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It was a meeting of one of the remaining undefeated teams against a side that was still winless, but what appeared to an opportunity for Juventus to head into the international break with some positivity turned sour. Reduced to 10 men after Ángel Di María's red card on 40 minutes, the Bianconeri fell behind with 15 minute to play. Although a chance fell to Moise Kean in the closing minutes, the Monza defence saw out the remainder of the match to inflict the first league loss on Juve of the campaign.
ONE MAN DOWN Federico Gatti was handed his second appearance in defence while Ángel Di María returned to the starting line-up. And Juventus almost got off to another flying start, when inside the opening minute, the Argentine found himself in a similar position to that which led to Juve’s opening goal of the campaign on Matchday 1. Again a cross from the left and a dummy from Dušan Vlahović saw the ball arrived at the feet of El Fideo, who this time couldn’t find the coordination to unleash the shot. Di María found himself the centre of attention at the opposite end of the first half. With neither side causing their opponents any real cause for concern in defence, the Argentine elbowed Armando Izzo inside his own half. The referee issued a straight red card. Juventus headed into the break down to 10 men. ONE GOAL DOWN In an intense opening exchange after the restart both sides had chances to make the breakthrough. The first fell to the visitors's centre forward Dany Mota, whose shot went just wide. At the other end, Weston McKennie delivered a cross that was met by Fabio Miretti. The teenager's volley was net bound before defender Carlos Augusto blocked the effort. Mota's replacement, Christian Gytkjaer was on the end of the third chance, but placed his header over. The Dane would emerge match winner, however, on 74 minutes. A cross was deflected into his path by Danilo and the striker finished from close range. The nearest Juventus came to an equaliser was a header from the edge of the six-yard box from Moise Kean. The substitute's effort was dealt with by Monza goalkeeper Michele De Gregorio. Juve's unbeaten start to the domestic campaign came to an end as Monza celebrated their first top-flight victory. MONZA 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 74' Gytkjaer. Monza: Di Gregorio; Marlon (54' Caldirola), Marì, Izzo; Ciurria, Rovella, Sensi (54' Barberis), Carlos Augusto (85' Birindelli); Pessina, Dany Mota (54' Gytkjaer), Caprari (69' Colpani). Subs not used: Cragno, Sorrentino, Machin, Valoti, Ranocchia F., Antov, Marrone, Bondo, Carboni, Molina. Coach: Palladino. Juventus: Perin; De Sciglio (86' Soulé), Bremer, Gatti, Danilo; McKennie, Miretti (86' Fagioli), Paredes, Kostić (78' Kean); Di Maria, Vlahović. Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Barbieri, Barrenechea, Iling-Junior. Coach: Landucci (Assistant). Referee: Maresca. Assistants: Prenna, De Meo. Fourth official: Massimi. VAR: Fabbri, Costanzo. Bookings: 22' Bremer (J), 89' Ciurria (M), 91' Caldirola (M). Sending off: 40' Di Maria (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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For Matchday 7 of the Serie A campaign, Juventus will make their first appearance in the top flight at Monza tomorrow, Sunday 18 September. The stage is set for the match at the UPower Stadium with kick-off at 15:00 CEST.
Today Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the press in the pre-match conference, identifying in Monza qualities not reflected in their lowly position in the standings, "We must have great respect for Monza. They are coming off their first point in Serie A, and have good individual talent. Tomorrow's game will be very difficult, but we must be intelligent because these are three important points to allow us to spend the international break well." AVAILABILITY TOMORROW "Alex Sandro, Locatelli and Rabiot have not been called up. Szczesny is available but he is not yet 100%, so Perin will play. Many players from the youth set-up will come with us to Monza, while Di Maria will return from the first minute. I have to decide whether Kean or Kostic will play and who will play in defence." ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT "In moments like these you need to think clearly. We must try to win. At the moment we lack the results in the Champions League and we are four points behind in Serie A. However, we cannot see everything in a negative light. Everything that is negative now can be positive later. We must improve at limiting the mistakes we make, we concede goals too easily. We need to be able to sense danger when others have the ball. At this moment we must remain calm, I am confident of what we are doing. We are in contact with the club every day and we analyse the situation together." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Benfica came from behind to collect three Champions League points at the Allianz Stadium. Arek Milik had given the Bianconeri a flying start with a goal inside the opening five minutes. However, a penalty on the stroke of half time converted by Joao Mario levelled the score before David Neves completed the turnaround 10 minutes into the second half. Moise Kean struck the post, Dušan Vlahović had a goal disallowed for offside and Bremer lashed a shot over the bar as Juve pushed for an equaliser that did not arrive.
AREK OFF TO A FLYER Juventus came out of the blocks in determined fashion and took an early lead. A Leandro Paredes free-kick was met by Milik, who glanced his header into the far corner. Four minutes on the clock and Juve were in front. Not satisfied, the Bianconeri pushed on in search of a second. Filip Kostić saw his close-range volley deflected wide, while Fabio Miretti delivered a dangerous cross into the Benfica penalty area, which Milik was inches away from knocking home. However, after all the early pressure, the scoreline remained just 1-0 as the visitors came more into the match. JOAO MARIO FROM THE SPOT The first scare in the Juve goal came on 27' when a Gonçalo Ramos header was stopped on his line by Mattia Perin. The same two players were involved again nine minutes later the striker's low drive was well held. The Juve keeper had his post to thank, however, with five minutes of the first half remaining when Rafa Silva was given time to shoot from the edge of the area. In the final minutes of the first half the equaliser did arrive. The referee consulted VAR after Fabio Miretti had made contact with Ramos at the bye-line. From the penalty kick, João Mario shot high past Perin. COMEBACK COMPLETE Juve appeared to have regained their shape after the interval. The first chance of the second half fell to Milik, whose deflected shot was saved by Odisseas Vlachodimos. Benfica responded and took the lead on 55'. Neres finished off the move that had seen Perin block Rafa Silva's shot. The Juve fans tried to rally their side, but Benfica continued to dominate possession. SUPER PERIN! Perin made three saves in quick succession, once to deny Rafa Silva, and twice against Neres. Three saves that kept Juve still in contention. CHANCES SLIP AWAY Moise Kean came off the bench and almost made an immediate impact, but his effort was deflected off the far post. The ball was in the Benfica net when Vlahović tapped home a De Sciglio cross, but the full-back was in an offside position as he played the across the face of goal. The final chance fell to Bremer, who from the edge of the six-yard box lashed his shot over the bar. It wasn't to be as Benfica held on for a 2-1 win. JUVENTUS 1-2 BENFICA (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 4’ Milik (J), 43’ pen. João Mario (B), 55’ Neres (B). Juventus: Perin; Bremer, Bonucci, Danilo; Cuadrado (58’ De Sciglio), McKennie, Paredes, Miretti (58’ Di Maria), Kostic (70’ Kean); Milik (70’ Fagioli), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé, Barbieri. Coach: Allegri. Benfica: Vlachodimos; Bah, António Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Florentino Luís, Fernandez (81’ Aursnes); Neres (81’ Chiquinho), Rafa Silva (86’ Gonçalves), João Mario (86’ Draxler); Gonçalo Ramos (82’ Musa). Subs not used: Leite, Gilberto, Rodrigo Pinho, Ristić, Brooks, Henrique Araújo, Paulo Bernardo. Coach: Schmidt. Referee: Zwayer. Assistants: Lupp, Achmüller. Fourth official: Jablonski. VAR: Dankert, Fritz. Bookings: 26’ Bah, 42’ Miretti, 45’ João Mario, 45’ Perin, 73’ Kean, 86’ Florentino. Source: www.juventus.com |
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ALLEGRI
"We have Angel Di Maria back, but I still don't know if I will field him from the start. Wojciech Szczesny may be available, I'll find out after the press conference. Alex Sandro suffered a problem with his adductor when winning Sunday’s penalty, we'll see if we can recover him for Monza. Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot are both out. "Benfica as a club have an important European history, they are used to playing these types of games, they are made up of good players and have a coach who has given them a lot of aggression. Tomorrow, the match is not decisive but important. To get the win we need to have a compact performance and stay focused. When you fail to score, you don't have to concede, the team mustn't go into a state of agitation or anxiety, in games you must not overdo it, you just have to be calm. Dušan Vlahović is doing well, he is improving and I'm very happy with his performances, of all the younger international level players, together with Erling Haaland and Kyliann Mbappé he is one of the best." DANILO "We must take to the field with a great desire to win the game. The matches last 95-100 minutes, we know we need to be balanced and to improve. We cannot give away goals like we did against Salernitana, because at these levels it's difficult to recover. Benfica are a great team with an incredible history, I respect them a lot, they've had some great players and their current squad has elements of experience and quality, with a manager who managed to instill his ideas and style of play quickly. Portuguese teams are used to playing in UCL. "Tomorrow is a very important match, also because we didn't win the first game. We have to face it with responsibility and commitment and we will need all the support of our fans. I have more fun playing as a central defender, I can carry the ball and always see the pitch in a different way." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Two goals down at the break, just like in midweek in the Champions League - however, against Salernitana, Juve rallied to draw level in stoppage time and appeared to have completed the turnaround when in the 95th Arek Milik glanced a header into the far corner. But the game’s fifth goal did not stand because of an offside position from Leonardo Bonucci, the player that had slammed home the equaliser on the rebound from his own penalty just minutes earlier.
EARLY PRESSURE, NO REWARD Late call offs from Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot forced Massimiliano Allegri’s hand in his team selection as midweek Champions League scorer in Paris, Weston McKennie was given another Serie A start in midfield, this time alongside Fabio Miretti and Leandro Paredes, finally making his debut at the Allianz Stadium. It was Miretti that burst forward on 7 minutes and his low drive was blocked by Luigi Sepe. The goalkeeper then reacted quickly to smother the ball from the advancing Bremer. Two minutes later, Sepe spilled a fierce Filip Kostić shot, and again blocked the rebound, although Moise Kean had been flagged for offside. Then the visitors came into the game. TWO DOWN AT THE BREAK On 18’ Juan Cuadrado miss-time his jump, which allowed the ball to reach the feet of Pasquale Mazzocchi. The Salernitana winger ran at the Juve defence. His cross was tapped in at the far post by Antonio Candreva. The match official confirmed the goal only after conferring with the VAR - a theme that would be repeated for every major incident in the match. That goal knocked Juve off their stride, so much so that the home team did not threaten Sepe’s goal for the remainder of the first half. Not so at the other end. In stoppage time, the visitors broke down the right only for Krzysztof Piątek’s shot to strike the outstretched arm of Bremer. After consulting VAR, the match official confirmed the penalty award. Piątek sent Mattia Perin the wrong way to double Salernitana’s advantage. IMMEDIATE RESPONSE Arek Milik came on at the restart, when Juve got the immediate boost they needed. A minute after a spectacular overhead kick attempt from Weston McKennie went wide, the Bianconeri recycled possession in midfield for Kostić to lay up a teasing cross. Bremer charged forward to smash his header in off the ground and into the net. A minute later Federico Fazio turned the ball off his own post, but Dušan Vlahović had stepped into an offside position in the build up. Still, the remainder of the second half saw Juve push on in search of the equaliser, which seemed destined to elude them. Milik and Vlahović curled shots agonisingly close to Sepe’s goal. STOPPAGE TIME JOY AND AGONY Just as time seemed to be ticking away Juve won a penalty. Alex Sandro was quick to react to a loose ball in the Salernitana area and was tripped up as he made his way to the bye-line. After VAR confirmed the decision, it was captain Leonardo Bonucci who stepped up to the spot. His penalty was saved by Sepe but Bonucci reacted quickest on the rebound to slam the ball home. Everyone raced back to the half way line - there was a winner to be found. And it seemed as if it had. Nicolò Fagili forced a reflex save from Sepe in the 94th minute. From the resulting corner, Milik rose majestically to place his header into the far corner. The Allianz Stadium erupted in joy. Milik was shown a second yellow card for removing his shirt in the celebration that followed. But…again VAR intervened. As the referee attempted to watch the events on the monitor, emotions spilled over. Juan Cuadrado and Fazio were red carded before the match official ruled out Milik’s effort. The final whistle blew 12 minutes into stoppage time, with the scoreline tied at 2-2, the fourth stalemate in Serie A for Juventus in the six matches played so far. JUVENTUS 2-2 SALERNITANA (HT: 0-2): SCORERS: 18’ Candreva (S), 45’+5 Piątek (S), 51’ Bremer (J), 90’+1 Bonucci (J). BOOKINGS: 27’ Paredes (J), 32’ Kean (J), 38 Maggiore (S), 45’+4 Bremer (J), 72’ Sepe (S), 83’ & 90’+5 Milik (J). SENDINGS OFF: 90’+5 Milik (J), 90’+9 Cuadrado (J), 90’+9 Fazio (S). Source: www.juventus.com |
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STUDYING SALERNITANA
"Among those fighting to stay in Serie A, Salernitana is one of the best, both individually and collectively because Davide Nicola did an extraordinary job last year and this year the club did a good job acquiring physical and technical players. Tomorrow, we have to play a fair, tough game, because we need the three points and without playing that kind of game we won't be able to bring them home." TOMORROW'S TEAM "Leandro Paredes is doing well, he'll play tomorrow, also because Manuel Locatelli has a little fatigue so he won't be available, I don't want to risk him. Angel Di Maria is still out, but we plan to have him available for Wednesday. In addition to Paul Pogba who is out, there is also Federico Chiesa - who is working on the field alone and we hope to have him back at 100% before the break for the World Cup. Wojciech Szczesny, Kaio Jorge and Marley Aké are also all still unavailable. I haven't yet decided upon the formation, this morning we tried some solutions and then I will decide tomorrow. The most important match is tomorrow's, which must give us the push to face Benfica in the best possible way. Arek Milik and Dusan Vlahovic could both play together, but I have to consider it in view of tomorrow, because Milik has played a lot lately and then there is also the matter of characteristics, tomorrow I have to make the formation fit in the right way, obviously taking into account who will be able to enter the pitch during the match in progress. Whoever begins on the bench can and must be decisive." FOCUS ON FORM "We have to take the positives from the match in Paris, which is our reaction in the second half and the fact that we didn't allow ourselves get taken out of the game at 2-0. But we can't be happy, because our goal must be to win and we are working towards going back to our winning way and creating the conditions to do so. I see in us a great desire to work towards winning, we know that now we are missing some important players, even on a numerical level, and therefore we have to grit our teeth. The goal must be to arrive at the 13th November in the best possible position in the standings and then in January, once we have all recovered, to start a new season. Now, we must be happy with what we are doing, knowing that the prospects are good.! Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juve opened their Champions League campaign for season 2022/23 with defeat at the Parc des Princes. The story of the match was encapsulated in the three efforts on target in the first half. While Arek Milik was his point-blank header parried by Gianluigi Donnarumma, Kylian Mbappé volleyed his two shots past Mattia Perin.
Weston McKennie pulled a goal back after the break but the Bianconeri could not find a way to draw level with Paris Saint Germain in Group H Matchday 1. NEYMAR-MBAPPE LINK UP In employing a three-player defensive line, the Bianconeri were attempting to hold out against Paris Saint German’s stellar front three. However, after just five minutes, two of those forwards linked up to make the early breakthrough. Neymar chipped the ball over the defensive line, MBappé raced in to smash his volley into the far corner. Exactly the start Juve wanted to avoid. MIRACULOUS DONNARUMMA Juventus came close to striking back almost immediately. Arek Milik met a cross with his head and the striker seemed to have done enough to score his third goal in as many appearances in the black and white. However, Donnarumma had other ideas and somehow kept the effort out. MBAPPE BAGS HIS BRACE On 22’ Achraf Hakimi received a pass in space from Mbappé and quickly completed the one-two for Mbappé to add his second with another volley finish. Two chances, two shots and two goals for the home side. That remained the difference between the two sides at half-time. LIFELINE FOR JUVE Weston McKennie was thrown on at the restart and the substitute made an immediate impression, most importantly by dragging Juve back into the contest with a goal in 53’. Before the goal, however, Filip Kostić had tested Donnnarumma with a volley at the edge of the area, while at the other end Perin saved from Neymar and Mbappé hit the side netting with only the keeper to beat. Then the goal. A hanging Kostić cross caused confusion in the home defence and McKennie took full advantage to place his header into the back of the net. THE EQUALISER ELUDES JUVE A couple of minutes later Juve created a glorious opportunity for the equaliser. Again McKennie was involved as he powered forward from midfield. His pass found Juan Cuadrado, who flighted in a cross, this time met by Vlahović, whose header was parried away by Donnarumma. Inside the final 10 minutes, with neither side willing to run too many risks, Manuel Locatelli found a way into the PSG penalty area. The midfielder’s cut back from the bye-line was intercepted again by Donnarumma with Vlahović ready to pounce. The last chance fell to PSG, but Perin blocked Neymar’s fierce volley as Juve’s European campaign started with a defeat, but a defeat that leaves a solid foundation for next week’s crucial Matchday 2 meeting with Benfica at the Allianz Stadium. PARIS SAINT GERMAIN 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 5’ & 22’ Mbappé (P), 53’ McKennie (J). PARIS SAINT GERMAIN: Donnarumma; Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos; Hakimi (78’ Mukiele), Vitinha (78’ Danilo), Verratti (87’ Renato Sanches), Nuno Mendes; Messi 84’ Soler); Neymar, Mbappé. Subs not used: Navas, Rico, Ruiz, Bernat, Sarabia, Ekitike. Coach: Galtier. JUVENTUS: Perin; Bremer, Bonucci, Danilo; Cuadrado (74’ De Sciglio), Rabiot (87’ Kean), Paredes, Miretti (46’ McKennie), Kostic; Vlahovic, Milik (68’ Locatelli). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Alex Sandro, Gatti, Rugani, Soulè, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Taylor. ASSISTANTS: Beswick, Nunn. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Coote. VAR: Fritz, Dingert. Source: www.juventus.com |
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The Artemio Franchi stadium welcomed Juventus in Florence for the first 3pm kick-off of the new season. Leandro Paredes made his debut, Arek Milik his first start, and it was the striker that pounced on nine minutes to give the Bianconeri an early breakthrough, cancelled out 20 minutes later by Chrisitan Kouamé’s equaliser.
In the closing minutes of the first half, Mattia Perin deflected a Luka Jović penalty onto the post as the opening 45 minutes finished 1-1. Again Perin was called on in the closing minutes, with a spectacular save with just two minutes to play to ensure a share of the points. AREK WITH THE OPENER Massimiliano Allegri fielded five summer arrivals in Florence as Leandro Paredes was thrown straight into the mix after his midweek arrival. The midfielder joined Bremer, Filip Kostić, Ángel Di María and Arek Milik in the starting XI, and three of these players combined in the move that opened the scoring. Di María found Manuel Locatelli who released Juan Cuadrado down the right. The captain’s cross was met by Kostić, whose volley was turned into the net by Milik from close range. CAUGHT ON THE COUNTER Despite conceding that early goal Fiorentina did not lose their composure and set about searching for the equaliser, which arrived with their third effort on target. Perin had dealt with Christian Kouamé’s and Dodò’s earlier efforts but was beaten by the same Kouamé when the winger raced in on goal from a counter attack. PERIN ON THE SPOT Perin’s involvement in the first half was far from over, however. A handball inside the penalty area by Paredes was identified by VAR and the referee awarded the home team a penalty. Luka Jović, who hadn’t scored since the opening day in Serie A, stepped up and hit his shot low to Perin’s right. The goalkeeper chose the right corner, and managed to deflect the ball with his forearm onto the post. The rebound went across the line before being cleared by the Juve defence. VIOLA ON FRONT FOOT After the restart it was the home team that continued to press, without ever creating any clear scoring chances, in part due to some outstanding defending from Danilo, once again at ease at the heart of the defence alongside Bremer. For their part, Juventus, who had already replaced Di María with Mattia De Sciglio at the start of the second half, made four more changes - including the return to action of Leonardo Bonucci - in the remainder of the second period without ever finding their stride. In fact, it took another spectacular save from Perin to keep the teams level. With just two minutes remaining, Sofyan Amrabat unleashed a swerving shot from the edge of the box, which Perin at full stretch tipped over the crossbar. Juventus remain unbeaten, but a third draw from five takes their points tally in the league to nine. FIORENTINA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 9’ Milik (J), 29’ Kouamé (F). FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic (54′ Martinez Quarta), Igor, Biraghi; Maleh (62′ Mandragora), Amrabat, Barak (84′ Zurkowski); Kouame (62′ Ikoné), Jovic (84′ Cabral), Sottil. Subs not used: Cerofolini, Gollini, Terzic, Ranieri, Venuti, Bianco, Saponara, N. Gonzalez. Coach: Italiano. JUVENTUS: Perin; Cuadrado (64′ Miretti), Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro (78′ Bonucci); McKennie, Paredes (83′ Fagioli), Locatelli; Di Maria (46′ De Sciglio), Milik, Kostic (64′ Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Gatti, Rugani, Vlahovic, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Doveri. ASSISTANTS:Alassio, Tegoni. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ayroldi. VAR: Aureliano, Mondin. BOOKINGS: 15’ Amrabat (F), 33’ Alex Sando (J), 52’ Locatelli (J), 53’ Danilo (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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FIERCE GAME EXPECTED IN FLORENCE
"Tomorrow's match will be a difficult one. We know that playing in Florence is not easy, but it will be important for us to get some more points on the board, that will also give continuity to Wednesday night's victory over Spezia. We must find solidity in both the defensive and offensive phases." TEAM UPDATE "I think that there will be some changes tomorrow compared to the match on Wednesday evening. Leonardo Bonucci is fine, yesterday he trained for the first time with the group. I will consider whether to use him already in Florence or I will keep him rested for Paris. Angel Di Maria is also back in optimal condition and has already tasted the pitch. Adrien Rabiot and Wojciech Szczesny will both be unavailable, the first due to a bad bruise to the thigh, also similar to Wojciech's problem, whilst the second is out due to a severe ankle sprain, but one however, where fractures and significant ligament capsule injuries have been excluded." THE TRANSFER WINDOW "The club has done very well in the transfer market, both incomings and outgoings. I'm also very happy to have several young players in the squad who trained very well in the pre-season and in the beginning of the season and above all they proved to be important resources. At the start of the transfer market we had all had one common goal: to keep young players in the team and get them playing. Fabio Miretti has already had an impact, whilst I'm glad Nicolo Fagioli stayed, then there are Federico Gatti and Moise Kean - who is training well and is calm. On our last and latest signing, Leandro Paredes, I can say that he will be an important player for us and certainly increases the quality of our midfield. He arrived with great determination and motivation. We have mixed the characteristics of all the players very well and now we just have to keep working. To Arthur and Denis Zakaria, on the other hand, who were the last two departures: we wish you good luck and they were both very happy with the opportunities that they were presented." Source: www.juventus.com |
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The first midweek appointment of the Serie A 22/23 season saw Spezia visit the Allianz Stadium. The visitors adopted a give-nothing-away philosophy but Juventus, boosted by the imminent arrival of new signing Leandro Paredes at the stadium, went into the interval in front thanks once again to some dead-ball brilliance from Dušan Vlahović. The points were wrapped up by Arek Milik in stoppage time with his first goal in the black and white stripes as Juventus collected a fifth win from five meetings against the Ligurian outfit.
DUSAN STEPS UP TO THE MARK (AGAIN) As if to prove Saturday’s sublime free-kick finish was no one-off, Dušan Vlahović repeated the feat to break the deadlock against Spezia. Again the goal came early, this time on nine minutes, again Juan Cuadrado was fouled in the build up. Vlahović was then involved in almost every Juventus attack in the remainder of the first half as they sought to unsettle a well-drilled Spezia side intent on following coach Luca Gotti’s instructions to press and close down. On 27’, the striker beat the offside trap, peeling off his marker on the run down the right flank. His low cross was met by defender Jakub Kiwior, who was grateful to see the ball go over his own crossbar. Two minutes later, Dušan met a Cuadrado corner, but powered his header over. In the last 10 minutes of the first half, Spezia came out of their shell and forced a corner after Bremer had blocked a dangerous cross. The Brazilian was partnered at the heart of the defence by Federico Gatti. On his Serie A debut, the 24 year old never put a foot wrong. It was from a Spezia corner that Juventus were forced to change their initial 11, however, when Wojciech Szczęsny landed awkwardly, twisting his ankle. Mattia Perin took over in goal as the Polish goalkeeper was taken off on a stretcher. DI MARIA BACK IN ACTION The second half started with a flash of brilliance from Fabio Miretti, who made space for himself with some fine footwork at the edge of the penalty box, only to see his shot charged down for a corner. The 19 year old would take advantage of a change of mind on the bench that saw him play until the final whistle when he set up the side’s second goal with another glimpse of his unquestionable skill. Before Juve made sure of the points in stoppage time, however, Vlahović came close to adding to his first half effort with a header that Bartłomiej Drągowski saved on his goal line. Ángel Di María made his return to action but it was another substitution that proved pivotal. Arek Milik replaced Vlahović with five minutes to play. Weston McKennie was supposed to come on for Miretti but Bremer was taken off instead, with Alex Sandro taking over for his fellow Brazilian defender. MILIK OFF THE MARK In the second minute of time added on, Miretti broke free down the right. His cross was controlled by Milik, who spun inside the box before drilling his shot low into the net. His first goal for Juventus made him the club’s 350th scorer in Serie A, but more importantly it ensured Juventus would finish the match with the three points. JUVENTUS 2-0 SPEZIA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: 9’ Vlahović (J), 90’+2 Milik (J). JUVENTUS: Szczesny (43' pt Perin); Danilo, Gatti, Bremer (40' st Alex Sandro), De Sciglio; Miretti, Locatelli, Rabiot; Cuadrado (9' st Kostic), Vlahovic, Kean (10' st Di Maria). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, McKennie, Alex Sandro, Milik, Rugani, Zakaria, Soulé, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. SPEZIA: Dragowski; Hristov, Kiwior, Nikolau; Holm (40' st Ellertsson), Kovalenko (15' st Agudelo), Bourabia (40' st Sanca), Bastoni (27' st Sala), Reca; Gyasi (15' st Strelec), Nzola. Subs not used: Zoet, Zovko, Beck, Caldara, Sher. Coach: Gotti. REFEREE: Colombo. ASSISTANTS: Scatragli, Marchi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Valeri. VAR: Nasca, Longo. BOOKINGS: 11’ Bastoni (S), 73’ Holm (S), 90’+1 Allegri (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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PICKING POINTS BACK UP
"We gave away four points between Genoa and the match against Roma, and so tomorrow we absolutely have to recover them. The match will be a difficult and important one, Spezia are doing good things in the league and they are a team that scores goals. The game must be attacked immediately, these are three points that must be taken home." TOMORROW'S TEAM "I haven't yet decided tomorrow's formation. We'll have both Angel Di Maria and Nicolò Fagioli available. Tomorrow, as always, the changes will be important, I still have to decide whether to start Arek Milik with Dušan Vlahović or keep him initially on the bench. Fabio Miretti played a good game against Roma, but it will happen that he'll need to rest now and then, plus there is an emotional and psychological component to consider. Mattias Soulé is doing well, but I'm making other choices right now and the choices that I make are always based on the match, regardless of whether a player is 18 or 35. At the moment Paul Pogba isn't available, if everything goes well, from next week he'll start running again, he is a very important player for us. Federico Gatti is progressing well and we will see whether or not he'll play, whilst Leonardo Bonucci will be back with the team from the day after tomorrow and will be available for the match in Florence. Nicolò Rovella, on the other hand is going to Monza, we opted for this choice with the club so as not to disrupt his progression." DANILO & MCKENNIE "Danilo can play in three roles: right-back, left-back and centre-back. Last Saturday he played a good game, even if defensively we made some positional errors, but that's normal because we need time to improve. Weston McKennie was very good, he came back from a dislocated shoulder and did what he could, he is improving in condition." Source: www.juventus.com |
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The second home match, a second sell-out, and the fans dreamt of another inspired Juventus performance at the Allianz Stadium. And their hopes were met in the first half. Dušan Vlahović opened the scoring with a perfectly executed free kick after two minutes.
