News
|
Juventus completed a perfect week with a hard-fought win over Fiorentina in Serie A. Federico Gatti’s tap-in proved to be enough to secure a third consecutive 1-0 win over the Viola.
A return to winning ways in the league was much needed and despite dominating the chances in the first half, Juve had to dig deep to hold on to the slender advantage against the team from Tuscany. THE MATCH Four times Juventus managed to put the ball into the back of the net in the first half against Fiorentina but only one goal separated the sides at the break. Only five minutes had elapsed Weston McKennie was the first to turn the ball beyond Pietro Terracciano in the Viola goal. No grumbles from the midfielder when his position was confirmed by VAR as being offside. On 12 minutes the situation for VAR became more complicated. A Filip Kostic cross was met by Federico Gatti inside the six-yard box but the ball slammed off the crossbar. Dusan Vlahovic was the first to react and turned the ball into the unguarded net, only for it to touch Bremer, in an offside position, on its way in. Third time lucky for the Bianconeri. A corner was majestically met by Bremer, whose header cannoned off the upright. Pouncing this time on the rebound was Gatti. The VAR check this time confirmed the goal was good. In the 33rd minute, more frustration for Juve. A well worked move kick started by a perfectly timed challenge by Danilo inside his own penalty area saw Federico Chiesa flight a cross onto the head of McKennie. Unselfishly Weston picked out Vlahovic, who slammed the ball home from close range. Another VAR check, another goal disallowed. This time McKennie was adjudged to have sneaked ahead of the defensive line at the moment of Chieas’s cross. At the end of the frantic opening 45 minutes Juve were in command but had just one goal to show for it. The second half was the flip side of the first. Fiorentina dominated possession and as the game wore on created serious problems for the Juve rearguard. Thankfully Wojciech Szczesny was there as the last line of defence. The keeper made his first save, albeit a comfortable one, on 55 minutes from an Antonin Barak shot. A minute later Nikola Milenkovic desperately slid in to divert an inviting Kostic cross out of the path of the oncoming Juve attack. The Viola defender watched as his clearance almost crept in at the far post. With twenty minutes remaining Nico Gonzalez wriggled free from Danilo’s marking only to overhit his cross. Four minutes later the Argentine again made space for himself. However, his goal-bound shot was finger-tipped onto the crossbar by Tek. A jaw-dropping save. Szczesny, and all the Biaconeri in the stadium , breathed a sigh of relief when he could calmly pluck the ball out of the air with five minutes to play. The keeper had just parried another dangerous cross, which fell to Lucas Beltran, but the forward’s shot spun off his teammate M’Bala Nzola high into the air, for Szczesny to claim. The first win in five league games was warmly received by all inside the ground at the referee’s full-time whistle, especially as it arrived hot on the heels of the midweek Italian Cup semi-final first leg win over Lazio. JUVENTUS 1-0 FIORENTINA (HT: 1-0): Scorer: 21' Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (75′ Alcaraz), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (58′ Iling Jr); Vlahovic (84′ Kean), Chiesa (58′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Miretti, Weah, Rugani, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Kayod (82′ Dodò), Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Mandragora (45′ Maxime Lopez) , Bonaventura; Nico Gonzalez, Barak (60′ Nzola), Kouamé (60′ Beltran); Belotti (45′ Sottil). Subs not used: Christensen, Arthur, Ikoné, Castrovilli, Infantino, Faraoni, Martinez Quarta, Duncan, Comuzzo, Parisi. Coach: Italiano. Referee: La Penna. Bookings: 68′ Cambiaso, 84′ Yildiz, 93′ Beltran. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus took a convincing lead in the Italian Cup semi-final against Lazio with a 2-0 first leg victory at the Allianz Stadium.
Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic transformed Juve’s second-half dominance into goals. Chiesa scored on 50 minutes, Vlahovic on 64’. The return leg in three weeks now cannot come around quickly enough. THE MATCH A change of venues and a change of competition but the second showdown in quick succession against Lazio was just as tightly contested as the previous encounter just three days before at the Olimpico in Rome. As in the league meeting, the deadlock remained unbroken at half-time also in the Italian Cup semi-final home leg. The story could have been different had the referee not overturned his initial decision to award Juventus a penalty on 11 minutes. Andrea Cambiaso was caught by Matias Vecino as the Uruguayan midfielder attempted to clear after a spate of Bianconeri pressure. However, after an on-field review it was decided that Cambiaso had actually come back from an offside position before being fouled. Complicating the first half was a booking for Federico Gatti, who will now miss the return leg through suspension. Among all the tough tackling and tight marking, either side did manage to create a chance before the break. The first fell to Lazio on 39 minutes when Luis Alberto’s looping header came back off the crossbar. Mattia Perin appeared to have the situation under control. Inside first-half stoppage time Adrien Rabiot responded with a rasping volley from the edge of the area that stung the gloves of Christos Mandas. The second half was a different story altogether. Juventus put on a powerful display. Pure determination was matched by some silky skills and lethal finishing. The opening goal arrived five minutes after the restart. Andrea Cambiaso worked his way into space inside his own half before releasing a defence-splitting pass into the path of Federico Chiesa. The number 7 took one touch before steering his shot into the far corner. The Bianconeri continued to push and grabbed a second a quarter of an hour later. Weston McKennie and Dusan Vlahovic worked together on the counter attack, with McKennie combining once more to set up another Vlahovic finish. In defence the hosts conceded nothing and relentlessly pushed on in search of a third goal. Federico Gatti placed a header just wide from a Filip Kostic corner. Tim Weah and Kenan Yildiz strode forward in support of Vlahovic with five minutes to play but the number 9 was denied a second home double against the Biancoceleste as Mandas somehow intercepted Weah’s cross. There is now time for everybody to catch their breath ahead of the second leg on April 23rd. JUVENTUS 2-0 LAZIO (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 50′ Chiesa, 64′ Vlahovic. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (80′ Weah), McKennie (88′ Alcaraz), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (88′ Alex Sandro); Chiesa (80′ Yildiz), Vlahovic (85′ Kean). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Iling Jr, Miretti, Rugani, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Mandas; Patric (46′ Casale), Romagnoli, Gila (79′ Hysaj); Marusic, Guendouzi, Vecino, Zaccagni (13′ Isaksen); Felipe Anderson, Luis Alberto (71′ Kamada); Immobile (71′ Castellanos). Subs not used: Sepe, Renzetti, Ruggeri, Cataldi, Coulibaly, Saná Fernandes, Diego Gonzalez. Coach: Tudor. Referee: Massa. Bookings: 36′ Gatti, 84′ Weah. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus suffered defeat at the Olimpico against Lazio on Serie A Matchday 30.
The deadlock was broken after an intense match in the 93rd minute by Adam Marusic. It was a fourth game without a win for the Bianconeri, who must pick themselves up for the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against the same opponents in midweek. THE MATCH On his 500th match in charge in Serie A Massimiliano Allegri made a tactical switch, opting for a flat-back four. Making his first appearance of the season as left back was Mattia De Sciglio. Another element of the defensive line, Bremer, created the first moment of worry in the Lazio rearguard when he met a Federico Chiesa free-kick. The number 3’s header finished just wide of target. Chiesa’s influence grew as the first half progressed as Juve found a way around Lazio’s high pressing game demanded by new coach Igor Tudor. Before Chiesa tested Christos Mandas in the Lazio goal in the 42nd minute - the young Greek keeper making an impressive one-handed save - Wojciech Szczesny was called into action by a Felipe Andreson drive in the 26th minute. That was the culmination of a period of intense home pressure, which included a shot into the side netting by Taty Castellanos. However, the Bianconeri finished the opening spell on the front foot, with Chiesa receiving the ball after a quick exchange between Adrien Rabiot and De Sciglio. The winger’s shot seemed destined to creep in at the far post until the keeper stretched out an arm. A minute later Chiesa hit the target once more. However, it was a more central effort which Mandas dealt with comfortably. Two substitutions at the restart injected more forward momentum into the Bianconeri game. Samuel Iling Jr and Weston McKennie replaced De Sciglio and Fabio Miretti. Iling played in an inviting cross six minutes into the second period. Latching on to the end of it was Andrea Cambiaso, whose close-range volley was foiled by Mandas. Contrary to the first half, as the second progressed Juve dropped deeper and deeper into their own half, without giving Lazio a glimpse of goal. That was until the 73rd minute when a Ciro Immoblie cut-back reached Adam Marusic. Bremer made the important block to ensure the shot finished wide. However, it was Marusic that ran onto a cross by Matteo Guendozi in the final minute of stoppage time. The defender's unchallenged header gave Szczesny no chance. There is little time to dwell on the defeat as the teams meet again on Tuesday night at the Allianz Stadium for the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-final. LAZIO 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 90+3′ Marusic. LAZIO: Mandas; Gila, Romagnoli, Casale; Felipe Anderson, Kamada (80′ Guendouzi), Cataldi (80′ Vecino), Marusic; Zaccagni (83′ Luis Alberto), Pedro (57′ Isaksen); Castellanos (57′ Immobile). Subs not used: Sepe, Renzetti, Hysaj, Patric, Ruggeri, Coulibaly, Saná Fernandes, Diego Gonzalez. Coach: Tudor. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Rugani, De Sciglio (46′ Iling-Junior); Miretti (46′ McKennie), Locatelli, Rabiot; Cambiaso (62′ Weah), Kean (79′ Sekulov), Chiesa (68′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Colombo. Bookings: 71’ Iling-Junior, 75’ Weah, 90+1’ Immobile. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus were held to a second consecutive draw at the Allianz Stadium as the Bianconeri failed to breakdown Genoa.
The Bianconeri struck the woodwork twice in the second half, first from Samuel Iling jr., the second from Moise Kean. Both the substitutes’ shots rebounded off the post. In stoppage time Dusan Vlahovic was shown a red card for dissent. THE MATCH With Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic back in from kick-off, Juventus fielded the same starting line-up as the reverse fixture. Genoa, instead, played three in attack with Vitinha making his first Serie A start. It was the visitors that created the opening chance. On seven minutes, Albert Gudmundsson’s free kick was flicked goalwards by Mattia Bani. Wojciech Szczesny sprung to his left to parry the header for a corner. The Bianconeri were finding openings hard to come by even though Fabio Miretti was playing intelligently between the lines. In fact, it was the midfielder that was at the hub of Juve’s forward play and was instrumental in the move that led up to a shot from the edge of the area from Federico Gatti, saved by Josep Martinez. Gatti again pushed forward in attack five minutes later when a first-time passing move that involved Miretti, Cambiaso, Vlahovic and Kostic set up the defender inside the penalty area. This time Johan Vazquez slid in to deflect the shot for a corner. A triple change by Massimiliano Allegri before the hour mark signalled the intent to find the key to breakdown the visitors’ solid defence. One of those substitutes almost found the breakthrough. Samuel Iling jr. cut in from the left and released a low shot that bounced over Martinez’s outstretched hand but struck the base of the post. Two minutes later Vlahovic twisted a header just wide of the far post. The number nine came close again on 75 minutes with another header, this time from close range, that spun over the crossbar. The striker’s frustrating afternoon would eventually see him sent off after continuing to remonstrate with the referee deep into stoppage time. Just as the game entered added-on time, Moise Kean became the second Juve player to hit the frame of the goal. The forward looking for his first goal of the season watched in disbelief as his crisp strike bounced back off the upright. For only the second time in the last 17 meetings Juventus failed to score against Genoa. JUVENTUS 0-0 GENOA (HT: 0-0): JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (82′ Kean), McKennie (58′ Rabiot), Locatelli, Miretti (77′ Weah), Kostic (58′ Iling Jr.); Vlahovic, Chiesa (58′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. GENOA: Martinez; De Winter, Bani (84′ Cittadini), Vasquez; Spence, Messias, Badelj (84′ Bohinen), Frendrup (69′ Strootman); Gudmundsson (69′ Malinovskyi); Retegui (78′ Ankeye), Vitinha. Subs not used: Leali, Sommariva, Thorsby, Vogliacco, Pittino, Haps. Coach: Gilardino. Referee: Giua. Bookings: 38′ Danilo, 57′ Cambiaso , 64′ Vitinha, 92′ Vlahovic. Sending off: 92′ Vlahovic. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus made it two seasons without defeat to Atalanta after a 2-2 draw on Serie A Matchday 28 but were left ruing two points dropped.
Trailing by a goal at the interval the Bianconeri turned the game on its head in five second-half minutes. Andrea Cambiaso and Arkadiusz Milik the scorers that gave Juve a 2-1 lead. However, Teun Koopmeiners scored his second of the game five minutes later to tie the match at 2-2. THE MATCH The opening exchanges saw Juventus hem the visitors inside their own half. The first opportunity for Massimiliano Allegri’s side came from a free kick, which Federico Chiesa failed to put on target - a flaw that would be the Bianconeri’s undoing in the first half. Juve continued to see plenty of the ball and a well-worked move down the right allowed Chiesa the chance to run at the Atalanta defence. The winger’s precise cross was met inside the six-yard box by Fabio Miretti, whose header was parried to safety by Marco Carnesecchi. Before the half hour, Juventus had spurned another two opportunities from free-kicks at the edge of the opponents’ penalty area. Both Arkadiusz Milik and Chiesa struck their shots into the defensive wall. At the other end, Atalanta took advantage of a set-piece of their own to open the scoring. While everyone was expecting a direct shot from Gianluca Scamacca, Mario Pasalic rolled the ball to Teun Koopmeiners, who unmarked drilled a left-foot shot beyond Wojciech Szczesny. Juventus slowly but surely built momentum after the interval, and although the move that led to an effort from Chiesa that brought out a fine one-handed save from Carnesecchi was eventually called back for offside, it signalled Juve’s intent. In fact, a minute later Chiesa, played through by Milik, dragged his shot wide. On 55’ Gianluca Scamacca made a decisive tackle on Fabio Miretti, set up after another run by Chiesa, just as the midfielder was set to pull the trigger. The Atalanta forward had just brought out the best in Szczesny with a powerful drive. Half-way through the second half Juve drew level. Chiesa won possession inside his own half and exchanged passes with Weston McKennie. The US international filtered a teasing ball into the area, which Cambiaso was first to reach, poking his shot under Carnesecchi for the equaliser. Momentum was with the home side and a second goal duly arrived. Samuel Iling’s cross was chested down by McKennie for Milik, whose half volley was too powerful for Carnesecchi to keep out. However, five minutes later the visitors grabbed the game’s fourth and final goal. Berat Djimsiti picked out Koopmeiners on the run and the Atalanta midfielder scored his second of the match with another left-foot finish. Both coaches used their full quota of substitutes, which included a return to action from Moise Kean. The forward came close to snatching a last-gasp winner but neither he nor Federico Gatti could divert a tantalising cross delivered deep into the Atalanta area. JUVENTUS 2-2 ATALANTA (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 35’ & 75′ Koopmeiners, 66′ Cambiaso, 70′ Milik. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (81′ Weah), McKennie (87′ Yildiz), Locatelli, Miretti (75′ Nicolussi C.), Iling-Junior (81′ Alex Sandro); Milik (75′ Kean), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Rugani, Kostić, Djalo, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. ATALANTA: Carnesecchi; Scalvini (66′ Toloi), Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta (66′ Hateboer), Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri (87′ Bakker); Koopmeiners, De Ketelaere (87′ Miranchuk); Scamacca (56′ Lookman). Subs not used: Musso, Vismara, Palomino, Toure, De Roon, Kolasinac, Adopo. Coach: Gasperini. Referee: Guida. Bookings: 90+2′ Hateboer. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus fell to a third defeat of 2024 following a 2-1 loss at the Diego Maradona stadium.
Napoli took the lead with three minutes to play of the first half through Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. Federico Chiesa grabbed an equaliser on 81 minutes. However, Napoli were awarded a penalty with five minutes remaining and although Wojciech Szczesny saved Victor Osimhen’s spot kick the goalkeeper was helpless to keep out Giacomo Raspadori’s rebound. At the final whistle, the Bianconeri were left ruing missing five gilt-edged chances. THE MATCH Both Juventus and Napoli appeared in the mood to take the game to their opponents from kick-off. With not even three minutes in and each side had already created an opportunity for an early goal. However, the game’s first clear-cut chance fell to the Bianconeri, and the on-form player of the moment, Dusan Vlahovic. A cross from the right from Federico Chiesa picked out the number 9, who turned his header back across goal but watched as the ball bounced the wrong side of the far post. On 28 minutes Napoli tested Wojciech Szczesny from a free-kick. The goalkeeper reacted sharply to save the rebound at the feet of Frank Anguissa. On his first Serie A start of the season Samuel Iling Jr had a chance to repeat his goal-scoring full debut feat from last season - when he scored at Atalanta - but failed to keep down a volley after another sharp delivery from the right, from Andrea Cambiaso. Two minutes later Vlahovic was sent through on goal by Chiesa. The striker steadied himself before releasing the shot, which cannoned off the post. In the 39th minute Alex Sandro headed off his own goalline but three minutes later, the Bianconeri backline was punctured. A cross from the right was met by Bremer, but the defender’s header fell perfectly for Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose volley sneaked in at Szczesny’s near post. There was still time before the half time whistle for Juve to spurn another glorious chance. It was Vlahovic who failed to capitalise on pressure by Daniele Rugani who forced a mistake at the edge of the hosts’ penalty area. The number nine curled his shot off target with only Alex Meret to beat. Juve’s wasteful ways continued into the second half. Napoli only just scrambled the ball clear from a Chiesa cross. Locatelli picked a pass to the feet of Cambiaso, who skied his shot over the bar. On 61 minutes Vlahovic did force a save out of Meret with his most difficult chance of the evening. Inside the final 10 minutes Juve found a lifeline. Chiesa exchanged passes with Carlos Alcaraz at the edge of the area but still had it all to do. The number 7 picked out an unstoppable curler into the bottom corner to draw the Bianconeri level. However, the drama was far from over. Following an on-field VAR review the referee awarded Napoli a penalty after a Joseph Nonge tackle had caught Victor Osimhen on the ankle. For the first time this season Szczesny had a penalty to contend with. And the keeper thwarted Osimhen’s effort - only for the rebound to be rifled home by Giacomo Raspadori. Yet, there was still time for Juve to spurn another chance. Two minutes into stoppage time Rugani was presented with a chance six yards out, but last week’s match winner this time hit his shot over the bar. NAPOLI 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 42′ Kvaratskhelia, 81′ Chiesa, 88′ Raspadori. NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani (63′ Ostigard), Juan Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Traorè (63′ Zielinski); Politano (63′ Raspadori), Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia (92′ Lindstrom). Subs not used: Contini, Gollini, Natan, Simeone, Mazzocchi, Dendoncker. Coach: Calzona. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Rugani, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cambiaso (64′ Weah), Miretti (75′ Nonge) ((88′ Danilo)), Locatelli, Alcaraz (88′ Milik), Iling Jr (75′ Yildiz); Vlahovic, Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Daffara, Gatti, Kostić, Djaló, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. Bookings: 18′ Vlahovic , 26′ Bremer, 28′ Cambiaso, 47′ Traorè, 86′ Nonge. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Daniele Rugani emerged as the hero of a five-goal thriller against Frosinone with a 95th-minute winner.
The defender turned home a Dusan Vlahovic cross with practically the last kick of the match. Vlahovic had struck twice in the first half, first to open the scoring after three minutes, the second to cancel out Frosinone’s advantage on 32 minutes. The 3-2 success rewarded Juventus with a first win in five matches. THE MATCH Juventus were keen to display their intent from kick-off and needed only two and a half minutes to open the scoring. Weston McKennie was picked out on the run down the right wing and his pinpoint cross was turned home by Duscan Vlahovic. Any thoughts of a stroll in the park on this lunchtime kick-off were quickly dismissed by Frosinone’s response. The visitors pulled level inside the opening quarter of an hour when Walid Cheddira powered a header beyond Wojciech Szczesny. Not satisfied with having cancelled out the Juve’s opener, Frosinone pushed on and a lightning quick counter attack orchestrated by Abdou Harroui was finished by Marco Brescianini. It was the Bianconeri’s turn to react, and that is exactly what they did, but not after Adrien Rabiot had limped off, replaced by Carlos Alcaraz. Federico Chiesa was involved in the original build-up in the move that led to the game’s fourth goal. Inadvertently the ball rebounded off the winger into the path of Vlahovic whose close-range effort was blocked by Michele Cerofolini. However, Juve's attack persisted and once again McKennie popped up with the assist for Vlahovic, who drilled home his 15th goal in 22 Serie A appearances so far this campaign. Just over half an hour on the clock and the score was tied at 2-2. The game’s fifth goal was more difficult to find, however. Second-half chances fell to Federico Chiesa and his replacement Kenan Yildiz without testing Cerofolini. With 10 minutes to play the Frosinone goalkeeper was called into action from Manuel Locatelli’s long-range effort. Two minutes later Weston McKennie injured his shoulder on making a recovery tackle to deny Kaio Jorge a run in on goal. With time running out, Juventus continued to press, and their endeavour was rewarded. A second consecutive corner was not dealt with by the visitors, allowing Vlahovic to place a cross to the far post where Daniele Rugani was waiting. With a striker’s poise, the defender drilled his shot low into the bottom corner. The game’s fifth goal in the fifth minute of stoppage allowed the Bianconeri to enjoy the sweet taste of victory for the first time in February. JUVENTUS 3-2 FROSINONE (HT: 2-2): Scorers: 3′ & 32′ Vlahovic, 13′ Cheddira, 27′ Brescianini, 90+5′ Rugani. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (85′ Milik), Bremer, Rugani; Cambiaso, McKennie (85′ Iling Jr), Locatelli, Rabiot (28′ Alcaraz), Kostic (61′ Weah); Vlahovic, Chiesa (61′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Daffara, Alex Sandro, Djaló, Miretti, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. FROSINONE: Cerofolini; Romagnoli, Okoli, Valeri; Lirola (95′ Monterisi), Mazzitelli (85′ Gelli), Brescianini, Harroui (72′ Barrenechea), Zortea; Soulé (85′ Seck), Cheddira (72′ Kaio Jorge). Subs not used: Turati, Frattali, Baez, Reinier, Vural, Garritano, Kvernadze, Ibrahimovic, Ghedjemis. Coach: Di Francesco. Referee: Rapuano. Bookings: 7′ Bremer, 63′ Valeri, 68′ Cerofolini, 71’ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus came from behind twice to share the points with Hellas Verona in a four-goal thriller at the Bentegodi.
