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Six wins on the spin.
That is how Juve have seen out 2022 with a 3-0 win over Lazio before Serie A makes way for the World Cup. Again Moise Kean was on the scoresheet, with time with a double, while fellow striker Arek Milik completed the night's goals with a third in the final minute. Worth noting, not only six wins in a row, but six wins in a row obtained without one goal conceded, and the Bianconeri sit third in the table. THE MATCH Boosted by his winner against Verona on Thursday, Moise Kean was given the nod again by Massimiliano Allegri and appeared in the mood to repay the faith shown in him by the coach. As early as the sixth minute Kean ran at the Lazio defence as Juve hit on the counterattack. Taking on his marker, Kean fired his shot wide. Five minutes later it was Nicolò Fagioli who tried his luck. Again Filip Kostić was involved in the build up, picking out the midfielder inside the penalty area. Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel frustrated the midfielder’s hopes of the third goal in four matches with an outstretched hand. The visitors were seeing plenty of the ball but were unable to test Wojciech Szczęsny. Juve, meanwhile, looked dangerous again on 19 minutes. A long ball from Danilo was excellently controlled by Arek Milik, who then took a touch to tee up his shot, which whistled just wide of the post. The Biancocelesti did create one danger to the Juve defence. Inside the final five minutes of the first half, Pedro cut in from the left and struck a vicious shot, which deflected off Manuel Locatelli and dipped only just over the bar. Two minutes later, the deadlock was broken. Adrien Rabiot stole possession from the toes of Sergej Milinković- Savić and quickly launched a pass into the path of Kean. The striker understood that Provedel had come racing off his line, reaching the ball first, lofting it over the advancing keeper. Those inside the Allianz Stadium held their breath before the ball bounced under the bar and into the net. The stadium then erupted as Juve took a crucial lead just before the break. Juventus came out after the interval intent on doubling their advantage. First, Arek Milik brought out a clever reflex save from Provedel before Locatelli followed up with a drive from the edge of the area, which again the Lazio keeper got behind. Just before the 10 minute mark of the second period, however, Juve did find their second goal. Milik won possession inside the Lazio half, Locatelli quickly spun the ball into the path of Kostić, who took a touch before releasing his shot. There was too much power in the winger’s effort for Provedel to hold. Kean was on hand to tap home his and the Bianconeri’s second of the game. Kean sensed a hat-trick was in the air and on 62’ he almost grabbed his third of the match after another run at the Lazio defence. This time his drive was saved by Provedel and it was to be his last involvement in the game as he came off to a standing ovation, replaced by Ángel Di María. Lazio made all five of their substitutions but it was the Juve subs that left their mark in the final minute of normal time. Di María played an inviting pass into the path of Federico Chiesa, whose first time cross was met by Milik for goal number three. Although the three points were never in doubt, there was the matter of keeping a sixth clean sheet in as many matches and in stoppage time Szczęsny pulled off a great save to deny Felipe Anderson a consolation goal for the visitors. Juve made it six wins out of six, leaping ahead of Lazio in the standings to climb into third place going into 2023. JUVENTUS 3-0 LAZIO (HT: 1-0): Scorer: 43′ Kean (J), 54′ Kean (J), 90′ Milik (J). JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli (84′ Paredes), Rabiot, Fagioli, Kostic (64′ Chiesa); Kean (62′ Di Maria), Milik. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Bonucci, Rugani, Barbieri, Miretti, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Provedel; Hysaj (68′ Gila), Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic (77′ Marcos Antonio), Cataldi (58′ Vecino), Basic (58′ Luis Alberto); Romero (68′ Cancellieri), Felipe Anderson, Pedro. Subs not used: Maximiliano, Adamonis, Kamenovic, Radu, Bertini. Coach: Sarri. Referee: Massa. BOOKINGS: 25′ Gatti (J), 27′ Bremer (J), 28′ Milinković-Savić (L). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Tomorrow, Sunday 13 November, Juventus take on Lazio in the closing Serie A fixture of 2022. Five consecutive victories have pushed the Bianconeri into the top four and the coach explained that the aim is to continue to build the positive feeling in the squad in the match that kicks off at 20:45 CET at the Allianz Stadium.
CONCERNING THE OPPONENTS... "I expect a difficult match against a strong Lazio side, which is doing excellently well. It's the last game of the year, we're coming off a positive run and we have to keep it up, knowing however that Lazio away have only conceded one goal. "They are a difficult team to beat, Sarri knows how to organise his team well in defence. He also has a lot of skillful players. Maurizio is an important coach who won the league title with Juve and is doing a great job at Lazio. "The other night in Verona we played against a team that had created several scoring chances against Milan and Roma, which runs hard and presses high, making you play long balls. The boys did well, but tomorrow is a completely different match. Lazio run at you and like to impose thieir game in your half." CONCERNING THE SQUAD... "Tomorrow morning, I will see if Locatelli and Cuadrado will be available and based on this I will make my choices. Vlahović won't be available. He did part of the training yesterday and today and his condition is such that he is not able to play. Chiesa though is available tomorrow. "As for Di María, I'll have to decide how much time to give him. Tomorrow is dangerous because of the quality of opponents and it is even more so because it is the last game before a long stop. We are in a good form, we have to continue it." MAKING THE MOST OF THE MOMENT "The best thing we have seen in this period is the team spirit that we are regaining, then obviously there are things to improve. "To bring home results and defend well, as we are doing, we need to pay even more attention. Then we need to improve our possession game, but the best thing is the team spirit that we are regaining. We are one game from the end of the first part of the season, so we have to do well against a complicated team." Source: www.juventus.com |
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One goal, a strike on the hour from Moise Kean, was enough for Juventus to collect a fifth straight win in Serie A and climb into the top four in the league table.