From then on, Juventus played at pace and with conviction for the remainder of the opening period, without adding to the slender advantage. In the second half, the tempo dropped, the visitors saw more of the ball and equalized with 20 minutes remaining through Tammy Abraham. Both teams conceded their first goals of the season as the points were shared. DUSAN STEPS UP Wojciech Szczęsny took to the field for his first game of the season to face the side he saved two penalties against last season. In front of him, an all-Brazilian central defence with Danilo teaming up with Bremer. Fabio Miretti was also drafted in for his first start of the season. On the bench was new signing Arek Milik after the paperwork was pushed through in time to make the Polish striker eligible. However, it was the starting striker, Vlahović, that did the damage. Just seconds had elapsed when the referee awarded a free-kick at the edge of the Roma penalty area. Up stepped Vlahović to unleash an unstoppable shot in off the underside of the crossbar. Before 15 minutes were on the clock, both Alex Sandro and Juan Caudrado attempted long range efforts that went just wide of Rui Patricio’s goal. The Roma goalkeeper was called into action by the same Cuadrado on 16 minutes when Juve charged forward on the counter attack. Three against three as Miretti rolled the pass for the Juve captain who appeared on the overlap. Inside the box, his shot was parried at the near post. On 25 minutes, the ball sailed past Rui Patricio for the second time when Manuel Locatelli drove home a sensational shot. The Allianz Stadium erupted again, Locatelli thought he had scored his first goal since playing his part in the seven-goal thriller at the Olimpico last season against the Giallorossi. But it wasn’t to be. VAR identified a use of the arm by Vlahović in the build up - goal disallowed. With 10 minutes of the first half remaining, Cuadrado took his turn from a set piece, and his low drive was well covered by Rui Patricio. At the other end? Apart from a speculative effort from Lorenzo Pellegrini on eight minutes, Szczęsny had been seldom involved. DEFENCE BREACHED José Mourinho switched tactics at the restart, changing the defence to a flat back-four. While Roma looked more solid, Juventus appeared to play the waiting game, and the home side’s intensity dropped. Fewer chances were created, although Cuadrado did come close on 54 minutes with a fierce drive as he cut in from the right. Slowly the visitors came more into the game and striker Tammy Abraham had his first sight on goal on 67 minutes. His shot on the spin was easy prey for Szczęsny. However, the goalkeeper could do nothing two minutes later when Paulo Dybala, on his return to the Allianz Stadium, kept the ball in play from a corner. His cross was met by Abraham inside the six-yard box, who placed his header into the net. Milik was brought on with just under a quarter of an hour to play and although the Polish forward looked at ease coming forward it was in defence that he made his most useful contribution, clearing off his goal line after a scramble from another Roma corner. Juventus continued their positive streak against Roma by remaining unbeaten now in 19 of the last 20 opening fixtures between the two sides, but are asked to return to winning ways when Spezia visit on Wednesday. JUVENTUS 1-1 ROMA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: 2’ Vlahović (J), 69’ Abraham (R). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Locatelli (86' Rovella), Rabiot (58' Zakaria), Miretti (77' Milik); Cuadrado (77' McKennie), Vlahovic (86' Kean), Kostic. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. ROMA: Rui Patricio; Mancini (46' El Shaarawy), Smalling, Ibanez; Karsdorp (62' Celik), Cristante, Matic, Spinazzola (46' Zalewski); Dybala (77' Kumbulla), Pellegrini (90’+3 Bove); Abraham. Subs not used: Boer, Svilar, Shomurodov, Vina, Tripi. Coach: Mourinho. REFEREE: Irrati. ASSISTANTS: Preti, Berti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Abisso. VAR: Di Paolo, Paganessi. BOOKINGS: 6’ Locatelli (J), 41’ Cristante (R), 77’ Kostić (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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An opponent that Juventus had managed to score at least two goals against in all of the previous six meetings managed to hold back the Bianconeri attack over 90+7 minutes as Samp held Juve to a goalless draw for the first time since January 2011.
Restored to the starting line-up, Adrien Rabiot thought he had scored his first goal in Serie A since May 2021 but the French midfielder’s frustration at the VAR decision to rule out his effort reflected the overall frustration of the team at their inability to break down a stubborn Samp defence. PERIN TO THE RESCUE The Sampdoria fans had built up an intense atmosphere in the cauldron that is the Luigi Ferraris, and the home side almost got off to a flying start. However, after his seven saves last week Mattia Perin proved up to the task once again. The goalkeeper raced out to the edge of his six-yard area to close down Mehdi Leris who had been picked out by a defence splitting pass from Abdelhamid Sabiri. Perin deflected the shot on to the crossbar and gratefully clutched the rebound. GOALKEEPERS ON TOP Juve responded with a gilt-edged chance of their own. Juan Cuadrado caught Tommaso Augello napping and bore down on goal. The number 11 chose to go it alone, but his fierce drive was hit straight at Emil Audero, who at the second attempt smothered the danger. The Bianconeri tried to release Filip Kostić on the left flank but the 4-1-4-1 formation set out by Marco Giampaolo was keeping the Serbian winger under careful observation. However, he did find space to hit a shot, with his right foot, which after a deflection was looping in under the crossbar until Audero tipped it over for a corner. Again Kostić provided the danger with under 10 minutes remaining of the opening half. His run to the byeline sowed panic in the Samp defence. The cutback was met on the volley by Adrien Rabiot, who forced another save from Audero. To make the breakthrough, Juve needed a spark of invention. FRUSTRATION FOR RABIOT AND FOR JUVE Five minutes after the restart Dušan Vlahović found some space in the Samp box, but fired his shot wide. Still, it demonstrated that Juve had increased the tempo and set siege to the home goal. 10 minutes later, Vlahović was again involved in what appeared to be the breakthrough. The striker’s cross was met by Rabiot who steered the ball into the net. The players celebrated, the fans celebrated, but VAR intervened to curb the enthusiasm. Vlahović had received the pass in an offside position - the goal was chalked off. Perin had become a spectator as the Bianconeri continued to drive forward, but Samp’s covering play was effective. As the game headed into the six minutes of time added on, Nicolò Rovella pulled the trigger from the edge of the area, but his effort dipped over the bar. Then, deep into stoppages a cross from Moise Kean was met at the far post by Kostić but his volley was parried to safety by Audero. There was to be no way through for Juventus, who headed back to Turin with two clean sheets from two matches, but two points dropped at the Ferraris. SAMPDORIA 0-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): SAMPDORIA: Audero; Bereszynski, Ferrari, Colley, Augello (72′ Murru); Vieira (78′ Depaoli); Leris, Rincon (67′ Verre), Sabiri, Djuricic (72′ Villar); Caputo (78′ Quagliarella). Subs not used: Contini, Ravaglia, Murillo, Gabbiadini, Yepes, Malagrida. Coach: Giampaolo. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo, Rugani, Bremer, Alex Sandro (46′ De Sciglio); McKennie (62′ Miretti), Locatelli (84′ Rovella), Rabiot; Cuadrado (76′ Kean), Vlahovic, Kostic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Gatti, Bonucci, Zakaria, Soulè, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Abisso. ASSISTANTS: Palermo, Zingarelli. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Cosso. VAR: Banti, Lo Cicero. BOOKINGS: 41’ Djuricic (S), 44’ Alex Sandro (J), 61’ Leris (S), 87’ Verre (S), 90+1’ Rovella (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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SAMP'S STATE
"We will play against a team that, despite the defeat, played a good match against Atalanta. Then, we know, playing in Genoa is never easy because the support is always very passionate, but at the same time it will be an extra stimulus for us. It will be a great challenge and it will be important for us to play a proper match. It will not be an easy match because we will face a well organised team." TEAM PROGRESS "The team is doing well because when you win the mood is always very good. We have some players out, but we are working very well with who we have available. We only have to think about being on the pitch and training in the best possible way. These three very intense months will be really important for our progress in this Serie A season. Then another 'season' will begin in January, so it will be crucial to give our best in this first part." THE TEAM FOR THE TRIP TO GENOA "I am very happy with Moise Kean's performance. We will need everyone this year because from now until the stop for the World Cup we will play many matches. There will be room for everyone. Tomorrow both Kean and Adrien Rabiot will play. Filip Kostić will also have the opportunity to start. Filip has settled in very well since his arrival, he is a strong player, who crosses well and who has a great personality. In defence, however, one between Federico Gatti and Daniele Rugani will play. Leonardo Bonucci will be available, but I had already suggested letting him rest for tomorrow's match." THE RACE FOR THE TITLE "Milan are favorites because they are the reigning Italian champions, but Inter have also strengthened a lot. It will be a very exciting fight at the top, but we will only have to think about ourselves with the first objective which will be to do better than last season. We want to continuously improve and to do so we will need heart, passion and sacrifice, in addition to the technique which at this level becomes fundamental." FEDERICO CHIESA "I would be happy to see Federico Chiesa on the pitch again before the break for the World Cup. At the moment it's normal that we cannot rely on him, we must be realistic and let him work in peace." YOUTH CHAPTER "The various young players we have available are very good, they are strong. From here to the end of the transfer market, in agreement with the club, we will evaluate who will remain in the squad and who, on the other hand, will leave to play and gain experience." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Fans had flocked to the Allianz with high expectations for the first match of the season. After the summer makeover, two new faces in the starting line-up, Gleison Bremer, who partnered Leonardo Bonucci in the centre of defence, and Ángel Di María, in support of Dušan Vlahović in attack, and it was the two frontmen that did the damage in the first half to give Juve a two goal advantage at the break. And the front two linked up shortly after the interval for the third goal, which sealed the three points. Three goals scored, zero conceded - a confident debut from Massimiliano Allegri’s side.
DI MARIA DOES THE DAMAGE The enthusiasm from the fans for this new season was almost immediately rewarded in the first minute when Alex Sandro broke in behind the Sassuolo defence. Penalty claims were waved away by the match official but the Bianconeri in that opening instant demonstrated their desire to exploit the flanks, and the tactic would eventually pay dividends. After the cooling break at the midway point of the first period Juve hit with an incisiveness in attack that Sassuolo could not contain. Crosses from left and right peppered the opposition box until the delivery from Alex Sandro was dummied by Vlahović in the knowledge that Di María was lurking. The Argentine drove his volley into the ground, looping the ball into the net. El Fideo lapped up the applause - a debut goal at the Allianz Stadium after just 26 minutes as a Juve player. Before that moment, however, it had been the visitors that had appeared more dangerous with three efforts in quick succession before the cooling break. First Domenico Berardi fired off target before his co-striker Gregoire Defrel tested Mattia Perin twice in as many minutes. Once the breakthrough had been made Juventus looked eager to add a second. Twice in succession link up play between Di María and Danilo set up Vlahović, but the striker went just wide both times. The Bianconeri number nine would have the final say in the first half though. Fouled by Gian Marco Ferrari as he looked to turn inside the box, Vlahović picked himself up, dusted himself down and drilled the ball into the net for Juve’s second. THE FRONT TWO COMBINE AGAIN The tandem in attack crafted and converted the third goal of the game five minutes after the restart. Di María, a minute after almost tucking away his own second of the match, showed all his generosity by rolling the ball into the path of his strike partner. Dušan gratefully accepted and tucked home his double. On the hour, the Allianz faithful welcomed the most recent club signing, Filip Kostić, and before the end of the match also Nicolò Rovella would make his Juve debut. Although Perin was called on to make another couple of saves there was never any serious risk of the visitors being allowed a way back into the contest. The Bianconeri saw out the the remainder of the match to receive a deserved ovation from the fans after an impressive solid start to the campaign. JUVENTUS-SASSUOLO 3-0 (HT: 2-0): SCORERS: Di María 26', Vlahović (pen) 43’, Vlahović 51’. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer, Alex Sandro (61’ De Sciglio); Cuadrado (61’ Kostić), Zakaria, Locatelli (76’ Rovella), McKennie (76’ Soulè); Di María (66’ Miretti); Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Rugani, Gatti, Fagioli, Da Graca. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Muldur (7’ Toljan), Ayhan, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi (80’ Ceide), Henrique, Thorsvedt (80’ Harroui); Berardi, Defrel (46’ Raspadori), Kyriakopoulos (59’ Pinamonti). Subs not used: Pegolo, Russo, Marchizza, Alvarez, Obiang, Erlic, D'Andrea, Tressoldi. Coach: Dionisi. REFEREE: Rapuano. ASSISTANTS: Di Vuolo, Di Gioia. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Giua. VAR: Guida, Muto. BOOKINGS: 16’ Locatelli (J), 33’ Thorstvedt (S), 41’ Ferrari (S), 69’ Henrique (S). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The new Serie A season is underway and Juventus have the honour of wrapping up the Matchday 1 action at the Allianz Stadium against Sassuolo tomorrow Monday 15 August. Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the press on the eve of the Bianoconeri’s debut match, which kicks off at 20h45 CEST.
THE SEASON DEBUT “The first match is always intriguing. Sassuolo beat us at home last season, so we need to put on a positive performance. The stadium is sold out so we’re full of enthusiasm. The three points are important. "We've played three important friendlies, against Barcelona, Real and Atletico Madrid - the last of which didn’t go well, but it was a defeat that obliged us to raise our awareness. We need to keep our heads down and work. What’s important is winning matches. Our approach must be right. With Atletico Madrid we didn’t win one tackle, and the players know this. "Juventus are obliged to aim to win." IN CONTENTION "We are among the four or five teams in contention for the title and also our rivals have strengthened their squads. \Last season we had to catch up after a poor start and we finished 10 points behind Milan if we don’t consider the last two matches. The second half of our season was extraordinary, but we know that other teams performed better than us, so this should be a driving force to improve. We need to take it one step at a time. "I’m interested to see how the season pans out with the break coming on November 13. Normally the aim is to arrive in contention in March. We have only three months before the break this time, when we need to get through the group stage in the Champions League too." TEAM MATTERS "Kostic is a good crosser of the ball, and his control is excellent. He’s been back and forth between Turin and Frankfurt, so I have to decide between him, Cuadrado and McKennie - only two of these three will play, but he’s capable of providing good service for Vlahovic. Di Maria is far more skillful than the average player so we need to put him in the position to link up the play and create chances. "Vlahovic started pre-season late after overcoming the injury that hampered him at the end of last season. He has everything it takes to have a great season. "We’ve got four full-backs in De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Danilo and Cuadrado. I’d like to thank Pellegrini for his contribution last season - he played 21 matches but he was offered this opportunity in Germany and we can’t keep five full-backs in the squad. "I can’t remember the last time one of my teams defended with three at the back. I've always played four in defence and I’m happy with how Bremer has settled in and his desire to improve everyday in training." PERFORMANCE COUNTS "We have to perform well over these first four matches, starting off tomorrow against Sassuolo, who are coming off a surprise defeat in the Italian Cup. "We are all under scrutiny, me, the players, everyone, but what we need to do is to win football matches, that’s our aim and that’s what we are setting out to do. Tomorrow we need to perform like Juventus knows how." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Atletico Madrid won the friendly played at the JTC. The main damage was done by a player who knows the Training Centre inside-out, Alvaro Morata, who struck a hat-trick.
TWO DOWN AT THE BREAK The match started with a shot in the opening minutes from outside the penalty area from Manuel Locatelli, but it was Atletico that took the early advantage. On 10 minutes a cut-back from Joao Felix picked out Alvaro Morata, who placed the ball past Wojciech Szczesny as the keeper tried to close down the angle. The Bianconeri responded with a free-kick from Angel Di Maria two minutes later the clipped the wall. Atletico came close to a second goal just after the quarter of an hour with Koke's acrobatic effort from the edge of the box. Tek's save was equally as spectacular. Juve constantly sought to create space especially through Di Maria and Dusan Vlahovic working in tandem, but Atletico's defence was well-organized and kept the Bianconeri attack at a safe distance. At the other end of the pitch, it was a different story, with Szczesny once again called into action. A handball by Alex Sandro resulted in a penalty, which was taken by Joao Felix. His 40th minute spot kick was struck low and firm into the corner but the Juve number 1 at full stretch kept the effort out. Tek however was powerless a few minutes later when Morata received possession inside the area, evaded Bremer's challenge before dispatching the ball into the net for the second time. The last action of the first half left Juve trailing by two. RINGING THE CHANGES AT THE RESTART As has been habit this pre-season, Juventus started making changes to the line-up immediately for the kick-off of the second half, but it was one of the player's that had played the entire match so far that came close to reducing the arrears when Matias Soulé stung the gloves of Ivo Grbic in the Atletico goal. With just over an hour on the clock, Morata struck his and his team's third when he deflected Thomas Lemar's free-kick beyond Mattia Perin. In stoppage time Matheus Cunha added a fourth for Atletico. JUVENTUS 4-0 ATLETICO MADRID: Scorers: 10’, 43’, 52' Morata, 90'+1 Cunha. Juventus: Szczesny (46’ Perin), Danilo (68’ Rugani), Bonucci (46’ Gatti), Bremer, Alex Sandro (46’ De Sciglio); Zakaria (46’ Rabiot, 68’ Barbieri), Locatelli, Fagioli (46’ Miretti); Di Maria (70’ Rovella), Vlahovic, Soulé. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Cudrig, Da Graca. Coach: Allegri. Atletico Madrid: Grbic; Savic (68’ Kondogbia), Witsel, Reinildo (73’ Hermoso); Molina (68’ Wass), Llorente (73’ Cunha), Koke (48’ Ojeda), Lemar (68’ Correa), Saul (68’ Lodi); Morata (68’ Carrasco), Joao Felix (68’ Griezmann). Subs not used: Gomis, Martin. Coach: Simeone. Referee: Tremolada. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Capturing the meaning of this day at Villar Perosa is the outpouring of passion from the Juventus fans present. An event that only we have, a moment to charge the batteries with positive vibes, after those from the US Tour, before the last summer trip, in Tel Aviv against Atletico Madrid and, above all, before season 22/23 official starts.
The match used to be called 'Juventus A vs Juventus B' - today it is First Team against Under 23, for a proper friendly, which, as always, lasts a little more than one half. THE MATCH Given the atmosphere and the setting, the rhythm should be relaxed and appropriate for a "friendly", but far from it. Massimiliano Allegri's team immediately pressed down on the accelerator, and in a quarter of an hour scored twice. The first arrived after not even 120 seconds, with Manuel Locatelli placing his shot into the left-hand bottom corner. The second came on 17 minutes when Leonardo Bonucci met a cross from a Angel Di Maria corner from the left, taking advantage of Dusan Vlahovic's block in the middle of the area to bullet an unstoppable header into the net. Over the whole of the first half the First Team took the initiative and looked for opportunities - Vlahovic was particularly active, coming close more than once inside the area. The Under 23 set out to hold back their opponents, especially across the defensive line, a tactic that brought the first half to a close with the First Team two goals to the good. SHORT LIVED RESTART Only a few seconds after the restart, Nicolò Rovella came close to making it 3-0. The first action of the second period proved to be the last as a few minutes later a certain Villar tradition was hard to break - the peaceful and affectionate pitch invasion, which brought about the final whistle ahead of schedule. JUVENTUS 2-0 JUVENTUS U23: Scorers: 2’ Locatelli, 16’ Bonucci. Juventus: Szczesny (30’ Perin); Danilo (46’ Barbieri), Bonucci (35’ Gatti), Bremer (46’ Rugani), Alex Sandro (43’ Pellegrini); Zakaria (43’ Rovella), Locatelli (46’ Zuelli), Fagioli (35’ Soulé); Di Maria (46’ Cudrig), Vlahovic, Kean (46’ Rabiot). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Da Graca, Barbieri. Coach: Allegri. Juventus U23: Garofani (46’ Raina), Leo (46’ Cotter), Riccio (14’ Stramaccioni), Poli (46’ Nzouango), Verduci (46’ Gozzi); Sersanti (46’ Iling Junior), Barrenechea (46’ Rafia), Iocolano (46’ Mulazzi); Sekulov, Pecorino (46’ Bonetti), Lipari. Subs not used: Turicchia. Coach: Brambilla. Referee: Maggioni. Source: www.juventus.com |
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The Bianconeri return to Turin with some valuable experience under the belts ahead of the start of the new season after a win, a draw and a defeat on the US Tour after defeat this evening to Real Madrid in front of 92 thousand spectators at the Rose Bowl.
JUVE COME CLOSE, REAL ON TARGET Juve suffered an early fright in Pasadena when after only a minute Benzema had the ball in the net, but the striker was adjudged to have been offside. Juventus rolled up their sleeves and took the game to Real, confirming the approach seen so far on this tour - proactive football, favouring technique and quickly breaking from defence, which allows Di Maria to unleash his pace and exploit his vision. And the results were seen in the twelfth minute when Bonucci hit the crossbar with a free kick. A minute later Vlahovic had a chance in the box but failed to beat Courtois in the Madrid goal. On 19 ', however, the situation was reversed. Vinicius accelerated and headed into the area where he was upended by Danilo. The resulting penalty was converted by Benzema. Juve responded and in the 27th minute came close in the Blancos area, when Di Maria tried to take advantage of a misplaced pass for Militao. The match was not played at an intense pace and chances were few and far between. Each side had an opportunity though before the interval. For Real, Vinicius' effort hit the outside of the net, while at the other end an excellent pass from Fagioli found Vlahovic, who won a corner. As the players jostled for position, Bonucci just missed out on making contact from the cross. REAL DOUBLE THEIR LEAD Juve started the second half strongly with Kean sowing panic in the Madrid area but without producing a testing conclusion. Then after 10 minutes, Madrid came to the fore and Mendy stung Perin's gloves with an effort from the left. Mattia emerged as one of the key players in a second half that saw Real link up well through the middle of the park despite the whirlwind of substitutions from both sides - the Bianconeri swapped almost every player, exactly as they had done in the previous two US Tour matches. After saving from Mendy, the Juventus goalkeeper denied Carvajal in the 58th minute and Benzema in the 62nd minute. Six minutes later, however, there was no holding back the Spaniards. Vallejo delivered a cross for Asensio, who finished from close range. After the second goal from Real, Juve maintained their concentration in the final 20 minutes but with all the movement from the bench failed the threaten the opposition goal. So, the game and the tour drew to a close. The US was as amazing as always but now back to Turin. The next appointment is set for Villar Perosa on Thursday 4th August. REAL MADRID 2–0 JUVENTUS: Scorers: 19’ Benzema (pen), 68’ Asensio. Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal (63’ Nacho), Alaba, Militao (46’ Rudiger), Mendy (64’ Lucas Vazquez); Modric (63’ Tchouameni), Casemiro (63’ Camavinga), Kroos (63’ Ceballos); Valverde (63’ Asensio), Benzema, Vinicius (63’ Hazard). Subs not used: Lunin, Luis Lopez, Canizares, Vallejo, Borja Mayoral, Odriozola, Rodrygo, Mariano, Tobias, Latasa. Coach: Ancelotti. Juventus: Perin (70’ Pinsoglio), Danilo (76’ Da Graca), Bonucci (63’ Gatti), Bremer (70’ Rugani), Alex Sandro (70’ Pellegrini); Zakaria, Locatelli (76’ Cudrig), Fagioli (18’ st Rovella); Di Maria (46’ Cuadrado), Vlahovic (63’ Aké, 75’ Soulé), Kean (76’ Barbieri). Subs not used: Garofani. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Radchuk. Booking: 81’ Asensio (R). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The intense heat did not prevent Barcelona and Juve from putting on a spectacular display in Dallas. Four goals shared equally in the end, leaving the Bianconeri with more than one reason to smile before returning to basecamp in L.A..
BARCA EDGE IN FRONT Barcelona set off in determined fashion. In the first few minutes, Juve had to remain solid and compact, leaving little space to Barça's intricate play. Attempts from Dembélé from inside the area, then from Lewandowski and Aubameyang from outside the box all finished off target. Juve responded through the sparkle of Angel Di Maria, who attempted the impossible from a tight angle before shooting from distance two minutes later. Ter Stegen was equal to both efforts. On 16 minutes, Juve came close. Di Maria accelerated forward and opened up play for Cuadrado down the left. After a give-and-go, El Fideo just failed to make contact with the return pass. Juve grew in stature as the first half progressed and did more than simply halt Barcelona's match plan. With around half an hour on the clock, Allegri's team created yet another chance when Zakaria worked a good ball towards Di Maria on the right. His low cross was touched away before Kean could arrive. The opening goal arrived in the 34th minute, immediately after the cooling break. Dembélé set off on a solo run on the right and unleashed a shot beyond Szczesny. JUVE RESPOND THROUGH KEAN DOUBLE It took Juve five minutes to reply. Zakaria found Cuadrado, whose low cross was a perfect invitation for Kean. The match didn't stay level for long, however, as Dembélé set off on another solo run, with the same outcome as his previous attempt. 2-1 for Barça at the break. Juve came out for the restart determined to cancel the deficit. Five minutes into the second half Zakaria's through ball found Locatelli inside the area. His lay-off for Kean allowed the striker to claim his brace. All square once again, although Cuadrado came close to putting Juve in front with an effort from distance. The game remained entertaining with chances for both sides. In the 68th minute Barça hit the frame of the goal twice in the same attack, first from Raphina's free kick and then Ansu Fati tried to hypnotize Perin from the rebound. Luckily for the Bianconeri without success. With less than five minutes to play, Perin produced an important stop to deny Depay from close range - a block that ensured a share of the spoils at the Cotton Bowl. BARCELONA 2-2 JUVENTUS: Scorers: 34’, 40’ Dembélé (B), 39’, 51’ Kean (J). Barcelona: Ter Stegen (46’ Pena); Sergi Roberto (32’ Dest, 78' Casado), Christensen (62’ Piqué), Eric Garçia (46’ de Jong), Jordi Alba (62’ Balde); Nico Gonzalez, Busquets (46’ Pjanic), Kessie (62’ Torre); Dembélé (46’ Raphinha, 77’ Abde), Lewandowski (62’ Depay), Aubameyang (46’ Ansu Fati, 77’ Collado). Subs not used: Tenas, Gavi. Coach: Xavi. Juventus: Szczesny (46’ Perin); Danilo (60’ Compagnon), Bonucci (46’ Gatti), Bremer (60’ Rugani), Alex Sandro (60’ Pellegrini); Locatelli (60’ Fagioli), Rovella, Zakaria, Di Maria (76’ Soulé), Kean (78’ Cudrig), Cuadrado (78’ Barbieri). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Vlahovic, Aké, Da Graca. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Elton Garcia. Bookings: 29’ st Di Maria (J), 78’ Collado (B), 85' Barbieri (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus started the Summer Tour 2022 on the right foot with victory over Chivas Guadalajara.