Dusan Vlahovic converted a penalty on 28 minutes to cancel out Michael Folorunsho’s opening wonder goal. After the interval, the hosts again took the lead, through Tijjani Noslin on 52 minutes. Three minutes later Adrien Rabiot steered home the Bianconeri’s second equaliser. A reflex save inside stoppage time by Lorenzo Montipò frustrated Federico Chiesa’s attempt to complete the turnaround and the Biaconeri had to settle for a single point. THE MATCH The intense atmosphere inside the Bentegodi stadium encouraged both teams to play open football from kick-off. The first chances were created by the home side, and they took the lead with a goal of a lifetime from Michael Folorunsho on 11 minutes. Adrien Rabiot headed clearance from a corner was met on the volley at the edge of the area by Folorunsho, who dispatched an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Two minutes later Wojciech Szczesny was called on to keep out Tijjani Noslin when the Verona striker was sent through on goal. Andrea Cambiaso was the first to worry Lorenzo Montipò in the Verona goal with a shot from distance, which whistled just wide of the keeper’s left-hand post. Folorunsho was also involved in the action that led to the Bianconeri’s equaliser. Filip Kostic’s shot struck the arm of the Verona midfielder and the referee, perfectly positioned, immediately indicated to the penalty spot. Dusan Vlahovic stepped up from 12 yards to bury his shot beyond Montipò for his seventh goal of 2024. The game continued to flow from end to end and although there was no further scoring in the opening half, it appeared unlikely that the match would finish 1-1. In fact, at the start of the second period, Giangiacomo Magnani hit the top of the crossbar with a header from a corner, although Szczesny had it covered. The Juve keeper made an excellent stop to deny a powerful drive from Noslin on 51’, but was powerless a minute later when the Verona striker completed a one-touch move through midfield to hit a shot low under Szczesny. The Bianconeri’s response was immediate and within three minutes were level again. Pressure from Federico Gatti forced a poor clearance from Juan Cabal down near the Verona corner flag. Manuel Locatelli quickly played a pass to the feet of Adrien Rabiot, who steered his shot into the far corner. Cambiaso almost completed the turnaround soon after but blasted over from an excellent position inside the opposition penalty area. Juve were pinning Verona inside their own half and substitute Carlos Alcaraz was in the thick of the action as the visitors sought the game’s fifth goal. The January arrival fed Rabiot on the run. His cross with the outside of the boot was a fraction too high for Vlahovic, who threw himself at the ball but could not keep his header down. It was another substitute, Federico Chiesa, who came closest to snatching victory for the Bianconeri. First on 83 minutes he made space for the shot, but his curling effort went just over. In setting up the chance, Danilo landed awkwardly and despite having his ankle heavily strapped, the captain valiantly played on. Then in the first minute of stoppage time, Chiesa and Alcaraz exchanged passes deep into the Verona penalty box. This time winger’s shot was on target but was somehow kept out by the feet of Montipò. There was to be no fifth goal of the game and come the final whistle the pointes were shared. HELLAS VERONA 2-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 11′ Folorunsho. 28′ Vlahovic (pen), 52′ Noslin, 55′ Rabiot. HELLAS VERONA: Montipò, Tchatchoua (84′ Coppola), Magnani, Dawidowicz, Cabal, Duda, Suslov; Dani Silva (84′ Henry); Folorunsho (73′ Belahyane), Lazovic (73′ Vinagre); Noslin (64′ Swiderski). Subs not used: Chiesa, Perilli, Tavsan, Mitrovic, Centonze, Charlys, Bonazzoli. Coach: Baroni. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (55′ Alex Sandro), Rugani, Danilo; Cambiaso (80′ Weah), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (55′ Chiesa); Vlahovic (80′ Milik), Yildiz (65′ Alcaraz). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Iling Jr, Miretti, Djaló, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge Boende. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Di Bello. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus suffered a second consecutive defeat in Serie A after Udinese edged out the Bianconeri at the Allianz Stadium.
The game's only goal was scored by Lautaro Giannetti after 25 minutes. Akadiusz Milik did put the ball in the net with an hour played but his header was chalked off as the cross from the lead-up corner had gone out of play. THE MATCH The opening exchanges set the pattern for the remainder of the game with Udinese content to sit deep and invite Juventus to break down their defensive line. Federico Chiesa, on his first start of 2024, called on Maduka Okoye to make a save with a shot from the edge of the area in the opening minutes. Federico Gatti, Adrien Rabiot and Andrea Cambiaso would also try their luck from distance, with Rabiot’s the only effort on target, forcing the Udinese goalkeeper to parry away the danger. The deadlock was broken on 25 minutes. The visitors earned a free-kick outside the penalty area. A flick-on from Thomas Kristensen broke off Alex Sandro at the edge of the six yard box into the path of Lautaro Giannetti, who had the easy task of slotting his shot into the unguarded net. Juve came close to a first-half equaliser with three minutes to play. Bremer picked out Alex Sandro, who delivered a precise cross that was met by Arkadiusz Milik. The striker’s header was kept out by a reflex save from Okoye. In the second period, Milik did put the ball into the net, from another close-range header. Rabiot had picked out the number 14 from a corner. Chiesa's cross, however, had gone out of play before it reached the penalty area, so the goal was disallowed. The Bianconeri were granted plenty of possession but even the substitutions, including the first team debut of Leonardo Cerri, could not turn the game in the home side's favour. The closest they came to an equaliser arrived with nine minutes remaining. An inviting cross from Andrea Cambiaso picked out Kenan Yildiz on the run at the edge of the six-yard box, but the teenager just failed to make contact to knock the ball goalwards. The final whistle after four minutes of time added on condemned Juve to a first loss at home to Udinese since 2015. JUVENTUS 0-1 UDINESE (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 24′ Giannetti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weah (60′ Yildiz), McKennie, Locatelli (76′ Nicolussi C.), Rabiot, Cambiaso (83′ Cerri); Milik, Chiesa (76′ Iling Jr). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Rugani, Djalo, Kostić, Miretti, Alcaraz, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. UDINESE: Okoye; Perez, Giannetti, Kristensen; Ehizibue (64′ Joao Ferreira), Lovric, Walace, Samarzdic, Zemura (64′ Ebosele); Thauvin (76′ Brenner); Lucca (76′ Success). Subs not used: Silvestri, Padelli, Zarraga, Davis, Kamara, Tikvic, Kabasele, Payero. Coach: Sottil. Referee: Abisso. Bookings: 9′ Ehizibue, 37′ Bremer, 73′ Gatti, 81′ Walace, 88′ Success , 91′ Nicolussi Caviglia. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus lost for the first time in 20 games in both league and cup with a 1-0 defeat at Inter.
The game’s only goal arrived after 37 minutes when Federico Gatti touched the ball into his own net. The defender came close to grabbing an equaliser in the second half, but his powerful shot went wide. Wojciech Szczesny produced two world-class saves to keep Juventus in the game but the Bianconeri failed to find an equalising goal. THE MATCH The tactical chess match that is the Derby d’Italia saw neither goalkeeper make a save in the first half but that did not detract from the absorbing spectacle that unfolded under the floodlights at San Siro. An immense recovery tackle by Bremer denied Marcus Thuram a tap-in on 24 minutes, a scare that sparked a reply from Juventus. Weston McKennie set off on a slaloming run into Inter territory with Kenan Yildiz and Dusan Vlahovic in support. The midfielder opted for the latter, who belied his 2024 form, unable to take the ball in his stride and the chance went begging. Another important tackle at the edge of the penalty area, this time by Danilo, set off another Bianconeri counter attack. Andrea Cambiaso’s run allowed him to feed the ball to Filip Kostic, whose cross was blocked for a corner. The five-minute spell of end-to-end play ended with Inter taking the lead. A cross from Nicolò Barella invited Benjamin Pavard to attempt a scissors kick. The ball bounced into the six-yard box, where Federico Gatti, under pressure from Thuram, turned the ball into his own net. The second half saw Inter come close to adding to their lead, especially from a Hakan Calhanoglou volley which struck the outside of the post. With an hour on the clock, Juve sowed panic in the Nerazzurri defence. Adrien Rabiot assisted Yildiz, who turned the ball into the path of Kostic, whose drive found no takers inside the Inter penalty area. The Bianconeri kept up the pressure, and a Bremer header from a corner was controlled on the chest by Vlahovic, but his overhead kick finished high. On 67’ Gatti almost made amends. A powerful shot from the edge of the area whistled wide of Yan Sommer’s far post. Two minutes later, Wojciech Szczesny pulled off a huge block to keep out a close-range volley from Barella. The closing phase of the game saw both side’s tire and turn to the bench for fresh legs. Federico Chiesa and Tim Weach were introduced but with Inter sitting more deeply to defend their lead, neither found the space to exploit their speed. With three minutes of normal time remaining, again Szczesny kept the scoreline within touching distance for Juve with an incredible save to deny Marko Arnautovic, but with even five minutes of time added on the Bianconeri could not break down the Inter backline. INTER 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 37′ Gatti (o.g.). INTER: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni (88′ De Vrij); Darmian (72′ Dumfries), Barella (88′ Klaassen), Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (72′ Carlos Augusto); Thuram (76′ Arnautovic), Lautaro. Subs not used: Di Gennaro, Audero, Sensi, Klaassen, Frattesi, Buchanan, Asllani, Bisseck, Sanchez. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti (87′ Alex Sandro), Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (87′ Miretti) , McKennie (89′ Alcaraz), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (65′ Weah); Vlahovic, Yildiz (65′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Iling Jr, Rugani, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Maresca. Bookings: 18′ Vlahovic, 32′ Danilo. 50′ Mkhitaryan, 76′ Thuram. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus failed to win for the first time in 2024 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Empoli on Matchday 22 of Serie A. Despite being reduced to 10 players on 16 minutes following the sending off of Arkadiusz Milik, the Bianconeri took the lead on 50 minutes.
Dusan Vlahovic scored his 12 goal of the league campaign with a close-range volley from a corner kick. Empoli equalised 20 minutes later from substitute Tommaso Baldanzi. The share of the points ended Juve’s run of seven straight wins in all competitions. THE MATCH The 16th minute sending-off of Arkadiusz Milik altered a bright start from Juventus, which produced no early goal, as down to 10 men, the home side took a more cagey approach to proceedings. In the fifth minute Dusan Vlahovic tried to reproduce his form from free-kicks displayed against Sassuolo in the previous home fixture. However, his curling effort was tipped wide by Elia Caprile. The Empoli goalkeeper was called into action again on 12 minutes following an intrepid run and shot by Andrea Cambiaso. Then the incident that changed the complexion of the game. Arek Milik miscontrolled in midfield and in attempting to retrieve possession his studs caught the ankle of Alberto Cerri rather than the ball. After an on-field review, the referee overturned his initial yellow card for a direct red. Juve would play more than 70 minutes minus one player . With a man extra Empoli stepped out of their defensive shell and tested Wojciech Szczesny through a couple of efforts from Nicolò Cambiaghi, the second a swerving cross-cum-shot that the Juve number one did well to tip wide. Just as the first-half stoppage time was almost up the Bianconeri had the best chance of the match. Fabio Miretti read Emmanuel Gyasi’s intentions and intercepted the Empoli midfielder’s pass and charged into the penalty area. With only Caprile to beat, Miretti fired his shot high over the bar. However, Juve reproduced the same thrust after the interval and took the lead five minutes into the second half. A corner from the right was not cleared by the visiting defence and without thinking twice Vlahovic smashed the ball into the net from close range. It was the striker’s sixth goal in 2024. After going a goal down, Empoli began to make their extra player count. On 63’ Alex Sandro produced an interception to deny Tommaso Baldanzi from sneaking in at the far post. Seven minutes later the substitute struck the equaliser from a low shot drilled into the far corner from the edge of the penalty box. Both coaches made a flurry of substitutions in the game’s closing phase but neither defence was breached again as Juventus collected a 17th match without loss in Serie A but failed to collect a sixth staight league win. JUVENTUS 1-1 EMPOLI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 50′ Vlahovic, 69′ Baldanzi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cambiaso (76′ Iling Jr), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (57′ Weah), Kostic (76′ Yildiz); Vlahovic, Milik. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Danilo, Rugani, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge Boende. Coach: Allegri. EMPOLI: Caprile; Ismajli, Walukiewicz, Luperto; Gyasi, Zurkowski (88′ Fazzini), Grassi (55′ Cancellieri), Maleh, Cacace; Cambiaghi (93 Marin), Cerri (55′ Baldanzi). Subs not used: Perisan, Berisha, Goglichidze, Pezzella, Shpendi, Bereszynski, Indragoli. Coach: Nicola. Referee: Marinelli. Bookings: 20′ Walukiewicz, 90+3′ Weah. Sending-off: 16′ Milik. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus clocked up a second consecutive win by three goals without reply to move one point clear at the top of Serie A.
The breakthrough against Lecce came close to the hour mark - again Dusan Vlahovic found the target, scoring for his third game in succession. The centre forward added a second in poacher’s style nine minutes later before Bremer wrapped up the victory with five minutes to play. The Bianconeri extended their unbeaten run to 16 matches in Serie A and have now scored 18 games in the five matches played between league and cup in 2024. THE MATCH Despite the two teams experiencing opposing runs of form the first half between Lecce and Juventus was a tightly-fought contest, just as it was the first time the sides met in September. However, the Bianconeri almost got off to a flying start, inside the opening 15 seconds to be precise, after a powerful run by Federico Gatti, back from suspension, set up Dusan Vlahovic, who stabbed his shot wide. It was Juve’s other player that was absent last week against Sassuolo because of a one-match ban, Weston McKennie that came closest to breaking the deadlock, on 10 minutes. A Fabio Miretti corner reached McKennie, whose goal-bound header was cleared off the line by home striker Nikola Krstovic. Two minutes later Filip Kostic blasted over from a tight angle from inside the penalty area. On 19’ Andrea Cambiaso produced a tantalising cross which Vlahovic threw himself at but could not find the contact to divert the ball into the net. As the opening period progressed, Lecce pressed hard to reduce the space for Juve to manoeuvre. Chances were few and far between at both ends of the pitch, with neither goalkeeper ever seriously tested. The Bianconeri signalled their intent after the restart when Miretti burst into the penalty area only to see his shot deflected for a corner. A couple of minutes later a Vlahovic diving header spun wide of the far post - but the striker was just finding his aim. Vlahovic started the counter attack that he eventually finished for the game's opening goal. The number 9 touched a pass on for McKennie who in turn found Kenan Yildiz. The teenager’s control on the run allowed him the opportunity to hit from distance. The shot stung the gloves of Wladimiro Falcone, who could only parry the ball into the path of Cambiaso, whose inch-perfect cross was sweetly met on the volley by Dusan. Not even 10 minutes later and the Bianconeri were two goals to the good with Vlahovic’s second consecutive double. A cross from Kostic was met at the far edge of the six-yard box by McKennie, whose header again appeared to be goal bound. Not wanting to take any risks, Dusan applied the finishing touch to tap home his 11th of the campaign. Although Patrick Dorgu curled a shot off target from a useful position, Lecce were not creating much to upset the Juve defence. Instead it was a defender that grabbed the team’s third goal on the night. With five minutes to play Samuel Iling Jr flighted in a free-kick which was met perfectly by Bremer, who gave Falcone no chance from close range. Wojciech Szczesny was called on to make his first important stop of the evening deep into stoppage time to keep out a Nicola Sansone snap shot. A crucial save in that it meant back-to-back clean sheets on top of back-to-back Vlahovic doubles. LECCE 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 59′ & 68′ Vlahovic, 85′ Bremer. LECCE: Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschirotto, Gallo (65′ Dorgu); Gonzalez (60′ Blin), Ramadani, Kaba; Oudin (65′ Pierotti), Krstovic (71′ Piccoli), Almqvist (71′ Sansone). Subs not used: Brancolini, Samooja, Venuti, Berisha, Strefezza. Coach: D’Aversa. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (80′ Alex Sandro), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (56′ Weah), Kostic (74′ Iling Jr); Vlahovic, Yildiz (74′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Doveri. Bookings: McKennie, Kaba. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus continued their winning start to 2024 with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo to get even against the only team to have defeated the Bianconeri this campaign.
A memorable Dusan Vlahovic double in the first half was added to by Federico Chiesa in the closing minute of the second period. The three points saw Juve remain on the heels of Inter at the top of the table. THE MATCH A cautious start saw both sides take the measure of each other but at the first sight of goal on 15 minutes Juve took the lead. Pressing in midfield saw the Bianconeri recycle possession and Fabio Miretti quickly shuffled the ball onto Dusan Vlahovic at the edge of the area. The striker took aim and hit a sweet curler up and over Andrea Consigli. For Dusan it was a fifth direct involvement in his last four league outings - and it wasn’t his last of the first half. However, before Vlahovic completed his double, Wojciech Szczesny kept out a wicked drive from distance from Armand Lauriente. Coming close to seeing their slender advantage cancelled out sparked Juve back into life and Kenan Yildiz jinked his way into the Sassuolo penalty area only to see his shot blocked by Gian Marco Ferrari. Two minutes later, Miretti’s burst forward led to a free-kick within shooting distance. Vlahovic calmed himself before unleashing a left-foot screamer which flew into the top corner. Vlahovic had a chance to complete a first-half hat-trick, but his free-kick from the opposite side was comfortably saved by Consigli. The Sassuolo keeper was then called on again to get down quickly to keep out an Adrien Rabiot pile driver. After the restart Sassuolo tried to claw themselves back into the contest, through their talisman Domenico Berardi. On 53’ he drilled a shot just wide, then on 64’ he galloped from his own half with the ball at his feet. The number 10’s shot required an exceptional one-handed save from Szczesny, made even more remarkable considering a deflection off the heel of Danilo caused the ball to change direction. The closest Vlahovic came to completing his hat-trick in the second half was an effort from an acute angle, which Tressoldi blocked to concede a corner. Tim Weah almost added goal number three with a quarter of an hour remaining after being set up in the area by fellow substitutes Federico Chiesa and Arkadiusz Milik. The US international lashed his shot over the bar. It was Chiesa, however, that ensured the Juve subs left their mark in the final minute of normal time. Milik chased down what seemed a lost cause deep in Sassuolo territory. Chiesa allowed the ball to run through to Manuel Locatelli, who again showed his generous side by laying a pass into the path of Chiesa for a close-range finish to wrap up the scoring. Juve head to Lecce on Sunday with confidence high on the back of six straight wins in all competitions. JUVENTUS 3-0 SASSUOLO (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 14′ & 36′ Vlahovic, 87′ Chiesa. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bremer, Rugani; Cambiaso (87′ Alex Sandro), Miretti (56′ Weah), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (80′ Iling-Jr.); Vlahovic (80′ Milik), Yildiz (56′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Hasa. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Pedersen, Erlic (45′ Tressoldi), Ferrari, Viti(73′ Missori); Matheus Henrique, Boloca, Thorstvedt (69′ Volpato); Berardi (69′ Castillejo), Pinamonti, Lauriente (83′ Mulattieri). Subs not used: Pegolo, Cragno, Bajrami, Ceide, Alvarez, Lipani. Coach: Dionisi. Referee: Piccinini. Bookings: 41′ Erlic, 64’ Ferrari. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus came from behind to collect all three points at a rain drenched Arecchi Stadium. The Bianconeri were trailing to a Giulio Maggiore goal at the interval, but took advantage of the Salernitana midfielder’s sending off on 53 minutes to lay siege on the home goal and turn the game on its head.
Samuel Iling-Junior rifled home the equaliser on 65 minutes and as the clocked ticked into stoppages, Dusan Vlahovic towered above the Salernitana defence to head the game’s winning goal. The victory allowed Juventus to reach the midway point of the season on 46 points. THE MATCH The result of the midweek cup tie had little bearing on the opening exchanges of the league encounter against Salernitana. With Federico Chiesa sidelined with a swollen knee, Kenan Yildiz started his third consecutive Serie A match. Straight from kick-off the teenager attacked the opposition defence, but would soon find was space was exceedingly hard to find. Filippo Inzaghi welcomed back Federico Fazio at the heart of the home defence and the veteran proved pivotal in denying Juve the game’s opening goal. The clock had already ticked onto the 25th minute when a free-kick from Hans Nicolussi Caviglia appeared to be destined to reach Bremer, poised to head the ball into the net when Fazio backtracked to make a massive interception. Before that chance, Weston McKennie had forced a save from Benoit Costil. However, the referee awarded a free-kick to the home side for an earlier infringement. Juventus, toiling to break down the well-organised defensive line, were caught on the break on 39 minutes. A long pass from the back released Salomon Sambia, who cut the ball back to Louma Tchaouna inside the penalty area. The forward laid off to Giulio Maggiore, who took the pass with his right foot to then hit a left foot piledriver out of the reach of Wojciech Szczesny. The Bianconeri started the second half with intent. McKennie glanced his diving header wide just three minutes in. Five minutes later, Juve found themselves with a numerical superiority. Maggiore tripped Adrien Rabiot as he powered towards the Salernitana penalty area. The first-half goal scorer received his second yellow card, leaving the home side down to 10 men. Juve upped the pressure as Salernitana sat deeper and deeper. And the pressure paid off on 65 minutes. Arkadiusz Milik threaded a pass to Tim Weah, whose cut back picked out Dusan Vlahovic. The striker’s miss-hit shot arrived at the feet of Samuel Iling Junior, who slammed the ball high into the roof of the net. Although Domagoj Bradaric asked Szczesny to produce his first serious save of the match soon after, the pattern of the game remained the same, with the home side defending in numbers. And the tactics were frustrating Juventus, until the first minute of stoppage time. Danilo intercepted inside the Salernitana half and quickly released a cross into the heart of the penalty area. Just as he had done in the previous away fixture at Frosinone, Vlahovic outjumped his marker to power a header beyond the home goalkeeper. The number 9 celebrated in front of the travelling support and was quickly mobbed by his teammates. Juventus had completed the turnaround to claim an 11th win in their 14 match unbeaten run in Serie A. SALERNITANA 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 39′ Maggiore, 65′ Iling-Junior, 90+1′ Vlahovic. SALERNITANA: Costil, Daniliuc, Gyomber, Fazio; Sambia (89′ Martegani), Legowski, Maggiore, Bradaric; Candreva, Tchaouna (57′ Bronn); Simy (77′ Ikwuemesi). Subs not used: Fiorillo, Ochoa, Botheim, Stewart, Sfait, Lovato. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (46′ Rugani), Bremer, Danilo; Weah (78′ Nonge), McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia (59′ Milik), Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling-Junior); Yildiz (68′ Miretti), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Guida. Bookings: 20′ Gyomber, 32′ Maggiore, 43′ Gatti, 69′ McKennie, 73′ Rugani, 91′ Vlahovic, 92′ Rabiot. Sending off: 53′ Maggiore. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus came from a goal down in the first minute to thrash Salernitana 6-1 and march on to the Italian Cup quarter-finals.