Hellas Verona proved no pushovers despite their lowly standing but all three points head back to Turin with the Bianconeri after a hard-fought contest at the Bentegodi. THE MATCH Juventus came up against a Verona side determined to climb off the foot of the table. The hosts pressed intensely in the centre of the park, leaving the Bianconeri little time or space to build play. In fact, neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in the opening period. On 16 minutes, birthday boy Mattia Perina held a dipping drive from Kevin Lasagna. Two minutes later Danilo was called on to make one of his trademark challenges in the area to deny Milan Đurić a shooting chance. Juve’s first effort on goal came through Arek Milik, who controlled well at the edge of the area but his effort was straight at Lorenzo Montipò. The Verona keeper was called on again from another shot from outside the box, this time from Manuel Locatelli, which Montipò touched out wide. From the corner, the deep cross picked out Bremer. However, the defender’s volley sailed over the crossbar. As in the first half, also in the second Verona started strongly but Juve stood strong, denying Pawel Dawidowicz with solid defending. And as in the first half, the Bianconeri emerged as the match progressed. On 58’ Adrien Rabiot found space in the opposition area but his cross was played too far ahead of Moise Kean. The two linked up again two minutes later for the game’s only goal. Milik started the move in the centre of the park with an incisive pass to Rabiot. The Frenchman did likewise for Kean, who raced into the area and finished off the move for his second goal of the campaign. Verona responded but were kept at a safe distance and the closest the home side came to a possible equaliser was when, with five minutes remaining, the referee awarded a penalty against Leonardo Bonucci. However, after studying the evidence via VAR, the match official overturned his initial decision - the Juve captain had arrived first to the ball, ahead of Simone Verdi. In stoppage time, Alex Sandro was sent off for a last-man tackle on Lasagna, but even down to 10 players, Juventus saw out the remaining minutes to collect a fifth straight success, all without conceding a goal, and climbed into the top four. HELLAS VERONA 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 60′ Kean (J). HELLAS VERONA: Montipò; Dawidowicz (78′ Gunter), Hien, Ceccherini; Terracciano, Hongla, Sulemana (65′ Veloso), Doig (65′ Lazovic); Kallon (71′ Verdi), Lasagna; Djuric (78′ Henry). Subs not used: Chiesa, Berardi, Perilli, Ilic, Praszelik, Depaoli, Cabal, Tameze. Coach: Bocchetti. JUVENTUS: Perin; Bremer, Bonucci, Danilo; Cuadrado (78′ Alex Sandro), Fagioli (62′ Miretti), Locatelli (62′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic; Milik, Kean (68′ Di Maria). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Di Bello. BOOKINGS: 5′ Bonucci (J), 54′ Dawidowicz (V), 57′ Djuric (V), 77′ Veloso (V), 81′ Alex Sandro (J). SENDING OFF: 91′ Alex Sandro (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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STATE OF MIND
"After Inter we were very happy and celebrating a great win, but already the day after we closed that chapter. Tomorrow, we will play in Verona against a team that has beaten Juventus three times in the last five games, a team that has lost undeservedly in recent matches. They create a lot, especially at home and are a threat from set-pieces, it will not be an easy game. They're a side that doesn't deserve the position in the table that they currently have." TEAM NEWS "Tomorrow, Mattia Perin will play in goal. Leandro Paredes and Moise Kean have both recently recovered and will be in the squad, but they won't necessarily play, whilst Angel Di Maria is likely to have half an hour in his legs. Today, Dušan Vlahović, Weston McKennie and Federico Chiesa are all to be evaluated. Dušan is currently suffering from a groin inflammation, however yesterday he ran and felt better. Chiesa came back and did well, but until he's properly feeling his knee it's normal for there to be moments in which he still has some discomfort. Nicolò Fagioli is doing well, but let's not overhype him right now. Arek Milik is giving his all to the team, he's in excellent condition, he is very reliable and I'm very happy with what he's doing." ONE STEP AT A TIME "Napoli are playing an extraordinary championship, we have to take it one step at a time: we have to think first about Verona and then Lazio. In the World Cup break we will work until the 18th November with the three remaining players and then we will stop until the 6th December, and then from there we will start preparation with friendlies until around 22/23 December. Finally, we will then resume after Christmas with the arrival of those who have played the most rounds at the World Cup." Source: www.juventus.com |
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A first half on a razor's edge. A second half dominated by the Bianconeri. Juve defeated Inter 2-0 to triumph in the Derby d'Italia and climb into the top six in the table.