The match played in Las Vegas produced some interesting notes, not only for the debut of the likes of Bremer, Federico Gatti, Angel Di Maria and the second debut for Paul Pogba, but also for the fact that the match was decided by two players from the Under 23, Marco Da Graca and Mattia Compagnon. BRIGHT START The Mexican side, ahead in terms of fitness and cohesion in that the Mexican league is already underway, took the match to Juve from kick-off but failed to seriously test Wojciech Szczesny. Juventus on the other hand looked sharp not only on the pitch in the new Away kit, but also in attack. As early as the 5th minute, Di Maria won back possession in midfield and his pass was inches away from being met by Moise Kean. On eight minutes, Bianconeri fans witnessed once again the emotion of a Pogba pile-driver, which stung the gloves of José Rangel. Two minutes later, Juventus were in the lead. Gatti met a corner, forcing the goalkeeper into a save with the help of the post. The ball broke for Da Graca, who applied the finish from close range. On the half hour, Juve again looked dangerous. Kean attempted a spectacular scissors kick but failed to make contact with Di Maria's cross. Two minutes later, seeing Rangel off his line, Nicolò Fagioli almost scored from the half-way line, but his shot dipped just off target The open encounter continued to produce chances. Angel Zaldivar called Szczesny into action on 35 minutes, as did Carlos Cisneros, who set off on the break and although pushed wide by the Juve defence managed to hit a right foot shot on target, with what was the last action of the first half. RINGING THE CHANGES The Juventus line-up underwent a total make-over at the start of the second half, including the introduction of Bremer at the heart of the defence with Daniele Rugani. Again Cisneros threatened the Juve goal, but his attempt to beat Perin, went narrowly wide of the substitute keeper's left hand post. He then hit a free-kick on 62', powerful but off target as Chivas continued to enjoy the bulk of the second half play. On 70' Perin stretched to thwart at shot from distance. Juventus gradually rediscovered their shape and held back their opponents, and added a second. In the 79th minute, Compagnon released a sweet right foot shot that nestled into the back of the net, wrapping up a swift counter attack and the scoring. Juve collected a victory in the first outing on American soil and left Las Vegas for Los Angeles, basecamp for the next few days ahead of the second encounter, in Dallas on Tuesday against Barcelona. Juventus-Chivas de Guadalajara 2-0: Scorers: 10’ Da Graca, 80’ Compagnon. Juventus: Sczcesny (46’ Perin); Cuadrado (46’ Barbieri), Danilo (46’ Rugani), Gatti (46’ Bremer), Alex Sandro (46’ Pellegrini); Fagioli (46’ Aké), Locatelli (46’ Zakaria), Pogba (46’ Rovella); Di Maria (46’ Soulé), Da Graca (46’ Cudrig), Kean (46’ Compagnon). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Bonucci, McKennie, Vlahovic. Coach: Allegri. Chivas de Guadalajara: Rangel (46’ Jimenez); Sanchez (66’ Mozo), Briseño (74’ Mireles), Mier, Ponce (47’ Olivas); Torres (46’ Yrizar), Garcia (66’ Vega); P. Perez (58’ Beltran), Cisneros (66’ Calderon), S. Perez (66’ Alvarado); Zaldivar (46’ Ormeño). Subs not used: Sepulveda, Orozco, R. Gonzalez, J. Gonzalez, Brizuela. Coach: Cadena. Referee: Daneon Parchment. Bookings: 57’ Cudrig (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus wrapped up their season at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence playing their 3000th match since the round-robin format in Serie A was launched in 1929/30, but the fixture had more meaning for Fiorentina as they chased down the last remaining place available for Europe next season, and took the lead through Alfred Duncan in the closing seconds of the first half. The home side doubled their advantage in stoppage time in the second half with a penalty converted by Nico Gonzalez.
GIORGIO'S FINAL 45 MINUTES Giorgio Chiellini led the team out for the last time at the ground where he first played Serie A football 18 seasons ago. Teaming up with Chiellini at the heart of the defence was Leonardo Bonucci played together for the 200th time for the Bianconeri in Serie A. Matthijs De Ligt completed the three-man backline. In midfield, Fabio Miretti held down his place in the starting XI, while in attack Moise Kean lined up beside Paulo Dybala in the Argentine's final appearance in the black and white stripes. Having not conceded to the Viola in the three previous meetings this season, the Bianconeri were determined to hold out the home attack once again. A De Ligt block on Giacomo Bonaventura and a deflection by Chiellini on a shot by the same midfielder was the closest either side came to an effort on target inside the opening 45 minutes. However, as the first half ticked into added on time, the Juve rearguard failed to clear their lines for the first time. The ball broke to Duncan, who drove the ball firmly into the roof of the net, with what was the only shot on target of the opening period. In the challenge that led to the goal, Chiellini clashed heads with Krzysztof Piatek, resulting in Chiello finishing his majestic career with the Bianconeri with an iconic head wound STOPPAGE TIME WOE Daniele Rugani replacing Chiellini was not the only change at the restart as Carlo Pinsoglio took over from Mattia Perin in goal, and the third-choice keeper showed his quality with a double save, the first a close-range effort from Bonaventura before he parried away the follow-up. More changes ensued, with the positive news of the return to competitive action of Weston McKennie, ending three months on the sidelines. However, Juventus were again punished in stoppage time. Fiorentina substitute Lucas Torreira was upended by Bonucci inside the area. Gonzalez dispatched the penalty, sending Pinsoglio the wrong way. Fiorentina's motivation to qualify for the Europa Conference League proved to be the difference between the teams as the curtain came down on the Bianonceri's season. FIORENTINA 2-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 45'+1 Duncan (F), 90'+2 Gonzalez (F). FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Venuti (62' Odriozola), Milenkovic, Igor, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Amrabat, Duncan (85' Torreira); Gonzalez, Piatek (85' Cabral), Saponara (70' Ikoné). Subs not used: Rosati, Dragowski, Martinez, Callejon, Terzic, Nastasic, Munteanu, Kokorin. Coach: Italiano. JUVENTUS: Perin (45' Pinsoglio); de Ligt, Bonucci, Chiellini (45' Rugani); Bernardeschi (60' Aké), Locatelli, Miretti (76' McKennie), Rabiot, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Kean (76' Vlahovic). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Morata, Cuadrado, Pellegrini, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Chiffi. ASSISTANTS: Carbone, Longo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Giua. VAR: Guida, Massimi. BOOKINGS: 45' Igor (F), 45' Kean (J), 56' Venuti (F), 56' Rabiot (J), 70' Amrabat (F), 84' De Ligt (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The final home match of season 2021-22 for the fans that had filled the Allianz Stadium was all about a fitting send off for Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala, not that the match against Lazio was of secondary importance.
GIORGIO AND PAULO FROM KICK OFF It couldn't have been any other way. Giorgio Chiellini led Juvenuts out for the last time at the Allianz Stadium with the captain's armband proudly on his arm, beside his long-term defensive sidekick for club and country, Leonardo Bonucci. Also, in the starting line-up this season's vice-captain Paulo Dybala, who supported Dusan Vlahovic in attack. And it took only 10 minutes for Vlahovic to leave his mark. A precisely delivered cross from the left invited the number 7 to peel off his marker and connect with a diving header inside the six-year box, which beat Thomas Strakosha at his near post. The first chance, though, had fallen to the visitors on five minutes, when Danilo Cataldi smashed a shot off the crossbar. 17 MINUTES, ONE FOR EVERY SEASON On 17 minutes, Giorgio Chiellini walked off the playing surface of the Allianz Stadium for the last time. Before being replaced by Matthijs De Ligt, the captain was embraced by every Juventus player, also those from Lazio stepped forward to congratulate the legend, as he made his way to the touchline and take a lap of honour around the ground as the first half played on. TWO GOALS UP AT THE BREAK Just six minutes after Mattia Perin bravely saved at the feet of Felipe Anderson, Juve went two goals up. A flowing attack culminated in Alvaro Morata's finish. Worth a special mention, the backheel volley by Dybala into the path of the galloping Juan Cuadrado, who picked out Morata inside the box. The striker still had plenty of work to do, but worked his way around the Lazio defence to create the angle before firing a curling effort in off the far post. DYBALA TAKES A BOW Lazio found themselves back in the contest after the restart from a corner. Patric won a header which was turned into his own net by Alex Sandro. Pedro and Mattia Zacagni came close to equalising before a Francesco Acerbi flick-on was well saved by Perin. On 77 minutes, after seven seasons for the Bianconeri, Paulo Dybala waved the Allianz Stadium goodbye. As the number 10 was still making his way around the ground with his lap of honour, Lazio found the equaliser they had been pressing for in the second half with the last kick off the game. Sergey Milinkovic-Savic slotted home from close range after Perin had palmed out a drive from the edge of the area. THE FAREWELL Attention, however, had already turned to the after-match celebrations, the farewell of Giorgio Chiellini, the captain after 17 seasons, and Paulo Dybala, the vice-captain after seven. Trophies, success and tears shared throughout their time together and their final minutes on the pitch as the fans and teammates gathered at the Allianz Stadium for the final send off. JUVENTUS 2-2 LAZIO (HT: 2-0): SCORERS: 10' Vlahovic (J), 36' Morata (J), 51' Alex Sandro (OG), 90'+6 Milinkovic-Savic (L). JUVENTUS: Perin; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Chiellini (18' de Ligt), Alex Sandro; Miretti, Locatelli (62' Aké); Bernardeschi, Dybala (78' Palumbo), Morata (62' Pellegrini); Vlahovic (62' Kean). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Rabiot. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Strakosha; Lazzari (84' Radu), Patric, Acerbi, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto (76' Basic), Felipe Anderson; Cataldi (77' Lucas Leiva), Cabral (52' Pedro), Zaccagni. Subs not used: Adamonis, Luiz Felipe, Akpa Akpro, Kamenovic, Romero, Hysaj, Prescoli. Coach: Sarri. REFEREE: Ayroldi. ASSISTANTS: Prenna, Cecconi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Pezzuto. VAR: Aureliano, Zufferli. Bookings: 41' Acerbi (L), 45'+2 Bernardeschi (J), 68' Cuadrado (J), 80' Aké (J), 83' Milinkovic-Savic (L), 89' Patric (L). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus managed to turn the Coppa Italia Final in their favour with two goals at the start of the second half that cancelled out Inter's opener. However, a penalty converted with 10 minutes to play took the match to extra time. In the extra 30 minutes, Inter scored twice, once more from a penalty. A spectacular match entertained fans across the globe but left the Bianconeri empty handed.
FIRST HALF IN CRESCENDO The 75th Italian Cup Final returned to the familiar setting of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, with Juventus and Inter lining up against each other to decide the fate of the trophy for the third time in the competition's history. The Derby d'Italia was already the tournament's most played fixture, with 33 previous meetings, and with the teams clashing for the fourth time this season, an early surprise seemed unlikely, but that was exactly what happened as the Bianconeri were caught cold. Nicolò Barella was given too much space to cut in from the left and curl a shot beyond Mattia Perin. The clock had just ticked into the seventh minute and Juve were already chasing the game. Going a goal down, however, saw Juve press higher up the pitch, and it was in winning these second balls that the Bianconeri started creating chances. On 23 minutes, Dybala fired in a low shot, which Samir Handanovic dealt with at his near post. A minute later, Vlahovic was found in space in the box and unleashed a shot destined for the top corner, until Handanovic with one hand turned the ball out for a corner. Juventus continued to press and retrieve possession. Federico Bernardeschi collected the ball and set off for goal, but his shot was deflected after a late saving lunge from Marcelo Brozovic. The resulting corner saw Matthijs de Ligt power a header goalwards, tipped over by Handanovic. Another corner, another chance, as the ball broke to Dybala, whose half volley spun just wide. Before the interval, Danilo limped off, replaced by Alvaro Morata, who would make an important contribution after the interval. JUVE TURN IT AROUND Juventus maintained their momentum at the start of the second half. Dominating possession, they pushed Inter deep inside their own half, and the pressure paid off on 50 minutes. Alex Sandro fired a shot, which Morata ran on to meet - whether the striker made the decisive touch or not as the ball beat Handanovic was not important, what mattered was that Juve were level. Two minutes later, Juventus were ahead. Bernardeschi surged forward on the counter attack. His pass to Dybala was played first time into the path of Vlahovic, whose first effort was saved by Handanovic, but not the follow up, which Dusan blasted into the net. Half way through the second half, Allegri brought on Leonardo Bonucci and Manuel Locatelli, as the team switched to three at the back. ALL SQUARE FROM THE SPOT Bonucci was involved at both ends in quick succession. First, he was inches away from connecting with a header from a promising position. Then inside his own box, both he and De Ligt tangled legs with Lautaro Martinez. After consultation with VAR, the referee confirmed the penalty, which Hakan Calhanoglu dispatched into the top corner, well out of reach of Perin. All square with 10 minutes to play, and with neither side taking any risks, the match went to extra time, just as it had in the Italian Super Cup. EXTRA TIME DECIDES Seven minutes into extra time, another penalty, again in favour of Inter. De Ligt clashed with Stefan De Vrij in the area, and although the referee ignored the incident initially, he was called back to study the replay after VAR intervened, and awarded a second spot kick to Inter. Ivan Perisic sent Perin the wrong way for the game's fifth goal as Inter regained the lead. The match ended as a contest three minutes later when the same player struck an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area. Although Massimiliano Allegri was sent off as tempers flared, Juventus couldn't find a way back into the match, and the trophy won last May in Reggio Emilia was lost 12 months later in Rome. JUVENTUS 2-4 INTER (AET) (HT: 0-1) (FT: 2-2): SCORER: 7' Barella (I), 50' Alex Sandro (J), 52' Vlahovic (J), 80' Calhanoglu (I), 99' & 102' Perisic (I). JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo (42' Morata), de Ligt, Chiellini (84' Arthur), Alex Sandro (90' Pellegrini); Zakaria 67' Locatelli), Rabiot; Cuadrado, Dybala (100' Kean), Bernardeschi (67' Bonucci); Vlahovic. Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Aké, Nicolussi, Miretti. Coach: Allegri. INTER: Handanovic; D'Ambrosio (63' Dimarco, 116' Bastoni), De Vrij, Skriniar; Darmian (63' Dumfries), Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu (90'+1 Vidal), Perisic; Dzeko (63' Correa), Martinez (90'+1 Sanchez). Subs not used: Cordaz, Radu, Gagliardini, Ranocchia, Gosens, Caicedo. Coach: Inzaghi. REFEREE: Valeri. ASSISTANTS: Giallatini, Preti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Sozza. VAR: Abisso, Longo. BOOKINGS: 55' Brozovic (I), 90'+2 Locatelli (J), 119' Vidal (I). SENDINGS OFF: 104' Allegri (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The deadlock was broken after a goalless first half three minutes into the second period through Paulo Dybala. He then hit the post as Juventus wasted their chances to double the lead, which allowed Genoa to equalise with less than five minutes to play. Six minutes into stoppage time, Juventus fell behind to a penalty from Domenico Criscito.
NO WAY THROUGH In the red hot atmosphere of the Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Fabio Miretti was given a second consecutive start. The 18-year-old was joined in the midfield by Arthur. Only Leonardo Bonucci and Dusan Vlahovic kept their places in defence and attack respectively as Massimiliano Allegri used the full depth of his squad to freshen the line-up in this Matchday 36 encounter. One of those players drafted in, Moise Kean had a glorious opportunity to open the scoring in just five minutes. Paulo Dybala swung in a looping cross which Kean attacked inside the six-yard penalty area but his bullet header flew over the crossbar. And while the Bianconeri kept the ball moving, finishing the first half with 60% possession, they couldn't find a way through the hosts' packed defence. In the closing five minutes of the opening period, both goalkeepers were called into action. First Dybala worked the angle at the edge of the area, but his effort was comfortably controlled by Salvatore Sirigu. At the other end, Manolo Portanova also hit an effort from distance, which Wojciech Szczęsny parried to safety. ADVANTAGE THEN SPURNED CHANCES Three minutes after the restart, Juventus edged in front. Kean did the hard work down the flank, finding Dybala, whose shot from the 18-yard line was unstoppable. 20 minutes later, Juventus sensed the moment was ripe to double the advantage. Dybala hit another shot from a similar distance, but this time his effort crashed off the post. In quick succession, Kean's close-range effort forced a spectacular one-handed save from Sirigu. A minute later, the Genoa keeper frustrated Vlahovic after the striker had forced an opening for himself. Yet another chance not taken on 77 minutes. Alvaro Morata, who had replaced Vlahovic, cleverly let the ball go beyond him into the path of Kean, who shot over from an excellent position. Another substitute, Marley Aké also got immediately involved in the action, and appeared to have won Juve a penalty. However, after consulting VAR, the referee overturned his decision. This let off kept Genoa in the contest and with four minutes to play, Albert Gudmundsson stroked home the equaliser. With the backing of the home support, the Grifone pushed on and Juve gifted them the chance to take the lead, when Adrien Rabiot gave away possession inside his own penalty area. Somehow, Nadiem Amiri couldn't take advantage. Even more incredibly, Moise Kean with the goal gaping couldn't divert the ball into the empty net in the 94th minute as Juve struck on the counter attack. Then the last minute drama as Genoa were awarded a penalty. Domenico Criscito made amends for his spot-kick miss in the Derby della Lanterna one week before to score from the spot and give Genoa all three points. GENOA 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 48' Dybala (J), 87' Gudmunsson (G), 90'+6 Criscito pen. (G). GENOA: Sirigu; Hefti, Ostigard, Bani, Criscito; Galdames (45' Frendrup), Badelj; Amiri, Melegoni (59' Ekuban), Portanova (58' Yeboah); Destro (68' Gudmundsson). Subs not used: Semper, Vodisek, Masiello, Vasquez, Ghiglione, Hernani, Cambiasso, Rovella. Coach: Blessin. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado (60' Alex Sandro), Bonucci, Rugani, De Sciglio; Miretti (74' Bernardeschi), Arthur (60' Zakaria), Rabiot; Dybala (80' Aké); Vlahovic (74' Morata), Kean. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, de Ligt. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Sozza. ASSISTANTS: Ranghetti, Vivenzi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Sacchi. VAR: Abisso, Di Iorio. BOOKINGS: 29' Dybala, 34' Rugani, 43' Melegoni, 44' Arthur, 78' Badelj. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A second 2-1 win in succession gave Juventus all three points against a battling Venezia side. Leonardo Bonucci made it a birthday to remember with a goal either side of half time. His second restored Juve's lead after the visitors had equalised five minutes before and condemned Venezia to a ninth straight loss in Serie A.
BIRTHDAY JOY Juventus sought a first win at home in three matches to take another step towards ensuring Champions League football next season. To achieve that goal, Massimiliano Allegri turned to Leonardo Bonucci on his 35th birthday to lead the team, while 17 years his junior, talented midfielder Fabio Miretti made his first Serie A start. The Bianconeri set off with intent. Denis Zakaria flashed a shot just wide off target before Luca Pellegrini crashed an effort from the edge of the penalty box off the crossbar inside the opening four minutes. The fans, basking in the sun in this lunchtime kick off, did not have long to wait for the game's opening goal. And it was the combination between the youngest and eldest on the pitch that produced the breakthrough. Miretti flighted in a free kick from the left, which was played across the face of goal by Matthijs De Ligt. Pouncing inside the six-yard area with a powerful header was none other than birthday boy Bonucci. Miretti came close to a dream debut when on 18 minutes he was set up by Dusan Vlahovic. The teenager's effort was deflected wide of the far post as Juventus responded to Venezia's first effort on target. The visitor's had improved as the opening half progressed and a low drive from Mattia Aramu tested Wojciech Szczęsny. After the half-hour mark, Alvaro Morata worked to find space inside the area but his driven cross just evaded Vlahovic, sliding in at the far post. Although ahead, Juventus were aware that another goal was needed to put daylight between themselves and their visitors. LEO TO THE DOUBLES So the Bianconeri set about Venezia at the restart with the intent of adding to their single goal advantage. A powerful run and cross from Adrien Rabiot caused panic in the Venezia defence. The ball eventually broke to De Ligt who tried his luck from distance. A counter attack followed, Vlahovic turned on the half way line and set off towards the Venezia goal. Only a desperate sliding recovery challenge from Ethan Ampadu stopped the striker's pass from setting up Morata in front of goal. Then Juventus took their foot off the accelerator and allowed the Venetians back into the game, and with his third attempt in as many minutes Aramu levelled the score. The Venezia number 10's first effort, from a free kick, called upon an excellent save from Szczesny. From the resulting corner, the ball broke again to Aramu, who controlled with his chest before sending his volley just over the bar. Juventus didn't heed the warning, and one minute later, when the ball bounced kindly for the 26-year-old, he fired a low shot into the bottom corner. Being pegged back produced the expected reaction from the Bianconeri, who required little more than five minutes to restore their advantage, again from a set piece, this time a corner. Danilo reached the cross first and his header towards goal was tapped in by Bonucci, displaying a striker's instinct once more inside the six-yard box. Leo had done it again! With his second double of the season, Bonucci led Juventus to another three points as they strode to within one point of ensuring a fourth place finish next season, and hot on the heels of Napoli in third. JUVENTUS 2-1 VENEZIA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: 7' & 76' Bonucci (J), 71' Aramu (V). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, de Ligt, Pellegrini (58' Alex Sandro); Bernardeschi (58' Dybala), Zakaria, Miretti (89' Arthur), Rabiot; Vlahovic (89' Chiellini), Morata (69' Kean) Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Aké. Coach: Allegri. VENEZIA: Maenpaa; Mateju (86' Okereke), Caldara, Ceccaroni, Haps (86' Ullman); Crngoj (64' Peretz), Vacca (37' Fiordilino), Ampadu; Aramu, Cuisance (46' Kiyne); Henry. Subs not used: Bertinato, Tessmann, Nsame, Johnsen, Nani, Busio, Svoboda. Coach: Soncin. REFEREE: Prontera. ASSISTANTS: Di Iorio, Lombardo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marcenaro. VAR: Mazzoleni, Di Vuolo. Bookings: 25' Zakaria, 45+1' Pellegrini, 56' Kiyine, 61' Aramu, 64' Alex Sandro, 89' Haps. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus are making it a habit of scoring late. Not only did Paulo Dybala cancel out Sassuolo's advantage in the 45th minute of the first half, Moise Kean struck the winner in the 89th to earn three points which could prove fundamental in the Bianconeri's bid to nail down fourth place. Juventus now hold an eight-point advantage of nearest challengers Roma after a display that was more about grinding out the result than displaying the finer side of the game.
WAKE UP CALL Juan Cuadrado did not travel to Reggio Emilia because of a thigh strain, and a late call off by Matthijs De Ligt, not 100% fit, reduced the number of players available to Massimiliano Allegri for kick off. Daniele Rugani stepped into the centre of defence, as the Dutchman took his place on the bench. The midfield four that performed so well in midweek in the Cup against Fiorentina were confirmed, while in attack, Paulo Dybala teamed up with Alvaro Morata. It was Dybala that found a late equaliser despite a first half dominated by the home side. As early as the 10th minute, Giacomo Raspadori signalled his intentions with a shot that curled just wide of Wojciech Szczęsny's far post. The Sassuolo forward did put his name on the scoresheet but not before Szczesny made saves from Davide Frattesi and Gianluca Scamacca. Sassuolo's movement and quick passing paid off on 39', when a flick from Domenico Berardi played through Raspadori, who beat Szczesny with a low drive at the near post. Going behind stung Juventus into life, and the reaction was so strong that the Bianconeri were almost ahead at half time. The equaliser arrived on 45 minutes, when Morata won possession deep in Sassuolo territory. He found Denis Zakaria inside the penalty area, who with a deft lay off played the ball into the path of Dybala. The number 10 took one touch before slamming the ball high into the net. A minute later, a move again down the right, picked out Morata, but he couldn't keep his header down from a promising position. The second half required more of the same. LATE SHOW Three minutes after the restart, Morata met a corner with another header, which produced a prodigious reflex save from Andrea Consigli. The ball just evaded the onrushing Leonardo Bonucci as he slid for the tap in. 60 seconds later it was Szczesny who was called into action. At full stretch he kept out a rasping effort from Mert Muldur. Juventus left the onus to Sassuolo, but the Bianconeri defence, bolstered by Danilo in the centre, kept Szczesny out of further danger. The nearest the hosts came to worrying the Juve keeper was when Giorgos Kyriakopulos had an effort from the edge of the area, which swerved just wide. Allegri swapped things around, especially in attack, bringing on Vlahovic and Moise Kean, and it was Kean that would prove decisive. On the pitch just five minutes, Kean put pressure on Vlad Chiriches at the edge of the six yard area, the ball was deflected goalwards, and once again Consigli had to rely on his reflexes. The Sassuolo keeper was beaten for a second time though with only one minute of normal time remaining. Alex Sandro headed the ball towards the edge of the penalty area, where Kean did the rest. Controlling the ball with his back to goal, the striker turned Chiriches and drove his shot low between Consigli's legs. A late equaliser in the first half, a late winner in the second, and three points towards securing fourth place, perhaps even third place, now that only one point separates Juventus from Napoli. SASSUOLO 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 39' Raspadori (S), 45' Dybala (J), 89' Kean (J). SASSUOLO: Consigli; Muldur, Chiriches, Ayhan, Kyriakopoulos; Frattesi (88' M.Henrique), Maxime Lopez; Berardi (79' Defrel), Raspadori, Traoré (79' Duricic); Scamacca. Subs not used: Satalino, Pegolo, Magnanelli, Rogerio, Ciervo, Peluso, Ceide, Ferrari, Ruan. Coach: Dionisi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani (54' Chiellini), Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (88' Miretti), Zakaria, Danilo, Rabiot; Dybala (55' Vlahovic), Morata (67' Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, de Ligt, Pellegrini, Zuelli. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Maresca. ASSISTANTS: Liberti, Prenna. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Miele. VAR: Aureliano, Galetto. BOOKINGS: 45' Lopez (S), 50' Scamacca (S), 62' De Sciglio (J), 89' Kean (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juve's slender one goal advantage from the semi-final first leg was expertly defended against Fiorentina in the second leg. What's more, the Bianconeri added two goals on the night to win 3-0 on aggregate. Federico Bernardeschi just after 30 minutes in the first half, and Danilo in second half stoppages were the scorers in a match whose outcome was never at risk. The reward? A final against Inter in Rome on May 11th.
SOLID FOUNDATION Massimiliano Allegri decided on a 4-4-2 formation, with Federico Bernardeschi given a starter's place in midfield alongside Denis Zakaria, Danilo and Adrien Rabiot. Two in attack, Dusan Vlahovic and Alvaro Morata. For their part, Fiorentina fielded three up front from kick off, Arthur Cabral, Joanthan Ikoné and Riccardo Saponara, with Nico Gonzalez willing to push up in support. However, despite all their attacking prowess, the Viola struggled to make inroads against the Juve defence. The Bianconeri, meanwhile, were keen to hit on the counter attack and take advantage of the visitors' desire to push forward. Vlahovic and Morata were linking up well, but were lacking the timing of the final pass. The Juve front two found themselves one-on-one against Bartłomiej Drągowski, who thwarted first Morata then Vlahovic, before both were eventually flagged for offside. In between these two opportunities, a Vlahovic clever backheel found Morata inside the area, but Martinez Quarta cleared the danger before the Spaniard could shoot. A counter attack did lead to the opening goal, however. On 32 minutes, Rabiot won the ball at the edge of his own penalty area, and allowed Danilo to push forward, assisted by Matthijs De Ligt. With a numerical advantage, Morata had time to flight in the cross, which was missed by Dragowski. Cristiano Biraghi attempted to head clear but the ball fell to Bernardeschi, who controlled on his chest before dispatching the ball on the volley into the gaping net. With that opportunistic strike, Juve had opened up a two-goal advantage on aggregate. With Leonardo Bonucci leading the defensive line, Juve were running little risk at the back, although Fiorentina did fashion a chance before half time when Cabral created space inside the box, but his close range shot was parried by Mattia Perin. END OF THE CONTEST Perin was called into action again at the start of the second half. A corner was met by Martinez Quarta, forcing the Juve keeper into an acrobatic one-handed save. Juventus knew the tie was not over and looked for the killer second goal on the night, which almost arrived on the break through Zakaria, whose shot struck the outside of the upright. On 70 minutes, Juve did have the ball in the back of the net again, and once more it was a midfielder that was the threat. Rabiot was to be denied a rare goal though after VAR adjudged the midfielder to have been in an offside position before he slotted a Bernardeschi pass beyond Drągowski. Both coaches made a flurry of substitutions, and it would be one on the Juve side that would be influential to the match's second goal. Before the goal that ended Fiorentina's hopes, Perin made two more important blocks from two Viola subs in the 90th minute. The first from a long-range effort from Sofyan Amrabat; the second from a tight angle from Riccardo Sottil. Then in stoppage time, Juan Cuadrado, whose cross had set up the only goal in the first leg, again created confusion in the Fiorentina penalty area. His cut back was swept into the net by Danilo, who was then mobbed by his jubilant teammates as they celebrated yet another Italian Cup final - the 21st in club history. Adding shine to the scoreline was a consecutive clean sheet against Fiorentina, a team that had scored in all of their 15 previous cup ties before running into the black and white wall. A job well done. JUVENTUS 2-0 FIORENTINA (HT: 1-0) (AGG: 3-0): SCORERS: 32' Bernardeschi (J), 90+4' Danilo (J). JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio (79' Cuadrado), Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (82' Chiellini), Zakaria, Danilo, Rabiot; Vlahovic (82' Kean), Morata (66' Dybala). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Pellegrini, Rugani, Soulé, Moretti. Coach: Allegri. FIORENTINA: Dragowski; Venuti (69' Callejon), Martinez Quarta, Igor, Biraghi; Duncan (79' Maleh), Torreira (45' Amrabat), Saponara (63' Sottil); Ikone (79' Piatek), Cabral, Gonzalez. Subs not used: Terracciano, Rosati, Bonaventura, Terzic, Odriozola, Nastasic, Kokorin. Coach: Italiano. Referee: Doveri. Assistants: Peretti, Bresmes. Fourth Official: Piccinini. VAR: Banti, Meli. BOOKINGS: 45'+2 De Sciglio (J), 72' Martinez Quarta (F). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus shared the points with Bologna in a game that became larger than life in the final 10 minutes of normal time, tension that concluded after eight-plus minutes of time added on. The visitors led through Marko Arnautovic's goal on 52 minutes. Bologna then had Adama Soumaro sent off for a last-man foul on Alvaro Morata on the edge of the penalty area. The defender was followed down the tunnel by teammate Gary Medel for his overzealous reaction to the referee's decision. Five minutes into stoppage time, Dusan Vlahovic headed home the equaliser in an emotional finale.
