Napoli Women Edge Seven-Goal Thriller Over Ternana, Seizing Early Momentum in Serie A Campaign

For Ternana’s faithful at Stadio Libero Liberati, the afternoon began with hope and ended with heartache—a dramatic seven-goal contest ultimately tilting Napoli Women’s way, 4-3, in a match that illuminated both sides’ ambitions and anxieties as the new Serie A Women’s season unfolds.

The tempo was set almost instantly. Mere moments after kickoff, Lucia Pastrenge swept Ternana in front with a sharp finish in the 3rd minute, sending the home supporters into an early celebration. It was the kind of start Ternana craved after a chastening 5-0 defeat at Inter on opening day, a spark that briefly threatened to rewrite the narrative of their fledgling top-flight campaign.

But Napoli, resplendent in their road blue, responded with the poise of a side determined to announce their credentials among this year’s contenders. In the 19th minute, Cecilie Fløe Nielsen, among the league’s most promising forwards this season, drew the visitors level. Her goal—clean, precise, and coming on the heels of sustained pressure—signaled a shift in momentum that Ternana would struggle to arrest.

As the half wore on, Napoli’s composure in possession paid dividends. In a devastating two-minute burst just before the interval, the visitors delivered a pair of hammer blows. Natalie Rose Muth slotted home in the 44th minute, only for Cameron Brooks to add a third in first-half stoppage time, capping an incisive counterattack that left the Ternana defense scrambling. When the whistle sounded for halftime, Napoli had transformed a one-goal deficit into a commanding 3-1 lead—a testament to their ruthlessness in transition and Ternana’s struggles under mounting pressure.

Yet the second half, far from a procession, provided its own dramatic arc. Napoli extended their cushion with a fourth goal in the 53rd minute—details on the scorer remain unconfirmed, but the effect was unmistakable: a 4-1 advantage, the scoreboard tilting ominously away from the hosts.

Still, Ternana refused to wilt. Their persistence was rewarded in the 64th minute with a penalty, deftly converted to trim the deficit to 4-2. Now emboldened, Ternana pressed forward, searching for a foothold in a match that had threatened to become a rout. Their pressure yielded fruit again in the dying moments, a final goal in the 90th minute reducing Napoli’s lead to a single goal with barely enough time for a last assault.

But time, as ever, was the ultimate arbiter. Napoli held on, surviving a breathless finale to claim three urgent, hard-fought points.

For Ternana, the sting of a second consecutive defeat is softened only by the late resurgence that saw them nearly pull off an improbable comeback. But with ten goals conceded across their first two matches and the team rooted to 12th place without a point, the defensive vulnerabilities exposed in both outings loom large. The challenge for manager and players alike is clear: address the back line’s instability, or risk an early spiral towards the relegation fight.

Napoli, by contrast, continue their measured surge up the table. Following an opening-day win over Fiorentina, this victory propels them, at least temporarily, into the league’s top five—a marker of their intent for 2025-26. The scoring balance on display, from Fløe Nielsen’s clinical finishing to the midfield dynamism of Muth and Brooks, bodes well for a side intent on improving last year’s mid-table position.

Historically, matches between these sides have rarely lacked for drama, but this encounter will be remembered for its wild momentum swings and the sense that, for both teams, the season’s narrative is far from settled. Disciplinary records from today show no red cards issued, though the match’s high tempo and end-to-end action tested refereeing patience and player discipline alike.

Looking ahead, the stakes only heighten. For Ternana, the search for first points becomes urgent, with each fixture now shadowed by the specter of early-season crisis. Napoli, meanwhile, eye a stretch of fixtures that could cement their credentials as dark horses in a crowded Serie A Women’s title race, especially if their attack maintains today’s fluidity.

The season’s second matchday delivered fireworks and a warning: in Serie A Women, even the most comfortable leads demand vigilance. For Ternana and Napoli alike, the lessons of a seven-goal spectacle will echo well beyond the final whistle.