THE MATCH The 179th Serie A showdown between Juve and Inter saw both teams enjoying a recent upturn in league form. Bremer returned from injury to team up in an all-Brazilian back-three which was first tested by Argentine Lautaro Martinez, who slammed his shot wide on five minutes. The ebb and flow of the game saw both midfields take and lose the ascendancy as tackles flew in among the tight marking and tactical counter-moves. On 19 minutes Bremer decided to give Juve another body in attack as he intercepted in midfield and continued his charge forward, all the way to reaching Filip Kostić’s cross but his close-range volley hit the side netting. A cross from a corner at the other end almost produced the game’s first goal. Lautaro’s flick picked out Edin Dzeko unmarked inside the six-yard penalty area but the striker placed his header wide. There was to be another close shave for the Bianconeri when Denzel Dumfries turned his shot over the bar, again inside the six-yard box, sliding in on a Nicolò Barrella cross. In between those two chances for Inter, Kostić tried his luck from distance but his shot sailed over the crossbar. Nil-nil at the break, but the Derby d’Italia seldom finished goalless at the 90th minute. The first chance after the interval produced a world-class save from Wojciech Szczęsny, who finger-tipped a fierce Hakan Çalhanoglu drive over the crossbar. The game was swinging from one end to the other and it was from a coast-to-coast run that the deadlock was broken. On 52’ Kostić spun away from Nicolò Barell inside his own half then set off on a lung-bursting run to the Inter penalty area where he picked out Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder hit a first time shot that nestled into the far corner. Juve had the lead. 11 minutes later the Allianz Stadium erupted in joy for a second time when Danilo met a Kostić corner on the volley to steer home what seemed the Bianconeri’s second goal. Instead, VAR informed the match official that the Juve captain had used his hand. Goal disallowed and the scoreline remained 1-0. With a quarter of an hour remaining, both sides had chances. First Szczęsny blocked a Martinez shot with his legs after the Inter striker had been played through on goal. Juve broke up the field and when Fagioli swept the ball into the path of Kostić, the winger appeared to have done everything right - however, his shot rebounded off the base of the far post. The hosts continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides and wrapped up the points with five minutes to play. Nicolò Fagioli completed a week he’ll never forget, when he finished off a move down the left with a shot that spun past André Onana in the Inter goal. Juve collected a fourth win on the spin, all achieved without conceding a goal, by halting an Inter side that had scored in all their previous 24 league matches. In one fell swoop the Bianconeri leapt over the historic rivals and climbed into equal fifth place in the Serie A table. JUVENTUS 2-0 INTER (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 52′ Rabiot (J), 84′ Fagioli (J). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Miretti (80′ Di Maria); Milik (72′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Bonucci, Rugani, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. INTER: Onana; Skriniar (81′ Darmian), De Vrij, Acerbi; Dumfries (81′ Bellanova), Barella, Calhanoglu (73′ Correa), Mkhitaryan (81′ Brozovic), Dimarco (73′ Gosens); Dzeko, Lautaro. Subs not used: Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, Asllani, D’Ambrosio, Carboni, Bastoni. Coach: Inzaghi. Referee: Doveri. BOOKINGS: 56′ Calhanoglu, 68′ Skriniar, 76′ Danilo. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A GREAT MATCH
"It's an important match, it's the Derby d'Italia, a very heartfelt and beautiful match to play. Right now we are more attentive during the 90 minutes and we are calmer. We are on a path to become competitive again and it will be a different match than the one against PSG." TEAM NEWS "Bremer and Angel Di Maria have recovered, I have to still evaluate whether or not they will start the game from the pitch or from the bench. The only doubt is Dušan Vlahović, we'll see tomorrow morning if he'll be available or not because he is still not 100%, he has a groin inflammation. Federico Chiesa has looked good, it was a pleasant surprise, his problem was just to unblock himself mentally and he'll be available for tomorrow." INTER ANALYSIS "Inter are a very strong team and are both physical and experienced, we will have to play with courage. The match won't be a turning point, as the championship is still very long, but a win would give us continuity with respect to our latest results in Serie A. We have to reverse the course of the matches played against Inter last season." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus bowed out of the Champions League with a narrow defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. However, it was enough to secure the Bianconeri their place in the Europa League, finishing third in the group.
A positive note was the return to action of Federico Chiesa. The number 7 played the closing 15 minutes, joined in the closing stages by youngsters Tommaso Barbieri and Enzo Barrenechea on their debuts. THE MATCH The difference in the opening 20 minutes was the accuracy in front of goal. In 7’ and 17’ Manuel Locatelli unleashed two shots, both of which whistled just wide of Gianluigi Donnarumma’s left-hand post. At the other end, Kylian Mbappé hit an unstoppable shot after side-stepping Federico Gatti and Locatelli. It was the French striker’s third goal in the two matches with Juve. Juventus responded and pressed high as they set out for the equaliser. Fabio Miretti twice had the ball at his feet to level the score. His first effort was again driven wide of target, while his second, after being set up by Arek Milik, was blocked by a last-ditch lunge from Marquinhos. Still, Juve pushed on and drew level with six minutes of the first half remaining. Locatelli picked out an excellent cross-field pass for Juan Cuadrado, whose header across the face of goal was pounced upon by Leonardo Bonucci. The captain slammed the ball home from close range. Juve were deservedly level at the interval. Juventus set out intent to complete the turnaround but there were no takers when first Adrien Rabiot then Cuadrado played dangerous passes into the area. At the other end, Mbappé was always a threat. However, Wojciech Szczęsny foiled the winger’s effort on the hour. The Juve keeper then spilled an effort from distance from Sergio Ramos but smothered the danger at the second time of asking. Paris restored their lead through substitute Nuno Mendes. The galloping full-back had been on the pitch only a matter of seconds before being sent through by Mbappé. After steadying himself with his first touch, he scored with his second. With 15 minutes to play Federico Chiesa made his comeback, and looked keen to throw himself into the action as Juve sought their second equaliser on the night. However, it wasn’t to be as PSG held on for the win. JUVENTUS 1-2 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 14′ Mbappé (P), 39′ Bonucci (J), 69′ Nuno Mendes (P). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (88′ Barrenechea), Fagioli (88′ Barbieri), Locatelli (85′ Soulé), Rabiot, Kostic; Miretti (74′ Chiesa); Milik. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Rugani. Coach: Allegri. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Ramos, Marquinhos, Bernat (67′ Nuno Mendes); Fabian Ruiz (20′ Renato Sanches), Verratti (87′ Danilo), Vitinha; Soler (67′ Ekitike); Mbappé, Messi. Subs not used: Rico, Letellier, Sarabia, Mukiele, Bitshiabu, Zaire-Emery. Coach: Galtier. Referee: Del Cerro. BOOKINGS: 15’ Gattti, 45’+1′ Milik, 76′ Fagioli, 84′ Verratti. Source: www.juventus.com |
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Massimiliano Allegri and Juan Cuadrado adressed the press ahead of the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain tomorrow Wednesday 2 November.