NEW LOOK JUVE Juventus took to the field against Bologna wearing the recently unveiled fourth kit. With options limited in midfield, Massimiliano Allegri advanced Danilo into the centre of the park for the third time this season. Returning from a one-match ban, Mattia De Sciglio filled the left back position vacated by the Brazilian, while Alvaro Morata also found a place in the starting line-up after sitting out last week's trip to Cagliari through suspension, and joined Dusan Vlahovic and Paulo Dybala in the three-pronged attack. All three forwards were involved as Juve sought an early goal. However, while Dybala's free kick swerved just wide of the target, Morata delivered two crosses in quick succession, both met by Vlahovic. The number 7's first header sailed over the bar, the second dipped dangerously onto the roof of the net. Bologna were well organised, and forced the first save of the match on 29 minutes, when Mattias Svanberg tried his luck from distance, but the effort was comfortably dealt with by Wojciech Szczesny. Danilo came to the fore in the closing 10 minutes of the opening half. First in attack, he pushed forward and unleashed a shot that whistled just wide of Lukasz Skorupski's far post. One minute later, the Brazilian slid in on Svanberg with a crucial recovery challenge just as the Swede was about to bear in on goal. Although not a bad-tempered first half, the referee booked four players. Discipline would be a key element after the break. BOLOGNA SEE RED The second half started with a warning shot from Marko Arnautovic, which wasn't heeded by the Juve defence. Although Juventus broke straight up the pitch and Adrien Rabiot had a wonderful chance to open the scoring with a back post volley after Skorupski had failed to make contact on a cross, the next time Bologna attacked they found the net. Arnautovic beat the offside trap and rounded Szczesny before dispatching the ball into the net. Going behind sparked an immediate reaction from the Bianconeri. Mattia De Sciglio saw his deflected shot tipped over by Skorupski. From the resulting corner, Danilo crashed his header off the inside of the post. Matthijs De Ligt then had a point-blank header blocked by the visiting keeper. Bologna weathered the storm until the 82nd minute when Morata, played in on goal, and was brought down just as he was preparing to shoot. After consulting with VAR, the referee sent off Soumaoro, who had upended the Spanish striker, and before indicating his decision, also sent off Gary Medel for the 34-year-old's reaction. The decision, only a free-kick at the edge of the area, which Vlahovic fired over, eight minutes after the initial incident. In time added on, Juventus threw everything into attack and their search for the equaliser arrived when Morata's overhead kick was headed home from under the crossbar by Vlahovic. JUVENTUS 1-1 BOLOGNA (HT: 0-0): SCORERS: 52' Arnautovic (B), 90'+5 Vlahovic (J). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio (86' Kean), de Ligt (59' Bonucci), Chiellini (75' Alex Sandro), Pellegrini (60' Zakaria); Danilo, Rabiot; Cuadrado, Dybala (59' Bernardeschi), Morata; Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Rugani, Miretti. Coach: Allegri. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Soumaoro, Medel, Theate; Dijks, Svanberg (74' Aebischer), Schouten, Soriano (74' Kasius, 87' Dominguez), Hickey; Orsolini (87' Bonifazi), Arnautovic (65' Barrow). Subs not used: Molla, Bardi, Binks, Viola. Mbaye, De Silvestri, Vignato. Coach: Tanjga. REFEREE: Sacchi. ASSISTANTS: Galetto, Zingarelli. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Cosso. VAR: Guida, Cecconi. Bookings: 13' Theate (B), 19' Svanberg (B), 32' Cuadrado (J), 41' Arnautovic (B), 84' Medel (B). Sendings off: 84' Soumaoro (B), Medel (B). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Dusan Vlahovic struck with 15 minutes remaining to reward Juventus with all three points against Cagliari in a match that saw the home side take an early lead. Matthijs De Ligt on the stroke of half time deservedly made it 1-1 with a well-placed header. In the second half, the Bianconeri maintained their forward momentum, and Vlahovic completed the scoring with an opportunistic goal that stretched Juve's unbeaten away run in Serie A to nine matches.
INTENSE REACTION Paulo Dybala partnered Vlahovic in attack, supported by Juan Cuadrado on the right flank as Juve sought an 11th win from 12 visits to Sardinia. Tactically, Massimiliano Allegri re-embraced a three-man midfield with Denis Zakaria and Adrien Rabiot either side of Arthur. However, it was the home side with their first attack of the match that opened the scoring. On 10', Razvan Marin dispossessed Dybala on the half way line and charged forward. The midfielder picked out Joao Pedro, who had time to look up and place his shot into the corner. That was to be Cagliari's only shot in the first half as Juventus set about drawing level. As the pressure mounted, the Islanders' defence struggled to hold back the Bianconeri. First Zakaria reached a Danilo cross from close range, but Alessio Cragno stuck out a forearm to ensure the ball stayed out. Dybala curled an effort over before Luca Pellegrini thought he had found the equaliser when he drilled a shot into the net. Out of respect for his former club, the defender chose not to celebrate what would have been his first goal in Serie A. The effort was eventually ruled out after VAR judged the deflection off Adrien Rabiot as handball. Dybala and Cuadrado forced Cragno into important saves, but just as time seemed to be running out for Juve in the first period, Cuadrado picked out Matthijs De Ligt with an inch-perfect cross. The Dutchman coolly placed his header beyond Cragno. Juventus were level with their 14th attempt on the Cagliari goal. TURNAROUND COMPLETE Juventus set about their opponents straight after the restart, and inside the opening minutes of the second half, had the ball in the net again. This time the effort, a tap-in from Giorgio Chiellini, was ruled out for offside. Two minutes later, Chiellini played through Dybala, who shot over from an excellent position. The Bianconeri were finding it increasingly difficult to break down the home defence, which often saw striker Joao Pedro track back to help out. But as the game reached the closing 22 minutes, Vlahovic finally showed signs of breaking free of his marker Matteo Lovato's shackles. A warning shot struck the side netting. However, the number 7 was just finding his range. A second effort forced Cragno into a save, but his eventual celebrations were delayed just 60 seconds. Dybala's through-ball found Vlahovic on the run, and although defender Giorgio Altare was first to the ball, Vlahovic's sheer determination proved decisive as he diverted the ball beyond Cragno into the net. With a 19th effort on the Cagliari goal, Juventus had turned the match in their favour. The Bianconeri saw out the closing 15 minutes without running any risks to take three important points back to Turin in their bid to tie down fourth place. CAGLIARI 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 10' Joao Pedro (C), 45' De Ligt (J), 75' Vlahovic (J). CAGLIARI: Cragno; Altare, Lovato, Carboni; Bellanova, Deiola (79' Baldé), Marin, Dalbert (58' Rog), Lykogiannis (79' Obert); Joao Pedro, Pavoletti (67' Pereiro). Subs not used: Aresti, Radunovic, Baselli, Zappa, Ceter, Walukiewicz. Coach: Mazzarri. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Pellegrini; Cuadrado (85' Bonucci), Zakaria, Arthur, Rabiot (68' Bernardeschi); Dybala (80' Kean), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Miretti. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Chiffi. ASSISTANTS: Giallatini, Preti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Santoro. VAR: Valeri, Bindoni. BOOKINGS: 53' Lykogiannis (C). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The Derby d'Italia is never a match for the faint hearted and a total of 15 minutes of time added on, a record 10 minutes in the first half, indicates that Juventus and Inter held nothing back in front of a full house inside the Allianz Stadium. Juve trailed at half time despite having the better of the opening half. Hakan Calhanoglu's retaken penalty proved to be the only goal of the game. Denise Zakaria struck the post as the Bianconeri pressed for an equaliser which didn't arrive.
A ROLLER COASTER RIDE With Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata joined by Juan Cuadrado behind Dusan Vlahovic in the Juventus attack it came as no surprise that it was the Bianconeri that made the running and created the early chances. With less than a minute on the clock, Vlahovic tested Samir Handanovic with a shot low to the goalkeeper's near post. The next action brought the first stop of the game. Lautaro Martinez caught Manuel Locatelli on the forehead with a raised boot, leading to yellow card for the Inter strike and a bandaged head for the Juve midfielder. Locatelli would eventually leave the pitch on 35 minutes with a muscle injury. Denis Zakaria replaced the number 27.The action never let up. As soon as play resumed, Morata headed over before a goalmouth scramble almost led to a Juve advantage. Handanovic punched an attempted clearance high into the night sky, and when the ball fell it broke to Giorgio Chiellini, whose touch inside the six yard box somehow bounced back off the crossbar. Dybala had a couple of shots from distance, Morata placed a header tantalisingly across the face of the goal as Juve accumulated 14 attempts on goal in the first half but somehow found themselves trailing at half time. In stoppages, Denzel Dumfries was tripped inside the penalty area. After consulting the VAR, the referee awarded the Nerazzurri a penalty. Wojciech Szczesny blocked the midfielder's initial effort, before the ball bounced into the net from the rebound. The match official, again after intervention from VAR, indicated that the penalty was to be retaken because of encroachment, principally by Matthijs De Ligt. At the second time of asking, despite Szczesny guessing correctly, Calhanoglu found the bottom corner. The first half finished as it had begun, with Vlahovic flashing a shot on the Inter goal. FRUSTRATION PREVAILS Vlahovic, also, created the first chance of the second half. A sharp turn inside the penalty area finally saw him shake off his marker, but the striker's shot flashed just wide of the post. Four minutes later, Morata also had an attempt that went close as Juve dominated possession after the break, but like in the first half, it was the frame of the goal that stood between Juve scoring. After Chiellini in the first half, it was Zakaria who saw his shot rebound off the woodwork. The midfielder powered past the Inter midfield and unleashed his shot on reaching the penalty area. With Handanovic beaten, the ball cannoned off the post. Juventus continued to press for the equaliser but Inter were throwing bodies behind the ball and blocking attempt after attempt. Despite the pressure, the two attempts off the woodwork, and the chances created, it wasn't to be as Inter held on to their slender advantage to the final whistle. JUVENTUS 0-1 INTER (HT: 0-1): SCORER: 45+5' Calhanoglu (I). JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (72' De Sciglio); Locatelli (34' Zakaria), Rabiot (83' Arthur); Cuadrado (83' Bernardeschi), Dybala, Morata (72' Kean); Vlahovic. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani. Coach: Allegri. INTER: Handanovic; D'Ambrosio, Skriniar, Bastoni; Dumfries (58' Darmian), Barella, Brozovic (77' Gagliardini), Calhanoglu (77' Vidal), Perisic; Dzeko (90' Gosens), Martinez (58' Correa). Subs not used: Radu, de Vrij, Sanchez, Vecino, Ranocchia, Dimarco, Caicedo. Coach: Inzaghi. REFEREE: Irrati. ASSISTANTS: Ranghetti, Vivenzi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ghersini. VAR: Mazzoleni, Passeri. BOOKINGS: 2' Martinez (I), 15' Rabiot (J), 27' Locatelli (J), 4+1' Morata (J), 45+4' Cuadrado (J, )45+4' Skriniar (I), 74' Perisic (I), 75' Calhanoglu (I). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The front pairing of Paulo Dybala and Dusan Vlahovic netted first-half goals to defeat Salernitana as Juventus collected a fourth straight league win to extend the unbeaten run in Serie A to 16 matches. The Bianconeri did the job before the interval against the basement side to close the gap on Inter to one point before the Derby d'Italia after the international break.
DYBALA AND VLAHOVIC ON TARGET For the visit of Salernitana, the fans were enjoying the early spring sunshine in the expectation of another victory to add to the unbeaten sequence in Serie A that started in the first meeting with the team from Salerno. Massimiliano Allegri made a change in each of the outfield departments from Wednesday's disappointment in Europe. Giorgio Chiellini returned to the line-up for the first time since early February, Danilo was pushed into midfield, and Paulo Dybala reclaimed a starter's jersey to team up with Dusan Vlahovic. And the front two that did the damage early on. With only five minutes on the clock, Juan Cuadrado found Vlahovic inside the penalty area. The number seven rolled the ball into the path of Dybala, who held off the challenge of Norbert Gyomber before drilling a low shot in off the post. Salernitana employed their defence high up the field, but their off-side trap was sprung on 13 minutes. Cuadrado played through Dybala, who with only Luigi Sepe to beat, lifted his lob over the goalkeeper and the crossbar. Sepe was called into action twice in a minute at the midway point of the opening half. Vlahovic latched onto a Dybala pass, but Sepe did well to block the shot at his near post. From the resulting corner, the ball arrived at the feet of Dybala who unleashed a half volley that was instinctively tipped wide by the keeper at full stretch. The second goal did arrive, however. A cross from Mattia De Sciglio was met on the six-yard line by Vlahovic, whose header nestled beyond Sepe. A two goal cushion inside 30 minutes. Adrien Rabiot came close to adding to the tally before half time with a dipping shot. SZCZESNY CLEAN SHEET After the restart, Juve maintained control of the game, keeping the visitors at a safe distance from Wojciech Szczesny's goal. In fact, it was his opposite number, Sepe, that was again called into action. When the Salernitana defence failed to clear a corner, the ball broke to Matthijs De Ligt, who shot straight at the keeper. At the midway point of the second half, Szczesny was finally tested. Simone Verdi found space at the edge of the area and his effort was touched wide by the Juve keeper. A minute later, Vlahovic was played through by Danilo. The striker was denied a second brace this season against the Seahorses by Sepe's outstretched boot. The visitors continued to seek a way back into the match and Federico Bonazzoli thought he had given his side a lifeline with a quick turn and shot, but again Szczesny frustrated the Salernitana attack. That was the last chance Salernitana managed to create as Juve wound down the clock. In stoppage time, Fabio Miretti was given his first taste of Serie A action after the 18-year-old in midweek had played a fundamental part in the U-19 progressing to the UEFA Youth League final-four. After the international break, Inter await, now just one point away. JUVENTUS 2- SALERNITANA (HT:2-0): SCORERS: 5' Dybala (J), 29' Vlahovic (J). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, De Ligt, Chiellini (46' Rugani), Pellegrini; Cuadrado (91' Miretti), Arthur (70' Bernardeschi), Rabiot; Dybala, (58' Morata), Vlahovic (91' Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. SALERNITANA: Sepe; Mazzocchi, Gyomber, Fazio, Ruggeri (69' Ribery); Zortea, Radovanovic (78' M.Coulibaly), L Coulibaly (46' Ederson), Perotti (60' Verdi); Bonazzoli (77' Mikael), Djuric. Subs not used: Belec, Gagliolo, Dragusin, Ranieri, Obi, Bohinen, Kastanos. Coach: Nicola. REFEREE: Giovanni Ayroldi. ASSISTANTS: Pasquale De Meo, Gamal Mokhtar. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Matteo Marchetti. VAR: Rosario Abisso, Stefano Alassio. Bookings: 24' Coulibaly (S), 40' Pellegrini (J), 68' Verdi(S), 82' Danilo (J), 85' Rabiot (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus paid the price for not capitalising on their chances after dominating the first half as Villarreal struck three times in the closing 15 minutes, twice from the penalty spot, to silence the Allianz Stadium and clinically end the Bianconeri's European ambitions this season.
EARLY PROMISE Massimiliano Allegri opted for a 4-4-2 set up with Juan Cuadrado encouraged to push forward on the right and supply the deliveries for the front two of Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic. A drop of the shoulder from the Colombian on 10 minutes gave him space to deliver an early cross and create the first chance of the game. An unmarked Morata met the delivery but his header was parried by Geronimo Rulli. 10 minutes later, it was Morata's co-striker, Vlahovic who tested the Villarreal goalkeeper with a powerful drive from distance. On 22', Vlahovic got the better of Rulli as he met a near post cross with his left foot. The speed and timing of the run caught the Villarreal defence off guard, but the shot rebounded off the crossbar. The Spanish side breathed a sigh of relief and on the counter attack created their first chance, when Giovanni Lo Celso curled his effort just wide. But it was Juventus that once again came close in the 36th minute, and again it was Rulli who denied the Bianconeri attack, this time blocking a close-range Vlahovic header. Juventus finished the opening half on top, but were left ruing not having taken advantage of their chances. LATE DEMISE Juve continued to take the game to the Spanish side after the restart. An industrious Adrien Rabiot drove into the Villarreal penalty area, but again Rulli parried to safety. A minute later, Rabiot again made a run into the area, but could only win a corner. With both teams cancelling each other out, it was Unai Emery who made the first substitutions, bringing on experience in attack in the form of Francis Coquelin and Gerard Moreno. And the two subs would be involved in the game's opening goal. Daniele Rugani arrived late on a challenge inside the penalty area on Coquelin. The referee after consulting the VAR awarded a penalty, which was converted by Moreno. Allegri brought on Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi but the goal had knocked the wind out of Juve's sails. On 85' the contest was ended when Pau Torres prodded home a cross from a corner that had evaded the Juventus defence.Salt was rubbed into wounds in stoppage time when Matthijs De Ligt blocked a shot with an arm. The resulting penalty was swept into the net by Arnaut Danjuma. After such an impressive first half, Juventus painfully crashed out of the Champions League as Villarreal celebrated a historic 3-0 win. JUVENTUS 0-3 VILLARREAL (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 78' Moreno (V), 85' Torres (V), 90+2' Danjuma (V). JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, de Ligt, Rugani (79' Dybala), De Sciglio; Cuadrado, Locatelli (83' Bernardeschi), Arthur, Rabiot; Vlahovic, Morata (86' Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Pellegrini, Miretti. Coach: Allegri. VILLARREAL: Rulli; Aurier, Albiol, Pau Torres, Estupiñán; Pino (65' Chukwueze), Capoue, Parejo (86' Pedraza), Trigueros (65' Coquelin); Lo Celso (73' Moreno), Danjuma. Subs not used: Asenjo, Mario, Foyth, Iborra, Rubén Peña, Dia, Mandi, Gómez. Coach: Emery. REFEREE: Marciniak (POL). ASSISTANTS: Sokolnicki, Listkiewicz. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Raczkowski. VAR: Kwiatkowski, Frankowski. BOOKINGS: 90' De Ligt. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus won by a two-goal margin at Marassi thanks to a double from Alvaro Morata and a Maya Yoshida own goal. Trailing 2-0 at half time, Samp halved the lead with five minutes to play after having seen an earlier penalty saved by Wojciech Szczęsny, but Morata struck late to restore the two goal advantage as the Bianconeri marched on to a 15th match unbeaten with a third consecutive league win.
MORATA AND KEAN DO THE DAMAGE Moise Kean was given the task of supporting Alvaro Morata in attack as Dusan Vlahovic settled for a place on the bench, and the front two were involved in the game's opening two goals, both for Juventus. On 22 minutes, Sampdoria carved open the first shooting chance of the match, when Antonio Candreva struck a dangerous swerving effort. Wojciech Szczęsny palmed the ball to safety, which allowed Juve to hit on the counter attack. Less than a minute later the ball was in the back of the Samp net, after Juan Cuadrado's vicious cross was turned home by Maya Yoshida, left with little option but to intervene as Kean was lurking with intent at the far post. As expected, Sampdoria, pushed on by their passionate support, responded and once again tested Szczęsny, this time through Stefano Sensi. The Juve goalkeeper reacted well to the midfielder's low shot at his near post. A couple of minutes later, the Bianconeri struck again. Kean set off on a solo run, twisting and turning, he entered the penalty area. Just as he was about to shoot, he was fouled by Omar Colley. The Samp central defender had no complaints as the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Morata took the honours from the spot kick and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to double Juve's lead. An advantage that Juventus saw through to the half-time whistle without running any further risks. In fact, the passing game was working well, with Juve looking firmly in control. TEK TO THE RESCUE Kean was offered the first chance of the second half when Mauel Locatelli picked out the striker in the opposition's box, but Wladimiro Falcone dashed off his line and at the second attempt thwarted the Bianconeri forward. Juventus were firmly in control but a Francesco Caputo shot which flashed dangerously close was a warning that the home side were still in contention. And Sampdoria were given the chance to reduce the deficit with 15 minutes remaining. Adrien Rabiot touched the ball with his hand at the edge of the box, and after consulting VAR, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Antonio Candreva stepped up for Szczesny to make a wonderful one-handed stop for the third penalty save in a row by the Polish shotstopper. MORATA SEALS THE WIN The Blucerchiari did, however, find a lifeline on 84 minutes. Abdelhamid Sabiri hit a free kick from distance which beat Szczęsny after a heavy deflection from Morata. Juventus displayed the self-belief that has been built over this positive run by keeping their focus, and with two minutes to play, the points were wrapped up. Locatelli crossed from the right and from point-blank range, Morata forced his header past Falcone into the net for his second on the night and the team's third. A third straight win in Serie A for the first time this season was perfect preparation for the Champions League showdown with Villarreal on Wednesday. SAMPDORIA 1-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-2): Scorers: 23' Yoshida (OG), 33' & 88' Morata (J), 84' Sabiri (S). SAMPDORIA: Falcone, Bereszynski, Yoshida, Colley, Augello (83' Conti); Rincon (83' Trimboli), Candreva, Thorsby; Sensi (66' Giovinco); Quagliarella (62' Sabiri), Caputo. Subs not used: Audero, Ravaglia, Ekdal, Supryaha, Askildsen, Ferrari, Magnani. Coach: Giampaolo. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Rugani, Pellegrini (85' De Sciglio); Cuadrado, Locatelli, Arthur, Rabiot (75' Alex Sandro); Kean (65' Vlahovic), Morata. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Stramaccioni, Miretti, Aké. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Valeri. ASSISTANTS: Di Vuolo, Bottegoni. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Cosso. VAR: Aureliano, De Meo. BOOKINGS: 49' Rabiot (J), 82' Pellegrini (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Three important points on the back of the second 1-0 victory of the week, this time against Spezia. After the Italian Cup semi-final success, a 14th Serie A match without defeat pushed Juventus strengthened Juve's grip on fourth place, six points ahead of Atalanta and Roma.
MORATA SWEEPS HOME Juventus were invited to break down a Spezia defence that at times had five players strung along the back. Maintaining patience was key and that is what the Bianconeri did through the midfield three of Arthur, Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli. The first glimpse on goal came on seven minutes, when Alvaro Morata collected a free-kick from Juan Cuadrado, but his shot hit the side-netting. 10 minutes later, again Cuadrado was involved in the thick of the action, when he dribbled his way into the opposing penalty area. His cut back found Arthur, whose confident shot was blocked by the Spezia defence. However, the lead was only a matter of minutes away. A poor clearance by Spezia goalkeeper Ivan Provedel was quickly fed forward by Daniele Rugani to Dusan Vlahovic, who likewise played a first-time pass to Locatelli. The midfielder roled the ball into the path of Morata, who side-footed his shot beyond Provedel for a deserved lead on 21 minutes. Juventus pushed on for a second goal before the interval, and came close when Cuadrado won back possession. After exchanging passes with Arthur, he found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, Provedel dived smartly to his left to turn the shot out for a corner. BATTLING SPIRIT Juventus started slowly after the restart, and Spezia almost took advantage. A clever backheel by Daniele Verde played in Salva Ferrer. The full-back's cross was met by Emmanuel Gyasi just six yards out. However, Wojciech Szczęsny smothered the header on his goal line. This time it was Juve who were playing the waiting game, and after winning back possession in the centre of the park had the chance to carve open the Spezia defence on the counter attack but the final pass was lacking. Just after the hour mark, Federico Bernardeschi returned to action to a warm reception from the home support. With Luca Pellegrini off, Danilo switched to the left and Cuadrado stepped back into defence. After Morata had his effort blocked from another promising counter attack, it was Spezia that created another gilt-edged chance with just 10 minutes remaining. Kevin Agudelo was played in behind the Bianconeri defence but was denied but another important save by Szczęsny. In the closing minutes, Juve the chance to wrap up the match. However, neither Cuadrado, with a long-range effort, or Morata, with a tap-in from a Cuadrado cross, could find the net. As it was, the first-half goal from Morata proved to be enough for another three points. JUVENTUS 1-0 SPEZIA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: 21' Morata (J). JUVENTUS: Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Rugani, De Ligt, Pellegrini (63' Bernardeschi); Locatelli, Arthur, Rabiot; Cuadrado, Vlahovic (85' Kean), Morata. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Stramaccioni, Miretti, Akè, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. SPEZIA: Provedel; Ferrer, Erlic, Nikolaou, Reca; Maggiore (76' Bourabia), Bastoni, Agudelo; Gyasi, Manaj (76' Kovalenko), Verde. Subs not used: Zoet, Zovko, Hristov, Podgoreanu, Antiste, Sher, Nguiamba, Strelec, Bertola. Coach: Motta. REFEREE: Fourneau. ASSISTANTS: Cecconi, Rocca. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Miele. VAR: Mazzoleni, Rossi. BOOKINGS: 54' Erlic (S), 57' Vlahovic (J), 61' Pellegrini (J), 67' Bernardeschi (J) , 90+3' Bourabi (S). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Massimiliano Allegri fielded the youngest Juventus starting XI since the beginning of the last decade as the coach handed 21-year-old Marley Aké his first start in midfield. Danilo, Matthijs De Ligt and Mattia De Sciglio made up the three-man defence, while Moise Kean partnered Dusan Vlahovic, whose return to the Artemio Franchi was met passionately by the home support.