The opening game of 2024 was one to remember for Fabio Miretti, Kenan Yildiz and Tim Weah, who all celebrated goals for the first time at the Allianz Stadium, as it was also for Joseph Nonge, who made his first team debut as a second half substitute. Andrea Cambiaso and Daniele Rugani were also on the scoresheet while an own goal completed the scoring. THE MATCH In an Italian Cup round of 16 full of surprises, Juventus were caught cold in the first minute, but any thoughts of an upset by Salernitana were blown away by sparkling Bianconeri performance. With less than 60 seconds on the clock Juve were behind when the visitors pressed Federico Gatti into making a mistake with a passback to Daniele Rugani. The ball landed at the feet of Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi, who slotted his shot beyond a stranded Mattia Perin. Federico Chiesa then took the proceedings by the scruff of the neck. On 12 minutes he charged at the Salernitana defence before flighting a cross to Andrea Cambiaso. The number 27 intelligently nodded the ball down into the path of Fabio Miretti, for the midfielder to slide in and drill the ball in at Vincenzo Fiorillo’s near post. Juve kept up the pressure and another slick move down the right between Iling and Cambiaso released Gatti on the run. The defender was brought down by Salomon Sambia and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. However, VAR decided the contact was made just outside the area, overturning the spot kick for a free kick. With Chiesa prompting attack after attack, and coming close with a shot of his own, it was only a matter of time before the Bianconeri completed the turnaround. The number 7 curled in a cross from a corner, which Danilo headed on to Andrea Cambiaso. From the edge of the six-yard box Cambiaso hit his volley low into the far corner. Fiorillo then made a save to keep the gap to just one goal at the break, denying Miretti a double, but the Salernitana captain was set for a torrid second half. On 54’ another move from a corner saw Chiesa deliver another precise cross, which was met in the air by Arek Milik. The striker’s header was blocked by Fiorillo, only for Rugani to tap in from close range. Massimiliano Allegri freshened up his side with a quarter of an hour remaining, and it was the substitutes that added to the glut of goals. When Kenan Yildiz was played in on goal by Milik, Fiorillo managed to make the block, but this time it was teammate Dylan Bronn, who turned the ball into the empty net. Yildiz was not going to be denied his first goal at the Allianz Stadium, however, and with two minutes of normal time remaining he glided away from two Salernitana defenders before slamming his shot into the net. A turn of pace and display of lucidity in front of goal and Kenan lapped up the applause. The scoring was not yet over. Timothy Weah grabbed his first in the black and white stripe with a screamer from outside the box that smashed in off the underside of the crossbar. A debut strike to remember. Juventus powered into the Italian Cup quarter-finals and will take on Frosinone, the vanquishers of Napoli. JUVENTUS 6-1 SALERNITANA (HT: 2-1): Scorers: 1′ Ikwuemesi, 12′ Miretti, 35′ Cambiaso, 54′ Rugani, 75′ Bronn (o.g.), 88′ Yildiz, 90+1′ Weah. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Cambiaso (82′ Kostic), Miretti (76′ Nonge), Locatelli, Rabiot, Iling-Junior (65′ Weah); Milik (76′ Vlahovic), Chiesa (65′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Bremer, Huijsen, Muharemovic, McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. SALERNITANA: Fiorillo; Sambia, Bronn, Lovato, Daniliuc; Legowski (76′ Borrelli), Maggiore (46′ Bradaric); Tchaouna (54′ Sfait), Botheim (54′ Simy), Ikwuemesi; Stewart (46′ Gyomber). Subs not used: Costil, Allocca, Fazio, Elia. Coach: Inzaghi. Referee: Ghersini. Bookings: 39′ Maggiore. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus saw out 2023 with a 13th match undefeated in Serie A following a 1-0 win over Roma at the Allianz Stadium.
The decider came two minutes into the second half when Adrien Rabiot scored after a Dusan Vlahovic backheel had played the midfielder through on goal. With victory, the Bianconeri closed the gap on Inter at the top of the table to just two points. THE MATCH Kenan Yildiz held down his starting place for a second consecutive match. This time the teenager was joined in attack by Dusan Vlahovic. The two showed a growing understanding as the first half progressed but it was Vlahovic’s presence inside his own penalty area that proved fundamental to thwart Roma’s opening attack. With four minutes on the clock, Bryan Cristante unleashed a powerful volley from inside the penalty area, which deflected off the Juve striker onto the post, with Wojciech Szczescy at full stretch. Vlahovic then showed strength and opportunism to continually test the Giallorossi rearguard throughout the remainder of the first period. The number 9 dragged a shot wide on nine minutes. Three minutes later, bearing down on goal, he blasted his effort off target from a promising position. On the half hour, Yildiz used his skill to leave the Roma defence trailing in his wake. He allowed Weston McKennie to take over, whose cross was acrobatically met by Vlahovic. Again the shot did not test Rui Patricio. The visiting goalkeeper was relieved to see Yildiz also fail to hit the target after the 18-year-old ran at the Giallorossi defence. A minute later, Roma once again threatened the Bianconeri defence. The chance fell to Paulo Dybala, whose swerving shot shaved Szczesny’s far post. With the first half coming to a close, Juve created their most clear-cut chance. A long throw from McKennie reached Filip Kostic unmarked just inside the penalty area. The winger’s shot was crisply hit, but with Rui Patricio beaten all ends up, Evan N’Dicka spectacularly cleared off of his own line. However, the opening goal arrived not long after the restart. Juventus picked up where they had left off, pinning Roma inside their own half. The high pressing from the Bianconeri midfield allowed Kostic to chase down a loose ball, which broke to Vlahovic. The centre forward cleverly backheeled the ball into the path of Adrien Rabiot, who drilled his shot low and hard beyond Rui Patricio. The hosts invited Roma to find a way to break them down but the nearest the capital outfit came was a curling shot from Dybala on 71’, which called on the watchful Szczesny to make a routine save. Federcio Chiesa thought he had wrapped up the win with five minutes of normal time remaining when he latched onto Samuel Iling’s pass. However, the forward was flagged for offside after having deposited the ball into the net. Despite seven minutes of time added on, Roma could find no way through the solid backline as Juve collected a 20th clean sheet of the calendar year. Juventus start 2024 with a double header against Salernitana, first in Coppa Italian then Serie A, when the same team spirit will be called on to maintain the momentum. JUVENTUS 1-0 ROMA (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 47’ Rabiot. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, McKennie (90’+5′ Rugani), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (75′ Iling-Junior); Vlahovic (75′ Milik), Yildiz (65′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Huijsen, Miretti, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. ROMA: Rui Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, Ndicka; Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes (74′ El Shaarawy), Bove (64′ Pellegrini), Zalewski (79′ Azmoun); Dybala, Lukaku. Subs not used: oer, Svilar, Karsdorp, Belotti, Celik, Renato Sanches, Spinazzola, Pagano, Pisilli. Coach: Mourinho. Referee: Sozza. Bookings: 68′ Paredes, 77′ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
A first start for Kenan Yildiz with Juventus in Serie A brought the teenager a record-breaking first goal for the club. Dusan Valhovic then claimed the game’s third and final goal to seal all three points for Juventus at Frosinone.
The hosts equalised at the start of the second half through Jaime Baez, but a goal inside the final 10 minutes rewarded the Bianconeri with a crucial victory heading into the festive period. THE MATCH Massimiliano Allegri welcomed back Adrien Rabiot after the midfielder sat out the trip to Genoa. The coach also brought Alex Sandro and Arkadiusz Milik into the starting line-up, and granted a first start in Serie A for Kenan Yildiz. The teenager wasted no time in leaving his mark. With his first run at the home rearguard, he burst through three Frosinone defenders, leaving them in his wake, and despite the tight angle smashed his shot low into the bottom corner. A dream start for the 18 year old. On the other side, the Juventus loanees, Matias Soulé, Enzo Barrenechea and Kaio Jorge, tried to spark a reaction from the hosts, but it was Yildiz once again involved in the action that almost gave Juve a second goal inside the opening quarter of an hour. His pass released Filip Kostic, who was put off just as he was about to pull the trigger. Alex Sandro was forced off after 26 minutes. The Brazilian limped off on the day he surpassed Juan Cuadrado as the foreigner with third most appearances for the Bianconeri, replaced by Federico Gatti against his former club. Over the half-hour mark, Juve created two more opportunities to double their lead. Firstly Milik played in an inviting cross but there were no takers at the far post. Meanwhile, Danilo powered a header over from close range from a Kostic corner. Wojciech Szczesny was called into action with 10 minutes of the first half remaining after Soulé had dribbled his way to the deadball line. The Argentine’s driven cross was parried away by the Juve number 1. However, Szczesny was beaten six minutes into the second half. Ilario Monterisi split the Juve defence open for Jaime Baez to slot his shot under the keeper. Allegri made a triple change on 56 minutes, bringing on Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Samuel Iling jr in midfield, and Dusan Vlaovic for Yildiz in attack. Vlahovic had his first sight on goal on 63 minutes, forcing Stefano Turati to save with his feet. On 72’, a finger-tip save by Szczesny kept out a dipping shot from Abdou Harroui as both teams went for the game’s crucial third goal - which Jventus came so close to grabbing four minutes later. A Rabiot cut-back reached Weston McKennie, who smashed a drop-kick volley off the crossbar. McKennie was also involved in the move that led to the winning goal. The midfielder flighted an inviting cross which was met majestically by Vlahovic. The number 9’s header looped beyond Turati before nestling into the net. The striker then thought he had grabbed a double in the final minute of normal time. With only Turati to beat, Vlahovic placed his shot at the near post and wheeled away to celebrate. However, VAR disallowed the goal for off-side. Juventus saw out the five minutes of added on time to reach the 40-point mark with still two games remaining before the midway point of the season. FROSINONE 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 12′ Yildiz, 51′ Baez, 81′ Vlahovic. FROSINONE: Turati; Monterisi, Romagnoli, Lusuardi; Lirola (30′ Baez) (79′ Kvernadze), Gelli, Barrenechea, Brescianini, Garritano (69′ Harroui); Soulé, Kaio Jorge (69′ Cheddira). Subs not used: Frattali, Cerofolini, Lulic, Caso, Cuni, Bourabia, Bidaoui. Coach: Di Francesco. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro (26′ Gatti); Cambiaso (69′ Weah), McKennie, Locatelli (54′ Nicolussi Caviglia), Rabiot, Kostic (54′ Iling-Junior); Milik, Yildiz (54′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Crespi, Rugani, Miretti, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. Bookings: 20′ Cambiaso, 43′ McKennie. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus and Genoa played out a 1-1 draw at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Matchday 16 of Serie A. Federico Chiesa opened the scoring from the penalty spot after the number 7 had been brought down by home goalkeeper Josep Martinez.
Immediately after the interval Genoa equalised through Albert Gudmundsson, his second goal in as many games against Juventus. In the cup-tie atmosphere of Marassi, the highly contested match brought a flurry of bookings but no further goals. THE MATCH On what was a homecoming for Andrea Cambiaso it was fitting that the Genoa-born talent found himself at the centre of Juventus’ first foray into Grifone territory. With a quarter of an hour played, the 23-year-old burst over the halfway line and forced his way into the heart of the hosts’ penalty area. A clever backheel picked out Federico Chiesa, who lashed a shot from a tight angle towards the near post which Josep Martinez parried for a corner. The Juve winger and Genoa goalkeeper would clash again in the turning point of the first half. On 22 minutes, Chiesa then delivered a cross that made its way through to Dusan Vlahovic at the edge of the six-yard box. The number 9 swept his shot over the bar from close range. The Bianconeri front-two linked up again five minutes later when Genoa were caught dallying in possession inside their own half. Vlahovic fed Chiesa, whose attempt to round Gonzalez saw the keeper swipe the feet from under the Biaconeri forward. Chiesa took the honours from the spot, dispatching the penalty into the bottom corner for his first goal in 11 matches. Genoa looked to get back on level terms before the break. With 10 minutes of the opening period remaining, Johan Vazquez crashed a shot just over the bar from a corner. With the break looming, the Mexico international then cut the ball back from the byeball line, but Albert Gudmundsson misshit from a promising position. Alberto Gilardino introduced Caleb Ekuban for the restart and the coach’s decision to bolster his attack brought about an immediate reaction from his team. Ekuban used his strength to hold off Bremer’s challenge and find Gudmundsson inside the area. The Icelandic forward’s volley left Wojciech Szczesny no chance. Martinez then almost gifted Juve a way back to restore their lead immediately. The keeper’s pass out of defence was intercepted by Chiesa, whose attempt to round the Spanish stopper was halted by a one-handed block. Martinez also used just one glove to cut out a dangerous Cambiaso cross as Juventus tried to use the width of the pitch to break down the home defence for a second time. However, the Rossoblù backline was holding firmly. In the final minute of normal time, the Bianconeri crafted one last outstanding chance. A cross was played into the heart of the Genoa penalty area. When the ball reached Bremer the defender appeared to need to the merest contact to knock the ball into the net. However, Martinez backpedalled to acrobatically tip the ball from underneath his crossbar. Juventus continued their unbeaten run, but for the first time after 56 games failed to collect all three points after taking the lead - when they last visited the home of Genoa in May, 2022. GENOA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 28′ Chiesa (pen), 48′ Gudmundsson. GENOA: Martinez; Dragusin, Bani, De Winter; Sabelli (84′ Vogliacco), Malinovskyi, Badelj, Frendrup, Vasquez (46′ Ekuban); Gudmundsson, Messias (90+3′ Haps). Subs not used: Leali, Sommaria, Thorsby, Martin, Jagiello, Kutlu, Matturro, Hefti, Puscas, Fini, Galdames. Coach: Gilardino. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (88′ Yildiz), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (74′ Iling Jr), Kostic (68′ Weah); Vlahovic (68′ Milik), Chiesa. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Huijsen, Rugani, Nicolussi C., Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Massa. Bookings: 61′ Danilo, 70′ McKennie, 71′ Milik, 74′ Badelj, 90′ Malinovskyi. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus stretched out a 12-point lead over Napoli with a 1-0 win over Serie A's defending champions on Matchday 15.
The game’s only goal came from Federico Gatti, whose two goals in as many matches have brought six points to the Bianconeri’s push at the top of the table. THE MATCH With both sides setting off with clear intent, the match started at an electrifying pace but despite end-to-end play there were no clear cut chances inside the opening quarter of an hour. That said, Napoli almost took the lead with a cross-cum-shot that Wojciech Szczesny managed to stop on the line. On 18 minutes Juve started making inroads down the left flank. Dusan Vlahovic started the move on the half-way line, and an exchange between Filip Kostic and Federico Chiesa saw the number 7 set up the striker. Vlahovic took one touch before hitting his shot, which was blocked by Juan Jesus. Vlahovic won the rebound in the air and the ball spun towards the edge of the six-yard area where it was met by an overhead kick from Weston McKennie. The acrobatic attempt finished over the bar. A minute later, Chiesa again caused panic in the visitors’ defence, but his cut-back was deflected out for a corner before a teammate could pounce. The best chance of the first half fell to the defending champions on 28 minutes. Victor Osimhen controlled deftly on the half-way line and sprinted into space. His cross-field pass played through Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who one-on-one with Szczesny blasted his shot high into the stands. The Polish keeper, on his 250th Serie A appearance, then produced a world-class one-handed save to deny Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who found himself unmarked in front of goal after Bremer attempted clearance bounced off Federico Gatii. The Napoli captain was eventually flagged for off-side. Juve emerged with desire after the interval. Vlahovic struck the post with a shot just inside the area after being set up by McKennie. However, the midfielder was adjudged to have received possession from an offside position. The Bianconeri continued to press, however, and made the breakthrough on 51 minutes. Not satisfied with his match-winning heroics one week ago at Monza, Federico Gatti pounced once more to score his third of the season. A precise delivery by Andrea Cambiaso was met by the number 4 at the height of the six-yard box. His header left Alex Meret no chance. Napoli’s reaction came in the shape of a Franck Anguissa header that finished well off target. Szczesny then caused a moment’s panic inside the Allianz Stadium after an attempted clearance reached the head of Stanislav Lobotka. The midfielder found Osimhen, who rounded Szczesny at the edge of the air and deposited the ball into the unguarded net. Much to Bianconeri relief, the striker was offside. Although Walter Mazzarri reshuffled his front line from the bench, the Juve defence held strong to deny Napoli a goal in Turin for the first time in eight visits. At the final whistle, the players celebrated with the fans for what was a 10th match without loss worth first place in the standings. JUVENTUS 1-0 NAPOLI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 51′ Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (92′ Rugani), McKennie (92′ Iling-Junior), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (82′ Alex Sandro); Chiesa (82′ Kean), Vlahovic (70′ Milik). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Huijsen, Miretti, Nicolussi C., Nonge, Yildiz. Coach: Allegri. NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Natan (72′ Zanoli); Anguissa, Lobotka (86’Cajuste), Zielinski (64′ Elmas); Politano (72′ Raspadori), Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia (86′ Simeone). Subs not used: Gollini, Contini, Demme, Zerbin, Cajuste, Lindstrom, Ostigard, Gaetano. Coach: Mazzarri. Referee: Orsato. Bookings: 45+1′ Kvaratskhelia, 58′ Bremer, 63′ Juan Jesus, 90+5′ Osimhen, 90+5′ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
The club’s never-say-die spirit came to the fore once again as Juventus claimed a first league victory over Monza thanks to a stoppage-time winner.
Federico Gatti pounced on an Adrien Rabiot cut-back after the home side had equalised two minutes into added time. Gatti restored Juve’s lead, first established by Adrien Rabiot on 12 minutes from a corner following a Dusan Vlahovic penalty saved by the home goalkeeper. The three points allowed Juve to leapfrog Inter at the top of the table once again. THE MATCH Juventus, hunting their first league goal against Monza, started in determined fashion. After the initial opening minutes in which the two teams studied one another, it was the Bianconeri that created the first hint of danger. Alex Sandro signalled his intent on his first start since matchday 2 with a long ball over the home defence on nine minutes. Andrea Cambiaso managed to get goalside of Giorgio Kyriakoplous inside the penalty area, forcing the full-back into a foul. The referee did not hesitate as he pointed to the penalty spot. Up stepped Dusan Vlahovic, whose spot kick was saved by Michele Di Gregorio. Not satisfied, the Monza goalkeeper also somehow managed to keep out the rebound to doubly deny Dusan. However, from the resulting corner, delivered by Hans Nicolussi Cavgilia, Adrien Rabiot powered a header beyond Di Gregorio. Juve’s early pressure had paid off. Without a recognised striker, Monza seldom threatened the Bianconeri backline, and the visitors should have doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark. Another corner kick caused concern, this time delivered by Filip Kostic. Alex Sandro’s flick reached Federico Gatti one metre out, who to his own disbelief put his effort over the bar. Juve continued to press and two minutes later Rabiot drilled a low shot from the edge of the area, which required quick reflexes from Di Gregorio to keep the ball out of his net. Monza reverted to a more classic approach after the interval with the introduction of strikers Lorenzo Colombo and Dany Mota. The extra presence in attack allowed the hosts to maintain possession higher up the field, but still Wojciech Szczesny remained an onlooker for most of the second period. Matteo Pessina and Dany Mota hit shots wide of target, while a Danilo D’Ambrosio header was blocked by Bremer inside his own six-yard box. But just as the Bianconeri were contemplating another clean sheet, another substitute, Valentin Carboni, delivered a ball into the Juve area, which spun beyond both forwards and defenders, deceiving Szczesny in turn. For the teenager, it was his first goal in Serie A. Juve were not to be denied a precious victory, however. The Bianconeri regrouped and immediately set about restoring their lead, which they did through a well-worked move on the right. Rabiot’s determination and strength took him to the deadball line, where his cross was met by Gatti. The defender’s first attempt was blocked by D’Ambrosio but there was denying his second effort. The number 4 thrashed the ball into the net. A goal that gave Juve a first win over Monza at the third time of asking for three huge points. MONZA 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 24′ Rabiot, 94’ Gatti. MONZA: Di Gregorio; D’Ambrosio, Pablo Marì (65′ Carboni A.), Caldirola; Birindelli (46′ Colombo), Machin (46′ Mota Carvalho), Pessina, Gagliardini, Kyriakopoulos (65′ Pedro Pereira); Ciurria, Colpani (76′ Carboni V.). Subs not used: Lamanna, Sorrentino, Gori, Akpa Akpro, Carboni F., Bettella, Maric, Bondo, Cittadini. Coach: Palladino. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cambiaso (86′ Locatelli), McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia (69′ Danilo), Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic (69′ Milik), Chiesa (75′ Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Huijsen, Rugani, Miretti, Nonge, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Fabbri. Bookings: 9′ Kyriakopoulos, 29′ Bremer, 81′ Milik. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus continued their unbeaten run but remained two points off the pace at the top of the table following a 1-1 draw with Inter.
Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring on 27 minutes completing a move the striker had started from midfield. Inter drew level six minutes later through Lautaro Martinez. Neither attack could penetrate the defensive walls again after the break as the game finished with a share of the spoils. THE MATCH The opening phases of the 249th Derby d’Italia saw both sides take careful measure of their opponents. The fact that the teams were tactically mirror images would have an important influence over the entire 90 minutes. The first chance came after a quarter of an hour when Juve won possession at the edge of the visitors’ penalty area. Federico Chiesa was picked out unmarked, but curled his shot high and wide of Yann Sommer’s goal. Three minutes later Inter created their first chance. A cross from the right found Lautaro Martinez, whose header at the edge of the six-yard box was comfortably dealt with by Wojciech Szczesny. Another phase of intense study followed before the breakthrough was made on 27 minutes. Dusan Vlahovic started and finished the move. The number 9 earned possession at the halfway line, and released Chiesa, who returned the favour with a slide rule pass into the path of Vlahovic now just inside the area. The striker coolly steered the ball beyond Sommer. The lead was short-lived. Six minutes later, Marcus Thuram, whose father watched on from the stands, broke down the right. His cross was met first- time by Lautaro, who beat Szczesny with an angled shot. The teams headed into the break all square. At the restart defences slowly but surely gained the upper hand. Inter had a sight on goal six minutes in but Thuram’s shot failed to concern Szczesny. On the hour mark Manuel Locatelli replaced Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, who’ll remember his first ever start in the black and white stripes. Arek Milik and Moise Kean were brought on as the game headed into the closing stages with the intention to shake up the Inter backline, but defences remained on top all the way to the final whistle. A share of the points ended Juve’s winning streak of five matches, but extended the run without loss to eight matches. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus collected a fifth win in a row in Serie A and a fifth straight success at the Allianz Stadium with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari. All the goals came in the second half and all were scored by defenders. Bremer opened the scoring on the hour and was followed on the scoresheet by Daniele Rugani.