The coach and experienced defender reiterated that the objective is to secure passage to the Europa League in the 21:00 CET kick-off. "Against PSG, we will have to play an intelligent, technically valid match against one of the strongest teams in Europe. I am angry that we won't be competing with the best in Europe from March onwards. Now our aim is to make it to the Europa League." "McKennie is out due to severe bruising and it is not clear whether it is caused by a blow or a strain. Locatelli, Rabiot, Fagioli and Miretti are all available in midfield. Rabiot went from scoring two goals to an intelligent match against Lecce. His performances are improving, which is good for Juventus and for the French national team. "At Juventus there are about fifteen players born from 2000 onwards. It is normal that we cannot think and believe that a lad who has no experience in international and national matches can solve all the problem for Juventus - a jersey that weighs more heavily than others. They have to be allowed to work peacefully and quietly. If they play for Juventus, it is because they have quality, "The fact that they are in the first team is testimony to their value. We must all be good, me as a coach and the club as it is doing, to keep them balanced. At Juventus, many play their first game, the second game, their first month and the first year. To play for many years at Juventus, though, you must have a mental strength that is different from all the other players. The experienced players' know-how is added to by the energy of these youngsters. "Juventus was born to win, so we must arrive in the Europa League and then make up ground in the league." JUAN CUADRADO "We are an important team, we have to take the field with desire and determination, driven by our anger at not having reached our goal. This is an important match for us, we are playing for qualification in the Europa League. "We have had some good games, while in others we have been lacking that something. We have to see where to improve, have that hunger and determination that we have always had. Sometimes you give 100% but things don't work out. We will continue to give our best in every match and little by little the Juventus spirit will re-emerge, which is to fight and fight until the end. "The young players are doing the best for the team. They are helping us, for example, in the last game their contribution was huge. I hope they can keep their feet on the ground, keep up the work and that they can do the best for the team. "We know that the players sidelined are important to us, we know their quality. We hope to have them with us as soon as possible because all together we can take Juventus where they have always been." Source: www.juventus.com |
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It needed something special to break down Lecce at the Via del Mare stadium and that something special was provided by Nicolò Fagioli.
His first ever Serie A goal rewarded Juve with all three points at Lecce for a third consecutive Serie A win for the Bianconeri. GOALLESS AT THE BREAK The first half saw Juventus gradually gain the upper hand over the hosts. On 27 minutes, Juan Cuadrado bore in on goal and dragged a shot across the face of goal, too far beyond the lurking Arek Milik for it to be a pass and too far from the far post to worry Wladimiro Falcone in the Lecce goal. Four minutes later Adrien Rabiot looked to continue his scoring burst but his drive from the edge of the area was comfortably saved. Juve upped the pressure heading into the final minutes of the opening spell. Fabio Miretti’s shot was deflected for a corner, one of four in quick succession. Again Rabiot was on the end of the delivery. His header was punched off the goalline by Falcone. JUVE TURN UP THE PRESSURE Juventus continued to press at the start of the second period. A Cuadrado free-kick was headed back across the face of goal by Federico Gatti, but was just out of reach of Milik. Again Milik was involved in a well-worked move that included Fabio Miretti and Filip Kostić but the striker’s back heel was bravely pounced on by Falcone as Cuadrado slid in at the far post. The introduction of Moise Kean with just under half an hour to play increased the Juve presence in the opposition penalty area, and the striker came close with a header which flashed just wide. THE BREAKTHROUGH It was another substitute, one who came on at the start of the second half, Nicolò Fagioli who provided the touch of class that produced the breakthrough. Another Next Gen graduate Samuel Iling rolled the ball to the midfielder who hit a shot on the turn that curled in off the far post. The celebration matched the importance of the goal for the midfielder that had come through the Juve Academy. Lecce were obliged to show something as an attacking force and came close to an equaliser in the final minute of normal time. Morten Hjulmand drilled a shot on goal but the home captain’s effort slammed off the post and rebounded to safety. Juve saw out the remainder of the match to collect a third win on the spin in Serie A - all without conceding a goal. LECCE 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 73′ Fagioli (J). LECCE: Falcone; Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gendrey, Gallo; Blin (60′ Askildsen), Hjulmand, Gonzalez (87′ Rodriguez); Strefezza (82′ Di Francesco), Ceesay (82′ Colombo), Oudin (60′ Banda). Subs not used: Pezzella, Tuia,, Listkowski, Bleve, Dermaku, Persson, Umtiti, Helgason, Bistrovic, Cetin. Coach: Baroni. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Gatti, Danilo, Alex Sandro; McKennie (46′ Fagioli), Miretti (62′ Kean), Rabiot, Kostic (72′ Iling-Junior); Soulé (84′ Bonucci); Milik. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Rugani, Compagnon, Kean, Iling jr. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. BOOKINGS: 12′ Miretti (J), 17′ Cuadrado (J), 23′ Milik (J), 28′ Gatti (J), 59′ Cissey (L), 71′ Pongracic (L), 78′ Iling (J), 90+2′ Di Francesco (L). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League after a roller-coaster of a match at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon. The Bianconeri and Benfica shared seven goals with the hosts edging the contest 4-3 in a match that in the end could have gone either way.