NO INCH GIVEN Backed by their vociferous fans, Fiorentina started with intent. As early as the sixth minute, Riccardo Saponara hit a shot from outside the penalty area, which was comfortably taken by Mattia Perin. Perin almost gifted the Viola the opener when in an attempt to play the ball out from the back he found Giacomo Bonaventura on the 18-yard-line. Fortunately for the Juve keeper, the Fiorentina number 5 shot over. Although not creating any chances of their own, Juve were keeping Fiorentina at a safe distance. Only once did the hosts penetrate the Bianconeri penalty area, and that was when Jonathan Ikoné used his pace to show Mattia De Sciglio a clean pair of heels. The Frenchman dragged his shot just wide. Lucas Torreira had an effort that dipped over the crossbar before he was dispossessed at the point of shooting by Arthur as the first half drew to a close with neither side looking particularly dangerous. Both Kean and Vlahovic were being closely marked by Nikola Milenkovic and Igor. EARLY SCARE Both sides made substitutions at the start of the second half. Lorenzo Venuti replaced Alvaro Odriozola for the hosts, while Aké made way for Juan Cuadrado.However, it was Ikoné who would once again be the Fiorentina dangerman, when on 48' he turned inside the box but saw his effort strike the outside of the post.10 minutes into the second half, finally Vlahovic broke free from his marker to latch onto a pass in the penalty area. The striker attempted to lob Pietro Terracciano but the keeper at full stretch managed to deflect the ball out for a corner. Juventus were growing in stature and created two chances between the 74th and 78th minute. First, Danilo glanced a header wide from a corner, before Cuadrado smashed a shot into the side netting from an excellent position. LATE DELIGHT Fiorentina made four more changes, while Alvaro Morata replaced Moise Kean for the Bianconeri. However, it was the first substitutes that would decide the fate of the match. In stoppage time, Adrien Rabiot supplied Cuadrado, whose dangerous cross from deep inside the penalty area was turned into his own net by Venuti. Heart break for the home-grown full-back, delight for Juventus. The Bianconeri host Fiorentina in the return-leg in late April with a hard-fought one-goal advantage to defend. FIORENTINA 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): SCORER: 90+1' Venuti (OG). FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Odriozola (46' Venuti), Milenkovic, Igor, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Torreira, Castrovilli (84' Duncan); Ikoné (84' Gonzalez), Piatek (65' Cabral), Saponara (65' Sottil). Subs not used: Rosati, Dragowski, Callejon, Maleh, Terzic, Egharevba, Amrabat. Coach: Italiano. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo, de Ligt, De Sciglio; Aké (46' Cuadrado), Locatelli, Arthur, Rabiot, Pellegrini; Vlahovic, Kean (59' Morata). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Soulé, Miretti, Stramaccioni. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Guida. Assistants: Carbone, Lo Cicero. Fourth Official: Marinelli. VAR: Di Paolo, Ranghetti. BOOKINGS: 57' Pellegrini (J), 71' Bonaventura (F), 72' Milenkovic (F), 79' De Sciglio (J) , 90' Torreira (F). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Strike partners Moise Kean and Dusan Vlahovic led the line and found the net as Juventus scored three at the Castellani but a sprightly Empoli struck back twice. The Bianconeri held their ground and collected all three points with a first victory in three league matches to hold down fourth place.
VLAHOVIC AND KEAN LEAD THE LINE Empoli employed a high-pressing game to thwart Juventus from building deep, but when the Bianconeri did manage to break free of the close marking they looked dangerous. Kean and Vlahovic were the outlets in attack and it was the Serb who fed Denis Zakaria on seven minutes. From inside the penalty area, the midfielder's low shot was parried by Guiglielmo Vicario and spun out for a corner. Again Vlahovic and Kean were at the heart of the Juventus threat when Kean found his strike partner, whose low shot flashed dangerously across the face of the Empoli goal. With just over half an hour on the clock, Juventus took the lead and it was Kean on the end of a flowing move started by Vahovic on the half-way line. As the ball was worked down the left, Adrien Rabiot's cross was headed home by Kean from six yards out. ALL SQUARE A few minutes later, the joy of the goal was replaced by injury fears as Denis Zakaria limped off, replaced by Manuel Locatelli. On 40 minutes, the home side found the equaliser. Juventus failed to clear a corner kick and Szymon Zurkowsi reacted quickest to prod the ball into the net from close range. ADVANTAGE RESTORED The first half action wasn't over yet, however. In stoppage time, Arthur intercepted in the centre circle and fed Juan Cuadrado. He was allowed to reach the penalty area where his pass found the feet of Vlahovic, whose initial dummy fooled the Empoli defence, allowing the striker to coolly chip the ball into the empty net. DUSAN TO THE DOUBLE Empoli continued to keep the Juventus defence under pressure after the interval, but the Bianconeri were keen to take advantage on the counter-attack, also after Alvaro Morata had replaced Kean in attack. In fact, it was the substitute who set off on the break and rolled the ball into the path of Vlahovic, who lobbed the onrushing Vicario to give Juve a two-goal advantage. EMPOLI CUT THE DEFICIT Empoli refused to lie down and a spate of substitutions gave the home side a lease of life. A period of sustained pressure led to the hosts' second goal. Adrien Rabiot's deflected header was heading into his own net before Leonardo Bonucci diverted the ball onto the underside of the crossbar. However, the second wave of the attack led to the ball breaking to Andrea La Mantia, who drove the ball low into the net. Four minutes later, the Empoli substitute almost had a second, but deflected his shot wide of target. Juventus managed to see out the closing minutes to collect three hard-earned and precious points. EMPOLI 2-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-2): Scorers: 32' Kean (J), 40' Zurkowski (E), 45+2' & 66' Vlahovic (J), 80' La Mantia (E). EMPOLI: Vicario; Stojanovic (85' Henderson), Ismajli, Luperto, Cacace (70' Parisi); Zurkowski, Asllani, Bandinelli (70' Benassi); Bajrami (85' Verre), Di Francesco (70' La Mantia); Pinamonti. Subs not used: Furlan, Ujkani, Romagnoli, Tonelli, Verre, Fiamozzi, Stulac, Cutrone. Coach: Andreazzoli. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, de Ligt, Pellegrini; Cuadrado, Zakaria (37' Locatelli), Arthur, Rabiot; Vlahovic, Kean (62' Morata). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Miretti, Akè, Soulè. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Maresca. ASSISTANTS: Palermo, Perrotti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Fourneau. VAR: Valerio, Muto. BOOKINGS: 50' Ismajli (E), 73' Parisi (E). Source: www.juventus.com |
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A quick-fire start from Dusan Vlahovic gave Juventus an early advantage on their first ever first to Villarreal but the Spanish side, pushed on by the home support, equalised in the second half through Daniel Parejo.
The 1-1 result means the tie is finely poised for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. DREAM START With his first touch he set himself up, and with his first shot he scored his first goal in the Champions League. With just 32 seconds on the clock, Dusan Vlahovic's European debut was a dream come true. Villarreal responded and on 12 minutes came close to the equaliser. Full-back Alfonso Pedraza burst into the penalty area and squared the ball to Giovani Lo Celso. The attacking midfielder hit his shot from the height of the penalty spot but watched as it cannoned off the post for a goal kick. The home team's midfield duo, Etienne Capoue and Daniel Parejo were dictating the play and their link-up in midfield released winger Samu Chukwueze down the right. His low cross reached Arnaut Danjuma, whose audacious back-heel took a deflection off Danilo before Wojciech Szczęsny dealt with the danger. When Juventus pressed high, putting Villarreal under pressure, momentum swung back in favour of the Bianconeri. Manuel Locatelli was set up at the edge of the penalty area but his shot was off target. Juan Cuadrado and Weston McKennie exchanged passes to free Alvaro Morata, whose shot was powerful but lacked accuracy. As the first half drew to a close, the hosts were being kept at a safe distance and were struggling to create chances in front of the Juve goal. PAREJO LEVELS THE TIE Leonardo Bonucci came on immediately after the restart for Alex Sandro. With three central defenders, Juve appeared in control of the game. On 47 minutes, Morata had another chance, but his volley flashed wide of Rulli's post. However, as the second half progressed Juventus found themselves deeper inside their own half, especially as veteran Raul Albiol had taken the measure of Vlahovic. The home team found the equaliser midway through the second period. Capoue fed the ball into the path of Parejo, whose run had gone unchecked by the Bianconeri defence. One on one with Szczesny, the midfielder picked his spot and placed the ball beyond the Juve keeper. Massimiliano Allgri brought on Arthur and Denis Zakaria for Locatelli and McKennie in search of a second goal. The nearest they came was the second of the chance of the match for Vlahovic, whose low drive on 85 minutes produced a fine one-handed save from Geronimo Rulli. With neither side willing to risk throwing players forward, the match finished 1-1, finely poised for the return leg on 16 March at the Allianz Stadium. VILLARREAL 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 1' Vlahovic (J), 66' Parejo (V). VILLARREAL: Rulli; Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza (79' Estupiñán); Chukwueze (90' Pino), Capoue, Parejo, A. Moreno (79' Trigueros); Lo Celso, Danjuma (90' Dia). Subs not used: Asenjo, Jorgensen, Mario, Aurier, Mandi, Iborra, Moi Gómez. Coach: Emery. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, de Ligt, Alex Sandro (46' Bonucci), De Sciglio (87' Pellegrini); McKennie (81' Zakaria), Locatelli (71' Arthur), Rabiot; Cuadrado, Vlahovic, Morata. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Kean, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Siebert (GER). ASSISTANTS: Seidel, Foltyn. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Jablonski. VAR: Dankert, Osmers. BOOKINGS: 73' Rabiot (J), 73' Rulli (V). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The Derby della Mole ended with only the second draw in 10 visits from Torino. Juventus did not capitalise on the early goal from Matthijs De Ligt as Andrea Belotti struck a second-half equaliser for the visitors.
TORINO START STRONGLY Already without Danilo suspended and Leonardo Bonucci injured, Massimiliano Allegri had to take emergency measures in defence after Daniele Rugani pulled up with an injury during the warm-up. Luca Pellegrini stepped in, with Alex Sandro covering in the centre of defence. In the centre of midfield, Manuel Locatelli teamed up with Denis Zakaria for the first time from kick-off. Torino fielded an attacking line-up with Andrea Belotti leading the line, supported by Tommaso Pobega and Joisp Brekalo. The Toro set-up created some difficulty for the Juventus backline in the opening 10 minutes. Rolando Mandragora hit a low shot well covered by Wojciech Szczesny at his near post. The Juve keeper then touched the ball away from Belotti, who was poised for the tap-in. JUVENTUS STRIKE FIRST Juventus remained compact, and first hit on the counter attack on 11 minutes. A swift passing exchange set Adrien Rabiot racing in on goal. The Frenchman drilled his shot just wide of the far post. Two minutes later, Juventus took the lead. Juan Cuadrado's deep cross from a corner was met by Matthijs De Ligt, who powered his header home at the far post. Juventus took confidence from the opening goal and twice tested Vanja Milinkovic Savic. First, Paulo Dybala pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area and his shot was parried. On the follow up, Morata was also denied by the Toro keeper. The first half drew to an end with injury worries surrounding Pellegrini. The full-back managed to see out the first 45 minutes but wouldn't reappear after the interval. TORO DRAW LEVEL The second half began similarly to the first, with Mandragora testing Szczesny with a shot from inside the penalty area. On 52 minutes, Dybala hit a powerful shot from distance which curled the wrong side of Milinkovic's post. That was the last involvement for the Juve forward, who indicated he was unable to continue. Another injury, following Pellegrini's, who had been replaced by Mattia De Sciglio at the start of the second half. Weston McKennie came on for Dybala. Neither team had much chance to express their creative side as tackling dominated the game. That was until 62 minutes, when Brekalo cut back a cross from the bye-line, which was met by Belotti. The Torino captain's shot beat Szczesny to level the score. Arthur and Moise Kean were thrown on by Allegri as Juventus looked to hit late, as they have often done against their city rivals. There wasn't to be any last-minute drama this time, however, as the match finished 1-1. JUVENTUS 1-1 TORINO (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: 13' De Ligt (J)', 62' Belotti (T). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Alex Sandro, Pellegrini (46' De Sciglio); Zakaria, Locatelli (74' Arthur), Rabiot; Dybala (54' McKennie), Vlahovic (74' Kean), Morata. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Kaio Jorge, Akè. Coach: Allegri. TORINO: Milinkovic; Djidji, Bremer (89' Buongiorno), Rodriguez; Singo (80' Ansaldi), Lukic, Mandragora, Vojvoda; Pobega, Brekalo (75' Pjaca); Belotti (80' Sanabria). Subs not used: Berisha, Izzo, Zima, Seck, Ricci, Ola Aina, Pellegri, Linetty. Coach: Juric. REFEREE: Massa. ASSISTANTS: Alassio, Tolfo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ayroldi. VAR: Mazzoleni, Liberti. BOOKINGS: 73' Cuadrado (J), 82' Lukic (T), 89' Mandragora (T). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus stretched their unbeaten run to 11 consecutive matches in Serie A but the Bianconeri left it very late after an intense match in Bergamo. Massimiliano Allegri continued with a three-man frontline of Dusan Vlahovic flanked by Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata but it was Atalanta forward Ruslan Malinovskyi who opened the scoring on 76 minutes.
Danilo powered home a stoppage time header for Juventus to claim a point that keeps the Lady's two-point advantage in fourth place. HIGH INTENSITY The first sight of goal for Vlahovic came three minutes into the game. His curler from the edge of the penalty area called on Marco Sportiello to make an acrobatic finger-tip save to stop the ball from flying into the top corner. The centre forward was again in the thick of the action when Weston McKennie crossed after a strong run to the bye-line. The Serbian striker's header drifted wide off target. McKennie was the orchestrator of Juve's next chance. The midfielder found Dybala on the run, who cut in on his left foot but curled his effort narrowly wide of the far post. Atalanta grew in confidence as the first half progressed. The hosts' first chance fell to Martin De Roon, who scooped a flick-on from a corner over from the six-yard line. The home side again caused the Juventus defence problems. Teun Koopmeiners was played through and when Wojciech Szczęsny came racing off his line, the midfielder's touch fell to Luis Muriel, with the goal gaping. Leonardo Bonucci raced back and slid in to clear to deny the Colombian his first goal against the Bianconeri. Bonucci's central defensive partner, Matthijs De Ligt then twice blocked Jeremie Boga shots in the space of a minute as the first half drew to a close. Two bookings per side highlighted the intensity of the opening half, which continued after the restart. MALINOVSKYI STRIKES FIRST The team from Bergamo started the second half strongly with de Roon testing Szczesny with a low drive. Morata and Dybala linked up to find Vlahovic, whose goal bound effort was spectacularly turned over the crossbar by Sportiello. The Bianconeri were moving the ball around well, and another attack found Adrien Rabiot inside the penalty area, but his shot hit the side-netting. With the ebb and flow first favouring one side then the other, Atalanta also created chances. Boga's cross was inches away from being tapped in by Koopmeiners. The hosts made the breakthrough on 76 minutes. Substitute Malinovskyi's powerful long-range effort from a free-kick he had earned thundered beyond Szczesny. DANILO KEEPS IT LATE Allegri brought on Juan Cuadrado and Moise Kean for Bonucci and McKennie, but Atalanta almost doubled their lead. Malinovskyi flighted in a cross, which was met by Hans Hateboer, who from close range crashed his shot off the crossbar. Arthur and Marely Aké were introduced to add more attacking impetus, and Juventus continued to press despite the deep defence employed by the home team. Cuadrado earned a corner, taken by Dybala. The inswinging cross was met imperiously by Danilo, whose header flew past Sportiello. Juventus had found the equaliser in the 92nd minute - a goal that kept the unbeaten run intact. ATALANTA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: Malinovskyi (A) 76', Danilo (J) 90+2'. ATALANTA: Sportiello; Djmsiti, Demiral, Toloi; Zappacosta (60' Maehle), Freuler, Koopmeiners, de Roon, Hateboer; Boga (90+1' Pasalic), Muriel (60' Malinovskyi). Subs not used: Rossi, Dajcar, Scalvini, Pezzella, Pessina, Mihaila. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci (79' Cuadrado), de Ligt, De Sciglio; McKennie (81' Kean), Locatelli, Rabiot (86' Arthur); Dybala, Vlahovic, Morata (86' Aké). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Alex Sandro, Pellegrini, Zakaria, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Mariani. ASSISTANTS: Meli, Imperiale. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Volpi. VAR: Aureliano, De Meo. BOOKINGS: 35' Djmsiti, 36' Hateboer, 38' Danilo, 42' Vlahovic, De Ligt 75'. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Dusan Vlahovic was brought in to provide a goal threat. Two matches into his Juventus career and the 22-year-old has done just that. A debut goal against Verona at the weekend was followed up this evening with a late winner, thanks to the helping hand of Sassuolo defender Ruan Tressoldi.
Pauolo Dybala had given Juventus the perfect start but the visitors under coach Alessio Dionisi equalised half-way through the first half. Save after save from Gianluca Pegolo thwarted Juventus in the second period until that late, late winner. DYBALA STRIKES EARLY On their first concerted attack Juventus found the breakthrough. Alex Sandro found himself in space down the left and his cross was met by Weston McKennie. The midfielder's shot was charged down but the loose ball was lashed into the net by Dybala. Three minutes on the clock and Juventus were already in the lead. A couple of minutes later Sassuolo cleared their lines as Juventus looked to double their advantage. The visitors regrouped, however, and came back into the match. SASSUOLO RESPOND Domenico Berardi latched onto a miss-hit pass from Leonardo Bonucci and called Mattia Perin into his first save of the match. Again Sassuolo threatened following a fine run from full-back Georgios Kyriakopoulos, which forced another clever save from Perin. On 24 minutes the Juventus goalkeeper was blameless as Hamed Traore fired a shot from just inside the penalty area into the far corner of the net. Being pegged back jolted Juventus into life and on 37 minutes Vlahovic was set up with his first chance. Bearing down on Gianluca Pegolo in the Sassuolo goal, the Juventus striker drove his shot into the keeper's legs. Four minutes later in a scramble inside the penalty area, Pegolo at full stretch managed to divert an Alex Sandro effort. JUVE DOMINATION PAYS OFF Juventus survived a couple of Gianluca Scamacca headers at the restart before definitively taking control of the match. On 55 minutes Weston McKennie struck the post as Juve pushed forward. Eight minutes later Vlahovic again found Pegolo in his path. Juventus continued to press and a Dybala free-kick was met again by McKennie. From Pegolo's save, Matthijs De Ligt hit the frame of the goal from close range. Inside the 15 minutes, the home pressure didn't let up. Alvaro Morata found himself one-on-one with the Sassuolo goalkeeper but once again the veteran pulled off an outstanding block. As the match appeared destined to reach extra time, the Juve pressure finally paid off. Vlahovic chased down a through pass from Dybala. The centre forward used his last reserves of strength and determination to take on the Sassuolo defence single handedly. His shot took a deflection off Ruan Tressoldi to wrong foot Pegolo and restore the Bianconeri's advantage. The late win rewards Juventus with a two-legged semi-final against Fiorentina. JUVENTUS 2-1 SASSUOLO (HT:1-1): SCORERS: 3' Dybala (J), 24' Traoré (S), Ruan (OG) 88'. JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio (61' Morata), de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Zakaria (61' Locatelli), Arthur (71' Rabiot), McKennie; Cuadrado, Vlahovic (90' Kaio Jorge), Dybala. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Rugani, Pellegrini, Soule, Aké. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Pegolo; Ruan, Ayhan (46' Muldur), Ferrari, Kyriakopoulos; Harroui (73' Frattesi), Lopez; Berardi (59' Defrel), Raspadori, Traoré (60' Henrique) Scamacca. Subs not used: Satalino, Consigli, Magnanelli, Rogerio, Ciervo, Peluso, Ceide, Chiriches, De Souza. Coach: Dionisi. Referee: Marinelli. Assistants: Paganessi, Rocca. Source: www.juventus.com |
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After the January transfer activity, there was an obvious and understandable curiosity to see how the new signings Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria would perform on their Juventus debut.
Well, the two showed up with a goal each, one in each half, as Juventus collected a 2-0 win over a Verona side that was always held at a safe distance. It was the 4-1 defeat of Parma 4-1 in September 2011 that two Juventus players last found the net on their bows. THE DV7 ERA BEGINS All eyes were on Vlahovic, who took little time to endear himself to his new fans. With his first touch, he unleashed a powerful shot that Lorenzo Montipò parried at full stretch. With his second opportunity he gave the Verona goalkeeper no chance. Paulo Dybala played the ball into space, and using his pace and strength to hold off his marker, Vlahovic lobbed the on-rushing goalkeeper for his debut goal. 13 minutes on the clock and DV7 had already brought the house down. FRONT THREE ON THE FRONT FOOT One of the most interesting aspects of the opening half was the link-up play of the Juventus front three. Dybala and Alvaro Morata looked to link up with their co-striker at every given opportunity. With the Argentine dropping deep, his first thought was to play through Vlahovic. Morata was also eager to play off the physical presence of the new Juventus centre forward. On 37 minutes, the combination between the two almost led to Juventus doubling their lead, but Vlahovic's touch ended just wide. Another positive note was the personality of Zakaria, covering plenty of ground in the centre of the park and keen to push forward, as was proved in the second half. ZAK TO THE DOUBLE Verona started the second half with greater conviction and kept the Bianconeri penned in their own field for a quarter of an hour, but on 61 minutes, Zakaria, who had already shown a remarkable personality in the first half, followed Vlahovic with a debut goal. Morata broke over the half-way line and rolled the ball to Zakaria who took the ball in his stride inside the visitors' penalty area. One touch to steady himself, the second to take aim as he drilled a low shot beyond Montipò. Juve began to play with confidence and Dybala almost found a quick third but was denied by the Verona 'keeper. Again Montipò showed excellent reflexes to keep out Adrien Rabiot. In the closing 15 minutes, Allegri brought on Daniele Rugani and Juan Cuadrado for Giorgio Chiellini and Dybala, then Zakaria and Morata came off to a standing ovation, replaced by Weston McKennie and Moise Kean. Vlahovic, McKennie and Kean all tried to add another goal to round off the result but the two goals from the January reinforcements were enough to boost confidence ahead of the busy February schedule. JUVENTUS 2-0 HELLAS VERONA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: Vlahovic 13', Zakaria 61'. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Danilo (75' Cuadrado), de Ligt, Chiellini (75' Rugani), De Sciglio; Zakaria( 83' McKennie), Arthur, Rabiot; Dybala, Vlahovic, Morata (83' Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Bonucci, Pellegrini, Aké, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. VERONA: Montipò; Casale (84' Sutalo), Gunter, Ceccherini (62' Retsos); Depaoli, Ilic (84' Praszelik), Veloso (46' Bessa), Lazovic; Tameze, Barak (62' Kalinic); Lasagna. Subs not used: Chiesa, Berardi, Coppola, Cancellieri. Coach: Tudor. REFEREE: Massimi. ASSISTANTS: Cipressa, Fiore. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Baroni. VAR: Doveri, Di Vuolo. BOOKINGS: Depaoli (V) 17', Morata (J) 58'. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A finely-balanced contest from the first minute to the last. Milan and Juve battled out a hard-fought encounter, without finding that touch of class, the flash of skill, to break the deadlock. Both defences never gave an inch, limiting the forwards and their ability to create. The resulting stalemate didn't lack intensity, especially in the centre of the park, but overall there was little emotion over the 90 minutes.
COMBATIVE FIRST HALF The game kicked off at a frenetic pace. Juventus looked to take advantage of the width at San Siro, Milan aimed to use Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the pivot in their attack. Juan Cuadrado was buzzing from one flank to the other. From the left, a corner caused panic in the home defence and from the right on 12 minutes, he ran straight at the Rossoneri defence. His shot swerved off target. Three minutes later, Rafael Leao cut in from the wing and, after a one-two with Ibrahimovic, hit a shot from the edge of the penalty area, which Wolciech Szczensy parried for a corner. On the half hour, the Swedish striker walked off injured, replaced by Olivier Giroud. Juventus were seldom tested inside their penalty area and held Milan to a couple of long-distance efforts from Davide Calabria In attack, the final pass was missing to cause the Rossoneri defence any harm. A tight combative opening 45 minutes with both defences on top. NO BREAKTHROUGH Alvaro Morata was offered a chance to make the breakthrough but his header from Mattia De Sciglio's cross flashed wide of the target. Juventus were enjoying plenty of possession but were struggling to unsettle the home defence. One of the Milan back-four, Theo Hernandez, broke forward and his low drive was well covered by Szczesny. 20 minutes into the second half, it was Milan again that created another chance. Giroud's header was well taken on his line by Szczesny. At the other end, Weston McKennie tried to test Mike Maignan with a header of his own, but his effort drifted wide. With the playing surface cutting up, and despite both coaches fielding all five substitutes, neither side could craft an opening as the clock ticked down into stoppage time, when nothing would change. Juventus collected another clean sheet and stretched their unbeaten run to nine in Serie A with a point, which fails to iprove the situation in the league standings. MILAN 0-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): MILAN: Maignan; Calabria (75' Florenzi), Kalulu, A. Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Krunic; Messias (61' Bennacer), Brahim Diaz (61' Saelemaekers), Leao (75' Rebic); Ibrahimovic (28' Giroud). Subs not used: Tatarusanu, Mirante, Stanga, Gabbia, Bakayoko, Maldini. Coach: Pioli. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (65' Bernardeschi), Locatelli (65' Arthur), Bentancur (90' Rabiot), McKennie; Dybala (90' Kulusevski), Morata (74' Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Danilo, de Ligt, Pellegrini, Kaio Jorge, Aké. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Di Bello. ASSISTANTS: Costanzo, Passeri. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marcenaro. VAR: Di Paolo, Valeriani. BOOKINGS: Locatelli 9', Leao 12', Messias 42', Kean 89'. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus outplayed Sampdoria from the first minute as they fired four past the visitors in the Italian Cup at the Allianz Stadium. Four goals were perhaps meagre reward for 15 shots on target from a total of 26 efforts on goal as the Bianconeri oozed confidence which bodes well for Sunday’s Serie A encounter with Milan at San Siro.
CUADRADO INCISIVE On his return from injury, Danilo was picked to play alongside Daniele Rugani in the centre of defence, and with Mattia De Sciglio and Alex Sandro covering the full-back positions, Juan Cuadrado was allowed to push forward into an attacking midfield role. It was the Colombian wideman who piled the pressure on Wladimiro Falcone in the Sampdoria goal, first with a swerving corner, which the goalkeeper punched clear form under his crossbar, then a low shot, which Falcone smartly parried for a corner. Cuadrado wasn’t denied for long, however. A powerful free-kick from the edge of the penalty area gave the keeper no chance and Juve were in front after 25 minutes. One minute later, the Bianconeri had the ball in the net again. Cuadrado set up Alvaro Morata, who swept the ball home, but after consulting VAR, the match official disallowed the goal for a foul in midfield by Adrien Rabiot. JUVE DOMINATE Dejan Kulusevski and Rugani were both denied in quick succession by Falcone as the Samp keeper almost single-handedly held back the Juventus attack, which he did again in first-half stoppage time when he blocked Morata’s low drive. RUGANI RISES Juve started the second half on the front foot and quickly found a deserved second goal. Arthur’s corner kick was met majestically by Rugani, whose header looped beyond Falcone. SAMP STRIKE BACK Juventus made a double substitution on the hour mark but before either Giorgio Chiellini or Paulo Dybala touched the ball, Sampdoria had found a way back into the game. A cross from Tommaso Augello found Andrea Conti inside the penalty area. The new signing took one touch before rifling his shot in off the post. DYBALA RESPONDS Juventus kept their composure and concentration, and five minutes later restored their two-goal advantage. Manuel Locatelli pounced on a loose ball at the edge of penalty area, where Dybala was on hand to drill the ball into the net. MORATA CONCLUDES Cuadrado and Arthur took a deserved round of applause from the supporters in the Allianz Stadium, and their substitutes immediately set about making an impact, especially Marley Akè, whose blistering pace proved too much for Augello. The resulting penalty kick was converted by Morata. The final score read four for Juventus but it could have been more as they progressed to the Italian Cup quarter finals on the back of a confident display. JUVENTUS 4-1 SAMPDORIA (HT:1-0): SCORERS: Cuadrado (J) 25', Rugani (J) 52’, Conti (S) 63’, Dybala (J) 67’, Morata (J) 77’. JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio, Danilo (62' Chiellini), Rugani, Alex Sandro; Locatelli , Arthur (75' Bentancur), Rabiot; Cuadrado (75' Aké), Morata (80' Kaio Jorge), Kulusevski (62' Dybala). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Pellegrini, De Winter, Mckennie, Miretti, Soulé. Coach: Landucci. SAMPDORIA: Falcone; Conti (64' Candreva), Magnani, Augello (81' Dragusin), Murru; Thorsby (64' Vieira), Rincon, Askildsen, Bereszynski; Caputo (83' Ciervo), Torregrossa (64' Gabbiadini). Subs not used: Ravaglia, Saio, Ferrari, Aquino, Yepes, Trimboli. Coach: Tufano. REFEREE: Francesco Fourneau. ASSISTANTS: Fabrizio Lombardo, Orlando Pagnotta. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Niccolò Baroni. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A left-footed beauty from Paulo Dybala in the first half and a well-place Weston McKennie header handed the Bianconeri a well-earned 2-0 victory over Udinese in their Serie A clash at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening.