However, the two goal lead was short lived as the visitors pulled one back through Alberto Dossena, who then hit the post But there was to be no denying another Bianconeri win ahead of the international break. THE MATCH Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari came into the encounter against the Bianconeri enjoying their best form since returning to the top flight. The seven points from the most recent nine available had certainly boosted the visitors’ confidence. The Sardinian outfit held their own for the opening half an hour. The most clear cut chance until that moment fell to Alberto Dossena, when the central defender failed to put his free header from a corner on target. Once over the 30-minute mark, Juventus began to make their presence felt. A sweet one-touch move from defence through midfield saw Federico Chiesa release Moise Kean through on goal, but the striker’s heavy first touch allowed Simone Scuffet to race off his line and smother the danger. Two minutes later, Andrea Cambiaso swept a shot over when well-positioned at the edge of the area. Kean was likewise inaccurate with an effort from a tight angle after once again beating the offside trap. The last chance of the first half fell to Weston McKennie, who had followed an attack he had started to reach a Filip Kostic cross. The midfielder’s volley crept just wide. After the interval the hosts continued to press and created three chances in as many minutes. Chiesa twice came close, first with a rasping shot from the edge of the area, followed by a volley which dipped just wide. In between, Kean again had a sight of goal but was again blocked by the presence of Scuffet. The breakthrough eventually arrived on the hour. Kostic delivered a tantalising cross from the left, and Bremer rose above the rest to power home his first goal of the season. A first of the season also for Daniele Rugani 10 minutes later, his first in Serie A since March 2021, appeared to have given Juve some breathing space. Another Kostic delivery, this time from a corner, was met by Rugani, who chested the ball onto the bar, then again with his chest bundled the ball over the line from close range. Cagliari displayed the fighting spirit that has seen them climb off the foot of the table and clawed their way back into the contest with Dossena’s header on 75 minutes. Seven minutes later the central defender hit the outside of the post with another header with Wojciech Szczesny at full stretch. The last chance of the game fell to Juve after Dusan Vlahovic worked the ball well for fellow substitute Samuel Iling jr, whose shot was parried by the visiting defence. The three points, worth top spot, at least overnight, were celebrated by fans and players alike at the final whistle. After the international break Juventus will play once more at home, when they host Inter. JUVENTUS 2-1 CAGLIARI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 60′ Bremer, 69′ Rugani, 75′ Dossena. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; Cambiaso (87′ Nicolussi Caviglia), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (65′ Iling), Kostic; Kean (65′ Vlahovic), Chiesa (80′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nonge, Yildiz. Coach: Allegri. CAGLIARI: Scuffet; Zappa, Dossena, Goldaniga, Augello; Jankto (88′ Pavoletti), Prati, Makoumbou; Viola (66′ Oristanio); Luvumbo (71′ Shomurodov), Petagna (46′ Lapadula). Subs not used: Radunovic, Aresti, Mancosu, Deiola, Hatzidiakos, Gaston Pereiro, Wieteska, Suleman, Obert, Paulo Azzi, Desogus. Coach: Ranieri. Referee: Piccinini. Bookings: 57′ McKennie, 70′ Luvumbo, 81′ Kostic, 87′ Cambiaso. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus collected all three points against Fiorentina thanks to Fabio Miretti’s first goal in Serie A. The midfielder’s maiden strike, combined with an outstanding defensive performance, pushed Juve over the line for a fourth win on the spin as the Bianconeri emerged from the cauldron of the Artemio Franchi stadium with a sixth successive clean sheet.
The game’s only goal came on 10 minutes when Miretti met a Filip Kostic cross. The remainder of the match witnessed expert defending led by the back line of Federico Gatti, Bremer and Daniele Ruagni, and when called on Wojciech Sczcesny. The victory keeps Juventus in the slipstream of leaders Inter. THE MATCH Massimiliano Allegri expressed his desire that Fabio Miretti develop an eye for goal in the pre-match press conference before the squad set off for Florence and the midfielder responded by making the coach’s wish come true just 10 minutes into the encounter at the Franchi. Fiorentina had enjoyed the bulk of possession until that moment - and would continue to do so for the remainder of the match - but a Juve counter-attack driven by the thrust of Adrien Rabiot carved open the Viola defence. The stand-in captain rolled a pass into the path of Filip Kostic who quickly delivered his cross into the penalty area. Fabio Miretti timed his run to perfection to slot the ball under Pietro Terracciano. It was the midfielder’s first goal in Serie A in his 43rd appearance. Fiorentina, urged on by their vociferous support, responded but until the half-hour mark never seriously tested Wojciech Sczcesny despite a penetrating run by Nicolas Gonzalez, whose finish did not match the build up play on 23 minutes. Seven minutes later the Argentine tried a snapshot from the edge of the area, which Sczcesny smartly parried to safety. In the closing stages of the opening period, the Viola upped the pressure, relying on set pieces. First Cristiano Biraghi’s curler from a free-kick brought out another impressive save from Sczcesny. The following corner saw Luca Ranieri unmarked inside the area but the defender flashed his header off target. The foul that led to Biraghi’s free-kick was costly for Rabiot, who received the only booking of the first half, which will see him sit out next week’s match against Cagliari. The second half followed the same script as the first, with the hosts seeing plenty of the ball, but creating very few clear cut chances. In fact, the first opportunities of the second period fell to Juve. First Moise Kean had a shot blocked before the striker played through Federico Chiesa, in an offside position and whose effort was saved by Terracciano. Fiorentina turned to Giacomo Bonaventura for inspiration as home coach Vincenzo Italiano freshened up his attack. The veteran midfielder screwed two shots off target, the nearest Fiorentina came to testing Szczesny after the hour mark. On 74’ the keeper was called on to make a routine save from a Kouame shot from distance. Four minutes later Rugani made a vital interception after Riccardo Sottil had found space behind the Juve rearguard. The winger’s cross seemed destined to be finished off by fellow substitute Joanthan Ikone before the recovery header by the faultless Rugani. Fiorentina ran out of ideas and the final chances fell to Juve. Andrea Cambiaso almost made it back-to-back goals in stoppage time but his diving header was tipped wide by Terracciano. Smiles greeted the final whistle in the Juve camp after an impressive team performance. The three points collected puts Juventus two points behind Inter and four ahead of third-placed Milan. FIORENTINA 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorer: 10’ Miretti. FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Parisi, Ranieri (83′ Mina), Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Arthur (77′ Sottil), Mandragora; Gonzalez, Barak (59′ Bonaventura), Kouame (77′ Ikoné); Beltran (46′ Nzola). Subs not used: Martinelli, Christensen, Milenkovic, Maxime Lopez, Infantino, Duncan, Comuzzo, Amatucci, Brekalo. Coach: Italiano. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; McKennie, Miretti (61′ Cambiaso), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Kean (67′ Vlahovic), Chiesa (67′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. Bookings: 43′ Rabiot, 47′ Kean, 57′ Gatti, 82′ Ranieri. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Last second drama turned frustration to celebration at the Allianz Stadium as Andrea Cambiaso scored a tap-in deep into stoppage time to reward Juventus with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. The Bianconeri dominated the match but heading beyond the sixth minute of time added on still had not found the breakthrough - much to the disappointment of Moise Kean, who had two goals disallowed.
With Verona being pushed deeper and deeper to the edge of their own penalty area a Federico Gatti cross was met by Arek Milik. The striker’s header bounced off the inside post to Cambiaso, who pounced to slam the ball into the unguarded net for his first goal with the Bianconeri. The three points propel Juventus to the top of the table. THE MATCH Match winner the last two times Juve and Hellas had met, Moise Kean was determined to add to his tally against his former side and finally get off the mark for the campaign. The striker appeared to have done exactly that on 13 minutes after a wonderful solo run and shot. Kean not only held off his marker, he then dribbled past two Verona players before rifling a shot into the bottom corner. However, just as had happened against Toro, the number 18’s celebration turned into frustration as a VAR review picked up on the slightest of offside positions when Kean first received the ball. Five minutes later Lorenzo Montipò at full stretch tipped a Kean header destined for the top corner over the bar, and from the resulting corner kick, the forward fired just wide of the far post with the Verona goalkeeper scrambling across his goal line. Co-striker Dusan Vlahovic also came close with a header, but the number 9 twisted his effort over the bar as the first half headed into the final 10 minutes. Wojciech Szczesny had been a spectator until the last minute of the opening period when Federico Bonazzoli struck a vicious volley, which Tek touched wide at his near post with reflexes on a par with his save last weekend at San Siro. Frustration for Kean continued after the restart. First he placed a header over the bar from Filip Kostic cross, then another goal disallowed - again after VAR intervened. Kean won possession on the half way line and continued to follow the attack and met the cross in the area with a powerful header low into the bottom corner. The referee consulting with VAR decided that Kean had committed a foul on Davide Faraone in midfield. Massimiliano Allegri called on all of his attacking options, from Fabio Miretti at the start of the second half and Federico Chiesa and Arek Milik to Kenan Yildiz in the final minutes - all of whom had chances to score. Chiesa had a shot blocked off the line following a McKennie cutback. Miretti and Chiesa then had efforts in quick succession thwarted by the Verona defence. Pressure continued unabated all the way to the second minute of time added on when Yildiz was sent through by Milik, but the teenager placed his volley agonisingly over the bar with only the keeper to beat. Finally, the pressure paid off. Milik’s last gasp header struck the upright, but Cambiaso was determined that the three points were going to be claimed one way or another. His tap-in sparked wild celebrations, and it was Cambiaso that led the way in the team’s explosion of joy. JUVENTUS 1-0 HELLAS VERONA (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 90+6’ Cambiaso. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani (87′ Yildiz); Weah (46′ Miretti), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (62′ Cambiaso); Kean (62′ Chiesa), Vlahovic (81′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. HELLAS VERONA: Montipò; Faraoni (72′ Tchatchoua), Magnani, Dawidowicz; Terracciano (90’+45′ Coppola), Hongla (72′ Suslov), Folorunsho, Doig (72′ Lazovic); Duda; Bonazzoli (84′ Serdar), Djuric. Subs not used: Berardi, Perilli, Amione, Cruz, Joselito, Saponara, Ngonge, Charlys, Mboula. Coach: Baroni. Referee: Feliciani. Bookings: 38′ Djuric, 39′ Rugani, 50′ Folorunsho, 56′ Kean, 90’+6′ Cambiaso. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus made it four wins out of four against Milan coming off the international break. More importantly Manuel Locatelli ended a 50-match barren run in front of goal with the game-winning strike, which ended a five-match winless run against the Rossoneri.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men when Malik Thiaw was sent off five minutes before half-time, an advantage Juventus slowly made the most of as the second half progressed. Locatelli grabbed the only goal of the game on 64 minutes. Only two points now separate the top three teams in the table. THE MATCH Both sides had to contend with important absences ahead of the first clash between Juventus and Milan since 2016 with both teams occupying places in the top-3 - a match decided by Manuel Locatelli, then wearing the red and black stripes. Milan were forced to field third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante due to number 1 Mike Maignan’s sending-off against Genoa before the international break. Another Milan player would see red before halftime against the Bianconeri. Daniele Rugani stepped in to replace Danilo, injured on international duty, on the right side of the defensive three, while in attack Arkadiusz Milik paired up with Moise Kean. Kean led the line with power and determination and his tussle with central defender Malik Thiaw supplied the first-half’s talking point. In the 40th minute, Kean slipped the Germany international’s close marking with a fine dummy and would have been through on goal had Thiaw not chopped the striker down. For the referee it was a case of halting a clear scoring opportunity, worthy of a straight red card. Before the flashpoint, Wojciech Szczesny had made a prodigious fingertip save to deny Olivier Giroud on 15 minutes. At the other end, Timothy Weah had a sight of goal on seven minutes but his shot struck international teammate Weston McKennie. Weah then won a free-kick against another USMT teammate Christian Pulisic at the edge of the Milan penalty area on 23 minutes. After Milik’s effort was blocked by the wall, Filip Kostic fired the rebound that flashed just wide. In the final minute of the opening period, Kean popped up between two Milan defenders at the edge of the six-yard box, but poked his shot wide. It was Juve's best chance of the first half. After the break the extra player advantage was used wisely. Never showing impatience, Juventus managed possession in search of the right opening to make the breakthrough. An opening which arrived just after the hour mark. Locatelli completed a personal circle - this time scoring the game’s only goal wearing the black and white stripes of the team he has supported since a boy, Juventus. The midfielder’s shot from the edge of the area took a deflection off Rade Krunic, which sent the ball spinning into the net. A goal and a player to the good, Juventus never allowed Milan a chance to get back into the contest, and could have eased Massimiliano Allegri’s nerves by adding a second. However, Dusan Vlahovic was twice denied by Mirante, the second from close-range after the veteran keeper had first kept out Andrea Cambiaso’s effort. Vlahovic and Cambiaso were the first fresh players brought on by the Juve coach, and were followed by Federico Chiesa, Dean Huijsen on his first team competitive debut and Fabio Miretti. The strength of the squad pulled through as the Bianconeri inflicted a second defeat of the campaign on Milan with a fourth straight clean sheet, the 16th this calendar year. MILAN 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 64′ Locatelli. MILAN: Mirante; Calabria (79′ Kjaer), Thiaw, Tomori, Florenzi; Musah, Adli (60′ Krunic), Reijnders (79′ Romero); Pulisic (42′ Kalulu), Giroud (60′ Jovic), Leao. Subs not used: Nava, Bartoccioni, Pellegrino, Jimenez, Pobega; Okafor, Traore. Coach: Pioli. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (78′ Huijsen), Bremer, Rugani; Weah (83′ Miretti), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (55′ Cambiaso); Milik (78′ Chiesa), Kean (55′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Yildiz, Iling-Junior, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge Boende. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. Bookings:51′ Weah, 61′ Reijnders, 66′ McKennie, 70′ Gatti, 72′ Locatelli. Sending off: 40′ Thiaw. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus produced two second-half goals to extend their unbeaten run over Torino in all competitions to 19 matches, with a 15th win in that sequence.
Grabbing derby glory were Federico Gatti, with his maiden top-flight goal four minutes after the restart, and Arkadiusz Milik who like Gatti pounced to finish off another Filp Kostic corner on 62’. The Bianconeri rearguard held firm for the remainder of the game to collect an eighth clean sheet in 13 Serie A matches, a third in succession. THE MATCH On his 100th appearance in Serie A, Moise Kean thought he had got Juve off to a flyer. The striker was played through on goal by Tim Weah after just five minutes. Kean took one look before thumping his shot high into the top corner. His joy, and that of the Bianconeri faithful, was short-lived. VAR ruled out the striker’s effort for offside. Kean was the only recognised striker in the Juventus attack at kick-off, with top scorers Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa forced to watch from the stands because of injury. The arrival of a co-striker after the interval would change the complexion of the first Derby della Mole of the season. Kean was close to a tap-in when Filip Kostic burst through the Toro defence on 18 minutes, but the winger’s cross-cum-shot went wide of the far post, agonisingly too far ahead of Kean. Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested as the opening period progressed. A spate of three shots in succession from the edge of the area by Juve captured just how much defences were on top. Kostic saw his effort blocked, likewise Fabio Miretti, before Adrien Rabiot’s shot deflected harmlessly through to Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the Granata goal. Arkadiusz Milik was asked to make an impact coming off the bench for the restart. And that was exactly what the Polish forward did. The number 14 was involved from kick-off in helping Juve win a corner. Panic ensued From Kostic’s precise delivery as Milinkovic-Savic made no contact on the cross, the ball struck Adrien Tameze and ricocheted to Kean, whose overhead kick was blocked on the line before Federico Gatti pounced on the loose ball. Just to make sure the number 4 headed his second effort into the unguarded net. However, just like in the first half. The goal was disallowed for offside, or so it seemed. Four minutes of VAR review, during which Bremer received treatment after being unintentionally kicked in the face by Kean, eventually validated the goal. Gatti raced off to celebrate his first ever Serie A strike. The local lad had made the breakthrough in the derby. Just over the hour mark, Milinkovic-Savic produced a reflex save to deny a powerful header from Milik, but from the resulting corner the striker got the better of the keeper. Again Kostic’s delivery asked questions of the Toro defence, and Milik outjumped Savic inside the six-yard box to double Juve’s lead. Six minutes later, Gatti almost added a third from another wicked Kostic corner, flashing his header just wide. Toro did not threaten until the closing minutes. First Duvan Zapata called on Wojciech Szczesny to make his first real save of the game on 87 minutes with a glancing header, then substitute Antonio Sanabria’s overhead kick flew just wide. In between those two Granata chances, Milik was thwarted by another Milinkovic-Savic block. Derby delight for the Bianconeri was just the tonic before the squad splits for the international break. JUVENTUS 2-0 TORINO (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 47′ Gatti, 62′ Milik. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (75′ Cambiaso); Miretti (46′ Milik); Kean (85′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Rugani, Fagioli, Nicolussi Caviglia, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. TORINO: Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Schuurs, Rodriguez (83′ Vojvoda); Bellanova, Ilic (83′ Pellegri), Ricci, Lazaro (83′ Gineitis); Seck (71′ Sanabria), Vlasic; Zapata. Subs not used: Gemello, Popa, Zima, Karamoh, Sazonov, Linetty, Antolini, N’Guessan Cauneman. Coach: Juric. Referee: Massa. Bookings: 20′ Bellanova, 72′ Gatti. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus earned a second clean sheet in succession with a goalless draw at Atalanta in Matchday 7 of Serie A.
The Bianconeri had the better of the first half chances, with efforts from Nicolò Fagioli and Moise Kean. Federico Chiesa, a continual thorn in the Atalanta side, forced a spectacular save from Juan Musso at the start of the second half - just as Luis Muriel did from Wojciech Szczesny from a direct free-kick in the closing 15 minutes. THE MATCH Perhaps it was to be expected in a match between a side that had held four clean sheets from their opening six league games this campaign and the team that had collected most clean sheets since the start of last season, 23 out of 44 games, that there would not be many chances for either side when Atalanta hosted Juventus. The few opportunities that did arise in the first half were for the most part created by the Bianconeri despite an early fright when Davide Zappacosta latched onto a deep cross and found himself unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box. His first effort was blocked before his second shot went wide. On the half hour mark, Federico Chiesa burst into life, getting the better of Rafael Toloi twice in as many minutes. The second show of skill from Chiesa earned Juve a free-kick at the edge of the Atalanta penalty box. Chiesa took the responsibility himself but couldn’t get his shot beyond the wall. The spark from the number 7 ignited a wave of Juventus attacks. Nicolò Fagioli tried his luck from distance. The midfielder’s swerving shot was watched all the way by Juan Musso. The home goalkeeper was called on again four minutes later. Moise Kean, enjoying his first start of the season, showed strength on the ball to ride a couple of challenges and create space for himself. The striker’s shot was held by Musso. The game of chess between two grandmasters continued in the second half, with each attacking manoeuvre being outplayed by the opponents’ defensive lines. It was the only mix-up by the home defence that allowed Juve the first chance in the second period. The ball ricocheted into the path of Chiesa, who let fly from just outside the area. His shot was kept out by a one-handed save from Musso. Not to be outdone by his opposite number, Wojciech Szczesny produced the save of the match on 74’. Luis Muriel curled a free-kick over the wall but Szczesny managed to get finger-tips to the ball to touch it onto the underside of the crossbar. The Juve keeper was again called into action to deny Muriel on 88’. Another dipping shot from distance saw Szczesny pull off the save. This time the rebound broke into the path of Teun Koopmeiners, who blasted over from close range. The Atalanta midfielder also failed to hit the target from a promising position inside stoppage time as the two sides earned back-to-back clean sheets for a share of the points. ATALANTA 0-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): ATALANTA: Musso; Scalvini (64′ Kolasinac), Djimsiti, Toloi; Zappacosta (81′ Holm), De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri (85′ Bakker); Koopmeiners; De Ketelaere (81′ Pasalic), Lookman (64′ Muriel). Subs not used: Carnesecchi, Rossi, Palomino, Zortea, Adopo, Hateboer, Miranchuk. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Gatti, Bremer (83′ Rugani), Danilo; McKennie (83′ Weah), Fagioli (67′ Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso (67′ Kostic); Kean (75′ Yildiz), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Iling-Junior, Mancini, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. Bookings: 5′ Rabiot, 53′ Danilo, 90’+2 Holm. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
An Arek Milik goal was enough for Juventus to inflict a first defeat of the season on Lecce. The side from Salento arrived ahead of the Bianconeri in the standings but the Polish striker’s 57th minute close range finish saw Juve leapfrog the visitors ahead of the remaining fixtures of Matchday 6.
THE MATCH Juventus demonstrated early ambition with the first shot of the evening in under 30 seconds. Adrien Rabiot’s effort from distance called Vladimiro Falcone into action but the Lecce goalkeeper would have a relatively uneventful first half. On 13’ Nicolò Fagioli looked to link up Federico Chiesa, as he did to good effect against Sassuolo in the previous match, but this time the number 7 dragged his shot off target. Falcone was called on again halfway through the opening period when Arkadiusz Milik tried his luck from outside the penalty area. Five minutes later, Juventus finally carved open the visiting defence. First-time exchanges in midfield gave Danilo space to feed the ball through for Chiesa. However, from an excellent position the forward placed his shot just the wrong side of the far post. The second half continued with a well-organised Lecce sitting deep, leaving the onus on Juve to break them down. And that was what the hosts did on 57 minutes. A corner kick was kept in the area by Milik, who prodded the ball to McKennie. The midfielder’s delivery was headed back across the face of goal by Rabiot, where Milik was waiting to pounce. The striker tapped in from close range to finally break the deadlock. On 65’ some good work down the left flank left Rabiot in space to attack the penalty area. The Frenchman’s shot flashed just wide. Juve came close to adding a second with a quarter of an hour remaining, when again quick link-up play on the left released Chiesa. His cross was intended for McKennie, denied a tap-in by a crucial interception by Patrick Dorgu inside his own six-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, Szczesny remained a virtual onlooker as Lecce sought in vain a way to test the Juve number 1. In stoppage time, the visitors were reduced to 10 men when substitute Mohamed Kaba was shown a second yellow for simulation. Juventus now prepare for the trip to Bergamo on Sunday with confidence restored. JUVENTUS 1-0 LECCE (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 57’ Milik. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Rugani (71′ Gatti), Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (86′ Weah), Fagioli (86′ Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso (71′ Kostic); Chiesa, Milik (77′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. LECCE: Falcone; Venuti (62′ Gendrey), Baschirotto, Pongracic, Dorgu; Oudin (62′ Rafia), Ramadani (69′ Kaba), Blin (81′ Piccoli); Almqvist, Krstovic, Strefezza (62′ Sansone). Subs not used: Brancolini, Joan Gonzalez, Berisha, Listowski, Faticanti, Corfitzen, Gallo, Burnete, Touba, Samek. Coach: D’Aversa. Referee: Giua. Bookings: 29′ Ramadani, 55′ D’Aversa, 68′ Rafia, 75′ Chiesa, 85’ Kaba, 90′ Krstovic, 90’+1′ Rabiot. Sending off: 90’+3 Kaba. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus suffered their first defeat of season 2023/24 with a 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo. The Bianconeri had rallied to draw level twice, first through an own goal by Matias Vina in the opening half and Federico Chiesa on 78 minutes in the second half.