DOWN BY TWO AT THE BREAK The first goal of the game arrived in 17 minutes. Benfica worked a corner from the left and the cross into the middle picked out an unmarked Antonio Silva, who headed home from close range. Juventus responded and from a corner kick of their own five minutes later pulled level. Danilo met the inswinging cross, his header was diverted towards goal by Vlahović, who scrambled it over the line, with Moise Kean there to make sure. Over two minutes of analysis by VAR were needed before the goal was awarded after it was initially ruled out for offside. However, three minutes later Juan Cuadradro handled inside the area under pressure from Frederik Arusnes. For the second time in the two matches against Juve, João Mário converted from the spot. Then, one of the many turning points. Vlahović was picked out by Filip Kostić but the number nine placed his shot wide from an excellent position. The next action saw Benfica break up the pitch, Rafa Silva fed the ball out to João Mário who crossed in for Rafa Silva, who back-heeled the ball past Wojciech Szczęsny. HOPE REKINDLED At half-time, Juventus needed three goals without reply in the second period to stay in the Champions League. That task became even tougher when Rafa Silva flicked the ball home for his second and his side’s fourth in 51’. On 76’ another of those turning points. Rafa Silva blasted a volley over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Juventus broke up the field through Samuel Iling-Junior, on his European debut. The Next-Gen winger’s cross was volleyed home by Arek Milik. Two minutes later, another Iling cross dropped at the feet of Matias Soulé. His shot was blocked as far as Weston McKennie who drilled his shot into the net. With more than 10 minutes to play, Juve trailed by just one goal. On 86’, with Juve pushing everyone in attack, Rafa Silva ran half the length of the pitch and with only Szczęsny to beat, slammed his shot against the post. This time though, Juve could not take advantage of the let-off - even if they created to gilt-edged chances to tie the encounter. On 88’, Soulè was picked out in the area by Iling, but the Argentine dragged his shot wide. And the action was still not over. In the first minute of stoppage time, Federico Gatti outjumped the Benfica defence but somehow the ball bounced the wrong side of the far post. A gallant Juve bowed out of the Champions League in a seven-goal thriller. BENFICA 4-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 3-1): Scorers: 17’ Antonio Silva (B), 21’ Kean (J), 28’ João Mário (B), 35’ & 50’ Rafa Silva (B), 77’ Milik (J), 79’ McKennie (J). BENFICA: Vlachodimos; Bah (81′ Gilberto), Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Enzo Fernandez, Florentino; Aursnes, Rafa Silva (87′ Musa), Joao Mario (90’+3′ Chiquinho); Ramos (87′ Neres). Subs not used: Leite, Verissimo, Gonçalves, Ristic, Brooks, Victor, Araujo, Bernardo. Coach: Schmidt. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci (59′ Alex Sandro), Gatti; Cuadrado (59′ Miretti), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (60′ Iling-Junior); Kean (46′ Milik), Vlahovic (70′ Soulé). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Rugani, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Jovanović BOOKINGS: 63′ Danilo (J), 84′ Fernandez (B). Source: www.juventus.com |
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Massimiliano Allegri and Alex Sandro took questions from the press gathered at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon ahead of tomorrow's Champions League match at 21:00 CEST. The coach and the defender declared that Juventus have only victory to aim for.
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI "We are not eliminated yet, nor have we qualified for the round of 16 and we're not even sure of going to the Europa League, but tomorrow only one result will do. It is not all down to us, but everything is still possible. "We must win to keep the door open. Benfica are in charge of their own destiny. They are one of the four unbeaten teams in Europe, together with Napoli, PSG and Real Madrid. Also, they have a different drive in front of their fans and we know it." "We have to play as we did for a good part of the home match, but increasing the duration of our intensity. We didn't start badly. We will try to win by two goals, but we know they are very strong." "The only risk we have, given the last two games won, is that there is too much euphoria, too much enthusiasm and this lowers the 'immune system'. When we are compact, we show strength in defence. In the last two games we had the right attitude, which hasn't always happened. The magic moment must not stop. I'm optimistic, we have everything we need to do well." ALEX SANDRO "This match is hugely important and the only important result is victory. We've come here to win, we are in a positive moment and we know we can no longer make mistakes. Benfica have good players, it will be a difficult match. They have never lost this season but we hope that tomorrow they will suffer their first defeat. We are prepared and I'm sure we'll do well." Source: www.juventus.com |
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TEAM FEELING
"We are coming back from a well-deserved victory in the derby against a good Torino team. Now, we have to follow up on that win by beating Empoli. I still have to evaluate a few things and after today's training I will have clearer ideas. The team is doing better mentally, our mood always depends on the results. Dušan Vlahović played one of his best games against Torino from a technical point of view, as did Moise Kean. I'm very happy with Moise because he is improving, he's better physically and makes himself available to the team. "Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba will still not be available for tomorrow. Chiesa has made progress and a friendly match will be organised for him on Saturday morning. Paul has only partially done a few things with the team. I'm fortunate to have six defenders and to be able to rotate them. I'm happy with Leonardo Bonucci because he is a responsible man and is always an added value for the team, he's the captain and a player with personality, it's normal that I have to try to manage his strength and energy. Fabio Miretti is doing better and he has played many games since the beginning of the season, he is growing, just like Nicolò Fagioli and Matias Soulé." THE MATCH AGAINST EMPOLI "Tomorrow, will not be an easy match, last season they beat us at home. Empoli are a fast and technical team, which physically engages you. To beat them you have to match them, it's clear that from now until the end of the year we must no longer make any more mistakes." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus claimed city bragging rights with a hard-fought win over Torino. One goal was enough to decide the derby, scored by Dušan Vlahović with 15 minutes to play.
