing into the box. Sophie Haug Got her head on the end of it driving it into the back of the net as she falls to the floor. Roma finally did it. They beat Juventus at the death to stretch out their lead with the possibility of winning the title the very next game. In a nutshell, Sophie Haug on the back of her head won the title for Roma. It hadn’t been mathematically sorted out yet but essentially it did. That header won Roma their first-ever title. Sophie had a very productive season that year, however, she became an unlikely hearer as her header settled everything. As expected the next week Greggi & Bartoli scored to officially crown Roma as Champions. Manuela Giuliano had her fingerprints All over that first title. She’s not the only one that made an impact. However, even though in the broader sense, this is about the rise of Roma but also highlights Manuela Giuliano specifically. She came into Roma, started to develop her first few seasons broke through the year before, and became one of the best midfielders in the league the next year. Everyone played their role in it, but Manuela Giuliano was a huge part of it and there’s no looking past that. They played out a 2–2 draw with AC Milan as Alves converted a late penalty to avoid defeat for Roma. They almost lost again the following week against Inter Milan. As Roma came from behind again as Sophie Haug scored yet another winner It was celebration time in Rome as they were finally going to lift their title. They celebrated the road they traveled to finally get to it. It would be the first title Roma have won Since 2001. Now this may be a smaller deal in the grand scheme of things if and when the Roma men win the title. However, it is still a Roma League title. The final match day of The championship around was at Juventus. They gave Roma the Guard of Honor after they won the title. They have successfully pushed Juventus off the throne. However Juventus Ran riot during the final match day of the season. Roma suffered a 5–2 defeat, however, it didn’t truly matter becuase they had won the title. unfortunately, Juventus beat Roma at the death in the Copa Italia final as Roma was beat in the final for the second consecutive season. however, despite that. Roma had been crowned Champions and what was a truly dominating season. Roma finished a whopping 13 points in front of Juventus. Throughout the entire season, they ended up with 22 wins, one draw, and three losses. All three losses came against Juventus. In 27 games they only lost to one team. In all competitions through 46 matches. Roma ended up with 37 wins, four draws, and six losses a dominating campaign to say the least 104 goals scored over those 46 matches. Valentina Giacinti Hit high marks that season with the highest goals going campaign in club history with 20 goals. her arrival making a big influence on the title. Alves had her highest goal-scoring total with Roma with 14 goals Haavi added 10 goals with seven assists. Sophie Haug ended with eight goals in three assists. Roma had had the best defense. Camellia Caesar was one of the best goalkeepers and so on. However, as much as this is about Roma collectively and their success of dominance This is this entire story is surrounding Manuela Giuliano. The Italian midfielder was named into the team of the season just with many of her Roma teammates. She ended the first title with nine goals and three assists. three Champions League goals in her first campaign to go with what was a truly terrific season. Valentina Giacinti gets the credit and the praise and rightfully so. However, without Manuela Giuliano that season, Roma do not hit the marks that they did. collectively that first title will be remembered for multiple things. However, the header from Sophie Haug against Juventus was the most signifying moment of that entire season. Manuela Giuliano had continually developed through each season. She’s been at Roma. However, she wasn’t surprising anybody anymore. She was without question the best playmaker in the league and one of the best players In Europe, even if she was flying under the radar. Manuel Giuliano went into that Season as the vice Captain while putting together a masterful campaign that led to the first title. Manuel Giuliano and Roma weren’t satisfied yet though. They were just getting warmed up as she had her eyes on a second consecutive title.