However, the home side restored their lead on 82 minutes and Federico Gatti’s own-goal in the last minute of stoppage time completed the scoring in favour of Sassuolo. THE MATCH The rain that began to fall just before kick-off at the Mapei Stadium played its part in the game’s opening goal. With 12 minutes on the clock a dipping, swerving drive from distance from Armand Laurienté deceived Wojciech Szczesny, with the ball slipping through the goalkeeper's gloves into the net. The Bianconeri responded and were level inside 10 minutes. Federico Chiesa created the danger when he whipped in a delivery that the home defence could not cope with. Matias Vina turned the ball into his own net from close range under pressure from Weston McKennie. Just before the half hour, Manuel Locatelli came close from the edge of the area. Moments later Federico Gatti tried to set up Danilo for a tap-in following a well-worked free-kick but the captain just could not reach the ball played across the face of goal. On 38’ Szczesny made amends for his earlier mistake with a prodigious save, at full stretch he palmed away a powerful header from Ruan Tressoldi. However, two minutes later the hosts restored their advantage, when Berardi swept the ball beyond Szczesny with a first-time shot at the edge of the box. A Federico Chiesa free-kick that went just wide of target eight minutes into the second half showed Juve’s intention to draw level for the second time, and they did exactly that on 78’, with Chiesa eventually grabbing his goal. The number 7 lashed an unstoppable shot beyond Alessio Cragno after being set up by Nicolò Fagioli. Before Chiesa’s equaliser, Laurienté and Dusan Vlahovic spurned gilt-edged chances with only the oppostion goalkeeper to beat - a sign that defences were not on top. In fact, the game’s fifth goal came a mere four minutes after the Bianconeri had drawn level for the second time. Laurienté hit a similar shot to the one that had led to the game’s opener. This time Szczesny made the save, but Andrea Pinamonti was fastest to react to the rebound and placed his header into the unguarded net. Juventus pushed forward in search of a third equaliser on the night but were almost caught out on the counter attack in stoppage time, when Gregoire Defrel struck the underside of the crossbar. However, there was to be one more goal, when Gatti placed the ball into his own net in the final minute of stoppages. A home match against Lecce on Tuesday gives Juventus an immediate opportunity to redeem this their first setback of the new campaign. SASSUOLO 4-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 2-1): Scorers: 13′ Laurienté, 21′ Vina o.g., 41′ Berardi, 78′ Chiesa, 82′ Pinamonti, 90’+5′ Gatti o.g. SASSUOLO: Cragno; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi (46′ Viti), Vina (90’+1′ Ferrari); Matheus Henrique, Boloca; Berardi, Bajrami (85′ Castillejo), Lauriente (85′ Pedersen); Pinamonti (85′ Defrel). Subs not used: Pegolo, Theiner, Missori, Racic, Mulattieri, Obiang, Ceide, Volpato, Thorstvedt. Coach: Dionisi. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (60′ Weah), Miretti (46′ Fagioli), Locatelli (83′ Milik), Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling); Vlahovic (75′ Kean), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Rugani, Cambiaso, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Colombo. Bookings: 36′ Rabiot, 51′ Boloca, 55′ Danilo, 58′ Berardi, 64′ Vina, 83′ Pinamonti. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Coach Massimiliano Allegri fulfilled his pre-match press duties ahead of Juventus' away game against Sassuolo on Saturday evening, looking ahead to the trip to Reggio Emilia.
FOCUS AND BALANCE “Now we have to stay focused because there’s too much euphoria and, while on the one hand that’s nice, it can take away energy and attention. We’e only on Matchday 5 and Sassuolo, with the exception of a 3-0 win with a [Paulo] Dybala hat-trick a few years ago, have always been tough opponents. They’re coming off the back of a big defeat to Frosinone, so we’ll have a tough task and we will have to be very attentive, physical and technically good. It ill be important to get a good result. We have to get back to normality, which is winning as many games as possible and is part of Juventus’ DNA. We have a big game tomorrow, and then there’s another on Tuesday. The strength of any team is to have balance, because that’s how results are obtained. One win or loss should not change that, nothing collapses when we lose or draw a game, we just have to keep on working. I repeat, there are better-equipped teams and we have to fight with them, we have to do it with the desire to improve and with work." CHOICES “[Federico] Chiesa and [Dusan] Vlahovic are fine, on Wednesday Vlahovic had some back pain and Federico had some fatigue with his flexor. They’re fully available. On Tuesday we’ll have a game, three days later, which will only happen for midweek Serie A rounds this year, but we are only thinking about Sassuolo. I think we’ll rotate on Tuesday and I’ll evaluate Vlahovic’s condition for tomorrow. But everybody up front is doing well, including [Moise] Kean and [Arkadiusz] Milik. [Kenan] Yildiz will be with the Next Gen tomorrow, while Huijsen will be with us permanently from now on as Alex Sandro will be out for a while. Fagioli has the technique to play in front of the defence, in 2017 I defined him as a playmaking midfielder and that's what he continues to be. Then with experience he will also be able to play in front of the defence. [Weston] McKennie is fine, I’ll take a look at him today. [Timothy] Weah is a good option, he’s settling in well after just a few months in Italy but I’m happy with the way he’s integrating.” GOALS “Next year we have to be in the Champions League. We have a chance to get into the top four, but it won’t be easy because Inter, AC Milan and Napoli are stronger than everybody. We have to go one step at a time, with balance, without mood swings that are tied to single results. Whatever path we take will be determined to have been right or not by the results at the end of the season. We have to have the desire to be at the top, we have to get the results to get into the Champions League. You don’t win or lose league seasons on one game, and you don’t qualify for the Champions League or not because of one game.” STAFF "[Francesco] Magnanelli is very good. The staff, including those who have been with me for 18 years and those added more recently, bring great value. I'm happy when some of them, like [Paolo] Bianco or [Simone] Padoin, start their career as a coach. I like my staff to be made up of quality people and it would be a source of pride for me to have people I’ve worked with to go into coaching. I’m very happy with everybody who woks at Continassa, there’s a good team with a good spirit." THE SQUAD AND THE FUTURE "We have a less experienced squad this year, but we've got enthusiasm and dynamism. We have to keep working hard to improve, remembering that we have to run more than everybody else and results will bring more confidence and belief. Everybody here must feel the responsibility. When you are at Juventus you have to grow faster. We have young players who we know can make mistakes, but we also have experienced players. The boys are growing and we have to be clear about what we can achieve. The way this team is structured, it's clear that it has a big future. There are a lot of Italians, young players, all with a future and that is important. If we make it into the top four this year, after a generational change, we will have helped the club a lot. It should be remembered that last year, on the field, we finished third." SPALLETTI'S VISIT "The national team coach visiting was a real pleasure, because we are there to put the national team playes in the best working conditions and to have as many players called up as we can. In the last squad we had Chiesa and [Manuel] Locatelli, but there are others who can be called up too. We're committed to Juventus and also the national team." SPORT IN THE CONSTITUTION "I'm very happy that the country recognises the educational, social and mental wellbeing-promoting value of spots. Among other things, I've been a coach committed to sport and health for years. The numbers in Italy have changed in recent years, there's more obesity among kids so they need to be motivated to do sport. Sports give you rules, education and discipline and that's why I'm happy about the introduction of Article 33 into the Italian Constitution, because it will help to go into schools to educate the new generations that will be the future of Italy." Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Unfazed by the interruption of leaue duty for the international break, Juventus made it back-to-back wins in Serie A with an impressive 3-1 over Lazio in the opening fixture of Matchday 4.
The Bianconeri charged into a two-goal advantage before the half hour mark was reached in the first half following clinical finishes from Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa. Although the visitors pulled one goal back through Luis Alberto midway through the second period, another outstanding goal from Vlahovic restored Juve's two-goal advantage two minutes later. The first home win of the campaign saw Juventus reach the 10-pioint mark, leaving last seasons runners-up already seven points adrift. THE MATCH Massimiliano Allegri confirmed the same outfield players that had started the previous match, against Empoli - a first for the coach since his return - and the decision to stick by Weston McKennie on the right side of midfield proved crucial. The USA international, enjoying his 100th appearance in the black and white stripes, was involved in the build-up for all of the Bianconeri’s goals. On 10 minutes the midfielder stretched to keep the ball in play. His pass to Manuel Locatelli was played first time into the heart of the penalty area where Dusan Vlahovic swooped on the half volley. The number 9 thundered his shot beyond Ivan Provedel for his third of the season. Filip Kostic, with a swerving shot from the edge of the area, and Vlahovic, with a close-range header from the resulting corner after Provedel’s finger-tip save, came close to adding a quick second for the Bianconeri. The team’s second goal arrived on 26 minutes. Federico Chiesa also enjoying his third of the campaign. The number 7 pounced ahead of Adrien Rabiot onto a cross from McKennie and lashed a right foot curler that Provedel could do nothing about. The goal arrived just after Lazio had come close to equalising. Maurizo Sarri’s side found the opening through Daichi Kamada, whose rasping effort was acrobatically tipped over the crossbar by Wojciech Szczesny. The Bianconeri came out in determined fashion after the restart and only a reflex save from Provedel stopped Adrien Rabiot from adding a third goal. Lazio continued to play their football, however, and with Juve being guilty of sitting too deep, found a way back into the match - or so it seemed. Andrea Cambiaso was caught in possession and Luis Alberto took advantage to curl a shot up and over Szczesny. The electric atmosphere that had filled the Alianz Stadium until then was silenced. The moment of trepidation lasted all of two minutes, however, the time Vlahovic needed to power home his second of the afternoon. The striker received a cross-field pass from McKennie but still had a lot to do. Undaunted, the number 9 brought the ball down on his chest and held off two challenges before drilling his shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. The fans greeted the prodigious act with thunderous applause, as they did when the goalscorers were substituted with less than 10 minutes to play. Arkadiusz Milik and Moise Kean had chances to add to the tally on the counter-attack as Lazo threw more players forward. A huge roar greeted the final whistle as Juve collected a 10th point from the 12 available. With the Vlahovic-Chiesa partnership producing the goods, the Bianconeri look confidently ahead to next weekend’s trip to face Sassuolo. JUVENTUS 3-1 LAZIO (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 10′ & 67’ Vlahovic, 26’ Chiesa, Luis Alberto 65’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (71′ Weah), Miretti (58′ Fagioli), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (58′ Cambiaso); Chiesa (83′ Kean), Vlahovic (83′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Nicolussi Caviglia, Yildiz, Iling. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj (46′ Pellegrini); Kamada (77′ Guendouzi), Cataldi (46′ Rovella), Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson (73′ Pedro), Immobile (69′ Castellanos), Zaccagni. Subs not used: Sepe, Mandas, Patric, Vecino, Isaksen, Lazzari, Gila. Coach: Sarri. Referee: Maresca. Bookings: 7′ Miretti, 16′ Bremer, 60′ Gatti, 77’ Cambiaso, 81′ Vlahovic, 84′ Pellegrini. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
"The players who stayed here trained well, and the others came back with a lot of enthusiasm after their international commitments, although some will have to recover a little because of the time difference. Tomorrow will be a good game and it will be important for us to be ready."
With the above words, Massimiliano Allegri opened his press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Juventus' Serie A fixture against Lazio. On Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 15:00 CEST, Juventus will kick off the fourth day of Serie A, the first after the international break. BONUCCI AND POGBA "I've already said everything I have to say about Bonucci, a number of times. I don't feel the need to say any more, I only wish him the best of luck for the rest of his career. We're sorry about the whole situation and are waiting for developments and further clarity. We hope that light will be shed on what has happened as soon as possible. I can't comment on other issues because they concern Paul directly and they are strictly personal." ON LAZIO "We have to focus on the players we have available to us, and there are a lot. Tomorrow will be a tough game and we have to be 100% focused on this game alone. Lazio are a direct rival for the top four. Lazio are a well organised team, both in defence and attack. Tomorrow we'll be at home, so we'll see if we can find an extra gear to click into after the win at Empoli." DOUBTS ABOUT THE XI "We have to focus on the players we have available to us, and there are a lot. Tomorrow will be a tough game and we have to be 100% focused on this game alone. Lazio are a direct rival for the top four. There's a good chance that we'll see Chiesa from the start. Fede has recovered and is available. I'm very happy with how Locatelli played with Italy, and McKennie is becoming a reliable option and could start." THE SQUAD HARMONY "There's a good atmosphere in the group, and it's always tough to choose who will start. But it's good to know that we have a competitive squad and that will be important to qualify for next season's Champions League. It’s a young group with a lot of desire, and tomorrow is a big test." JUVE'S PENALTY TAKERS "After Vlahovic our penalty taker is Milik. Kean also takes them well, as does Danilo. We have a lot of options from 12 yards. There is no shortage of players to choose from." Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus head into the international break unbeaten after collecting a second win out of three for the season at the Castellani against Empoli.
A goal in either half, the first from Danilo, the second from Federico Chiesa, were just reward for a confident Bianconeri performance, which saw Mattia Perin not asked to make a save throughout the match. THE MATCH Juventus came at Empoli from kick-off, implementing the high-pressing game desired by Massimiliano Allegri. It was through possession retrieved inside the opponent’s half that the Bianconeri produced their first chance, a snapshot from Dusan Vlahovic, saved by Erit Berisha, a deadline-day signing by the Tuscan club. The striker and the goalkeeper would continue their duel throughout the first half. Danilo emerged as the other Juve player to cause the shot stopper difficulties on his debut. In fact, it was the captain that opened the scoring on 24 minutes after Empoli failed to clear a corner. A similar situation unfolded 14 minutes earlier when Danilo nodded the ball into the net from close range but was adjudged to have impeded the keeper earlier in the build-up. However, the captain was faultless when he steered home his shot for the game’s opening goal after Filip Kostic’s delivery was not dealt with by the home defence. Kostic, on his first appearance of the campaign, won the corner after dispossessing Bartosz Bereszynski with a perfect steal deep in the Empoli half. Danilo proudly displayed the number 6 on his back on the day the club remembered a historic number 6, Gaetano Scirea. Another player determined to leave his mark on his first start of the campaign was at the heart of the action that led to Juve being awarded a penalty with seven minutes of the first half remaining. Federico Gatti burst into the area only to be tripped by Youssef Maleh. After a VAR check confirmed the referee’s initial decision, Vlahovic struck his spot kick too centrally, allowing Berisha to make the save. Immediately after the restart, Berisha was again called on as he raced off his line to thwart Federico Chiesa racing in on goal. Just before the hour mark, Chiesa again burst into the penalty box, this time with only the keeper to beat he curled his shot just wide of the far post. The number 7 was not going to be denied though. After Paul Pogba had his thumping ruled off due to Vlahovic being in an offside position when setting up the Frenchman, Chiesa killed off the hosts’ lingering hopes of salvaging something from the match. Arek Milik spun on the half-way line and played the ball into the path of Chiesa who, once again one-on-one against the home keeper, used all of his pace to avoid Berisha’s challenge in midfield, and regained his footing before stroking the ball into the unguarded net. Inside stoppage time, Juve came close to adding to their tally, when a Milik header clipped the crossbar and Moise Kean struck the outside of the post with a low drive. As it was, two goals were enough to secure a second win of the season. After the international break, Lazio visit the Allianz Stadium. EMPOLI 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 24′ Danilo, 82’ Chiesa. EMPOLI: Berisha; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto, Pezzella; Maleh, Marin (72′ Kovalenko), Fazzini (61′ Grassi); Baldanzi (61′ Cancellieri), Caputo (72′ Destro), Cambiaghi (83′ Gyasi). Subs not used: Perisan, Stubjar, Shpendi, Cacace, Guarino, Ranocchia, Ebuehi, Bastoni, Ismajli. Coach: Zanetti. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (86′ Weah), Miretti (62′ Pogba), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (70′ Cambiaso); Chiesa (83′ Kean), Vlahovic (70′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Daffara, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Fagioli, Nicolussi Caviglia, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Ayroldi. Bookings: 15′ Locatelli, 43′ Bereszynski, 48′ Vlahovic, 49′ Miretti, 86′ Gyasi, 90’+7′ Destro. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
The last match for Juventus before the international break sees the team travel to Tuscany to face Empoli, with Sunday’s scheduled for 20:45 CEST.
The Bianconeri are aiming to return to winning ways following last week’s draw with Bologna, while Empoli are still in search of their first points of the 2023/24 campaign. Coach Massimiliano Allegri addressed in the media in the pre-match press conference on Saturday, highlighting the potential danger this match could pose. “Tomorrow we will find an opponent who will try to earn their first points of the championship, so we expect a difficult game, as are all the ones we have faced and will have to face. Empoli shouldn't be underestimated, they have the DNA of a team that likes to play, we'll have to be solid. We want to return to Turin with the three points.” Below are the main points touched on by the Juventus coach. THE TEAM “I have six defenders, including Dean Huijsen, and they are all reliable. Tomorrow Danilo and Gleison Bremer will definitely start, but I have to decide who will play between Alex Sandro and Federico Gatti. Nicolo Fagioli missed some of our pre-season training, but he is recovering after breaking his collarbone. In the future he could also occupy the role of regista, but at the moment that role is held by Manuel Locatelli and he is doing it well. I'm disappointed at hearing some boos at the Stadium on Sunday, directed at players who are always reliable and professional. I see Dusan Vlahovic as very calm, also because he is physically better, and then we know that when the forwards score, they are always fine. Dusan will score this year and I'm very serene about what his season will be like and the same goes for Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean and Arek Milik. Filip Kostic could also start tomorrow – he is a reliable player and last year he provided twelve assists and is improving a lot on shooting from distance. Paul Pogba is coming off an injury and his playing time needs to be managed because he hadn't played for a year. Good things are already being seen because Samuel Iling-Junior's assist for Vlahovic came from a good play by Paul. When Pogba is only at 70% he is still decisive, he is different from the others. Wojciech Szczesny is better following his knock, but he will come back only after the international break.” EIGHT TEAMS, FOUR POSITIONS “There are eight very strong teams this year, so we will need to be very good to qualify for the Champions League. This year's championship will be very balanced, in my opinion, and I think that to finish fourth you need to score 76 points and the Scudetto-winning total will be around 86-90 points. Napoli remain the favourites, but Milan and Inter are also two well-equipped teams. We will have to be at our best to be in the top four come the end of December to then push for our objectives over the second half of the campaign.” TRANSFER MARKET “We shared every market move with the Club: it didn't make sense to sign players just to "change faces". We also had the desire of maintaining a competitive and sustainable team, we have players who will grow compared to last year. We work every day to be competitive and then, as mentioned, there are our opponents; it will be a very difficult championship for every team.” Source: www.juventus.com |
|
The first home outing of season 23/24 ended in a 1-1 draw with Bologna. Juventus levelled the scoreline with 10 minutes to play through Dusan Vlahovic, his sixth goal in as many matches against the Rossoblu, after the visitors had taken a first half lead.
The draw puts the Bianconeri on four points from the opening two games. THE MATCH Expectations were high among the fans that flocked to the Allianz Stadium, especially considering the confident performance in the opening fixture against Udinese. Instead, Juve struggled to make inroads in the first half against Thiago Motta’s well-drilled Bologna. The visitors closed down the flanks and took advantage of their own pressing game to head into the interval with the advantage. Both defences held firm until the midway point of the first half when Mattia Perin, replacing the injured Wojciech Szczesny, blocked an effort from Dan Ndoye. A minute later, however, Bologna took the lead when Joshua Zirkzee played through Lewis Ferguson. The midfielder received possession inside the penalty area and took his time before placing the ball into the far corner. A goal behind, Juve raised the tempo and crafted their first chances of the game, both of which fell to Nicolò Fagioli. In quick succession, his shots were blocked by the Bologna defence. While, visiting goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski made his first save of note with three minutes to play of the opening spell, punching away a free kick from Andrea Cambiaso. It was a transformed Juventus that emerged from the dressing room. After pinning back the visitors inside their own half from the restart, the Bianconeri appeared to have drawn level on 52 minutes. Dusan Vlahovic struck from close range to divert a Bremer cross into the net. However, the striker’s joy was short lived as VAR intervened, and the referee confirmed Adrien Rabiot’s offside position when Vlahovic shot. Unaffected, Juve kept up the pressure and four minutes later, Tim Weah’s rasping drive was tipped wide by Skorupski. Still the hosts pressed on, but after Fagioli saw his shot ruffle the side netting. All this within the opening quarter of an hour of the second half. With Bologna having ridden out the initial storm, Massimiliano Allegri turned to the bench for inspiration. The coach called on Paul Pogba and Samuel Iling Jr. to provide new impetus and it was the two substitutes that linked up in the move that led to the equaliser. Pogba shrugged off a couple of tackles in the centre of the park before releasing Iling on the run down the right. The winger’s first time cross was met majestically by Vlahovic, whose header gave Skorupski no chance. With 10 minutes to play, Juve were level. However, despite as many as seven minutes of time added on, the Bianconeri couldn’t complete the turnaround and had to settle for a share of the points. JUVENTUS 1-1 BOLOGNA (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 23′ Ferguson, 80′ Vlahovic. JUVENTUS: Perin, Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weah (80′ Yildiz), Fagioli (66′ Pogba), Locatelli (80′ McKennie), Rabiot, Cambiaso (66′ Iling); Vlahovic, Chiesa (73′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Gatti, Huijsen, Rugani, Kostic, Miretti, Nicolussi Caviglia, Kean, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumì, Lykogiannis (60′ Corazza); Moro (60′ Dominguez), Aebischer (84′ El Azzouzi); Ndoye (90’+1′ Fabbian), Ferguson, Orsolini (60′ Karlsson); Zirkzee. Subs not used: Ravaglia, Gasperini, Joaquin Sosa, Bonifazi, De Silvestri, Van Hooijdonk, Urbanski. Coach: Thiago Motta. Referee: Di Bello. Bookings: 11′ Rabiot, 16′ Posch, 86' Yildiz. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
"It's our first home game, so the fans will give us a big helping hand and that's important. We are looking forward to playing at home, in front of a full house. We'll have to carry the fans along with us by playing well."
That was coach Massimiliano Allegri's first answer in his pre-match press conference on Saturday, looking ahead to Juventus' first home game of the season against Bologna on Sunday. Our home campaign kicks off on Sunday, August 27, with kick-off set for 18:30 CEST in Turin. LOOKING AHEAD TO BOLOGNA The boss was asked about the state of the squad, and gave updates on Moise Kean, Paul Pogba and Wojciech Szczesny. "Moise Kean has never been out of the squad. He arrived late once, but that can happen. He suffered a relapse after a knock, but he's available tomorrow. The transfer market? I think we'll stay as we are, and I'm very happy. Pogba is better. He had a good week and responded very well on Wednesday after a very intense training session. He is available tomorrow and he could be used. Szczesny won't be with us tomorrow after he picked up a knock. Perin will play. I have two doubts about the rest of the XI, one in the middle and one out wide." A YOUNG SQUAD "We have to keep working. The average age of the team has gone down and we have to ride the wave of enthusiasm that the youngsters bring. But, I'll repeat, we need balance, to stay calm, and before anything else we have to work. We have a different team this year, we'll have to run a lot. Every season when we get started I give the team and the staff a direction on how to work, according to the characteristics of the squad we have. We have to get used to winning as many games as we can, continuing to work and improving both as a team and as individuals." ON THIAGO MOTTA'S BOLOGNA "Bologna are a strong team and they proved it last season. Tomorrow we'll face a tough team who did well and created a lot against AC Milan. We'll need to have the right attitude. They have also strengthened in the transfer market, especially by increasing the quality in attack. We will have to be alert, but above all we must maintain the right balance. We must not get overly excited in good moments and we must not let our heads drop in the more difficult spells. As I said, we always need balance. The important thing is to be convinced of how we are working and of our means." ON SAUDI ARABIA "Offers from Saudi Arabia? I signed a four-year contract at Juventus and I can't leave now. When I leave Juve I want to leave a team behind me that will have a bright future and one that will continue to fight for success for years to come." Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Pressing. Power. Precision. That is how Juventus started the season in Udine as the curtain raiser to the new season saw Massimiliano Allegri's side run out 3-0 winners.