The Bianconeri claimed their first win on the road of the season, their 12th win out of the last 14 at the home of their city rivals. CAGEY OPENING The 155th Derby della Mole in Serie A started with both sides taking careful measure of each other. The match was mainly played in midfield with neither defence put under any serious pressure. The first shot came on 14 minutes when Aleksej Mirančuk drove an effort from the edge of the area, which caused no concern to Wojciech Szczęsny. CLOSE TO THE BREAKTHROUGH With 33 minutes played, Juve had their first effort on goal. Dušan Vlahović fired in a shot from a tight angle which was saved by Vanja Milinković-Savić. The two Serbs would go face to face again a minute later, when Juan Cuadrado won the ball inside the Toro half. He found Moise Kean, who slipped the pass onto Vlahović, denied a second time by his international teammate in the Granata goal. On the rebound, Manuel Locatelli tried his luck, again Milinković-Savić stood tall, as he did seconds later against Adrien Rabiot. A minute later Cuadrado, again winning the ball inside the opposition half, drilled his shot just wide. That was the last chance of the first half, which ended as it had started, with the teams cancelling each other out. PUSHING ON The second half started following the same script, Milinković-Savić standing between Juve and the game's opening goal. Five minutes into the second period, the giant keeper lept to keep out Locatelli again. On 62' the Toro keeper was left stranded as a Kostić cross found Kean inside the area. From an excellent position, the striker placed his shot wide of target. Not that Torino were not creating chances of their own. Either side of Kean's chance, the Granata threatened. First Danilo deflected a cross towards his own goal which Szczęsny had to be alert to, then Mirančuk lofted the ball over the bar from a dangerous position. THE DECIDER It was an all-Serbian combination that led to the breakthrough. Again Milinković-Savić produced another full-stretch save to tip Vlahović's header wide after an excellent delivery from Kostić. From the resulting corner, however, the Bianconeri found the finishing touch. Danilo met the cross played into the area. His header bounced into the path of Vlahović, lurking at the far post, who tapped the ball into the unguarded goal. The celebration released all the tension that had been built up over the last week as the players flocked together. Although Torino saw plenty of the ball in the closing stages, they were kept at a safe distance from goal. A compact team performance saw the Bianconeri collect three massive points. Morale restored. TORINO 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 74’ Vlahovic Torino: Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji (77′ Zima), Schuurs, Rodriguez; Lazaro, Lukic, Linetty (77′ Karamoh), Ola Aina (77′ Singo); Miranchuk, Vlasic; Radonjic (70′ Pellegri). Subs not used: Berisha, Gemello, Bayeye, Buongiorno, Ilkhan, Adopo, Seck, Vojvoda, Ricci, Garbett. Coach: Juric. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bremer (51′ Bonucci), Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic (89′ Paredes), Kean (72′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Miretti, Rugani, Soulè, Iling-Junior, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. BOOKINGS: 60′ Linetty, 90’+2′ Lazaro. Source: www.juventus.com |
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PLAYING FOR THE CITY
"The derby is a very heartfelt match and it will be a difficult one. Torino are an intense team that attacks, therefore it will be a complicated match like all of them are. We must play a careful game, keep it short and tidy and work as a team to try to get a positive result." TEAM VIBES "The training retreat is not a punishment, it's just a moment to be more together and concentrate on double training to restore a little more order, because when the results are lacking we tend to see everything darker than it really is. Being together now is good for us. The team has never asked not to do the training retreat, we are all aware of the moment that we are in and are all focused on the desire to get out of this situation. We know that not everything can be resolved with a match, but let's start against Torino." TOMORROW'S LINE-UP "I haven't yet decided on the line-up. Moise Kean didn't start against Maccabi Haifa, because in the final session he had a little discomfort and I preferred not to risk him. For the derby I will have to choose two forwards between him, Dušan Vlahović and Arek Milik. We are in a period in which we will play many games, we need to understand who needs a breather, both physically and mentally, obviously also taking into account the characteristics of the opponent that we will face." REACTIONS "The President has fired up the team and the atmosphere, now we need to come together even more between the club, the team, the coaching staff and the fans. Now, everyone is needed to get out of this moment, keeping things simple and consistent. The goals are always the same. At the moment we are behind in the league, we paid for the week between Salerno and Monza and it is penalising us, but we have plenty of time to recover. As for the Champions League, we'll think about it after Empoli. The team are all together, we all want to get a good result and buck the trend." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus fell to a 2-0 defeat at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Matchday 4. A defeat that complicates the Bianconeri's ambitions, while for Maccabi Haifa it was their first Champions League points of the season.
THE MATCH Pushed on by a passionate support the champions of Israel took the game to Juventus from kick-off. As early as the 4th minute the hosts had a chance to make the breakthrough, when Frantzdy Pierrot headed from close range. Wojciech Szczęsny's reactions were up to the task. The goalkeeper was beaten three minutes later, however. Another cross from the right was met this time by Omer Atzili. Although the ball came off the winger's back rather than his head, it still beat Szczęsny at his far post. Before quarter of an hour had elapsed both Tjaronn Chery, from a free kick, and Atzili, with a curling shot, risked adding to the hosts' advantage. Complicating the situaion further, Ángel Di María limped off on 24', clutching his hamstring. The second goal for Maccabi arrived on 42'. Again Atzili was the scorer with a spectacular finish. Juventus tired to throw themselves a lifeline. Daniele Rugani on 54' and Dušan Vlahović on 60', both with headers, tested Josh Cohen in the Maccabi goal. The Bianconeri saw plenty of the ball but the home team were defending in depth, and although Juan Cuadrado and Arek Milik had efforts on goal, there was no way through for Juventus. MACCABI HAIFA 2-0 JUVENTUS (HT:2-0): Scorers: 7’ & 42’ Atzili (MH). Maccabi Haifa: Cohen; Sundgren, Batubinsika, Goldberg, Cornud (71' Menachem); Lavi, Mohamed (86' Tchibota), Chery; David (71' Abu Fani), Pierrot (86' Rukavytsya), Atzili (66' Seck). Subs not used: Fucs, Mashpati, Arad, Meir, Levi, Eliyahu, Gershon. Coach: Bakhar.. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo (68' Kean), Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro (74' Soulé); Cuadrado, Paredes (46' Locatelli), Rabiot, McKennie (46' Kostic); Di Maria (24' Milik), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bremer, Gatti, Miretti, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Lahoz. BOOKINGS: 27’ Cornud (MH), 45’+3 McKennie (J), 80' Locatelli (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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The 88th match at San Siro between Juventus and Milan finished in a 2-0 defeat for the Bianconeri despite Juve being on top in the opening exchanges. Fikayo Tomori, in first half stoppages, and Brahim Diaz, nine minutes after the restart, were the scorers.