It was a slow start to the game, neither side being too adventurous going forward, as the hosts played the waiting game, seeing more of the ball as they looked to launch the perfect attack. Their patience paid off on 19 minutes, Arthur clipping in a ball that Moise Kean headed down, falling favourably to Paulo Dybala who let his left foot do the rest. The lead allowed the Bianconeri to dictate play, Udinese struggling to fashion any meaningful chances while preventing the hosts from doubling their lead, Dejan Kukusevski's fierce shot ricocheting off a defender while Weston McKennie's header failed to hit the mark after being closely checked in the box. Wojciech Szczesny's first contribution to the game was a dive low to his right to deny Beto's grasscutter on 36 minutes, while on the other end, Rodrigo Bentancur did well to win the win the ball in middle of the park before carrying it forward and finding Dybala, but the Argentine could only blaze his effort over the bar. Bringing on Manuel Locatelli and Federico Bernardeschi for the start of the second half, Juventus looked to build on their advantage, yet it was the visitors who had the first look on goal in the second stanza, Gerard Deulofeu's free-kick from just outside the area whizzing over the crossbar. From a deadball situation of their own, Juve looked to trouble the Udine defense themselves, Juan Cuadrado's free-kick punched clear by Daniele Padelli. Dominating possession, Juve continued to dictate proceedings, a spell of impressive build-up play leading to a well-struck effort on goal by goalscorer Dybala, whose effort went narrowly wide. With 15 minutes to go, McKennie again found himself in a central position in the box, but just couldn't quite direct his header on goal. Five minutes later though, with his third headed attempt of the evening, the American finally found the mark, connecting with a fine Mattia De Sciglio cross to double the Bianconeri's lead. Juventus were then able to see out the game with ease, the goals in each half securing a well-earned win and a solid three points in their last home league fixture in January. JUVENTUS 2-0 UDINESE (HT: 1-0): SCORER: Dybala 19', McKennie 79' JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Cuadrado, Rugani, De Ligt, Pellegrini (De Sciglio 57'), Bentancur (Rabiot 82'), Arthur (Locatelli 46'), McKennie, Dybala, Kulusevski (Bernardeschi 46'), Kean (Morata 64'). Unused substitutes: Pinsoglio, Perin, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Kaio Jorge, De Winter. UDINESE: Padelli, Perez, Nuytinck, Zeegelaar, Soppy (Success 81'), Arslan (Samardzic 85'), Walace (Jajalo 82'), Makengo, Udogie, Deulofeu (Pussetto 65'), Beto. Unused substitutes: Santurro, Piana, Nestorovski, Ianesi, Castagnaviz, Damiani, Cocetta, Pinzi. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juve fell to defeat at the hands of Inter right at the end of extra time when a penalty shootout seemed to be on the cards. After Weston McKennie and Lautaro Martinez struck in the first half, the Super Cup winning goal was scored by Alexis Sanchez for an Inter side that did play the better football without truly turning on the style. It wasn’t a classic by any stretch, with little excitement and low levels of intensity, particularly in the second half. It came down to fine margins and Inter deserve credit for going in hunt of a winner until the very end.
MCKENNIE HEADS US IN FRONT The game took a while to get going with both sides pressing high and forcing the other to make mistakes in building moves. For long spells there was more scrapping for the ball in midfield than quality play. Juve slowly began to find their feet and after two forward runs by Federico Bernardeschi the Bianconeri took the lead. Alvaro Morata's delivery took a deflection removing Stefan de Vrij from the equation and McKennie was on hand to nod past Samir Handanovic. LAUTARO LEVELS FROM THE SPOT Inter looked to respond immediately and after a couple of long-range efforts from Hakan Calhanoglu, the Nerazzurri's pressure was rewarded with a penalty following contact between Mattia De Sciglio and Edin Dzeko. Martinez powered home to make it 1-1, and that was the last action of note before the break. JUVE SIT BACK AS INTER PLAY PASSING GAME Adrien Rabiot’s low cross and Bernardeschi’s first-time left-footed effort that went narrowly wide were the highlights at the start of the second half before Inter took control. The Nerazzurri passed the ball around while Juve sat back and tried to close down the space. Denzel Dumfries’s header hit the bar before Mattia Perin was called into action to keep out Lautaro’s effort and an Ivan Perisic strike on the half volley. The Bianconeri struggled to string together any meaningful attacks, with Massimiliano Allegri responding by sending on Paulo Dybala and Arthur for Dejan Kulusevski and Bernardeschi. Moise Kean also entered the fray late on in place of Morata, as both teams seemed to tire and the game drifted towards extra time without any meaningful incidents in the closing stages. SANCHEZ WINS IT WITH THE FINAL KICK Rodrigo Bentancur came on for Manuel Locatelli at the start of the second half, while Sanchez went close to scoring from an Inter corner. Despite the substitutions, there didn’t seem to be enough energy to break the deadlock and as the clock ticked towards the 30-minute mark, nothing but penalties seemed to be on the cards. Sanchez had other ideas, however, as he made the most of uncertainty in the Juve defence to pounce on a loose ball and beat the faultless Perin, clinching the trophy for Inter with the last kick of the game. INTER 2-1 JUVENTUS (AET): SCORERS: McKennie 25, Lautaro Martinez 35 (pen), Sanchez 120. INTER: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries (Darmian 89), Barella (Vidal 89), Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic (Dimarco 100); Dzeko (Correa 75), Lautaro Martinez (Sanchez 75). Subs not used: Radu, D'Ambrosio, Vecino, Ranocchia, Kolarov, Gagliardini, Sensi. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; McKennie, Locatelli (Bentancur 91), Rabiot, Bernardeschi (Arthur 79); Kulusevski (Dybala 74), Morata (Kean 87). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Bonucci, Pellegrini, De Winter, Ake, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Doveri. ASSISTANTS: Bindoni, Imperiale. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Fabbri. VAR: Mazzoleni, Ranghetti. BOOKED: Bernardeschi 43, Dzeko 60, Bentancur 105, Correa 106, Rugani 109, Vidal 118, Sanchez 120. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Winning away to Roma is always a difficult feat, but to do so in this way is as good as it gets, with the victory providing the squad with the perfect confidence boost in the midst of a tricky run of fixtures.
This was certainly not one for the faint-hearted and there was a period of the game where a comeback was not on the cards, but the team’s incredible resolve and belief will ensure this success is worth more than just three points in the long run. The second half at the Stadio Olimpico was particularly frantic and at times the contest resembled a boxing match based on the speed with which the two sides kept striking each other down and getting back up. After Tammy Abraham and Paulo Dybala got on the scoresheet in the first half, Roma raced into a 3-1 lead within five minutes of the restart through goals by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lorenzo Pellegrini, only for Juve to respond in style with Manuel Locatelli, Dejan Kulusevski and Mattia De Sciglio bagging a trio of goals in just seven second-half minutes. That was not the end of the drama, however, as Wojciech Szczesny turned hero late on by saving a penalty to secure all three points. ABRAHAM GIVES ROMA THE LEAD With Massimiliano Allegri watching on from the stands due to suspension, Marco Landucci was entrusted with taking the reins in the dugout. Juve lined up with Paulo Dybala and Moise Kean in attack, with Federico Chiesa breaking forward from his starting position down the left wing. Jose Mourinho’s side started with real tempo and threatened early on when Abraham’s header was saved by Szczesny. The hosts racked up a string of four corners, the last of which proved decisive in the 11th minute when Jordan Veretout’s in-swinger was headed home by the former Chelsea forward. DYBALA CURLS JUVE LEVEL The opener only spurred the hosts on, as Roma ramped up the pressure, pinning the Bianconeri back and forcing Szczesny into a fine save to keep out Bryan Cristante’s low shot. The Argentine magician had other ideas, however, when he picked up Chiesa’s precise pass, took aim and sumptuously curled the ball into the far corner from the edge of the box to equalise. CHIESA FORCED OFF The plot took another twist in a game of real intensity when the battles in midfield led to Chiesa pulling up with a knee injury on the half-hour mark. Kulusevski replaced him on the right wing, while Weston McKennie shifted to the left. Dybala often dropped deep to help his team-mates defensively and to start moves off, but Kean found himself isolated up front and Juve struggled to build meaningful attacks. The visitors’ rearguard held firm and ensured the Giallorossi had little space to exploit, but they did carve out a chance to restore their lead in first-half stoppage time when Chris Smalling headed the ball goalwards and Abraham was only able to divert it over the bar. ROMA STRIKE TWICE The second half couldn't have started in a worse way for Juve. In Roma's first attack, Lorenzo Pellegrini picked out Mkhitaryan in the centre and the Armenian let fly from the edge of the box: it took a nasty deflection off De Sciglio and looped over Szczesny into the goal. Before Juve could muster a reaction, the hosts had added another as Pellegrini powered a superb free kick past the wall and into the top corner. JUVE STRIKE THRICE A double blow like that would have killed off most teams, but this Juve side is made of sterner stuff. Landucci replaced Bentancur and Kean with Arthur and Morata, and the Spaniard wasted little time in making his mark, laying on an inch-perfect ball for Locatelli to head in and reduce the deficit. Two minutes later (four in real time, including the VAR check), the Bianconeri were level. Morata's effort from Juan Cuadrado's cross was saved but Kulusevski pounced and struck the leveller. A topsy-turvy game might have ended there but there was more to come. Another three minutes passed and De Sciglio's pressing paid dividends as he latched onto a poor header by Smalling and fired home at the near post to make it 4-3. TEK'S HANDS SAVE THE DAY It still wasn't over. Roma piled forward seeking an equaliser. Juve withstood the pressure but when an Abraham shot in the area came off Matthijs de Ligt's arm, the ref checked with VAR before awarding a penalty and showing the Dutchman a second yellow, followed by a red. Giorgio Chiellini came on for Dybala and Pellegrini stepped up to take the spot kick. Szczesny's cue. Having denied Veretout from 12 yards in the reverse fixture, the Pole repeated the trick against the Italy midfielder to maintain the lead – a lead Juve continued to defend with grit, courage and focus with ten men against Roma's late onslaught. The comeback was complete! ROMA 3-4 JUVENTUS (HT 1-1): SCORERS: Abraham 11, Dybala 18, Mkhitaryan 48, Lo. Pellegrini 53, Locatelli 70, Kulusevski 74, De Sciglio 87. ROMA: Rui Patricio; Ibanez, Cristante, Smalling; Maitland-Niles, Lo. Pellegrini (Borja Mayoral 87), Veretout (Carles Perez 78), Mkhitaryan, Vina; Felix (Shomurodov 71), Abraham. Subs not used: Boer, Mastrantonio, Kumbulla, Reynolds, Calafiori, Villar, Bove, Zalewski. Coach: Mourinho. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Rugani, De Sciglio; McKennie, Locatelli, Bentancur (Arthur 64), Chiesa (Kulusevsky 32); Dybala (Chiellini 82), Kean (Morata 64). Subs not used: Perin, Senko, L. Pellegrini, Rabiot, AkE, Bernardeschi, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Landucci. REFEREE: Massa. ASSISTANTS: Carbone and Peretti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Giua. VAR: Di Paolo, De Meo. BOOKED: Cuadrado 45+3, Veretout 50, Ibanez 51, De Ligt 52, Locatelli 65, Cristante 76, De Ligt 81. SENT OFF: De Ligt 81. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus kicked off 2022 with a point against Napoli but probably should have taken all three, despite having to come from behind following Dries Mertens' first-half strike against the run of play.
Bolstered by the return of some key players, the Bianconeri looked in good shape and had the lion's share of the chances. Federico Chiesa restored parity but Juve weren't able to get another and close the gap in the table with the visitors. JUVE'S BRIGHT START Massimiliano Allegri recalled Chiesa from the outset and the Italy player was presented with an inviting opportunity following high team pressing but his shot was deflected behind. The chance that followed from the resulting corner was even more inviting with Weston McKennie getting away to head across missing by just a whisker. Juventus pushed on with energy going forward and a solid defensive line giving Napoli only two hopeful long-distance opportunities in the first twenty minutes for Lorenzo Insigne. MERTENS PUTS NAPOLI AHEAD It was Napoli’s first true chance with which they took the lead. Insigne put Matteo Politano into the area, he held the ball up and knocked it back to Mertens, whose right-footed shot along the ground went through a sea of legs. Wojciech Szczesny got a touch but not enough to get it away from goal and enough to put it away from Matthijs de Ligt on the line giving the visitors the lead. The Bianconeri tried to hit back but couldn’t do themselves justice. There was a shot from Juan Cuadrado who cut across goal but their play became a tad frenetic and Napoli were able to hold on. Shortly before half time Piotr Zielinski’s shot from outside the area had Szczesny stretching to tip the ball over the bar followed by a free kick from Mertens which missed the target by very little. CHIESA EQUALISES Juve started brightly after the restart and link-up play between Chiesa and Alvaro Morata put the Spaniard in only for him to miss hit it. The Bianconeri were immediately back in play and when Cuadrado dummied the ball to McKennie, the equaliser came. The American controlled the ball and played a cross to Morata which was met by the head of Amir Rrahmani but his clearance fell to the feet of Chiesa, who didn’t think twice before hitting the ball, with his shot taking a deflection to take it past David Ospina despite his efforts to stop it. JUVE PUSH AND NAPOLI DEFEND Juve were now on the charge searching for the lead. Chiesa’s right-footed shot forced Ospina to punch away and the follow-up from McKennie missed by a whisker. Napoli responded with an effort from Mertens which was pushed away by Szczesny. Massimiliano Allegri made replacements in the 65th minute with Rodrigo Bentancur and Paulo Dybala coming on for Adrien Rabiot and Federico Bernardeschi and it was the Argentine who shortly after coming on won the ball in the attacking third and let fly with a shot from 25 metres which Ospina was able to manage. Ten minutes later Mattia De Sciglio replaced Alex Sandro and Moise Kean was on for Morata while for the last ten minutes of the game Dejan Kulusevski was called on to replace Chiesa. Juve were a team with a newfound energy but the game kept being halted and any attempt to get near Ospina’s goal was pushed back by Napoli, who relied on their experience to hold out for a draw and the point which saw no changes in the standings even if it doesn’t do justice to the way the Bianconeri played. JUVENTUS 1-1 NAPOLI (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Mertens 23, Chiesa 54. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Rugani, De Ligt, Alex Sandro (De Sciglio 75); McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot (Bentancur 66); Chiesa (Kulusevski 81), Morata (Kean 75), Bernardeschi (Dybala 65). Subs not used: Perin, Senko, Arthur. Coach: Allegri. NAPOLI: Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Rrhamani, Juan Jesus, Ghoulam; Demme, Lobotka (Zanoli 90+2); Politano (Elmas 76), Zielinski, Insigne; Mertens (Petagna 89). Subs not used: Marfella, Idasiak, Spedalieri, Costanzo, Vergara. Coach: Domenichini. REFEREE: Sozza. ASSISTANTS: Giallatini, Preti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marcenaro. VAR: Irrati, Meli. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juve got themselves three points for Christmas with victory over Cagliari in their final game of 2021. The 2-0 success marked further progress for the Bianconeri following their win against Bologna at the weekend – another careful, determined display with some nice flowing football to boot.
Federico Bernardeschi set up the opener for Moise Kean then bagged the second himself with a fine finish late on, while Wojciech Szczesny and the backline earned themselves another clean sheet, underlining the team's defensive solidity. KEAN BREAKS THE DEADLOCK A headed pass by Matthijs de Ligt to Kean for a headed effort sent shivers down the spine of the Cagliari defence after just a few minutes. Another huge chance came soon after following pressure from Juventus: Juan Cuadrado swung the ball in from the right and Kean rose with magnificent timing to power a header towards goal, only for it to strike the post. Walter Mazzarri’s team set up with a 4-5-1 to put up a wall, which over time looked stronger and was able to limit the Bianconeri, who were no longer able to play the passing game with which they started the match. However, the crosses kept raining into the area and one of these - sent in by Federico Bernardeschi – was met by the head of Kean, who put the ball into the corner of the net for a more than deserved advantage. BERNARDESCHI SEALS IT Juve continued attacking after the break and almost got their second with an Alex Sandro header set up by Juan Cuadrado. The energy of Weston McKennie, who came on to replace Adrien Rabiot, and the speed of Kean and Alvaro Morata kept the visitors under pressure and they seemed less compact in defence compared to the first half of the game. However, they were also more dangerous: first came Dalbert, skimming the post after shooting too far right from a good position, then Joao Pedro, whose header forced Szczesny to push the ball over the bar with an outstretched save. Allegri brought off Kean and Arthur replacing them with Dejan Kulusevski and Manuel Locatelli and it was the Swede who started a counter-attack on the right before switching the ball to Federico Bernardeschi. The Italy man took the ball down and hit a powerful, accurate left-footed shot across goal leaving Alessio Cragno with no chance. Bernardeschi was applauded off the field when substituted, as were the rest of the team at the final whistle, to say goodbye to 2021 in the best possible way. JUVENTUS 2-0 CAGLIARI (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Kean 40, Bernardeschi 83. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Arthur (Locatelli 83), Rabiot (McKennie 46); Bernardeschi (De Sciglio 89), Morata (Kaio Jorge 89), Kean (Kulusevski 72). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Pellegrini, De Winter, Locatelli, Soule. Coach: Allegri. CAGLIARI: Cragno; Zappa, Ceppo, Carboni, Lykogiannis; Bellanova, Deiola (Oliva 71), Grassi, Dalbert (Keita 84); Joao Pedro, Pereiro (Pavoletti 64). Subs not used: Aresti, Radunovic, Altare, Faragò, Obert, Ceter. Coach: Mazzarri. REFEREE: Dionisi. ASSISTANTS: Rossi, Scarpa. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Colombo. VAR: Orsato, Carbone. BOOKED: Carboni 24, Dalbert 35, Pavoletti 85. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus produced a confident, mature performance to secure a deserved 2-0 victory at Bologna, with Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado on the score sheet. The Bianconeri started strong and aggressive but knew when to slow down the tempo and bide their time too. They were rarely threatened and ran out throughly deserved winners.
BERNARDESCHI INVENTS, MORATA SCORES The fog covering the Dall’Ara didn’t manage to dampen the teams’ spirits as they started the game. Juventus got going at a lightning pace, pressing constantly, which after just six minutes gave McKennie and Arthur the chance to pick up the ball in midfield and send Morata away on the break. The Spaniard spread the ball to Bernadeschi, who played a brilliant return pass and Morata fired home from close range. OPEN GAME Bologna tried to react and get back into the match but when Morata managed to get away at speed towards the box he regularly put the Bologna defence under pressure. Another burst on the quarter-hour mark saw him he set up Rabiot, who hit a low angled effort which was blocked by Skorupski. It was a wonderful open game, especially as the hosts were not put off by going behind and managed to give Arnautovic a chance with a header which was stopped by Szczesny, and Svanberg with a spectacular overhead kick which missed by a whisker. Juventus picked up on the danger from their opponents and tried to maintain control of the game by winning the ball back high and keeping possession, often with one touch play, but the tempo eventually slowed as the minutes ticked by and the defences were able to limit opportunities. CUADRADO MAGIC Bologna came out after the restart with the bit between their teeth and Juve dropped off, keeping things tight at the back. On the hour mark Allegri brought on Alex Sandro and Locatelli for Pellegrini and Arthur, but the hosts kept probing for an equaliser – Szczesny was well placed at the near post to save Dominguez's effort. The Bianconeri maintained the calm Allegri has so often called for and allowed Bologna to let off some steam, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. They weren't always able to engineer effective counter-attacks but when they did they got their reward. Rabiot and Morata linked up well to play in Cuadrado on the edge of the box, the Colombian sold his man a dummy to buy himself the space for the shot: it came off Hickey and ended up beneath the bar beyond Skorupski's reach. JUVE SEE IT OUT Bentancur and Kulusevski took over from McKennie and Kean as Juve set about controlling the game. Bologna's play was more frantic by this point, leaving themselves open on the counter. Cuadrado exploited that space to run the length of the pitch and tee up Bernardeschi on the edge of the area but Skorupski was equal to his effort. The keeper was then called into action once more to keep out Rabiot's header. Juve battened down the hatches and refused to offer Bologna a glimpse of goal. Cuadrado and Kulusevski had chances to make it three but in the end it was only the three points that really mattered. BOLOGNA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Morata 6, Cuadrado 69. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Soumaoro, Medel, Theate; De Silvestri (Skov Olsen 46), Soriano (Santander 85), Dominguez, Svanberg (Vignato 80), Hickey (Viola 85); Arnautovic, Barrow (Sansone 79) Van Hooijdonk. Coach: Mihajlovic. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 61); McKennie (Bentancur 72), Arthur (Locatelli 61), Rabiot; Bernardeschi, Morata (Kaio Jorge 85), Kean (Kulusevski 71). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, De Winter, Soule. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Orsato. ASSISTANTS: Valeriani, Bresmes. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marini. VAR: Banti, Di Iorio. BOOKED: Dominguez 29, McKennie 29. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Alvaro Morata’s first-half strike gave the Bianconeri the lead, but Mattia Aramu’s leveller ensured the points were shared as Venezia and Juventus played out a 1-1 draw in their Serie A encounter on Saturday evening.
It took Juventus a few minutes to get going in the compact but picturesque Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Venezia packing numbers behind the ball to block a number of early Bianconeri efforts on goal. Massimiliano Allegri was forced to shuffle the pack as early as the 12th minute as captain on the night, Paulo Dybala, limped off with an injury, young Kaio Jorge introduced into the action early on. The Brazilian had an almost-immediate impact, Matthijs De Ligt heading a corner down to the young forward who stuck out a boot, as the ball ballooned over the bar. Juan Cuadrado watched his shot from outside the box whizz wide moments later. While on the opposite flank, Luca Pellegrini was growing into the game, advancing into threatening positions down the left as he fed in Alvaro Morata, who from a tight angle got his shot away to force Romero into a sharp save at his near post. The very same combination would link up with success in the 32nd minute, Morata getting in front of his man to connect with Pellegrini’s cross and steer the ball in at the near post, his second consecutive away goal giving the visitors the lead. The Spaniard had a shot saved moments later, firing a grass-cutter straight at Romero who gratefully collected the arrowed strike. Venezia’s attempts were few and far between, Thomas Henry, Domen Crnigoj and Marco Modolo all letting fly from range, but failing to threaten Wojciech Szczesny in the Juve goal, with Bianconeri doing well to contain Venezia’s advancements in the closing stages of the half. In first-half additional time, the Bianconeri almost doubled their lead through Cuadrado, who found space to drive towards goal, lashing his effort across the face of goal and narrowly wide. Venezia began the second stanza on the front foot, Gianluca Busio warming the hands of Szczesny six minutes in as I Lagurani continued to probe, their efforts paying off on 55 minutes as Ridgeciano Haps found teammate Mattia Aramu on the edge of the box, his first-time shot squeezing past Tek to bring the hosts level. With their tails up, the Bianconeri backline was put under further pressure, Henry dragging his shot wide on 61 minutes as Venezia ventured forward I search of a second. Juve were denied a golden chance to take the lead on 65 minutes, the ball falling kindly to Federico Bernardeschi in the box, his fierce volley from close range bringing out a fine reflexive save from Romero. Intelligent play from Morata saw the Spaniard intercept a poor clearance from Romero soon after as he put in a low cross which the Venezia defence hastily took off Kaio Jorge. A triple substitution with 15 minutes to go saw Rodrigo Bentancur, Alex Sandro and Moise Kean enter the fray, the fresh legs adding impetus to the Juve attack who, try as they might, could not break down the resilient Venezia rearguard. Youngster Matias Soulé joined the mix in the closing stages, the Argentine hitting his free-kick straight into the wall before blasting a long range strike wide as the clock ran down. In the end, neither side could find a winner, the final score reading 1-1 as the two teams shared a point apiece. VENEZIA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORERS: Morata 32’; Aramu 55’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 76’) Bonucci, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi (Bentancur 76’), Rabiot, Locatelli (Soulé 87’), Morata, Dybala (Kaio Jorge 12’, Kean 76’). Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Rugani, De Winter, Miretti. VENEZIA: Romero, Ebuehi (Mazzocchi 79’), Modolo, Caldara, Haps, Crnigoj (Peretz 80’) , Ampadu (Tessmann 64’), Busio, Aramu, Henry (Forte 79’), Johnsen (Kiyine 57’). Unused substitutes: Lezzerini, Svoboda, Molinaro, Schnegg, Heymans, Bjarkason, Sigurðsson. Source: www.juventus.com |
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An early Moise Kean header was enough for Juventus to defeat Malmo 1-0 and secure top spot in Group H, after Chelsea drew with Zenit in Saint Petersburg.
The victory was just what Massimiliano Allegri had ordered, making it three wins on the bounce in all competitions and five in six Champions League outings. There were plenty more positives to take, starting with a third clean sheet in a week – this time with Mattia Perin in goal. Koni De Winter made his full debut for the senior side, becoming the youngest Juve player to start a Champions League match (19 years, 179 days), while Kean's strike makes him the second-youngest Italian to score for the Bianconeri in the Champions League (21 years, 283 days), after a certain Alessandro Del Piero. Allegri brought a number of fresh faces into the starting line-up – Perin in goal, Daniele Rugani in defence, De Winter and Arthur in midfield – and had Weston McKennie and Mattia De Sciglio available again on the bench. Juve started strong and dominated the opening exchanges (73% possession). It wasn't long before the pressure saw the Bianconeri break the deadlock, courtesy of another Federico Bernardeschi assist – his third in as many games and fourth for the season. In the 18th minute, the Italy man clipped an inch-perfect cross towards Kean, who duly obliged by heading home. If anyone was expecting a reaction from Malmo, none was forthcoming. The Swedes managed zero shots on target in the first half as Juve comfortably controlled proceedings and had the chance to double their lead shortly before the break, but Arthur's finish was wayward. Allegri rested Paulo Dybala for the second half, with Alvaro Morata replacing him, as Juve came out after the restart clearly intent on putting the game to bed. The Bianconeri fashioned three decent chances in the opening quarter of an hour – two for Adrien Rabiot and a shot by Rodrigo Bentancur – but were unable to double their advantage. Malmo then finally ventured into Juve territory and threatened twice in a matter of minutes through Antonio Colak and Sergio Pena. That prompted Juve to seek the second goal with more resolve and Kean might have made it a brace midway through the half but Ismael Diawara was equal to it. The Bianconeri kept pushing but, despite the best efforts of Rabiot, Kean, Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado on break with five minutes remaining, just couldn't kill off the contest. Allianz Stadium had to settle for a single goal, yet there was still time for a roar at the end as news filtered through from Russia that Zenit had equalised in stoppage time – leaving Juve to celebrate qualifying for the knockout stage as group winners. JUVENTUS 1-0 MALMO (HT 1-0): Scorer: Kean 18. Juventus: Perin; de Winter (De Sciglio 71), Rugani, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (Cuadrado 82), Bentancur (Miretti 90+1), Arthur, Rabiot; Kean (Da Graca 90), Dybala (Morata 46). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, De Ligt, Locatelli. Coach: Allegri. Malmo: Diawara; Moisender, Ahmedhodzic, Nielsen, Olsson; Berget, Christiansen, Innocent (Nalic 89), Rakip (Pena 30); Birmancevic, Colak (Abubakari 78). Subs not used: Brorsson, Dahlon, Ellborg, Gwargis, Larsson, Nalic, Nanasi. Coach: Tomasson. Referee: Irfan Peljto. Booked: Colak 49, Innocent 69, Pena 80, Rabiot 90. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juve made light work of Genoa by scoring a goal in each half thanks to Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala, while the visitors were unable to muster a shot on target in the entire game. The hosts had 70% possession, just under 30 efforts on goal and completed 723 passes (Genoa’s tally stood at 295).