All three goals were scored in an incisive opening half, which saw Tim Weah and Andrea Cambiaso make their competitive debuts for the Bianonceri. Another new face, teenager Kenan Yildiz, made an appearance in the second half when the points were safely in the bag after a solid defensive display after the break matched the attacking verve of the first. THE MATCH The season could not have got off to a better start as Federico Chiesa opened his and the team’s account for the new campaign inside two minutes. Pressing in midfield forced Udinese to concede possession inside their own half and when Dusan Vlahovic fed the ball into the path of Chiesa, the number 7 had just one thought on his mind, go for goal from the edge of the area. On pulling the trigger, his shot nestled into the bottom corner. The second goal came in the 20th minute. This time it was Vlahovic who received the fans’ affection after he slammed home a spot kick, awarded following a handball in the home penalty area. Even before Vlahovic converted from 12 yards, Juve had threatened on another occasion. Andrea Cambiaso was out to make it a debut to remember in the Juventus shirt, and the wingback tried his luck after a swift move down the left flank allowed him to burst in on goal. Silvestri blocked the effort with his feet. However, Cambiaso was involved in the third goal of an electric opening half. Three minutes into stoppage time, a Chiesa back-heel picked out the number 27, whose precise left-footed cross was headed home from close range by Adrien Rabiot. The sharpest player on the home side was Florian Thauvin, who threatened either side of the half-time whistle. The forward was first denied by Wojciech Szczesny at full stretch, then his deflected shot almost looped in at the far post. Neither Fabio Miretti or Tim Weah made it out for the second half, replaced by Nicolò Fagioli and Weston McKennie respectively. McKennie produced a disciplined performance in the wingback role to help limit Udinese’s attempts to get a foothold in the game. Sandi Lovric proved to be the most dangerous for Udinese, first with two shots from outside the area before he ghosted in behind the Juve backline but placed his header wide. Juve breached the home defence for the fourth time on the night after soaking up the pressure. Dusan was denied a double though after the flag was raised against Samuel Iling only after the striker had deposited the ball into an unguarded net. Vlahovic was replaced in the closing minutes by Kenan Yildiz. The class of 2005 made it a first call-up to remember, with his first slice of Serie A action. What's more, at the other end, a brave double save on 83' by Szczesny made sure there was to be no late surge by the home side. Three goals, three points and a clean sheet, a confident start by Massimiliano Allegri’s team that allowed the coach to collect his 250th win in charge of the Bianconeri, only the second in the footsteps of Giovanni Trapattoni to reach such a milestone. UDINESE 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-3): Scorers: 2′ Chiesa, 20’ Vlahovic, 45+3’ Rabiot. UDINESE: Silvestri; Kabasele, Bijol, Perez; Festy Ebosele (55′ Ferreira), Zarraga (46′ Samardzic), Walace, Lovric, Kamara (46′ Zemura); Thauvin (66′ Success), Beto (74′ Lucca). Subs not used: Piana, Malusà, Guessand, Quina, Abankwah, Aké, Semedo, Camara, Pejicic, Nwachukwu. Coach: Sottil. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weah (46′ McKennie), Miretti (46′ Fagioli), Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso (69′ Iling); Vlahovic (84′ Yildiz), Chiesa (77′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Pogba, Kostic, Huijsen, Rugani, Soulè, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Rapuano. Bookings: 27′ Alex Sandro, 31′ Kabasele, 34′ Danilo, 90’+5′ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Serie A returns after almost two and a half months, with Juventus travelling to Udinese for their first match of the 2023/24 campaign, scheduled to take place at 20:45 CEST on Sunday evening at the Udinese Arena.
Like the fans, Coach Massimiliano Allegri is looking forward to the season's start, sharing his thoughts with the media in the first pre-match presser of the season: "We are very happy to start the championship. There's always great anticipation when you have to play your first league game. Tomorrow will be the first of a long journey that will end on May 25th. We will start to get serious and we will have to be ready for this first appointment." The Coach touched on several points in answering the journalists' questions, a re-cap of which you can read below. THE SQUAD "I am very happy with the squad I have available, with how the group is working and how we have prepared, between Turin and the United States. Now with the matches that start to count, it will be completely different from those played in pre-season." LACK OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL "We are very disappointed not to be able to play in the European cups, and the Champions League in particular. It's never nice not participating, also because we had achieved our qualification on the field. We will have to transform the bitterness into positive energy and anger to give everything in the league and in the Italian Cup. Technically, not having the commitment in the middle of the week will allow us to have more days to work on the pitch and, consequently, to prepare for the matches that await us. We'll try to exploit this aspect to our advantage, but I don't think it's an advantage to not play in European competitions." GIUNTOLI'S ARRIVAL "We have excellent relations with Cristiano Giuntoli and Giovanni Manna, I get along very well with them both. Cristiano has fully integrated into our set-up since he arrived. He was very well-received and found a group that was available and prepared to work. He is a very important figure within the Club." ATTACKING DEPTH "In addition to Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic, we can count on excellent players such as Arek Milik, Moise Kean - who unfortunately will not be called up for Udine because he is still recovering from a knock - and Kenan Yildiz. Kenan comes from the Youth Sector, he's a very interesting prospect who has shown his qualities, and there are many. I am very happy and satisfied with the players I have at my disposal." LEAGUE FAVOURITES "Usually whoever won the championship the year before always starts as favourites, so Napoli starts ahead of all the other teams. Then there are many other excellent teams: Inter are strong, Lazio and Milan are no different. It is too early to make predictions now, Serie A has yet to start. What I can say is that we will have to improve our away performance because last season this was the big difference with Napoli." THE MATCH VS UDINE "Nicolo Fagioli has trained well and is available, so I will evaluate his use tomorrow. On the flanks I have four players for two spots, so this afternoon I'll have to decide. Tomorrow the changes from the bench will be fundamental because it will be the first official match and it will also be very hot. Paul Pogba's presence in the squad will be decided after today's training." NATIONAL TEAM COACH "Roberto Mancini did an excellent job with the national team, even winning a European Championship. I wish Luciano Spalletti all the best in this new role, which is an important assignment that was given to him after winning the Scudetto last year." Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus collected all three points in Udine on the final day of the season thanks to a second-half goal scored by Federico Chiesa.
The winger curled home with just over 20 minutes to play in a match that had seen Leonardo Bonucci hit the crossbar as the Bianconeri wrapped up the campaign with yet another clean sheet. THE MATCH A noisy Dacia Arena welcomed the two sets of players for the closing encounter of the campaign, and the match almost got off to a flying start. A mistake by home keeper Marco Silvestri gifted possession to Fabio Miretti inside the area, but the young midfielder delayed too long, allowing the Udinese defence to thwart the danger. On the hosts' first attack, a cross picked out Beto inside the six-yard box. The striker couldn’t keep his header down. Juve increased the pressure on the home defence as the game entered the half hour mark. First a fiercely delivered free-kick from Juan Cuadrado brought out a finger-tip interception from Silverstri, which was crucial to take the ball away from the lurking Leonardo Bonucci - who shortly after would come closest to opening the scoring in the first half. Arek Milik and Federico Chiesa combined well at the edge of the penalty box. Milik’s return pass sent Chiesa on the run, but his shot was deflected for a corner. From the set piece, Milik’s glancing header was met by Bonucci, who redirected the ball goalwards, only to see his header rebound off the underside of the crossbar. Goalless at the break. To add some impetus to the attack, Massimiliano Allegri swapped Filip Kostić with Samuel Iling jr. The Next Gen talent made an instant impact. A cross from the winger was flicked just wide by Chiesa. Like in the first period, Juve took control of proceedings at the midway stage of the half. Adrien Rabiot drilled a shot into the side netting when sent through on goal. Five minutes later Cuadrado cut inside and unleashed a shot that rose over the crossbar. But the goal was on its way. Manuel Locatelli turned inside the Udinese area and released Chiesa. The number 7 took a couple of touches before firing an unstoppable shot into the far corner. There were still over 20 minutes to play, however, and both sides created further chances. Sandi Lovrić run straight at the Juve defence before letting fly, forcing Wojciech Szczęsny into his first real save. The keeper was called on to repeat his act by keeping out another long range effort from Nehuen Perez. In between the two opportunities for the hosts, Manuel Locatelli came close to grabbing his first goal of the season. However, his flick was brilliantly saved by Silvestri. Despite over eight minutes of time added on, Chiesa’s finish remained the only goal of the game as Juventus completed the anomalous season in seventh place. UDINESE 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 68′ Chiesa. UDINESE: Silvestri, Abankwah (58′ Cocetta), Perez, Guessand (79′ Buta); Pereyra, Samardzic, Walace (47′ Arslan), Lovric, Udogie; Thauvin (79′ Vivaldo), Beto (79′ Nestorovski). Subs not used: Padelli, Piana, Ulineia, Centis, Russo, Bassi, Castagnaviz. Coach: Sottil. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bonucci (90’+3′ Rugani), Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling); Miretti (61′ Di Maria); Chiesa (78′ Paredes), Milik (78′ Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Barbieri, Riccio, Sersanti. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Guida. BOOKINGS: 38′ Gatti, 88′ Paredes, 88′ Arslan, 89′ Nestorovski. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus were handed the knock-out blow to their fading Champions League qualifying hopes by Milan in the final home match of the campaign.
The game's only goal was scored by Olivier Giroud on 40 minutes. Danilo came closest to equalising in stoppage time but the Bianconeri left the pitch empty handed. THE MATCH The closing home fixture of the season brought a Calcio classic to the Allianz Stadium, but the long season had taken its toll on both sides. Milan started the stronger of the two teams. However, their only shot in the opening spell, from Junior Messias, was easily dealt with by Wojciech Szczęsny. Just before the quarter of the hour, Juve threatened. Juan Cuadrado was invited to try his luck from distance, and his effort forced Mike Maignan to parry the shot wide. The Bianconeri had a string of chances midway through the first half. First Moise Kean used his strength to charge forward from the half-way line. His cross was met on the slide by Ángel Di María, whose volley finished high. Immediately after, Federico Chiesa flashed a shot from a tight angle over the crossbar, while Kean on the turn at the edge of the area, drilled in a shot, which was comfortably taken by Maignan. However, the only goal of the first half - and of the game - was scored by the visiting side. Davide Calabria floated in a cross, which was attacked by Olivier Giroud, who outjumped Federico Gatti and powered a header into the corner beyond Szczęsny. Into the second half, the Rossoneri looked to add to their advantage when Alexis Saelemaekers was picked out inside the area. The substitute’s angled drive was blocked by Szczęsny, who earlier had used his height advantage over Brahim Diaz inside the six-yard box. Juve made progress into the Maignan's area on 84’, but Adrien Rabiot’s header flew wide of target. Milan had put up a red and black wall in front of their goal and Juve were invited to break it down, which they almost did in stoppage time. A corner kick reached Danilo whose close range effort was net bound until it was blocked by Pierre Kalulua practically on his goal line. At the full-time whistle, the visitors celebrated nailing down fourth place and Champions League football next season. For Juventus, next week’s final match at Udinese will decide the Bianconeri’s final league position. JUVENTUS 0-1 MILAN (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 41′ Giroud. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer (82′ Bonucci), Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (63′ Paredes); Di Maria (63′ Milik), Kean (72′ Iling-Junior), Chiesa. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Barbieri, Miretti, Sersanti. Coach: Allegri. MILAN: Maignan; Calabria (85′ Kalulu), Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Krunic; Messias (56′ Saelemaekers), Brahim Diaz (81′ Pobega), Leao (81′ Ballo-Touré); Giroud (85′ Origi). Subs not used: Mirante, Tătăruşanu; Florenzi, Gabbia, Kjær; Adli, Vranckx; De Ketelaere. Coach: Pioli. Referee: Mariani. BOOKINGS: 33′ Messias, 55′ Cuadrado, 64′ Krunic. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
On the evening that Juventus were docked 10 points for events off the pitch, the team lost 4-1 on it.
Empoli took advantage of their chances, while the Bianconeri missed theirs to lead 2-0 at the break. The hosts went three goals up before Federico Chiesa pulled one back with five minutes to play, only for Empoli to score a fourth deep inside stoppage time. THE MATCH Despite the news that had filtered through to the players, Juventus started with intent to climb back up the standings. The first chances fell to Dušan Vlahović and Filip Kostić, but both times home keeper Guglielmo Vicario smothered the danger. On 13 minutes, Arek Milik got involved, attacking a corner played to the edge of the six-yard penalty area. The striker’s header crashed back off the crossbar and although Federico Gatti poked the ball into the net from the ensuing scramble, VAR confirmed that Vicario had been impeded in the lead-up. Despite dominating the opening 15 minutes, Juve would find themselves two goals down five minutes later. With their first attack, Empoli were awarded a penalty when Milik tripped Nicolò Cambiaghi at the edge of the area. Francesco Caputo converted the spot kick. Three minutes later a corner wasn’t cleared despite a reflex save from Wojciech Szczęsny from a close range Jean Akpa Akpro header. The ball broke into the path of Sebastiano Luperto, who drove his shot high into the net. The Bianconeri responded immediately. Bremer was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance when the ball broke to him from six yards out but he couldn’t keep his shot down. Adrien Rabiot then went close with a powerful shot from distance, but Juve were being well marshalled by the home side. The last chance in the first half arrived in stoppage time when Kostić played through Vlahović, but a tackle from Vicario, who had come rushing outside of his penalty area, stopped the striker in his tracks. At the start of the second half the script remained the same despite Leandro Paredes and Federico Chiesa being brought on after the interval. The first opportunity fell to Vlahović, who skied his shot. Two minutes later, Empoli scored their third. Akpa Akpro raced away from Alex Sandro. His cross was flicked beyond Szczęsny by Caputo for the veteran striker’s second on the night. The three-goal deficit was reduced with five minutes to play. Rabiot’s cross cleared the danger area before arriving to Chiesa, who controlled with his chest before drilling a volley low into the net. The goal didn’t spark an onslaught from Juve, however, and Empoli restored their three-goal advantage in stoppage time. Roberto Piccoli was set up in front of goal and the striker drilled home on 93 minutes. An evening that started in anomalous circumstances ended with a result no one would have predicted. EMPOLI 4-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 18′ (pen) & 48’ Caputo, 22′ Luperto, 85′ Chiesa, 90+3′ Piccoli. EMPOLI: Vicario; Ebuehi, Ismajli, Luperto, Parisi; Grassi, Bandinelli (68′ Haas); Akpa Akpro (87′ Stojanovic), Fazzini (78′ Henderson), Cambiaghi (78′ Pjaca); Caputo (87′ Piccoli). Subs not used: Perisan, Ujkani; Cacace, Satriano, Destro, Tonelli, Vignato. Coach: Zanetti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro (63′ Rugani); Barbieri (46′ Chiesa), Miretti (46′ Paredes), Locatelli (58′ Di Maria), Rabiot, Kostic; Milik (58′ Kean), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin,, Riccio, Sersanti, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Ayroldi. Bookings: 53′ Parisi, 55′ Rabiot, 66′ Bandinelli, 76′ Paredes. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus tumbled out of the Europa League in the semi-finals despite a battling performance in a pulsating match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium.
In a game that saw both sides create chances, the Bianconeri opened the scoring on 65 minutes through Dušan Vlahović. The lead lasted seven minutes when Suso levelled from distance. The match was decided in extra time by Lamela, who powered a header beyond Wojciech Szczęsny. THE MATCH With five changes to the starting XI from last week’s first leg in Turin, Juventus took time to settle in the passionate atmosphere of the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium. That said, on 15 minutes the Bianconeri’s first shot, struck by Nicolò Fagioli, who would be stretchered off later in the opening half following a shoulder injury, led to the team’s first corner. Again Federico Gatti displayed his aerial strength, bulleting a header that was well saved by Yassine Bounou. Sevilla’s response came from a flashing header from Lucas Ocampos, which was miraculously kept out by Wojciech Szczęsny. Five minutes later, Tek made another acrobatic stop to deny a dipping shot from Marcos Acuña. In between the two chances for the home team, Juve created a glorious opportunity themselves. A well-worked counter attack saw Adrien Rabiot feed Ángel Di María on the run. With only the keeper to beat, El Fideo chipped wide of the target. On 33’ Moise Kean used his strength to hold off a challenge from Loïc Badé to drive his shot across the face of goal, beyond Bounou but the effort bounced back off the upright. Juve did have the ball in the back of the net in the first half. Leandro Paredes, who had replaced Fagioli, lofted a pass over the top for Manuel Locatelli, who dragged his cross into the path of Adrien Rabiot. The Frenchman slammed his shot high into the net, but the flag was raised against Locatelli. VAR confirmed the midfielder set off in an offside position. Again it was Juve that created the first clear-cut chance after the interval. Rabiot was sent through but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Before the hour mark, Bremer headed wide as the Bianconeri continued to look dangerous. And the game’s opening goal arrived on 65 minutes. Dušan Vlahović latched onto some slack play at the edge of the Sevilla area and dinked his shot over the advancing keeper. Budapest beckoned. However, seven minutes later another substitute, Suso unleashed an unstoppable shot that flew high beyond Szczęsny for the equaliser. With a quarter of an hour of the 90 minutes remaining, it was 1-1 on the night, 2-2 on aggregate. As the game edged towards extra time, Szczęsny made a fine block to keep out Bryan Gil, then the Juve number 1 acrobatically tipped Youssef En-Neysri’s header over the bar. Also in the first period of extra time, the first chance fell to Juve. Federico Chiesa drilled a low shot at the near post, which Bounou spilled but managed to scoop the ball away from the onrushing Vlahović. A minute later Sevilla scored the match’s third goal. Gil’s flighted cross was met by Lamela, whose header gave Szczęsny no chance. Sevilla sat back, intent on soaking up the pressure. Acuña was shown a second yellow card for time wasting leaving the hosts down to 10 men after 115 minutes. Juve threw cross after cross into the middle, but there was to be no repeat of the last-gasp equaliser in the first leg. Juventus bowed out of the Europa League in the semi-finals for the second time. SEVILLA 2-1 JUVENTUS (AET) (HT: 0-0) (3-2 AGG.): Scorers: 66′ Vlahovic, 72′ Suso, 95′ Lamela. SEVILLA: Bounou; Jesus Navas (105′ Gomez), Gudelj, Badé, Acuña; Fernando, Rakitic; Oliver Torres (61′ Suso) (117′ Rekik), Ocampos (69′ Lamela), Bryan Gil (99′ Montiel); En-Nesyri. Subs not used: Dmitrovic, Alberto Flores, Alex Telles, Rafa Mir, Hormigo, Bueno. Coach: Mendilibar. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (105′ Milik), Fagioli (40′ Paredes), Locatelli (86′ Miretti), Rabiot, Iling-Junior (86′ Kostic); Di Maria (63′ Chiesa); Kean (63′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Barbieri. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Makkelie. Bookings: 11′ Kean, 57′ Acuna, 105′ Danilo, 116′ Paredes, 117′ Suso, 120 Montiel. Sending off: 115′ Acuna. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
The return of Paul Pogba to the starting line-up was the major talkig point as a new-look Juve - launching the shirt for season 23/24 - welcomed Cremonese. However, Pogba's involvement was short-lived due to a muscle injury.
Juventus nonetheless collected all three points to reclaim outright second place in the Serie A table thanks to second half goals from Nicolò Fagioli and Bremer. THE MATCH With Cremonese fighting to keep their Serie A status, the visitors’ tactics were simple: keep Juventus as far as possible from their goal. Although Davide Ballardini’s side were content to concede the Bianconeri possession, the flicks and vision of Paul Pogba combined with the pace and direct running of Federico Chiesa were beginning to work openings in the Cremonese rearguard. In fact, it was Pogba who had the first glimpse at goal when he turned inside the area. However, Vlad Chiriches blocked the number 10’s effort. On 22 minutes, after flighting in a cross, Pogba fell to the ground in pain. The midfielder left the pitch in tears, replaced by Arkadiusz Milik. The Polish striker was the first to test Marco Carnesecchi with a shot from distance. The Cremonese goalkeeper then had to react quickly to parry a Bremer header from a corner. The grey and red wall was doing its job, keeping Juve at a safe distance, until the final seconds of stoppage time in the first half when Leandro Parades picked out Milik, who had sneaked in behind the defence. However, Carnesecchi was alert to the danger and quickly punched clear before the forward could bring the ball under control. More urgency was required to find a way through the well-drilled Cremonese defence and that’s exactly what Juve supplied at the restart. First a Milik cross was punched only as far as Paredes, whose drive was deflected for a corner. The Bianconeri kept up the pressure. Adrien Rabiot saw his shot saved and Milik turned the rebound over the bar. However, the breakthrough was only minutes away. Chiesa was launched down the left wing and as he made his way into the area the number 7 laid the ball back to the edge of the area, where Nicolò Fagioli was waiting to lash the ball high behind Carnesecchi. Juve knew a second goal would put the game to bed and so continued to push forward. Another Chiesa cross picked out Milik in the middle but a magnificent recovery tackle by Chiriches denied the Pole another goal against Cremonese. The second goal duly arrived, but only after Milik had seen another effort disallowed for offside and Rabiot had hit the side netting from an excellent position. With just over 10 minutes remaining a Paredes corner was met by Rabiot. The loose ball inside the area was too appetising for Bremer not to make the most of and he placed his header into the unguarded net. A third win in succession in Serie A was just the confidence booster the team needed heading into Thursday’s Europa League semi-final decider against Sevilla. JUVENTUS 2-0 CREMONESE (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 55′ Fagioli, 79′ Bremer. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (82′ Barbieri), Fagioli, Paredes, Rabiot, Chiesa (66′ Iling); Pogba (24′ Milik) (82′ Kean); Vlahovic (66′ Di Maria). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Locatelli, Kostić, Miretti. Coach: Allegri. CREMONESE: Carnesecchi; Ferrari (66′ Castagnetti), Chiriches, Lochoshvili (70′ Sernicola), Vasquez; Meite, Benassi (66′ Buonaiuto); Quagliata (46′ Valeri), Galdames, Okereke; Afena-Gyan (46′ Ciofani). Subs not used: Saro, Sarr, Aiwu, Bianchetti, Ghiglione, Acella, Basso Ricci. Coach: Ballardini. Referee: Chiffi. Bookings: 64′ Cuadrado, 66′ Danilo. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Leonardo Bonucci made his 500th appearance in the black and white stripes, but it was his replacement who grabbed the headlines with a last-gasp equaliser for Juventus against Sevilla. Federico Gatti pounced inside stoppage time to score for a second consecutive European night at the Allianz Stadium as the first leg of the Europa League semi-final finished 1-1.