THE MATCH The opening fifteen minutes by Juventus held plenty of promise. With the team playing high up the pitch, and players keen to push forward, chances fell first to Juan Cuadrado, drilled his shot wide from a tight angle, before Arek Milik tested Ciprian Tatarusanu with an effort from the edge of the area - too central to really test the Milan goalkeeper. The third opportunity was created by Danilo, who broke forward at pace, but like Cuadrado, he drove his shot narrowly wide of target. Then Milan came more into the game, especially their dangerman Rafael Leão. His flick from the home side’s first corner shaved the outside of the post on 20’. Again he caused the Juve defence problems with a shot that hit the outside of Wojciech Szczęsny’s opposite post 15 minutes later. The deadlock was broken in time added on in the first half. From another corner, the ball broke to Fikayo Tomori who finished from close range. Nine minutes into the second half, an uphill task became even steeper. Brahim Diaz latched onto an attempt to link up play by Dušan Vlahović. The Milan number 10 sprinted forward and ran the entire length of the Juventus half before depositing the ball into the net. Szczęsny got a hand to the ball but not enough to keep it out. On 70 minutes, Arek Milik almost halved the deficit, but the striker’s header was too close to Tatarusanu to cause the keeper concern. With time running out, Moise Kean almost threw the Bianconeri a lifeline. A one-two at the edge of the area with Milik allowed Kean to make progress inside the area but a last-ditch tackle from Pierre Kalulu deflected the shot out for a corner. Juventus fell to a second away defeat in a row in Serie A. MILAN 2-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 45'+1 Tomori (M), 54' Diaz (M). MILAN: Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez; Pobega (59' Krunic), Bennacer (84' Vranckx), Tonali; Diaz (65' De Ketelaere), Leao (84' Origi); Giroud (65' Rebic). Subs not used: Jungdal, Mirante, Ballo-Touré, Adli, Bakayoko, Dest, Thiaw. Coach: Stefano Pioli. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (46' McKennie), Locatelli (56' Paredes), Rabiot (80' Soulé), Kostic (56' Miretti); Vlahovic (79' Kean), Milik. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Rugani, Fagioli. Coach: Massimiliano Allegri. Referee: Orsato Assistants: Carbone, Giallattini Fourth Official: Fabbri VAR: Chiffi, Marini BOOKINGS: 26’ Cuadrado (J), 55' Diaz (M), 90'+4 Paredes, 90'+4 Tonali, 90'+4 Kean. Source: www.juventus.com |
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A CALCIO CLASSIC
"It's Milan-Juventus. We're playing against the Italian champions and tomorrow will be a more difficult game than usual because they come from a bad defeat in London and will want to make up for it. It will be a good match, a wonderful sporting evening in a full stadium. There are all the conditions for us to be able to put in a good performance." MILAN "We are ready to play this match. Milan at the moment is ahead of us in the standings, they are a strong team and are very dangerous when the pitch is open. They have players of great technique and speed, players like Rafael Leao who can shift the balance of a match and in addition, they'll be playing in front of their fans. It will take focus and character, it will be a good test for us." TEAM NEWS "Leonardo Bonucci should start tomorrow, but I will decide everything after training. Arek Milik is better, he should be available to play, I will also evaluate him between today and tomorrow morning. Right now, we just have to think about getting the results we want, ten games await us between now and November 13th and we will have to think about each one at a time. In the meantime, let's start with a good performance at San Siro, I'm sure the team will play a great match." Source: www.juventus.com |
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Juventus struck three goals at the Allianz Stadium for the second time in as many matches. This time it brought victory in Europe and the first three-points of the Champions League campaign. A double from Adrien Rabiot and another Dušan Vlahović strike were enough for Juve to overcome Maccabi Haifa in Matchday 3.