The figures clearly demonstrate how much Max Allegri’s side dominated the proceedings on a night where the two-goal winning margin flattered the visitors. CUADRADO OPENS THE SCORING FROM CORNER Max Allegri set Juve up in a 4-2-3-1 system in a bid to ensure the team would cement themselves in opposition territory. La Joya dictated the play throughout and looking dangerous whenever on the ball, particularly when floating out to the right to link up with Dejan Kulusevski and Juan Cuadrado. Juve’s opener arrived with nine minutes on the clock when the Colombian headed over to the opposite side of the pitch to take a stunning in-swinging corner that eluded everyone, leaving Salvatore Sirigu helpless as the ball nestled in the far corner. It’s not the sort of goal you see every day, apart from this weekend in Serie A! Genoa were unable to respond and the Bianconeri stayed on top despite not playing at a particularly fast tempo. Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi had efforts on goal as the half wore on, but accuracy was lacking. On the stroke of half time, Matthijs de Ligt’s header from point-blank range was somehow kept out before Alvaro Morata failed to bundle the rebound home. ONE-WAY TRAFFIC The Bianconeri registered no fewer than 14 efforts on goal in the first period, six of which were on target, while Wojciech Szczesny watched on passively without being called into action. The trend continued in the second half, as Dybala’s curler flew just inches over the bar in the 51st minute. Moments later, Morata charged into the box after winning the ball back down the left channel, but Sirigu made a fine save to palm his shot away. Kulusevski broke down the right after a sumptuous pass from Manuel Locatelli, but when the winger cut in to shoot on his left, his effort was blocked. Bernardeschi showed his nifty footwork to get away from two Genoa players before his effort from long range was deflected behind just after the hour mark as Juve continued to press. Morata then set up Dybala inside the box only for Sirigu to pull off yet another stunning save. Seconds later, Cuadrado was picked out at the back post and volleyed the ball goalward, but the shotstopper got down low to save. LA JOYA DOUBLES JUVE’S LEAD Just as a feeling of doubt started to creep in with the clock running down and only a one-goal lead to show for all the domination, the second Juve goal finally arrived when Bernardeschi teed up Dybala, who took one touch on his left before rifling a powerful low drive into the far corner to make sure of all three points for the hosts. The win takes Juve up to fifth in the table, with a Champions League clash to negotiate in midweek at home to Malmo before Serie A action resumes next weekend away to Venezia. JUVENTUS 2-0 GENOA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: Cuadrado 9, Dybala 82. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Chiellini, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 46); Bentancur, Locatelli, Kulusevski, Bernardeschi (Rabiot 83); Dybala (Kaio Jorge 89), Morata (Kean 72). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Raina, Rugani, Bonucci, De Winter, Arthur, Soule. Coach: Allegri. GENOA: Sirigu; Biraschi, Bani (Vanheusden 73), Vasquez; Ghiglione, Behrami (Galdames 59), Hernani, Toure (Portanova 59), Cambiaso (Melegoni 85); Bianchi (Pandev 59), Ekuban. Subs not used: Semper, Marchetti, Sabelli, Serpe, Masiello, Buksa. Coach: Shevchenko. REFEREE: Chiffi. ASSISTANTS: Ranghetti, Colarossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Santoro. VAR: Valeri, Preti. BOOKED: Pellegrini 34, Cambiaso 49, Morata 72, Kean 74. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus recorded a well-earned 2-0 victory over Salernitana on Tuesday night, a goal in each half from Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata securing maximum points in Salerno.
Juventus asserted their authority on the game from the start, fashioning three decent chances in the opening ten minutes, a dangerous-looking Paulo Dybala forcing two saves from opposition goalkeeper Vid Belec while Dejan Kulusevski’s early strike flew just wide of the mark. Salernitana found it difficult to keep hold of the ball, but did send out a warning signal as Simy Nkwankwo rose highest, but headed the ball wide a quarter of an hour in. The Bianconeri attack, much-changed with Moise Kean leading the line with Federico Bernardeschi and Kulusevski in support, were fluid in their movements, pressing the opposition as they fought for each ball. Their early efforts paid dividends in the 21st minute: superb interplay among the Juve frontline saw Dybala play a neat one-two with Kulusevski before firing in a left-footed beauty to open the scoring, his fourth Serie A goal of the season giving the Bianconeri a deserved lead. The visitors thought they had another just past the half-hour mark, Juan Cuadrado’s free-kick rattling the post with Giorgio Chiellini on hand to smash the loose ball home, yet VAR intervened, ruling out the goal for a Kean offside in the build-up. The tempo of the game slowed down thereafter, the only other notable effort of the first half coming from Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguayan’s tenacity resulting in a strong forward run and a fierce strike on goal that blazed over the bar. Long-range strikes from Dybala and Cuadrado would fail to trouble the Salernitana goalkeeper in the opening stages of the second stanza, but it was the hosts, determined to get themselves back in the game, who would come closest to finding the game’s next goal: after the Bianconeri backline failed to clear a hopeful ball into the box, an unmarked Luca Ranieri fired in an effort at the back post, with the woodwork coming to the rescue to deny the hosts a leveller. Having come on as a substitute midway through the half, Alvaro Morata made an immediate impact just three minutes later, Bernardeschi playing in a low cross from the left with the Spaniard’s deft touch at the near post beating Belec to double the Bianconeri’s lead. The final minutes would see Juventus create several opportunities, Dybala spurning a one-on-one chance, with Belec equal to the task, while Morata’s header wide and Dybala’s strike off-target giving clear indications of the visitor’s intent to increase their lead. By the time Juventus won an injury-time penalty after a foul on Morata, the result had already been secured, Dybala unable to add the third as he slipped while taking the spot-kick, skying his effort over the bar. Nonetheless, the well-earned three points were already in the bag, a much needed 2-0 victory giving the team a necessary boost ahead of December’s busy schedule. SALERNITANA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORER: Dybala 21’, Morata 70’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Chiellini, de Ligt, Cuadrado, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 67’), Bernardeschi (Rabiot 71’), Locatelli, Bentancur, Kulusevski, (Soule 90+4’), Dybala, Kean (Morata 67’). Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, De Winter, Arthur, Kaio Jorge. SALERNITANA: Belec, Veseli, Gyomber, Gagliolo, Zortea, Coulibaly, Capezzi (Di Tacchio 50’), Kechrida (Schiavone 50’), Ranieri (Jaroszynski 82’), Bonazzoli (Vergani 82’), Simy (Djuric 64’). Unused substitutes: Fiorillo, Guerrieri, Kastanos, Bogdan, Delli Carri. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Duvan Zapata’s first-half strike proved the difference as Atalanta left the Allianz Stadium with maximum points following a 1-0 victory over Juventus on Saturday evening.
Atalanta had their foot on the accelerator from the start, firing in several early shots which the Bianconeri backline did well to block, putting their bodies on the line to deny both Ruslan Malinovsky and Remo Freuler in the opening quarter. Settling into their stride, Juve were then able to see more of the ball and fashion a number of chances of their own. Impressive work from Paulo Dybala down the right-hand channel saw the Bianconeri captain on the night worm his way through the Atalanta defense before attempting a left-foot curler towards the far post, which Atalanta shot-stopper Juan Musso was able to gather. Forward Alvaro Morata was next to get into a decent goalscoring position, the Spaniard doing well to keep a hold of the ball in the final third, playing it back in-field before failing to connect cleanly with a Juan Cuadrado cross. Juve continued their advances, the best chance of the half falling to Federico Chiesa: a long ball played in behind the defense was chased down by the Italian who sped towards goal, only for Rafael Toloi to close him down just as he lined up his shot. Minutes later, Juventus lost possession in midfield, Berat Djimsiti’s first-time ball putting Duvan Zapata through on goal, the Colombian’s shot ricocheting in off the crossbar to give the visitors the lead. The Bianconeri continued to search for a way through, Dybala’s free-kick slightly over-hit as a rising Leonardo Bonucci failed to meet it with his head, while the Argentine’s side-footed effort moments later whizzed just wide. An injury to Federico Chiesa saw him replaced by Federico Bernardeschi at the break, the substitute attempting Juve’s first opportunity of the second stanza, his drive from range lacking the accuracy as it flew past the left-hand upright. The Bianconeri had a double chance on goal on the hour mark, Weston McKennie’s run forcing Musso to block a shot off his own defender, Juve maintaining possession before Dybala struck a fierce effort over the bar. With their tails up and the Turin crowd urging them on, Juventus continued to turn the screw as another shot was fired on goal, this time from Adrein Rabiot, his left-footed strike forcing a fingertip save from Musso. Both Juve’s centre-backs then had chances to find the leveller, Leonardo Bonucci heading a Dybala free-kick wide while Matthijs de Ligt’s ferocious strike from a corner was closed down by the La Dea defense. Atalanta adopted a physical approach in the final stages, doing their best to thwart each Bianconero attack while earning several cautions in the process. The final foul of the evening was awarded just outside the Juve box in the 95th minute, Dybala watching in agony as his effort clipped the crossbar on its way out. At the final whistle, it was the visiting side who held on to their 1-0 advantage, the Bianconeri unable to bring themselves back into the game as Atalanta earned all three points at the Allianz. JUVENTUS 0-1 ATALANTA (HT 0-1): SCORER: Zapata 28’ (A). JUVENTUS: Szczesny, de Ligt, Cuadrado, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Mckennie (Kean 64’), Chiesa (Bernardeschi 46’), Rabiot, Locatelli, Morata (Kaio Jorge 85’), Dybala. Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Pellegrini, Rugani, De Winter, Arthur, Bentancur, Kulusevski. ATALANTA: Musso, Toloi, Demiral, Djimsiti, Zappacosta (Palomino 71’), De Roon, Freuler, Maehle, Pessina (Pasalic 59’), Zapata, Malinovskyi (Koopmeiners 87’). Unused substitutes: Rossi, Sportiello, Muriel, Pezzella, Hateboer, Scalvini, Miranchuk, Ilicic, Piccoli. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Premier League leaders Chelsea earned a 4-0 home victory over Juventus in their penultimate UEFA Champions League Group Stage encounter played at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, with both sides heading into Matchday 6 on level points atop the group.
The hosts were up for the challenge from the first whistle, dictating play and seeing more of the ball as they looked to apply early pressure on the Bianconeri backline. The first real attempt came just inside ten minutes from a Chelsea corner, Reece James whipping in a dangerous ball which Trevoh Chalobah headed wide. After winning a free-kick just outside the box down the left-hand side, James was once again involved in the action, but instead of the expected cross, he went straight for the near post, Wojciech Szczesny diving to his right to deny the England international. Two minutes later the Blues took the lead from another set piece, this time a corner which bounced favourably off Antonio Rudiger for Chalobah to blast home from close range. The Bianconeri almost hit back straight away, Alvaro Morata cleverly lobbing Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, only for Thiago silva to slide in with a goal line clearance to deny the Spaniard. Chelsea kept up their high-tempo game, taking the ball upfield at pace when regaining possession. James continued to cause problems for the Juve defense as he chested the ball down and fired in a fierce shot on the half-volley to force Szczesny into another fine save. The Bianconeri ended the first half in a flurry and almost snuck in a leveller just before the break, the visitors keeping possession after a miscued Weston McKennie shot, recycling the ball for Rodrigo Bentancur to line up a strike from distance which narrowly whizzed over the bar. Chelsea built on their advantage at the start of the second half, doubling their lead ten minutes in as an unmarked James controlled a loose ball with his chest before driving in a powerful shot from the right to make it 2-0. The Blues then added a third two minutes later, patient build-up play seeing them retain the ball before neatly playing it into the box, Ruben Loftus-Cheek dribbling his way through before finding Hudson-Odoi who side-footed home. Despite a number of fresh legs brought on, including young junior talent Koni De Winter for his first team debut, Juventus were unable to break down a resilient Chelsea defense, who were able to control the latter stages of the game to see out the 90 minutes. Chelsea still looked a threat when going forward, and almost added a fourth late-on, substitute Timo Werner playing in Hakim Ziyech who was through on goal, but Szczesny was equal to the task, getting low to block to the goalbound effort. The duo would reverse roles in injury time, Ziyech crossing in for Werner to poke home a fourth in the final minute of added time. At the final whistle, the scoreboard read 4-0 to the home side, who draw level with Juventus at the top of Group H with 12 points, with one fixture remaining in the Group Stage. CHELSEA 4–0 JUVENTUS (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Chalobah 25’, James 56’, Hudson-Odoi 58’, Werner 90+5’ (C). JUVENTUS: Szczesny, de Ligt, Cuadrado (De Winter 81’), Alex Sandro, Bonucci, McKennie, Rabiot, Locatelli (Arthur 67’), Bentancur (Dybala 59’), Morata (Kean 67’), Chiesa (Kulusevski 80’). Substitutes not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani. CHELSEA: Mendy, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante (Loftus-Cheek 37’), Jorginho (Saul Niguez 76’), Chilwell (Azpilicueta 71’), Ziyech, Pulisic (Werner 72’), Hudson-Odoi (Mount 76’). Substitutes not used: Kepa, Bettinelli, Alonso, Christensen, Lukaku, Barkley, Sarr. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Leo Bonucci's calm finishing from 12 yards combined with a solid defensive display saw Juventus overcome Lazio 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.
It was workmanlike performance by the Bianconeri, who kept things tight and limited the hosts to sterile possession with virtually no threat, while the defender got himself a brace with a spot-kick in each half. BONUCCI'S PERFECT PENALTY Lazio started strong with a high pressing game looking win the ball back quickly and initially succeeded in pegging the Bianconeri back in their own half. Juve had the odd opportunity to counter but one of these forays forward led to Danilo picking up an injury in a collision with Elseid Hysaj. Dejan Kulusevski replaced the Brazilian with just 15 minutes on the clock and Juan Cuadrado slotted back into defence. The tempo dropped a touch and Juve pushed forward. Luca Pellegrini picked out Alvaro Morata in the box and the Spaniard was floored by Danilo Cataldi. The referee let play continue but after a VAR check there could only be one outcome: penalty. Bonucci stepped up and coolly placed it inside the post to give us the lead. LAZIO HAVE THE BALL, JUVE THE CHANCES Lazio started to boss possession again, albeit with less intensity than in the opening stages, channelling most of their play down the right, but Juve managed to quell the threat thanks to the sterling work done by Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot in tracking back. While the hosts were seeing more of the ball, it was the Bianconeri who went closest to scoring. Cuadrado stood up a cross for Morata, who rose well to connect with it but could only send his finish over. Soon after, Kulusevski saw a low drive blocked by Francesco Acerbi just yards from goal. BONUCCI DOES IT AGAIN Soon after the restart, the Swede had another chance to double our lead but Pepe Reina saved with his feet at the near post. The keeper then thwarted Bonucci from the resulting corner. After 20 minutes of playing at a frenetic pace, Lazio had to ease off and Juve seized the opportunity to take control of the game. Allegri brought on Moise Kean for Morata looking to make the most of some fresh legs on the break. Lazio almost threatened when Sergey Milinkovic-Savic played in Vedat Muriqi but Wojciech Szczesny was able to gather. Juve meanwhile set about calmly and effectively building their own moves. With ten minutes remaining Kulusevksi hit a long pass forward for Chiesa, the Italy man skipped past Reina and Manuel Lazzari and was about to fire into the open net when he was brought down in a desperate attempt by the keeper to win the ball. Bonucci stepped up once again and produced another ice-cold conversion to seal three thoroughly deserved points from what was possibly Juve's best performance of the season. LAZIO 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Bonucci 23 (pen), 83 (pen). LAZIO: Reina; Lazzari, Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Hysaj; Milinkovic, Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson (Raul Moro 75), Zaccagni (Muriqi 65), Pedro. Subs not used: Strakosha, Adamonis, Patric, Radu, Vavro, Akpa Akpro, Escalante, Leiva, Basic, Romero. Coach: Sarri. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo (Kulusevski 15), Bonucci, De Ligt, Pellegrini; Cuadrado, McKennie, Locatelli (Bentancur 89), Rabiot; Chiesa, Morata (Kean 74). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Alex Sandro, Arthur, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Di Bello. ASSISTANTS: Bercigli, Berti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Paterna. VAR: Banti, Bindoni. BOOKED: Cuadrado 28, Hysaj 43, Reina 79, Luis Alberto 80, Allegri 90+2, Sarri 90+2. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Substitute Juan Cuadrado’s goal from an acute angle in injury time earned Juventus maximum points as they overcame Fiorentina 1-0 in front of a sold-out crowd at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening.
The visitors were out the blocks quickest after kick-off, danger man Dusan Vlahovic nodding an early header on target which was easily swallowed by Mattia Perin. The Bianconeri fashioned their first big chance on 10 minutes, Alvaro Morata charging down a loose ball before laying it off smartly to Paulo Dybala who skied his effort over the bar. La Viola looked the more adventurous of the two sides, pegging the Bianconeri back, with frequent challenges disrupting the flow of the game which denied the hosts the chance to get into their rhythm. Riccardo Saponara spurned a guilt-edged chance to put Fiorentina in front after 30 minutes, volleying an effort off target after being left open in the box, before Jose Callejon pulled his strike from distance wide of the mark. Vlahovic went closest next, jumping between two defenders to nod his header wide as the Bianconeri defense continued to come under threat. Matthijs de Ligt’s header off a Weston Mckennie long throw was the Bianconeri’s last half-chance of the first stanza as the two sides headed into the break all square. The Bianconeri started the second half on the front foot, Morata showing brilliant skill as he neatly controlled a bouncing ball on his chest, swiveled and a volleyed an effort towards goal that arrowed narrowly wide. On 55 minutes Adrien Rabiot charged goalwards, his deflected effort clipping a defender as it blazed just past the upright. Fiorentina continued their aggressive approach in trying to stop any Juventus attack, their physicality resulting in their downfall as Nikola Milenkovic received his marching orders after taking down Federico Chiesa. Minutes later Chiesa smashed his fierce effort against the crossbar, as Morata tucked the ball into the back of the net soon after, only to be ruled offside as the hosts look to continue their search and make the most of their one-man advantage. Chiesa continued to look dangerous, forcing a save from Pietro Terracciano after latching onto a Juan Cuadrado cross. Yet it would be the Colombian super sub that proved to be the difference in the end: with the clock reading 90 minutes on the scoreboard, the wingback ran at the Fiorentina defense, out-muscling his marker before unleashing a fierce shot from an impossible angle to bulge the back of the net, sending the expectant home crowd into delirium. Chiesa forced Pietro Terracciano into another sprawling save in the dying seconds, moments before the referee blew the final whistle indicating a 1-0 victory for the home side, who enter November’s international break with all three points in the bag. JUVENTUS 1-0 FIORENTINA (HT 0-0): SCORERS: CUADRADO 90+1’. JUVENTUS: Perin, Rugani, de Ligt, Danilo, Alex Sandro (Pellegrini 46’), McKennie, Chiesa, Rabiot (Cuadrado 79’), Locatelli, Morata (Kaio Jorge 88’), Dybala (Bentancur 90+2’). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Israel, Bonucci, Arthur, Ramsey, Bernardeschi, Kulusevski. FIORENTINA: Terracciano, Odriozola, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi, Bonaventura (Duncan 78’), Torreira (Amrabat 64’), Castrovilli (Nastasic 79’), Callejon (Igor 75’), Vlahovic, Saponara (Sottil 75’). Subs not used: Rosati, Cerofolini, Maleh, Terzic, Egharevba, Venuti, Benassi. Source: www.juventus.com |
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An accomplished Juventus display at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night saw the Bianconeri overcome Zenit St Petersburg 4-2 in their Champions League Group Stage encounter to secure qualification into the next round of the competition with two matches to spare.
Juventus showed attacking intent shown from the get-go, eager to set out off the blocks early and stamp their authority on the game. The highly-charged hosts fashioned a number of chances in the opening minutes, Federico Bernardeshi striking his effort straight at Zenit goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk before Paulo Dybala’s shot from range bounced back off the post. The Bianconeri’s relentless pressure paid dividends as after back-to-back corners, Zenit failed to clear their lines and dangerman Dybala was on hand to stroke home the game’s opener. Juve kept their foot on the gas, goalscorer Dybala finding an unmarked Alvaro Morata in the box, the Spaniard lifting his attempt over the crossbar as Zenit survived another Bianconeri attack. Reduced to shots from range, Zenit were gifted an equaliser after Leonardo Bonucci attempted to head away a harmless cross which looped over a helpless Wojciech Szczesny and into the back of the net. Undeterred, the home side continued their attacking play, Manuel Locatelli’s well-placed cross finding Federico Chiesa who couldn’t place his header past a diving Kritsyuk. Chances continued to be created, Morata finding the back of the net before being adjudged to be offside, following which a barrage of attempts from Locatelli, Weston McKennie and Bernardeschi in quick succession failed to get past the Zenit goalkeeper as the two sides headed into the tunnel on level terms. The Bianconeri started the second stanza with a flurry of opportunities, Dybala’s left-footed shot whizzing inches past the post, before his well-struck volley minutes later was frenetically cleared away by the Zenit rearguard. In the 58th minute, Chiesa’s meaningful run towards goal was illegally stopped as Juventus were awarded a penalty. Dybala stepped up to the spot, missing his first attempt but making no mistake at the second time of asking after the referee ordered a re-take. With their tails up, Juventus continued carving out more chances, Chiesa failing to keep his shot down as he blazed over the bar, before Mckennie smashed his effort against the crossbar after an impressive run from the halfway line. A Szczesny double save kept the Zenit attack at bay, but Juve would soon have a third, breaking on the counter as a fine Chiesa finish gave the hosts a two-goal cushion. The advantage would be extended as Morata raced onto a through-ball, netting a fourth to put the Bianconeri firmly in control. By the time Sardar Azmoun slotted home an injury time consolation, the result was all but assured as Juventus made it four wins from four, maintaining their 100 per cent record in the Champions League to advance to the next round with two matches still left to play in the group. JUVENTUS 4-2 ZENIT ST PETERSBURG (HT 1-1): SCORERS: DYBALA 11’, 58’, CHIESA 74’, MORATA 82’; BONUCCI 26’ (OG), AZMOUN 90+2’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, de Ligt, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bonucci (Rugani 85’), McKennie, Bernardeschi (Rabiot 80’), Chiesa, Locatelli (Arthur 79’), Morata, Dybala (Kulusevski 86’). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Cuadrado, Bentancur. ZENIT: Kritsyuk, Chistiakov, Lovren, Rakitskyy (Dzyba 75’), Sutormin, Barrios, Wendel (Kuznetsov 88’), Karavaev (Malcom 59’), Mostovoy (Krugovoi 59’) Claudinho (Erokhin 75’), Azmoun. Subs not used: M Kerzhakov, Byazrov, Krugovoi, Kravstov, Khotulev. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Giovanni Simeone won the game for Hellas Verona with two goals inside the first quarter of an hour – an easy tap-in and a wonder strike which proved too much for Juve to come back from.
The hosts produced an outstanding performance, playing with grit and determination to defend their lead. Paulo Dybala hit the bar before the interval and the Bianconeri gave it everything in the second half, pulling one back through Weston McKennie ten minutes from time, but couldn't find a second despite a late onslaught. SIMEONE'S FAMOUS 15 MINUTES With both teams pressing high, it made for a chaotic start to the game. Indeed the first two chances came from balls won in the opposition half, one for each side. First Wojciech Szczesny was alert to Darko Lazovic's near-post effort then Dybala's low cross into the six-yard box generated panic among the Verona rearguard, but the ball was nicked away from Alvaro Morata at the last minute. The hosts cranked up the pressure and when Arthur mishit a poor backpass Antonin Barak latched onto it and fired across goal; Szczesny saved but it fell for Simeone, who was left with the simple task of turning into an empty net. The goal only made El Cholito hungry for more and three minutes later he collected the ball on the edge of the box and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner. Less than 15 minutes on the clock and Verona were already two up. DYBALA HITS THE BAR Juve tried to fight back and within minutes Dybala had an opportunity but couldn't get his effort on target. Verona continued to play at a high tempo, staying compact when not in possession and constantly harrying the Juve ball carrier, making it hard for the Bianconeri to string moves together Juve did manage to threaten when Dybala and Morata were able to link up and one such exchange led to a fierce shot from the Argentine that came to nothing. The problem was the Bianconeri forwards were often receiving the ball back to goal, making it difficult to get away from their marker and find space. Massimiliano Allegri tried switching to a three-man backline, pushing Alex Sandro forward to exploit the width better and it almost reaped dividends on the stroke of half time when Dybala collected Morata's pass – only to see his finish come off the bar. MCKENNIE ROCKET La Joya tried again soon after the restart but this time was off target. The game was now being played at a slightly slower pace and Juve were able to hold a higher line, partly thanks to better off-the-ball movement. Allegri replaced Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot with Manuel Locatelli and McKennie and the American's first touch was a close-range effort brilliantly saved by Lorenzo Montipo. Verona battened down the hatches and played on the counter, while Juve threw on Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Bernardeschi for Juan Cuadrado and Arthur. Then, just when when Gialloblu seemed to be in the ascendancy again, Juve got the goal they were after. Danilo picked out McKennie and the American smashed home beneath the bar. LATE ONSLAUGHT NOT ENOUGH Allegri made his final change, bringing on Luca Pellegrini for Alex Sandro, while Verona goalscorer Simeone made way for Nikola Kalinic, who very nearly made it 3-1 with a low shot that ran just wide. Juve moved into top gear for the final minutes and pegged the hosts back into their area. Dybala drew another fabulous save out of Montipo but that proved to be the final chance as Verona held on to claim the three points. Juve return to Turin empty-handed after a second defeat in a matter of days and will now turn their attentions to next Tuesday's Champions League clash with Zenit. VERONA 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT 2-0): SCORERS: Simeone 11, 14, McKennie 80. VERONA: Montipo; Dawidowicz, Gunter, Casale (Ceccherini 67); Faraoni, Tameze (Bessa 75), Veloso, Lazovic (Sutalo 67); Barak, Caprari; Simeone (Kalinic 83). Subs not used: Pandur, Berardi, Cetin, Magnani, Cancellieri, Ruegg, Hongla, Lasagna. Coach: Tudor. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Pellegrini 82); Cuadrado (Kulusevski 69), Bentancur (McKennie 58), Arthur (Bernardeschi 69), Rabiot (Locatelli 57); Dybala, Morata. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Ligt, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Marinelli. ASSISTANTS: Margani, Scatragli. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Cosso. VAR: Valeri, Valeriani. BOOKED: Lazovic 26, Danilo 29, Casale 57, Faraoni 61, Arthur 61, Gunter 76, Morata 76. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A well-organised, motivated and mature Sassuolo side overcame Juve at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday by taking advantage of the space left by the hosts in the closing stages. The result did not flatter the visitors, who performed with character throughout and were not fazed by Weston McKennie’s equaliser with 75 minutes on the clock.