The Spanish side took the lead on 26 minutes through Youssef En-Nesyri. At the interval Massimiliano Allegri made two changes and it would be substitutes linking up that set up, Gatti, who took over from Captain Bonucci on 62', that left the tie on a knife's edge. THE MATCH An electric atmosphere welcomed the teams out on the pitch at the Allianz Stadium. Both teams displayed their intentions early to hit at pace, with Filip Kostić and Ángel Di María linking up with Dušan Vlahović. For Sevilla, the main threat came from Lucas Ocampos, who forced Wojciech Szczęsny into two early saves from headers. The second save, a one-handed parry, was especially worthy of note. Immediately after, Vlahović had his first sight of goal. Although the flag was eventually raised for offside, the striker was thwarted twice in quick succession by Yassine Bounou. The Sevilla goalkeeper was cut out in Juve’s next attack. A low cross from Kostić on the left was placed out of reach of Bounou, whose presence did enough to unsettle Vlahović as he shot over with the goal gaping. Ocampos missed a similar chance at the other end but two minutes later the hosts took the lead. This time Ocampos led a counter attack and delivered a low pass into the penalty area. A Bryan Gil dummy saw the ball arrive at the feet of Youssef En-Nesyri, who had time to pick his spot as he slotted his shot beyond Szczęsny on 26 minutes. Juventus were clearly rocked at finding themselves a goal down but dug deep to hold firm and keep Sevilla at a safe distance for the remainder of the opening half. In fact it was from distance that Szczęsny was called into action again, on 40 minutes when Ivan Rakitić’s vicious swerver almost deceived the Juve keeper. At the interval Massimiliano Allegri made two substitutions, Federico Chiesa and Samuel Iling-Junior. The two forwards immediately gave the Bianconeri momentum going forward. Chiesa was inches away from making contact with a long-ball played into the area, while Iling jinked his way into the box but his cut-back didn’t find a teammate. On 63 minutes it was Iling, however, who tested Bounou with a low drive from the edge of the area. It would be two other substitutes that would be fundamental in Juve levelling on the night. Sevilla were happy to sit deeper and deeper in a bid to hold onto their lead, and the tactic was effective as Juve were denied any clear cut chances. But the never-say-die spirit came to the fore again. With the last attack of the match, Chiesa won a corner, which he took himself. Paul Pogba played a header back across the face of goal, and from close range, Federico Gatti pounced with a crucial goal. In seven days the return leg in Andalusia will decide which of the two teams makes it to the final, in what is nothing less than a winner-takes-all. JUVENTUS 1-1 SEVILLA (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 26′ En-Nesyri, 90’+7′ Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci (61′ Gatti), Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Miretti (46′ Chiesa), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling); Di Maria (69′ Pogba); Vlahovic (61′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Kean, Rugani, Soulé, Paredes, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri SEVILLA: Bounou; Jesus Navas, Badé, Gudelj, Acuna; Fernando, Rakitic; Ocampos (34′ Montiel), Oliver Torres (73′ Gomez), Bryan Gil (81′ Lamela); En-Nesyri. Subs not used: Dimitrovic, Alberto Flores, Alex Telles, Rekik, Rafa Mir, Bueno. Coach: Mendilibar Referee: Siebert Bookings: 42′ Rabiot, 71′ Rakitic, 77′ Locatelli, 78′ Bryan Gil, 79′ Chiesa, 82′ Badé, Lamela 90+5’. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Two goals without reply in Bergamo. Juventus collected an important win on Serie A Matchday 34 thanks to second half goals from Samuel Iling Junior, on his first Serie A start, and Dušan Vlahović, back-to-back goals for the striker.
The three points on the back of a solid performance push Juve into second place, two points ahead of Lazio on a weekend when six of the top-eight teams in Serie A went head on. THE MATCH The first lunchtime kick-off for Juventus coincided with the first signs of summer as the sun shone at a sold-out Gewiss Stadium. The temperature was certainly high on the pitch as both teams employed a pressing game, quickly closing down their opponents. It was from Bianconeri pressure that the first chance of the match sprang. Nicolò Fagioli forced Teun Koopmeiners into a mistake at the edge of his own area. The ball broke into the path of Ángel Di María, who let fly from the edge of the area but curled his shot wide. A minute later Arkadiusz Milik rose to meet a Juan Cuadrado cross but the striker flicked his header wide of the same post. Not to be outdone, Atalanta created chances of their own. The first arrived from a corner which was met by Giorgio Scalvini, whose header hit the post. Davide Zappacosta then headed over from an interesting position at the edge of the six-yard box and a Marten De Roon piledriver was blocked by Alex Sandro. The last chance of the first half was created down the Atalanta right-hand side, which was where the home side had been doing the bulk of their attacking. A cross from inside the area from Koopmeiners picked out Mario Pašalić, who lashed his shot over the bar. Neither goalkeeper was called into action in the opening half. An aspect that would certainly change after the break. In fact, 10 minutes after the restart Juve took the lead. Samuel Iling Junior won possession inside the Atalanta half before exchanging passes with Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder reached the deadball line and his low cross was deflected back to Iling, who finished from the edge of the six-yard area. A Serie A debut to remember for the teenager. Paul Pogba came close to adding a second after a swift counter attack. Then, with 15 minutes to play, Wojciech Szczęsny made his first save. Koopmeiners’s shot from a free-kick was hit with pace but was well covered by the Juventus number one. In the closing minutes, the home side continued to push forward in search of an equaliser, while Juve aimed to wrap up the points on the break. On 89’ Dušan Vlahović hit his effort straight at Marco Sportiello as the Juve striker was played through one-on-one against the Atalanta goalkeeper. Only a minute elapsed before a surprise shot from Zappacosta at the edge of the area struck the face of the post and bounced to safety. The Bianconeri defence was standing firm against everything the hosts were throwing at them and in the eighth minute of time added on Vlahović made sure all three points were heading back to Turin. The number nine unleashed an unstoppable shot that flew into the top corner. Juventus move into second place with four matches of Serie A to play. Attention now turns to the Europa League semi-final. ATALANTA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 56′ Iling, 90+8′ Vlahović. ATALANTA: Sportiello; Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini; Maehle, De Roon, Koopmeiners, Zappacosta; Ederson (49′ Boga) (64′ Soppy), Pasalic (60′ Muriel); Zapata. Subs not used: Musso, Rossi, Okoli, Demiral, Palestra. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli (64′ Pogba), Locatelli, Rabiot, Iling-Junior (82′ Kostić); Di Maria (82′ Chiesa); Milik (64′ Vlahović). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Bremer, Gatti, Bonucci, Barbieri, Miretti, Kean, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Doveri. Bookings: 62′ Rabiot, 90′ Maehle, 90+9′ Vlahović. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
All the goals came in the first half as Juve collected a first win in Serie A since the opening week of April. The 2-1 win over Lecce came courtesy of goals from Leandro Paredes and Dušan Vlahović, who restored Juve's lead after the visitors had equalised from the penalty spot.
The Bianconeri came close to adding a third through Danilo in the second half, but his header struck the upright. At the other end, Wojciech Szczęsny made an important double block to maintain the advantage. Momentarily, Juve move into second place. THE MATCH Straight from kick off there was no holding back between Juventus and Lecce. As early as the second minute the visitors had the ball in the net when Assan Ceesay slid in at the far post. However, VAR indicated that the Lecce striker was in an off-side position. He wouldn’t be the only player to have his joy short-lived for the same reason. On eight minutes Filip Kostić attempted an audacious lob on the run but couldn’t keep his effort on target. Juve continued to press, however, and Nicolò Fagioli won a free-kick after a quarter of an hour. Leandro Paredes took full advantage of a gap in the defensive wall to drive his shot into the bottom corner. Ten minutes later the Bianconeri had the ball in the net for a second time. However, it was Fabio Miretti who was to share the same fate as Ceesay. A well-worked move with Ángel Di María pulling the strings saw Miretti run onto the ball and crack a shot in off the crossbar. A matter of centimetres denied the teenager, adjudged to be fractionally offside, his first goal in Serie A. On 30 minutes, Massimiliano Allegri had to make the first substitution of the match as Mattia De Sciglio was stretchered off. Juan Cuadrado took over on the right flank. As the match flowed from one end to the other, on 37’ from a Lecce cross the ball struck the arm of Danilo inside the area. For a second match in a row, Juve had to face a penalty. For a second match in a row, Lecce had a chance to score from a spot-kick. Ceesay this time had a chance to celebrate as he drove his penalty low into the corner. Even if he guessed correctly, Szczęsny just couldn’t reach the well-placed shot. Only three minutes later Juve were back in front thanks to the Serbian connection. A Kostić cross was met sweetly on the half-volley by Dušan Vlahović, who smashed his shot low into the far corner. Either side of the interval Miretti found himself in a goal-scoring position again. Before the break he flicked an effort over the bar, then with the first chance since the restart, the midfielder poked the ball wide from the edge of the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy. Juve came close to opening a two-goal advantage through Danilo. Looking to make amends for giving away the penalty, the defender pushed forward for a corner but saw his header crash off the post. It wasn’t all one-way traffic, however, and the Bianconeri had Szczęsny to thank for two reflex saves from point-blank headers, the first from Ceesay, the second on the rebound from Federico Baschirotto. With just the one-goal lead, the tension remained inside the Allianz Stadium even until the final seconds of the five minutes of time added on. At the final whistle, the Juve faithful gave a huge cheer of satisfaction - Juventus were back to winning ways in Serie A. JUVENTUS 2-1 LECCE (HT: 2-1): Scorers: 15′ Paredes, 37′ Ceesay (pen), 40′ Vlahovic. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny;Bremer (87′ Gatti), Bonucci, Danilo; De Sciglio (32′ Cuadrado), Fagioli, Paredes (87′ Locatelli), Miretti (72′ Pogba), Kostić; Di Maria (72′ Chiesa); Vlahović. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Milik, Kean, Soulé, Iling jr. Coach: Allegri. LECCE: Falcone; Romagnoli, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Pezzella (70′ Ceccaroni); Gonzalez (59′ Di Francesco), Hjulmand (89′ Voelkerling), Maleh (59′ Blin); Banda, Ceesay (89′ Colombo), Oudin. Subs not used: Bleve, Brancolini, Tuia, Helgason, Gendrey, Cassandro. Coach: Baroni. Referee: Fourneau. BOOKINGS: 47’ Umtiti, 55′ Paredes, 61′ Pezzella, 76′ Bremer. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus stretched their unbeaten run at Bologna to 20 matches with a share of the points in Serie A Matchday 32 after the Bianconeri came from a goal down to draw 1-1 at the Renato Dall'Ara stadium.
The first half was a tale of two penalties. Bologna converted theirs on 10 minutes, through Riccardo Orsolini. On the half-hour, Arek Milik saw his spot kick saved by Lukasz Skorupski. Milik made amends, however, with the equaliser on 61 minutes. Juve are return to league action when they host Lecce in the midweek round as the season heads into a nail-biting finale for a top-four finish. THE MATCH Both sides fielded 4-3-3 formations set to attack. Juve’s front three of Federico Chiesa, Arkadiusz Milik and Filip Kostić were intent on breaking down the home defence, which was saved twice by Georgios Kyrakopoulos at the edge of his own penalty area. Bologna’s reply came in the shape of Riccardo Orsolini, who stole the ball from Alex Sandro to be then tripped up by Danilo as he made his way into the penalty box. After consulting with VAR the referee pointed to the penalty spot (due to a malfunctioning pitchside monitor the referee was not able to check the evidence in person). Orsolini took the penalty himself, sending Wojciech Szczęsny the wrong way. Juve set out to find an equaliser, but one player in particular would ensure Bologna held onto their lead until half-time, Lukasz Skorupski. The home keeper first denied Arek Milik’s volley on 25 minutes. A minute later, the Bianconeri broke into the Bologna box again, this time through Nicolò Fagioli. His first close-range effort was blocked by Skorupski, who parried the shot back into the path of Fagioli, who tried his luck again, but this time the keeper’s foot kept the ball out. The Bianconeri continued to create chances and were awarded a penalty of their own when Milik was upended at the edge of the area. Again the referee was advised by VAR after he had initially given a free-kick. Milik stepped up but saw his spot kick saved by Skorupski. The Polish striker would eventually have the better of his international teammate, but only after the interval. Samuel Iling Jr and Matias Soulé were introduced to the action just short of the hour mark, and the two substitutes made an immediate impact. Iling touched the ball into the area for Chiesa, whose attempted pass was deflected into the path of Milik. This time the striker drilled the ball beyond Skorupski. Iling again was at the heart of the next attack, which almost led to Juve completing the turnaround. The winger spun inside the area, only to blast his shot over the bar. Bologna came off the ropes in the closing phases as both sides created chances to clinch all three points. Stefan Posch headed wide from close range after Orsolini attempted a spectacular volley. Soon after, Joshua Zirkzee was thwarted twice in as many minutes by Szczęsny. However, the last clear-cut chance fell to Juve on 85 minutes. Dušan Vlahović challenged for a cross, obliging Skorpuski to punch the ball down only as far as Soulé, who from the height of the penalty area with the goal gaping, shot over the bar. The point kept Juventus in third place, but with six teams split by only six points the chase for a top-four finish is hotting up, and the teams return to action in midweek, when Lecce visit the Allianz Stadium. BOLOGNA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 10’ Orsolini (pen), 61’ Milik. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Posch (86′ De Silvestri), Soumaoro, Lucumì, Kyriakopoulos (66′ Cambiaso); Moro (81′ Medel), Schouten, Dominguez (66′ Zirkzee); Orsolini, Barrow, Ferguson (81′ Aebischer). Subs not used: Bardi, Ravaglia, Bonifazi, Sosa, Lykogiannis, Pyyhtia. Coach: Thiago Motta. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Gatti, Danilo, Alex Sandro; Fagioli (57′ Soulé), Locatelli (83′ Paredes), Rabiot; Chiesa (69′ Miretti), Milik (83′ Vlahovic), Kostic (57′ Iling-Junior). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, Bremer, Bonucci, Rugani, Pogba. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Sozza. BOOKINGS: 2′ Posch, 41′ Kyriakopoulos, 54′ Rabiot, 87′ Paredes. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus missed out on an eighth Coppa Italia final in nine seasons after losing 1-0 to Inter in the semi-final second leg at San Siro. The game's only goal arrived after a quarter an hour of play from Federico Dimarco.
The Bianconeri saw plenty of the ball but lacked the creativity to find a way in behind the Inter defence. In the end Juve bowed out 2-1 on aggregate. THE MATCH The 36th Derby d’Italia in Coppa Italia kicked off with both sides being highly attentive, with Juventus sitting deep, perhaps too deep. As early as the third minute, the home side created the first chance. A cross whipped in from the right was just beyond Lautaro Martinez. Bremer’s timely interception denied a scoring opportunity for Edin Dzeko. Likewise, 10 minutes later Alex Sandro was well positioned to head clear from Denzel Dumfries lurking at the far post. However, Inter continued to press and took the lead on 15 minutes. Nicolò Barella played a pass through the heart of the Juve defence for an unmarked Federico Dimarco, who hit a first time shot with the outside of his boot to place the ball beyond Mattia Perin. Juve’s response came in the shape of a Mattia De Sciglio header that flashed just wide and a Filip Kostić shot, which produced a fine save from Andrè Onana. The Bianconeri knew something more was needed after the break to keep their cup dreams alive. Arek Milik came on at the restart to add to the attacking options. And the first signs were positive. Fabio Miretti found himself in space at the edge of the area but couldn’t keep his shot down. A few minutes later Manuel Locatelli hit the target but his shot curled into the arms of Onana. On 52 minutes Inter had the ball in the net for the second time after Edin Dzeko placed his shot in off the far post. The goal was disallowed due to striker having set off from an offside position. A reprieve for Juve, but the Bianconeri were still struggling to find the guile to break down a well-drilled Inter defence. In fact, with a one-handed save from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, it was Perin the keeper that was most severely tested in the closing stages of the match. Even four minutes of time couldn't change the complexion of the game. Juve failed to find the goal to take the game to extra time. At the final whistle, Dimarco’s goal proved enough on the night for Inter. INTER 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 15’ Dimarco. INTER: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella (68′ Brozovic), Calhanoglu (82′ Gagliardini), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (78′ Gosens); Dzeko (68′ Lukaku), Lautaro Martinez (78′ Correa). Subs not used: Cordaz, Botis, De Vrij, Bellanova, Asllani, D’Ambrosio, Carboni, Zanotti. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Perin; Bremer, Bonucci (68′ Danilo), Alex Sandro; De Sciglio, Miretti (79′ Pogba), Locatelli (62′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Milik); Di Maria, Chiesa. Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Rugani, Fagioli, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Doveri. BOOKINGS: 58′ Locatelli, 90’+2′ Mkhitaryan. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Despite finding the net twice, Juventus came out losers in the Serie A Matchday 31 fixture against Napoli. Ángel Di María and Dušan Vlahović had goals disallowed inside the final 10 minutes of a tight contest with the league leaders, who then claimed victory in stoppage time through Giacomo Raspadori.
THE MATCH Juventus did not hold back, not allowing Napoli to settle in possession in the opening minutes. On 10’ the first shot. A rasping effort from Juan Cuadrado, which Alex Meret was happy just to parry, allowing his defence to mop up the loose ball. Six minutes later, Filip Kostić made progress down the left flank. His cross reached Arek Milik, whose header brought another save from Meret. As the game progressed, Napoli were seeing more of the ball but the aggressive pressing game by Juve was keeping Wojciech Szczęsny a virtual bystander. On 26’ Adrien Rabiot muscled his way onto a through ball after Matias Soulé and Cuadrado had linked up to good effect. Rabiot’s cross was too powerful for the onrushing Milik as it sped across the face of the Napoli goal. At the other end, only once did Napoli see some daylight between them and the Juve goal. Hirving Lozano sped away on the counter attack but a timely recovery tackle by Danilo blocked the winger’s shot. Federico Gatti was on hand to complete the clearance. Napoli’s possession continued to grow but at half time the visitors had failed to hit a shot on target. Five minutes after the restart the first save from Szczęsny after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cut in from the left. Half way through the second half the goal threat posed by Victor Osimhen came to the fore. The Serie A top scorer had three attempts in the space of a few minutes. First the striker’s shot was deflected out for a corner. From the set piece he won a header, which was placed straight at Szczęsny, who then watched Osimhen’s half-volley fly over the crossbar from close range. The reaction from Juventus came in the shape of Daniele Rugani with an attempted scissors kick, quickly followed up by a Milik slap shot that went wide. Heading into the closing 10 minutes, the game opened up and Juve thought they had scored the opener. A lightning counter attack was finished off by Ángel Di María. However, a tackle by Milik before El Fideo was sent in on goal was adjudged to have been a foul after the VAR review. Two minutes later the Bianconeri had the ball in the net again. Federico Chiesa sprinted to the deadball line. His cut back was finished off by Dušan Vlahović. This time the goal was disallowed because the ball had crossed the line before Chiesa’s delivery. Inside stoppage time it seemed as if Szczęsny had ensured Juve a point when he denied Osimhen with the striker galloping in on goal. However, there was still time for Giacomo Raspadori to fire a volley into the net. Juve threw everything forward in a last ditch attempt to salvage a point but it was to be the visitors’ night. JUVENTUS 0-1 NAPOLI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 90+3’ Raspadori. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Soulé (65′ Fagioli), Rabiot, Locatelli, Kostic (60′ Chiesa); Miretti (60′ Di Maria); Milik (89′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Bremer, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Pogba, Paredes, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka (90’+5′ Rrahmani), Ndombele (68′ Zielinski); Lozano (68′ Elmas), Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia (86′ Raspadori). Subs not used: Marfella, Gollini, Demme, Bereszynski, Zerbin, Zedadka, Ostigard, Gaetano. Coach: Spalletti. Referee: Fabbri. BOOKINGS: 23′ Locatelli, 39′ Rabiot, 85′ Fagioli, 89′ Di Maria, 90’+7′ Anguissa. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus have secured qualification into this year’s Europa League semi-finals following a 1-1 draw against Sporting CP at the José Alvalade Stadium. Adrien Rabiot’s early strike inside 10 minutes was cancelled out by Marcus Edward’s penalty kick, yet Federico Gatti’s winner in the first leg proved vital as the Bianconeri progressed 2-1 on aggregate.
THE MATCH Mister Allegri opted to field an attacking trident featuring Federico Chiesa, Angel Di Maria and Dušan Vlahović, knowing full-well his side could not sit on the 1-0 lead from the first leg played a week prior. Yet it would free-scoring Frenchman Adrien Rabiot who would give the Bianconeri the lead, the midfielder reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box following Juve’s first corner of the match, turning in his 11th goal of the season just nine minutes into the encounter. Ten minutes later, however, Juve’s goalscorer was adjudged to have taken down Manuel Ugarte in the Sporting box, as the hosts were awarded a spot-kick. Edwards stepped up to the mark, sending Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way to make it 1-1. The Portuguese side, backed by a vocal home crowd, rode the momentum from their equaliser as they looked to get back into the tie, enjoying a decent spell of possession in attack, but failing to make their half-chances count. Diomande rose highest from Sporting’s fifth corner of the match in the 35th minute, but could only guide his headed effort wide of the right-hand upright. POSITIVE START The visitors began the second half with positive intent, Vlahović involved in the thick of the action as he twice came close to registering his name on the scoresheet, narrowly failing to head Juan Cuadrado’s cross from the right-hand side on target before having a strike on goal deflected out for a corner minutes later. The Serb would then combine well the lively Chiesa, the Italian latching onto his teammate's pass, but could not keep his shot down as he watched it sail over the bar. With 20 minutes to go, Coach Allegri made a triple substitution, bringing on Paul Pogba and Arek Milik to add to the attack, while an injury to Bremer saw first-leg scorer Federico Gatti added to the fray. In desperate need of a goal, the home side continued their attacking intent, with a heart-in-mouth moment for the Bianconeri as Danilo misjudged a ball in the box, allowing Ricardo Esgaio to slip in behind, yet the right-back could only drag his shot on goal wide. It was nervy end to the game for Juventus as an unmarked Sebastian Coates blazed a volley over the bar from close range, before failing to connect cleanly with a neatly-played ball over the top on 90 minutes as Alex Sandro hoofed away the danger. Juventus remained resolute, seeing out the match to secure the 2-1 aggregate victory, and a date with Sevilla in the Last Four of this season’s Europa League. SPORTING CP - JUVENTUS 1-1: SCORERS: 9' Rabiot (J), 20' Edwards (S). SPORTING: Adan; Diomande, Inacio (71' Matheus Reis), Coates; Esgaio, Ugarte, Morita, Santos (87' Arthur Gomes); Trincao (81' Chermiti), Edwards, Gonçalves. Unused subs: Diogo Pinto, Israel, Alexandropoulos, Luis Neto, Rochinha, Fatawu Issahaku, Bellerin, Tanlongo, Dario Essugo. Coach: Amorim. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Danilo, Bremer (71' Gatti), Alex Sandro; Rabiot, Locatelli, Miretti (71' Pogba); Di Maria, Vlahovic (71' Milik), Chiesa (78' Kostic). Unused subs: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Soulé, Paredes, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Letexier. BOOKINGS: Ugarte, Edwards (S), Gatti, Pogba (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus fell to consecutive defeats in Serie A losing by the game's only goal at Sassuolo. Neither side risked much in the first half, but the game opened up after the break. Sassuolo took the lead through substitute Gregoire Defrel on 64 minutes. Adrien Rabiot and Angel Di Maria came closest to pulling Juve level but in the end the Bianconeri left empty handed.
Concentration turns once more to the Europa League on Thursday, when Juve take on Sporting CP in Lisbon. THE MATCH Another youngster promoted from the Next Gen made his Serie A debut. For Tommaso Barbieri it was not his first team debut having already tasted Champions League action against Paris Saint Germain in November. Still, the 20 year old was one of the main outlets for Juve in a tight first half. The full-back won a couple of corners, which for once the Bianconeri could not make the most of, leaving Andrea Consigli in the home goal untested over the opening 45 minutes. The same could be said for Consigli’s opposite number. Mattia Perin cut out two low crosses played into his six-yard penalty area, but also the Juve shotstopper had a quiet first half. Sassuolo winger Nedim Bajrami came closest to testing Perin, but the replacement for the injured Domenico Berardi shot high after finding himself in a useful position on the right side of the penalty area. Neither side had shown the guile to break down their opponents. After 45 minutes of taking the measure of each other, both teams had to risk something more after the interval to make the breakthrough. Sassuolo made the first change in an attempt to alter the balance of the game, bringing on Gregoire Defrel at the start of the second half. The substitute brought out a first-class save from Perin on 56 minutes from a corner, which had been awarded after another Perin save from a curling shot from Maxime Lopez. The home side continued to keep the pressure on the Juve defence, obliging Federico Gatti to make unconventional clearances, first off his own goal line then from a corner he headed against his own post. Sasssuolo’s pressure eventually paid off. From the Neroverdi’s ninth corner, Nicolò Fagioli miss hit his clearance into the path of Defrel, who drilled a low shot into the net. Massimiliano Allegri threw on Federico Chiesa and Angel Di Maria and the two subs linked up for one of Juve’s most clear cut chances to level. First, however, home keeper Andrea Consigli miraculously kept out Adrien Rabiot’s header. From the resulting corner, Juve kept up the pressure with Chiesa who burst to the heart of the Sassuolo penalty area. His cutback reached Di Maria, who blasted over the crossbar. Juventus collected corner after corner but never again tested Consigli, resulting in a second consecutive Serie A defeat. The Bianconeri must pick themselves up immediately, on Thursday there is the return leg in Lisbon of the Europa League quarter-finals. SASSUOLO 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): SCORERS: 65′ Defrel. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi (89′ Ferrari), Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Henrique (70′ Harroui); Bajrami (77′ Zortea), Pinamonti (46′ Defrel), Laurientè (77′ Ceide). Subs not used: Pegolo, Russo, Marchizza, Alvarez, Obiang, Romagna, D’Andrea, Thorstvedt. Coach: Dionisi. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Barbieri (57′ Cuadrado), Paredes (82′ Pogba), Fagioli (66′ Miretti), Rabiot, Kostic (66′ Chiesa); Milik (57′ Di Maria), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Locatelli, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Rapuano. Bookings: 90’+5’ Chiesa. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus earned a narrow victory in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Sporting CP. The game’s only goal came from Federico Gatti, with his first goal for the club. With a double stop in stoppage time, Mattia Perin made sure the Bianconeri take a 1-0 win to defend in Lisbon next week.
The Match Massimiliano Allegri picked three in attack, Arek Milik flanked by Federico Chiesa and Ángel Di María. In fact, Juventus set out to exploit the pace of Chiesa, who looked the most dangerous of the Bianconeri in the opening phases. On 11 minutes the vision of Di María saw Chiesa on the run and the pass from El Fideo was inch perfect. Chiesa brought the ball down with one touch, with the second he struck his shot, which forced a clever stop from Adan. The Sporting keeper was called into action four minutes later. This time Chiesa popped up on the right wing when his low cross was cut out by the Spanish shotstopper. Sporting then came more into the game as an attacking force, and it was the Juve keeper that would be the busier of the two. The first scare came on 20 minutes when Hidemasa Morita drilled a low shot just wide. Nine minutes later, following a corner, Coates hit a volley which brought out an excellent save from Wojciech Szczęsny, who a minute later made a similar save from Pedro Gonçalves. The visitors continued to create and Nuno Santos saw his effort cleared off the line by Filip Kostić. In the closing minutes of the first half Szczęsny was taken off after receiving treatment, replaced by Mattia Perin. Sporting were also forced into a change with Jeremiah St. Juste coming off injured. The second half, if possible, was even tighter than the opening 45 minutes. Both sides made double substitutions just after the hour mark in a bid to find the key to unlock the opposing defence. However, it was once again the pace of Chiesa that caused the Sporting defence problems. His low cross was inviting but found no takers. However, from the resulting corner kick Juve took the lead. The delivery from Di María caught out Adan. Dušan Vlahović took advantage to head goalwards. Two Sporting players combined to clear the ball off the line but Federico Gatti was there to pounce inside the six-yard box to prod the ball into the net. The defender’s first goal for Juve, and it was huge. The visitors set out to grab an equaliser but it was only in stoppage time that they actually created scoring chances, two in succession, and both times Perin the stops on the goalline to ensure Juve held on for a fourth straight win in the Europa League - all achieved without conceding a goal along the way. In a week’s time, the return leg in Lisbon, with qualification for the semi-finals on the line. JUVENTUS 1-0 SPORTING CP (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 73’ Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; (41′ Perin); Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli (85′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (63′ Fagioli); Di Maria (85′ Pogba), Chiesa; Milik (63′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Kean, Bonucci, Miretti, Rugani. Coach: Allegri. SPORTING CP: Adan; St.Juste (45+3′ Diomande), Inacio, Coates; Esgaio (77′ Bellerin), Gonçalves, Morita, Nuno Santos (63′ Reis); Edwards (77′ Issahaku), Chermiti (63′ Gomes), Trincao. Subs not used: Israel, André Paulo, Alexandropoulos, Luis Neto, Rochinha, Tanlongo, Essugo. Coach: Amorim. Referee: Meler. BOOKINGS: 20′ Inacio, 24′ Rabiot. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus fell for a second time in succession at the Olimpico in Rome when they lost 2-1 to Lazio in Serie A Matchday 29.
Adrien Rabiot had equalised just before half-time after Sergej Milinković-Savić had broken the deadlock. Mattia Zaccagni restored Lazio's lead on 53 minutes. The Match No team had been as effective as Lazio in the opening quarter of an hour throughout the Serie A campaign and Maurizio Sarri’s side again started strongly, forcing Juve on the backfoot. Twice in the space of a minute Sergej Milinković-Savić had the chance to open the scoring. First on 12 minutes, the towering Serb found himself unmarked at a corner, but his free-header sailed over the crossbar. A one-two with Luis Alberto then saw the midfielder dribble his way into the penalty area before Bremer made a crucial challenge. It was Milinković that eventually did open the scoring. Wojciech Szczęsny - who had earlier made a full-stretch save to keep out a Ciro Immobile volley - could do nothing as the Lazio number 27 slammed the ball home from close range. Following consultation with VAR the referee confirmed the goal, adjudging that Alex Sandro had not been fouled by the eventual goalscorer in the build-up. Juve’s response was swift and determined. The Bianconeri won a corner immediately after the restart, which was met by Bremer. The centreback’s powerful header was kept out by Ivan Provedel but Adrien Rabiot pounced inside the six-yard box to bundle the ball into the net. Both sides continued to attack at the start of the second half, but it was Lazio that found the game’s third and final goal. Felipe Anderson played a pass into the penalty area. Some quick thinking by Luis Alberto freed Mattia Zaccagni, who curled his shot beyond Szczęsny. Again Juve looked to respond. Federico Chiesa’s pace on the left, Ángel Di María’s skill on the right were the main attacking threats employed by the Bianconeri. While a Chiesa run and cross set up Nicolò Fagioli, whose volley finished just over the bar, Di María had a goal-bound effort blocked by Milinković-Savić. In the five minutes of time added on Juventus continued to throw bodies forward but despite piling the pressure on the Lazio goal, there was to be no second equaliser on the night. LAZIO 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 39′ Milinkovic-Savic, 42′ Rabiot, 53’ Zaccagni. LAZIO: Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi (69′ Vecino), Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Immobile (64′ Pedro), Zaccagni (84′ Basic). Subs not used: Maximiano, Adamonis, Lazzari, Patric, Gila, Radu, Pellegrini, Marcos Antonio, Romero, Cancellieri. Coach: Sarri. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (69′ Danilo), Fagioli (86′ Miretti), Locatelli (63′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (63′ Chiesa); Di Maria, Vlahovic (63′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Bonucci, Rugani, Soulé. Assistant Coach: Landucci. Referee: Di Bello. BOOKINGS: 45′ Alex Sandro, 45’+2′ Locatelli, 50′ Cuadrado, 85′ Milinkovic-Savic, 90’+5′ Miretti. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Everything happened in a raucous finale of the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final between Juventus and Inter. The third Derby d'Italia appeared to be heading for a goalless draw until Juan Caudrado opened the scoring with seven minutes to play.
Deep into stoppage time, Romelu Lukaku equalised with a penalty. The Inter striker was then sent off, followed by Cuadrado and Handanović after the final whistle. The tie is balanced on a knife's edge with the second leg at the end of the month. The Match The sixth Derby d’Italia semi-final started with Juve keen to pounce on their first opportunity. And that opportunity arose when Adrien Rabiot and Mauel Locatelli worked together to win possession on the half-way line. The ball was shuffled forward to Dušan Vlahović, who with a deft flick freed Ángel Di María. El Fideo ran at the Inter defence, only for his shot to be tipped wide by Samir Handović. As the first half progressed Di María and Locatelli tried their luck from distance, but both shots sailed over the crossbar. Inter tested Mattia Perin first from a Federico Dimarco free-kick, then a precise passing move found Marcelo Brozović at the height of the penalty spot. His low drive was parried by Perin. Nicolò Fagioli and Vlahović linked up cleverly before the number 9’s glancing header finished between Handanović’s hands. Inside first half stoppage time Inter came close to opening the scoring, when Danilo D’Ambrosio won a header inside the six-yard area. However, the Nerazzurri defender couldn’t keep his effort on target. There was nothing to separate the two sides at the break. And there continued to be nothing between the sides for the bulk of the second half - until the explosive final 10 minutes. Just four minutes after the restart, Fagioli and Vlahović again linked up. This time the striker’s header went just over. On 64’ Henrikh Mkhitaryan flashed a shot only inches from Perin’s far post, as chances remained few and far between. Arek Milik, one of three substitutes employed by Massimiliano Allegri, came close to stabbing the ball home from a Juan Cuadrado cross. However, four minutes later it was Cuadrado that applied the finishing touch. Rabiot’s cross was helped on to an unmarked Cuadrado by the Inter defence. The number 11 took one touch before slamming the ball under Handanović. Just as it seemed to be a case of winding down the closing seconds, Inter were awarded a penalty after Bremer flicked the ball with his arm. Romelu Lukaku converted from 12 yards five minutes into stoppage time. And as happened in the recent league fixture, two more players were sent off after the final whistle, Cuadrado for Juve, Handanović for Inter. The second leg on April 26 promises to be an emotional decider. JUVENTUS 1-1 INTER (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 83′ Cuadrado, 90’+4′ Lukaku (pen). JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Fagioli (65′ Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria (65′ Chiesa); Vlahovic (73′ Milik). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Paredes, Barrenechea, Kean, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. INTER: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio (81′ Dumfries), Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Brozovic (81′ Asllani), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (68′ Gosens); Dzeko (68′ Lukaku), Lautaro (86′ Correa). Subs not used: Cordaz, Onana, Gagliardini, De Vrij, Bellanova, Carboni, Zanotti. Coach: Inzaghi. Referee: Massa. BOOKINGS: 40′ Brozovic, 80′ Lukaku, 89′ Miretti. SENDINGS OFF: 90’+5′ Lukaku, Handanovic e Cuadrado (after final whistle). Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus collected three precious points with a narrow win over Hellas Verona to maintain the winning form that had taken the Bianconeri into the international break.
The game's only goal was scored by Moise Kean - exactly as he had done in the first meeting between the two sides. THE MATCH Despite the two sides battling for vastly different objectives - Juve to break into the top four, Verona to climb out of the bottom four - there was nothing to split the teams in the first half. Ondrej Duda found himself with the ball at his feet inside the Bianconeri penalty area in the third minute but the Slovak drove his low shot straight at Wojciech Szczęsny. That would be the shot stoppers only save of the opening 45 minutes. However, on the quarter hour mark Tek was grateful that Fabio Depaoli’s vicious volley whistled wide of his far post. Juve threatened with two free-kicks. The first, struck by Juan Cuadrado - celebrating his 300th appearance with the Bianconeri - drove his shot over the bar. The second saw Arek Milik roll the ball for Danilo, whose drive took a wicked deflection, which diverted the ball onto the crossbar and out for a corner. The game was taking the same shape as the corresponding fixture in Verona. A tight encounter with scoring chances few and far between. And exactly as happened in November it was Moise Kean that broke the deadlock. On 55 minutes, the striker latched onto a through-ball from Manuel Locatelli. His first touch set him up, the second saw him beat Lorezno Montipò with a low drive. Dušan Vlahović, Ángel Di María and Filip Kostić were all brought on as Juve looked for a killer second goal but it was Szczęsny who was called on more than his opposite number. The Juve keeper did well to sweep the ball away from the advancing Kevin Lasagna before making a full-stretch save from Filippo Terraciano’s long-range effort. The last chance fell to Juve, however, when a well-worked free-kick saw Di María float in a cross which was met by Federico Gatti. The number 15 carefully placed his header across the face of goal but Bremer couldn’t find the finishing touch. JUVENTUS 1-0 HELLAS VERONA (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 55′ Kean. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (65′ Kostic), Fagioli, Locatelli, Barrenechea (46′ Miretti), De Sciglio; Milik (59′ Di Maria), Kean (59′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. HELLAS VERONA: Montipò; Dawidowicz, Ceccherini (66′ Cabal), Magnani; Faraoni (81′ Terracciano), Tameze, Veloso (66′ Verdi), Depaoli (66′ Doig); Duda; Lasagna (77′ Ngonge), Gaich. Subs not used: Perilli, Ravasio, Braaf, Abilgaard, Kallon. Coach: Zaffaroni. Referee: Marchetti. BOOKINGS: 44′ Depaoli, 58′ Gaich, 59′ Kean. Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus defeated Inter in the 180th Derby d'Italia in Serie A. Filip Kostić scored the only goal of the game on 23 minutes.
It was the Bianconeri's 100th goal at Inter in Serie A as Juve won both league encounters against their old foes without conceding for the first time since season 1976/77. THE MATCH A well-drilled Juventus allowed Inter early possession, in fact, the home side would dominate possession in the first half, but Wojciech Szczęsny was seldom employed. It looked like it might have been a more complicated opening for the Polish goalkeeper when as early as the second minute he parried a Nicolò Barella long-range effort. Federico Gatti, Bremer and Danilo kept their attention high at all times, and just once was the backline punctured. On 17’ Romelu Lukaku linked up with Barella at the 18-yard line to play the midfielder in behind the Juve defence. Barella’s shot was powerful but straight at Szczęsny, who with the help of his body deflected the ball out for a corner. Five minutes later an incisive counter attack, led by Adrien Rabiot, gave Juve the lead. The midfielder latched on to a loose ball inside the centre circle. A quick exchange with Dušan Vlahović allowed him to make inroads to the edge of the area, where he picked out Filip Kostić. The number 17 took one touch before biding his time and driving the ball across the face of André Onana’s goal, where it nestled in at the far corner. Five minutes of VAR consultation confirmed that there was no use of the hand by Rabiot in the build-up. Juve’s lead was confirmed. Matias Soulé had the ball at his feet with an opportunity to punish Inter further but the teenager, a surprise inclusion by Massimiliano Allegri in the starting XI, just couldn’t coordinate himself for the shot. As the game headed towards the interval Lukaku headed wide. Juve saw out the five minutes of stoppage time to reach the break with the most slender of advantages. The second half started with Juve adopting the same tactics, allowing Inter to keep control of the ball and looking to hit on the counter attack. The tactics almost worked to perfection on 52’ when Kostić delivered a low ball into the area after another lung-bursting run. Matteo Darmian slid across to stop the ball arriving at the feet of Vlahović. At the other end, Manuel Locatelli charged down Hakan Çalhanoğlu, just as the Inter midfielder was shaping up for a shot at the edge of the area. The Juve number five then popped up in attack, drilling in a shot that was dealt with by Onana. As the game headed into the final 20 minutes, both sides created chances to add to the game’s solitary goal. Federico Chiesa, who had come on for Soulè, galloped down the field but fired just wide. Federico Gatti made a timely lunge inside his own area just ahead of Lukaka. On the counter attack, Kostić and Rabiot linked up to devastating effect. This time the Serb’s shot was deflected just wide. A minute later Locatelli followed up an attack he started after yet another crunching tackle. Chiesa’s cross was tipped away by Onana as Locatelli was hurtling forwards for the tap in. The tension never abated but the chances became fewer in the closing minutes of normal time, and the seven minutes of stoppages. Finally the referee blew the whistle and Juve could celebrate back-to-back wins against Inter in Serie A this season. However, passions spilled over at the end of the match, resulting in the sendings off of Danilo D’Ambrosio and Leandro Parades. INTER 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorer: 23’ Kostić. INTER: Onana; Darmian (79′ Correa), De Vrij, Acerbi; Dumfries (82′ Bellanova), Barella (62′ Mkhitaryan), Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco (62′ D’Ambrosio); Lautaro Martinez, Lukaku (79′ Dzeko). Subs not used: Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, Asllani, Carboni, Zanotti, Fontanarosa. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; De Sciglio (75’ Cuadrado), Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Soulé (66′ Chiesa) (82′ Paredes), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin; Bonucci, Rugani, Barrenechea; Di Maria, Sekulov, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. BOOKINGS: 30′ Barella, 31′ Gatti, 71′ Rabiot, 88′ Danilo, 90’+1′ Paredes, 90+7’ D’Ambrosio, 90+7’ Brozovic. SENDINGS OFF: Paredes, D’Ambrosio (after final whistle). Source: www.juventus.com |
|
Juventus produced a solid, confident performance at the Europa-Park Stadion to win 2-0 and eliminate Freiburg from the Europa League. The Bianconeri scored a goal in either half, the first from Dušan Vlahović from the penalty spot, the second in stoppage time from Federico Chiesa, to add to the first leg advantage to win the round of 16 tie 3-0 on aggregate. THE MATCH Juventus kicked off intent on conceding the home side nothing in the opening minutes. In fact, Freiburg were limited to a only a shot from the edge of the area from Ritsu Doan in the first 20 minutes. Juve weren’t only defending, however. A vicious drive from Manuel Locatelli stung the gloves of Mark Flekken to signal the visitors’ intention not to sit back and simply defend their slender goal lead from the first leg. At the midway point of the first half, the hosts broke in behind the Juve defence, forcing Wojciech Szczęsny to concede a corner. The keeper then outdid himself to keep out a Matthias Ginter header. Bremer stepped in to block the follow up from Michael Gregoritsch. Five minutes later the ball was in the back of the home side’s net. Filip Kostić whipped in a free kick awarded after Adrien Rabiot had been chopped down by Manuel Gulde, his first booking of the evening. Bremer met the cross with a powerful header, which crashed off the underside of the crossbar. Moise Kean was first on to the rebound, and his touch found its way to Dušan Vlahović, who spun and cracked the ball home from inside the six-yard area. Dušan’s joy turned to disappointment when VAR intervened to rule the goal out for offside. However, Vlahović would have his goal before half time. After a Moise Kean run and shot had been blocked by Fekken, Juve quickly recylced possession. Federico Gatti added extra weight to the attack. A Nicolò Fagioli dummy allowed the ball to run into the path of Gatti inside the area and the central defender’s shot was cleared off the line with Flekken beaten. Again VAR intervened. After studying the footage, the match official awarded Juve a penalty for handball by Gulde, who received his second yellow card. Dušan kept his cool from the spot, driving his shot down the middle. Flekken got a touch but not enough to keep the ball out. Juve went into the break one goal and one player to the good. The second half was more a matter of maintaining the advantage than pushing on for a second goal. Szczęsny was seldom tested as the 10-man Bundesliga outfit struggled to create clear scoring chances. Inside stoppage time, Juve did find their second goal on the night. Federico Chiesa was not to be denied. The substitute had just been denied by Flekken, whose arm deflected the number 7’s shot onto the crossbar, but with his second chance, set up by Rabiot, he slotted the ball in at the near post to the wheel away and celebrate in front of the joyous travelling support. Juve by two goals on the night, three on aggregate and go into the urn for tomorrow’s draw for the Europa League quarter-finals. FREIBURG 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORER: 43’ Vlahović (pen), 90’+5′ Chiesa. FREIBURG: Flekken; Kubler, Ginter, Gulde; Sildillia, Eggestein (46′ Schmidt), Hofler, Gunter (74′ Weißhaupt); Doan (63′ Sallai), Gregoritsch (74′ Petersen), Holer (63′ Grifo). Subs not used: Uphoff, Atubolu, Schmid, Keitel, Jeong, Rohl. Coach: Streich. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (84′ De Sciglio), Fagioli, Locatelli (84′ Barrenechea), Rabiot, Kostic (70′ Iling); Kean (90′ Soulé), Vlahovic (70′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Paredes, Miretti, Compagnon, Di Maria. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Gözübüyük. BOOKINGS: 26’ & 43’ Gulde, 56′ Vlahovic, 81′ Iling, 87′ Sallai. SENDINGS OFF: 43’ Gulde. < |