Juve may have deserved a point given the team’s endeavour in the central channel in the second half, but the desperate hunt for a winner proved costly for Max Allegri’s side. FRATTESI’S OPENER FOR SASSUOLO The Bianconeri did make a decent start to the game and showed aggression, with Leonardo Bonucci and Alvaro Morata getting into good positions, only to be thwarted by the offside flag. Allegri was forced into an early change when Mattia De Sciglio suffered an injury and was replaced by Alex Sandro. Domenico Berardi showed his intent in the first half by unleashing a powerful strike on his left foot that Mattia Perin did well to push around the post. Adrien Rabiot’s header went straight at the goalkeeper, but the flag was up for offside. The ball dropped to Federico Chiesa in the box in the 40th minute, but the Italian failed to connect well and his shot flew over the bar. Davide Frattesi fired Sassuolo into the lead just moments later with a low right-footed shot after Gregoire Drefel slotted him in on the stroke of half time. MCKENNIE EQUALISES Juve piled on the pressure in the second half after sending Juan Cuadrado on in place of Rabiot and shifting Chiesa to the left. The Colombian went close to an equaliser when his shot beat Andrea Consigli, but Kaan Ayhan was in the right place on the line to clear. The lively Kaio Jorge was sent on for Morata in the 63rd minute and showed his spark without any clear-cut chances coming his way. Sassuolo passed the ball around well and went close to doubling their advantage when Gianluca Scamacca’s shot nearly beat Perin. The hosts’ efforts to draw level were eventually rewarded when McKennie popped up in the 76th minute to head home a pinpoint Paulo Dybala free kick. LOPEZ STRIKES LATE Dejan Kulusevski and Arthur were introduced for the final ten minutes in place of Danilo and Manuel Locatelli in a bid to add attacking impetus to Juve’s attack, but it did not go to plan. Sassuolo defended resolutely, remained organised and were able to put together a lethal counter-attack in the final seconds with practically the last play of the game. Berardi played a crossfield pass to pick out Lopez, who burst into the box at pace and lifted the ball over the onrushing Perin to ensure the Neroverdi left Allianz Stadium with all three points. JUVENTUS 1-2 SASSUOLO: SCORERS: Frattesi 44, McKennie 76, Lopez 90+5. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo (Kulusevski 80), Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio (Alex Sandro 58); Rabiot (Cuadrado 46), Locatelli (Arthur 80), McKennie, Chiesa; Dybala, Morata (Kaio Jorge 63). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ramsey, Bentancur. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Muldur (Henrique 86), Ayhan, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi (Toljan 72), Lopez; Berardi, Raspadori (Scamacca 62), Traore (Chiriches 86); Defrel (Harroui 72). Subs not used: Satalino, Pegolo, Goldaniga, Magnanelli, Peluso, Toljan, Samele. Coach: Dionisi. REFEREE: Sacchi. ASSISTANTS: Bottegoni, Rossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marcenaro. VAR: Ghersini, Giua. BOOKED: Defrel 30, Berardi 58, Rogerio 61, Cuadrado 63, Traore 72, Muldur 86. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A hard-fought encounter at the San Siro saw both teams leave with a point following a 1-1 draw between Inter Milan and Juventus in their Serie A match-up on Sunday evening.
Backed by a vocal San Siro crowd, the early exchanges went the way of Inter with Edin Dzeko making his presence felt up top for the hosts. Yet it was his opposite number Alvaro Morata who would force the first save of the game, stinging the palms of Samir Handanovic as a loose ball from a Juventus free-kick fell at the Spaniard’s feet. An unfortunate shoulder injury to Federico Bernardeschi saw the Italian require treatment on the sidelines, during which the hosts broke the deadlock: Hakan Calhanoglu tried his luck from range, his deflected effort hitting the crossbar as the ball ricocheted back kindly to Dzeko, who tucked it home to give the hosts an early lead. With Bernardeschi unable to continue, coach Massimiliano Allegri had to re-shuffle his pack, bringing on Rodrigo Bentancur after less than 20 minutes played. Forced into action after going a goal down, Juve upped the tempo, pressing high as they went in search of a leveller. Juan Cuadrado, in search of his sixth goals against the Nerazzurri, struck a powerful effort from range, the ball skidding narrowly wide of the host’s upright. Riding the wave of Juve’s threat, Inter then asserted themselves once more, fashioning several half-chances to keep the Bianconeri backline in check. Yet the visitors would end the first stanza with the best chance, a Cuadrado free-kick finding Alex Sandro whose blocked effort found Leonardo Bonucci lurking, but his snapshot at goal sailed wide of the mark. A cagey second stanza saw few goalmouth opportunities fall for either side, Dzeko’s glanced header failing to trouble Wojciech Szczesny, while Morata couldn’t head a floated ball on the bounce goalwards at the other end of the pitch. With 25 minutes to go, Mister Allegri made a double change, bringing on attacking talents Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa to help pry open the Inter defense. The duo immediately added a spark into the Bianconeri attack, their quick passing and nippy runs giving a new dimension to the Juve frontline. A Dybala free-kick soon brought Handanovic into action, while Chiesa’s industrious play from the flanks posed a constant threat. With three minutes left on the clock, a VAR check ruled in favour of the Bianconeri after Denzil Dumfries’ challenge on Alex Sandro resulted in the visitors being awarded a spot-kick. Substitute Dybala stepped up, sending Handanovic the wrong way to bring the Bianconeri level after 89 minutes played. And 1-1 it would end, the Derby d’Italia ending all square at the San Siro with a hard-fought point earned to keep the Bianconeri’s steady rise up the Serie A standings on track. INTER MILAN 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Dzeko 17’; Dybala 89’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Chiellini, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Cuadrado (Dybala 65’), McKennie (Arthur 83’), Bernardeschi (Bentancur 18’), Locatelli (Kaio Jorge 83’), Morata, Kulusevski (Chiesa 65’). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ramsey. INTER: Handanovic, Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni, Darmian, Barella (Vecino 90’), Brozovic, Calhanoglu (Gagliardini 61’), Perisic (Dumfries 72’), Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez (Sanchez 72’). Subs not used: Cordaz, Radu, Kolarov, Sensi, Ranocchia, Dimarco, D'Ambrosio, Satriano. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus continued their perfect run in Europe, this time defeating their UEFA Champions League Group Stage opponents Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 away from home to take command of the group and make it three wins from three.
NO WAY THROUGH It was a tight contest from the onset, Zenit pressing high up the pitch to keep the visitors on their toes, yet the Juventus players were able to maintain possession in their half and fend off their aggressive counterparts. Both sides refused to give an inch, keeping compact and playing a patient game. It took until the 18th minute for the first real chance of the game to be created: a Federico Bernardeschi slip gave possession back to the hosts, as Claudinho unleashed a swerving shot that Wojciech Szczesny had to be alert to, with Matthijs De Ligt on hand to clear the parried ball away. Birthday boy Mattia De Sciglio, with a consecutive start on the right, was again impressing, keeping calm under pressure and making vital interceptions in the defensive half while also getting involved on the opposite end of the field, his teasing ball punched clear as the Bianconeri searched for a way to break down the Zenit wall. CHIESA GETS CLOSE Dangerman Federico Chiesa was being kept under close watch, the home side's defense not allowing the Italian livewire any space. When he did manage to wriggle past a handful of defenders, another was waiting to block his attempt on goal. He then tried his luck from range, without reward, yet moments later, after finding space on the left, he could only watch in anguish as his curled effort sailed wide. Szczesny was on hand to quell any potential danger from a late first-half Zenit corner, while at the other end of the pitch, the Juventus players were still unable to truly test opposition keeper Stanislav Kritsyuk, who was kept well-protected by his defense. In the 50th minute, a golden opportunity for the Bianconeri went begging as Alvaro Morata's inch-perfect pass split the Zenit defense to pick out an onrushing Weston McKennie, yet the American unable to get his effort past an outstretched Stanislav Kritsyuk. The Juventus backline were then given another Claudinho scare, the Brazilian slipping his way through before firing a shot narrowly wide. KULU IMPACT A triple change on the hour mark saw Arthur, Juan Cuadrado and Dejan Kulusevski brought on to add fresh legs, the Brazilian's searching ball finding his fellow Colombian substitute whose side-footed effort couldn't find a teammate as the danger was averted. A flurry of Zenit attacks then arrived, yet the Bianconeri backline stood firm, resisting each wave to preserve the clean sheet, but never backing down in their own attempts to find a match-winner. Morata's deft touch allowed him to strike from distance, yet his rifled effort flew over the cross bar, before McKennie again came close to finding the opener, his glancing header from De Sciglio's cross drifting just wide. In the end, it was the Swedish substitute who would have the desired impact: patient Bianconeri build-up play resulted in a raking cross-field ball from Leonardo Bonucci who found De Sciglio down the left, his perfect ball into the box met by Kulusevski who nodded the ball home to give the visitors the advantage with just four minutes to go. In the ascendency, the Bianconeri looked to close the game on a high, Chiesa still doing his utmost to bundle his way through, the Zenit defense forcing him to strike wide from a difficult angle. Buoyed on by the home crowd, Zenit tried their best to find a leveller in the closing stages, yet the Bianconeri hung on to claim a hard-fought 1-0 and, more importantly, three valuable points, putting them firmly in command of the group and a step closer to the next round of the competition. ZENIT ST PETERSBURG 0–1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-0): SCORER: 86 Kulusevski. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Alex Sandro (Cuadrado 58'), Bonucci, McKennie, Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 58'), Locatelli (Arthur 58'), Bentancur (Ramsey 84'), Chiesa, Morata (Kean 76'). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Chiellini, Danilo, Rugani. ZENIT: Kritsyuk, Lovren, Chsitiakov, Rakitskyy, Douglas Santos, Karavaev (Azmoun 61'), Barrios, Wendel, Malcom (Kuzyaev, 69'), Dzubya (Sutormin 61'), Claudinho. Subs not used: Kerzhakov, Byazrov, Krugovoi, Azmoun, Mostovoy, Erokhin, Kravtsov, Kuznetsov, Khotulev. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus continued their upward trajectory with three hard-fought points against Roma, the 1-0 win at home in the Allianz Stadium setting a unique record against their Roman rivals.
It was a match of the highest order. Entering the encounter on the back of three straight Serie A victories, the Bianconeri were looking to continue their decent run of form and build on the momentum created before the two-week international break. Roma would have the first foray on goal of the match, Gianluca Mancini’s header warming the hands of Wojciech Szczesny early on, before the Pole watched Lorenzo Pellegrini’s deflected shot whistle over his crossbar. After biding their time, Juventus would light up the Allianz a quarter of an hour in as Rodrigo Bentancur met Mattia De Sciglio’s curling ball from the left flank, the ball deflecting off Moise Kean to put the Bianconeri a goal to the good. The early opener allowed the home side to settle into their stride, controlling the pace of the game and keeping their shape as their opponents looked for a way through, but with no reward, Tammy Abraham’s looping header plucked out of the air by an alert Szczesny as the first half wound down. With five minutes to go in the half, the referee awarded a penalty to the visitors, and after a long VAR check, Jordan Veretout stepped up, only to be denied by a superb Szczesny save to his left, the Bianconeri celebrating with their fans as parity was prevented. The second stanza began with a flurry as an acrobatic Federico Bernardeschi overhead kick was parried by Rui Patricio, Kean blasting the follow-up over the target as the hosts almost doubled their lead. De Sciglio was next to send out a warning shot, superbly controlling the ball with his chest before firing from an acute angle into the side-netting, following which Bernardeschi lined up a shot from range, firing narrowly wide as the hosts continued to show attacking intent. Roma burst into life midway through the second half, Veretout’s curling effort whistling past the post as the capital club upped the intensity in search of a leveller, Matias Vina then slipping his way through the Bianconeri backline before watching his deflected effort blaze wide. Fresh legs were brought on by coach Massimiliano Allegri, Arthur receiving a warm applause by the Juventus supporters as he ran on for his first minutes of the season, the Brazilian adding steel to the Bianconeri midfield for the closing stages of the game. The Giallorossi continued to search for a way through, but found no way past Leonardo Bonucci who put his body on the line, deflecting Bryan Cristante’s pile-driver out for a corner. Challenges were flying in as the clock ticked towards the game’s completion, yet the Bianconeri resistance withstood the Roman onslaught to ensure the scoreboard remained 1-0 in their favour at full-time, maximum points ensuring the steady climb up the standings continued. The result also set a unique record as Roma became the first side Juventus have managed to beat on ten occasions in the league since the opening of the Allianz Stadium in 2011, adding to the team’s impressive run against the Giallorossi in Turin. JUVENTUS 1–0 ROMA (HT 1-0): SCORER: Kean 16’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, De Sciglio (Alex Sandro 88’), Chiellini, Danilo, Bonucci, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi (Arthur 75’), Locatelli, Bentancur, Kean (Morata 71’), Chiesa (Kulusevski 71’). Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Pellegrini, Rugani, Arthur, Ramsey, McKennie, Kaio Jorge. ROMA: Rui Patricio, Karsdorp, Mancini, Ibanez, Vina, Cristante, Veretout (Shomurodov 81’), Zaniolo (El Shaarawy 26’), Pellegrini, Mkhitaryan, Abraham. Substitutes: Fuzato, Boer, Villar, Reynolds, Calafiori, Kumbulla, Diawara, Darboe, Perez, Borja Mayoral. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A victory of monumental proportions, for so many reasons. A crucial step in the title fight, a huge confidence boost to the squad, and another clean sheet. Not to mention there’s nothing like beating your local rivals on their turf, and especially after how Juventus reacted to a disappointing first half to perform so well after the break. Manuel Locatelli claimed the deserved winner fewer than five minutes from time for a team which is clicking into place and finding what it takes to win these kinds of games.
FEISTY TORINO REACT TO JUVE CHANCES It was Moise Kean who struck the first blow. After Matthijs de Ligt won the ball he played in the forward who took off, running 50 yards and cutting in, but his shot skewed wide. Adrien Rabiot was responsible for conjuring the second attempt with his pass to Weston McKennie in the centre of the area, but the American's first-time shot failed to hit the target. Following the Bianconeri’s encouraging start the hosts then sprang into action, testing Wojciech Szczesny through Rolando Mandragora’s effort from outside the area. Juve allowed Torino to take the initiative, sitting back and waiting for the right moment to strike. The visitors struggled, though, as Moise Kean was frequently left isolated up front. Yet when Federico Chiesa found his feet in the game Juve prospered on the counter-attack. Shortly before half time, Manuel Locatelli had an excellent opportunity, but his right-footed strike was deflected out for a corner. CLASSIC LOCATELLI With 80 minutes gone and the deadlock still yet to be broken, Max Allegri replaced Federico Bernardeschi with Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede had an immediate impact, playing in Rabiot who stormed into the box and whipped in a low ball to Chiesa, but the 23-year-old was unable to tap in before Cristian Ansaldi cleared. The clock ticked down but Juve showed no signs of letting up, seemingly immune to fatigue. Their persistance was rewarded four minutes from time when Locatelli struck the winner, with the ever-influential Chiesa crossing in to his international team-mate before beating Vanja Milinkovic at his near post. It was then just a matter of holding on. Kaio Jorge made his maiden Juventus appearence in place of Chiesa and the away side remained unbowed in defence, managing to keep possession while sitting comfortably in Torino’s half. The Bianconeri also came close to doubling their advantage through Kulusevski, who hit the post with a fantastic individual effort. It’s not like Juve needed to convince their doubters after beating Chelsea in the Champions League, but this vindicating win helped. What’s more, it was just as vital as beating the European champions, if not more. TORINO 0–1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-0): SCORER: 86 Locatelli. TORINO: Milinkovic; Zima, Bremer, Rodriguez; Singo, Pobega, Mandragora, Aina (65 Ansaldi); Lukic (66 Linetty), Brekalo (84 Rincon); Sanabria (77 Baselli). Unused substitutes: Berisha, Gemello, Buongiorno, Izzo, Vojvoda, Verdi, Kone, Warming. Coach: Juric. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (80 Kulusevski), Locatelli, McKennie, Rabiot; Chiesa (89 Kaio Jorge); Kean (45 Kean). Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, De Sciglio, Pellegrini, Bentancur, Arthur. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Valeri. ASSISTANT REFEREES: Giallatini, Galetto. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Baroni. BOOKED: 57 Sanabria, 62 Lukic, 65 Mandragora, 82 Chiellini. Source: www.juventus.com |
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DERBY DIAGNOSIS
"The Derby will be a good match. There is a positive energy right that we must make the most of. We have the opportunity to improve our position in the table a bit. Torino are a team that runs and presses, Ivan Juric is doing an excellent job: he is a coach who has transmitted to the team the concept of playing games in a certain way, which very much embodies the Granata spirit. For us it will be a complicated match: we will have to be patient and fight back blow by blow. Up to now Torino are the team that has allowed teams the fewest chances and the fewest shots on goal. We will have to stay switched on for 95 minutes with great clarity, there will be spaces also because our opponents play man to man across the whole field. For them it will be the match of their life." THE MATCH AGAINST CHELSEA "The game on Wednesday filled me with joy. I was very happy for the atmosphere, for the team and for the fans who supported us with great enthusiasm and passion, this is a good sign. Federico Bernardeschi played a very important physical match and within the good performance he put an extraordinary play on the goal." TEAM NEWS "Arthur took part in his second training session with the team yesterday, it may be that tomorrow both he and Kaio Jorge will be on the bench. Arthur is a technical player who can also dribble that raises the level of the team's quality. I've known Alex Sandro for 5 years, he is a player of absolute value and you can tell that as he's the current first choice full-back of the Brazilian national team. Both Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Locatelli had never managed the midfield by themselves before. Rodrigo needs someone by his side to organise the game, whilst Locatelli put in an excellent performance against Chelsea, he closed the trajectories of passing towards Romelu Lukaku and played an "ugly" game from a physical point of view." TORO-JUVE LINE-UP "Wojciech Szczesny and Giorgio Chiellini will both start tomorrow. As for the others I still have to evaluate them, depending on the accumulated fatigue. I'll see tomorrow morning: whoever has the most energy will take to the field." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Federico Chiesa’s brilliant strike endured defeat upon the defending champions Chelsea on Wednesday evening as Juventus secured their second batch of three points with a 1-0 win at the Allianz Stadium.
After an opening 3-0 win against Malmö, the Bianconeri were looking to build on from their win by stunning the defending Champions. It was an energetic start to the game, where both teams were moving the ball with pace. The first half-chance fell to Rabiot when he brilliantly intercepted Chelsea’s play and broke away on the counter, but his final cross was long, and it failed to meet a teammate. The first real chance came in the 20th minute when a moment of Chiesa magic saw him intercept play and burst up field before unleashing an angled drive that skimmed past the back post. Chelsea then saw the first dangerous play brought to an abrupt halt when Bentancur’s perfectly timed sliding tackle on Havertz saw him win the ball back. Juventus were doing most of the attacking and growing in confidence with each passing minute. A lovely piece of interplay between Bernardeschi and Chiesa saw the latter try to direct his shot on goal, but Chelsea’s pressure saw the effort sail wide. Rabiot was next to impress, as he unleashed a flying effort that narrowly sailed over the target. Despite their late efforts the two teams went into the half goalless. Into the second half and Chelsea barely had a chance to breathe before the Juventus found themselves a goal up courtesy of Chiesa: he got onto the end of Berna’s through ball and fired it into the roof of the net straight from kick-off! The perfect chance to make it 2-0 came in the 64th minute following a wonderful move conducted between Cuadrado and Chiesa: the ball then rolled across to Bernardeschi who just needed it tap it in, however, he tumbled and couldn’t get the shot. Kean and McKennie were introduced into the game in the 76th minute, as they continued to go in search of a second goal. Kean saw his shot inside the box charged down by Barkley, while Lukaku’s effort sailed just over the corner of the goal frame. An intense few moments saw out the remaining minutes of the game as Juventus went on to claim a second dose of three points in the group stages. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (Chiellini 84'), Locatelli, Rabiot (McKennie 76'); Cuadrado, Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 65'), Chiesa (Kean 76'). Subs: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, Chiellini, McKennie, Kean, Rugani, Kulusevski. Chelsea: Mendy; Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz; Lukaku. Source: www.juventus.com |
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After the victory over Malmö on the first day of the Champions League, Juventus host holders, Chelsea at Allianz Stadium. Coach, Massimiliano Allegri and captain, Giorgio Chiellini, presented the fixture by answering questions from journalists at today's press conference.
Here's what was said to the media: MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI "I want to see a technically 'clean' game tomorrow night. We will have to have patience but also the pleasure of playing these types of matches. We need to pressure Chelsea, but in the right way and then the key will be to play well whilst in possession, because you can't press a team for 90+ minutes. Chelsea are both physically solid and organised and we need to play a good technical match. "Tomorrow morning I will decide on the line-up. We had a good training session and apart from Aaron Ramsey everyone is available. Wojciech Szczesny, Manuel Locatelli, Alex Sandro and Danilo will all start. If a player is at Juventus then they are there because they have the mental qualities, availability, the desire to improve and the right determination. These seem like small details, but they are not. "The only centre-forward is Moise Kean. I'll put two or three forwards out on the pitch depending on the characteristics. Kean knows how to score goals, he attacks deep and closes down well. He needs to improve in the team play and with his individual technique, but he already has good experience. "Federico Bernardeschi has great potential, he must play substantial matches like with Sampdoria. Everything starts from the head. "I expect that Federico Chiesa keeps doing as he is doing and even continues to improve. The Euros put him in a position where everyone now expects more and his margin of error has decreased. It will be an important and very difficult season for him. "Arthur Melo is behind with regards to physical progress. We will play two friendlies during the international break that will help him to improve his condition. Rodrigo Bentancur has improved a lot, but in my opinion he can't dictate the game by himself. He needs support and Locatelli can be the right partner to help with that. "I have the ambition to win the Champions League. It is a desire, a passion and an emotion that leads to doing extraordinary things. I don't know if we'll get there, but the goal is there and we have to go and get it. This makes the difference." "Tomorrow will be a match as beautiful as it is difficult, but these kind of matches are also the simplest challenges to prepare for and we can't wait. We will have to be patient and compact, paying attention to counter-attacks, as Chelsea play as a team. Playing against the best allows you to give your best. You can only grow by playing certain matches. "We need to create situations that they don't like and not allow great players like Romelu Lukaku to express themselves. But it's not only him that they have. "Paolo Dybala is essential for us, but we have the characteristics to cope without him. One of Allegri's strengths is always looking for new solutions. "We have to think about the present, improve and work hard, aware of the road ahead but also of our qualities: perspective and awareness. In the Champions League our goal now is to qualify for the next round and then we'll see. "A win would help us grow further and it would be very important for the standings, but we must never lose our balance, both when things are going well and not going well. "We need to rediscover the common thread that brought us solidity and consequently the self-esteem which made us stay at the highest levels for years." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juve wrapped up a second 3-2 league win this week to build on the success away to Spezia on Wednesday, but it was far from plain sailing against Sampdoria.
DYBALA’S DESIRE Captain Paulo Dybala was clearly intent on running the show and started the game with real drive. His efforts were rewarded with ten minutes on the clock after Manuel Locatelli’s shot was blocked and the midfielder laid the rebound off to the Argentine, who steered a delicious low left-footed effort into the corner from the edge of the box. The hosts looked to extend their lead and had two glorious chances to do so within three minutes of going ahead, with Federico Chiesa firing wide from the right and Alvaro Morata unable to score a one-on-one as Emil Audero rushed out of his goal to deny him.With 20 minutes on the clock, Dybala was visibly distressed as he was forced off with an injury, and Dejan Kulusevski replaced him to join Alvaro Morata in attack. BONUCCI AND YOSHIDA TRADE BLOWS Samp worked hard, but did not threaten to grab an equaliser, with Juve going close to scoring the next goal when Kulusevski’s header went off target. Chiesa then sent a ball into the box that struck Nicola Murru on the arm and a penalty was given. Up stepped Leonardo Bonucci to convert and seemingly send Juve in at the break two goals to the good. The visitors did respond this time, however, with Mattia Perin getting down low to deny Fabio Quagliarella before Maya Yoshida got on the end of Antonio Candreva’s cross from the left to halve the deficit. LOCATELLI’S FIRST JUVE GOAL As the rain got heavier, Juve found it harder to play their usual passing game, but made up for it with increased aggression, resulting in Kulusevski dispossessing Omar Colley in the box, reaching the byline and setting up Locatelli for his maiden goal for the club just before the hour-mark. Allegri made changes in terms of personnel and formation in the last 20 minutes, sending on Giorgio Chiellini and Aaron Ramsey for Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi, to see out the game with a back three. Rodrigo Bentancur went close to a fourth, but Audero turned the shot behind for a corner. CANDREVA CUTS THE ARREARS, JUVE HOLD FIRM Samp did not give up the ghost and got back into the contest when Adrien Silva broke down the left and set up Antonio Candreva for a first-time shot with seven minutes of regulation time left. There were four minutes added on, in which Chiellini showcased his vast experience to ensure stoppage time was relatively painless and the visitors were not allowed to carve out any opportunities to potentially equalise. Allegri’s charges had to dig in to hold on to what could well prove to be three key points come the end of the season. JUVENTUS 3-2 SAMPDORIA (HT: 2-1): Scorers: Dybala 10, Bonucci 43, Yoshida 44, Locatelli 57, Candreva 83. JUVENTUS: Perin; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Chiesa (Chiellini 70), Bentancur (MckKennie 82), Locatelli, Bernardeschi (Ramsey 70); Dybala (Kulusevski 67), Morata (Kean 82). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Danilo, Rugani, Pellegrini. Coach: Allegri. SAMPDORIA: Audero; Bereszynski; Yoshida, Colley, Murru (Augello 59); Depaoli (Damsgaard 59), Thorsby (Askildsen 87), Ekdal (Silva 59), Candreva; Caputo (Torregrossa 70), Quagliarella. Subs not used: Ravagli, Falcone, Chabot, Ciervo, Dragusin, Ferrari, Trimboli. Coach: D’Aversa. Referee: Ayroldi. Assistants: Di Vuolo, Lombardi. Fourth official: Camplone. VAR: Orsato, Tegoni. Booked: Thorsby 28, Murro 41, Ekdal 45+2, Bentancur 53, Cuadrado 66, Bonucci 84, Kean 86. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Second-half goals from Federico Chiesa and Matthijs de Ligt saw Juventus come back against Spezia to secure a 3-2 victory at the Stadio Alberto Picco on Wednesday evening. Moise Kean had opened the scoring in the first half, but goals from Emanuel Gyasi and Antiste saw Spezia go in front. With no win in four of their previous Serie A games, Juventus knew that anything short of three points would be unacceptable. As such, they started the game full of energy and they nearly grabbed an early opener in the seventh minute when Chiesa's pulled back ball met Kean, who drilled it just wide. De Ligt threatened on Dybala's corner when he blazed his effort over the target after striking on the half volley. Juve's breakthrough did come in the 27th minute when a Bonucci long-ball up field was knocked on from Rabiot to Kean, who got onto the end of it and blasted it home! Unfortunately, the lead only lasted five minutes when Spezia continued the move off Szczesny's initial save, which saw Emanuel Gyasi strike a curling effort into the top corner. The half ended with a ferocious effort from Dybala, whose blaster was palmed over the cross bar by Zoet. Massimiliano Allegri introduced Alex Sandro and Locatelli on at the start of the second half, however, it was Spezia who started off on the strong foot when an over-the-top ball to Antiste saw him go on a great run, he turned Bonucci in the box and fired home in the 49th minute to make it 2-1 to the hosts. Kean nearly grabbed an equaliser five minutes later with a glancing header that was tipped over by Zoet, while Morata came on in place of Kean. The Spezia stopper was having a strong game and he once again found himself pulling off a save, this time denying Dybala. The goalkeeper couldn't do much with Chiesa's effort, as the Italian striker brilliantly worked his way through the defenders before sliding onto the ball as it rolled over the line. Juventus turned the scoreline in their favour in the 72nd minute when de Ligt pounced onto the end of a corner kick, that bounced around in the box, and turned it home to make it 3-2. Szczesny pulled off a great save to deny Maggiore in the final moments of the game, as the Bianconeri claimed their first victory of the season. Juventus: Szczesny, De Sciglio (Alex Sandro 46'), de Ligt, Danilo, Bonucci, McKennie, Chiesa (Kulusevski 84'), Rabiot (Bernardeschi 67'), Bentancur (Locatelli 46'), Dybala, Kean (Morata 59'). Subs: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ramsey, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Locatelli, Morata, Kulusevski. Source: |