MINUTE'S SILENCE Before kick-off the players gathered around the centre circle in memory of the victims of the Kanjurujan Stadium tragedy last weekend. DUŠAN DENIED The first real chance of the match fell to Dušan Vlahović on 10 minutes. The striker peeled off his marker to receive a cut-back from Juan Cuadrado, and just as he was about to turn away in celebration following a sweetly struck left-foot shot, Maccabi keeper Josh Cohen at full stretch finger-tipped the effort round the post. Two minutes later again Vlahović had an opportunity. Ángel Di María won the ball in midfield and released the number 9 who exchanged passes with Filip Kostić but stroked his shot wide with the goal at his mercy. The Bianconeri stuck to their gameplan and patiently waited to break through the Maccabi defence again. ADRIEN WITH APLOMB With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Juve broke the deadlock. Di María played the killer pass in behind the Israeli champions' defence for Adrien Rabiot to unleash an unstoppable drive into the top corner. Juve headed into the interval with a one goal advantage. DV9 DOUBLES THE LEAD Five minutes into the second El Fideo produced the vision and the class again to open up the opposition rearguard. This time taking advantage was Vlahović, drilling his shot low into the net. Four minutes later, Dušan could have had his double when again one-on-one he hit his shot straight at Cohen. END-TO-END FINALE Maccabi's substitutes breathed a new lease of life into their play and the visitors managed to open up the contest. First Omer Atzili hit the post - the first of his three shots that would hit the upright - before Din David finished off a counter-attack that saw Wojciech Szczęsny come racing out of his goal in vain. To restore calm to the Juventus side a third goal was needed and the decisive goal was delivered again by Rabiot. With seven minutes to play the midfielder rose at the near post to flick his header into the far corner. A third assist from Di María. Both sides had chances to add to the tally. Manuel Locatelli tried an audacious long-range effort, Moise Keane also came close but at the final whistle what was iimportant was that the Bianconeri had put three points on the board. Next week, the return fixture in Haifa. JUVENTUS 3-1 MACCABI HAIFA (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 36′ Rabiot (J), 50′ Vlahovic (J), 75′ David (M), 83′ Rabiot (J). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado (66′ Bonucci), Bremer, Danilo, De Sciglio (46′ Alex Sandro); McKennie, Paredes (85′ Miretti), Rabiot; Di Maria, Vlahovic (72′ Kean), Kostic (66′ Locatelli). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Milik, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. MACCABI HAIFA: Cohen; Sundgren, Seck, Batubinsika, Goldberg, Cornud (59′ Haziza); Mohamed (84′ Rukavytsya), Chery, Abu Fani (71′ Lavi); Tchibota (59′ Atzili), Pierrot (71′ David). Subs not used: Fucs, Mishpati, Levi, Menachem, Arad, Eliyahu, Gershon. Coach: Bakhar. Referee: Schärer. Assistants: De Almeida, Zogaj. Fourth official: Bieri. VAR: Fritz. BOOKINGS: 52′ Tchibota (M), 80' Alex Sandro (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
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ALLEGRI
"There will be some changes compared to the match against Bologna. We have a lot of close matches and I have the ability to rotate the players and this is very important. I still have to decide on the lineup. In the group stage we have zero points after two games, tomorrow we have to win. We mustn't be in a hurry and anxious, Maccabi are an important team and tomorrow will not be an easy match, we must have respect for them. Arek Milik has slight fatigue but he will be available tomorrow, he will be on the bench and I'll be hoping that I'll not have to use him. Angel Di Maria is much better, even physically and he's had the opportunity to train more, I'm sure he will have an excellent match tomorrow. I'm very happy for Federico Chiesa and we hope to have him back available as soon as possible. I want to conclude by sending Gonzalo Higuain a big hello and a hug! Seeing him play was a pleasure, I wish him a lot of good luck for his 'second' life and thank him for having graced the football fields for so many years." SZCZĘSNY "Against Maccabi we will have to have an attitude very similar to that held against Bologna. In a week we have a double-header with them, six points are needed to get to the direct clash against Benfica to have the possibility of getting through the group. There are many factors that led to the start of our season, the lack of important players didn't help but we still should have done much better. Now, we have a very big month and a half ahead of us. This group has all the qualities and experience to be able to face the next matches with enthusiasm and - despite the difficulties - we can still have a great season. When we manage to be compact and play neat and tidy and the back it becomes much easier to attack, compactness is a fundamental aspect. I love Mattia Perin, I have a good friendship with him, after a difficult period a great goalkeeper is back and I'm not surprised by his performances. I have known Arek Milik for many years and I know that he has always been a strong striker. What surprised me is the quality he puts out on the pitch, playing a little behind Dusan Vlahovic creates many offensive situations. I'm very happy with what he is doing, he has a great future at Juventus." Source: www.juventus.com |
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All four players that had returned to full fitness were launched from the first minute against Bologna by Massimliano Allegri. Other than Wojciech Szczęsny, Alex Sandro, Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli back in the starting line-up, so was Arek Milik, asked to link up with Dušan Vlahović and Filip Kostić in attack.
Add it was the front three that found the net as Juve powered to a 3-0 success and a long awaited return to winning ways. MCKENNIE UNMARKED The first chance of the match arrived on 13 minutes when a Filip Kostić cross picked out Weston McKennie. The midfielder's run went unnoticed by the Bologna defence but from an excellent position the US international's header was straight at Łukasz Skorupski. The Polish goalkeeper was beaten 11 minutes later, however, after a swift counter attack by the Bianconeri and a first goal in black and white for Kostić. KOSTIC OFF THE MARK Arek Milik won back possession on the half-way line with a sliding tackle and set Vlahović off inside the Bologna half. The striker rolled the ball into the path of Kostić, who drilled his low shot across the goal into the corner. The slight deflection off Lorenzo De Silvestri certainly helped deceive Skorupski. Arek Milik had the chance to add to the advantage five minutes later, but his volley from Alex Sandro's cross was hit straight at the grateful Bologna goalkeeper. A QUICK ONE-TWO! Milik had another chance just five minutes into the second half. This time though he fired his effort over the bar. However, it was a matter of minutes before Juve did add to their lead. Again it was the end product of another fine counter attack. Milik, Kostić and McKennie linked up to allow Vlahović to head home from close range. Milik would not be denied a goal of his own, which arrived four minutes later. Bologna failed to clear a corner, and when the ball was played back into the penalty area Arek slammed his shot past his fellow Poland international for Juve's third. THREE GOALS, THREE POINTS! In the closing exchanges Juventus came closer to adding to their tally, through Vlahović, Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado in particular, while Bologna seldom appeared threatening. After a September to forget, October kicked off in the best way possible, three goals without reply for three points. JUVENTUS 3-0 BOLOGNA (HT:1-0): Scorers: 24' Kostić (J), 58' Vlahović (J), 62' Milik (J). JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; McKennie (60' Cuadrado), Rabiot (77' De Sciglio), Locatelli (77' Miretti), Kostic (60' Paredes); Vlahovic, Milik (80' Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé, Paredes, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; De Silvestri (61' Cambiaso), Bonifazi, Sosa, Lykogiannis; Dominguez (61' Medel), Schouten (77' Aebischer); Orsolini, Soriano (77' Ferguson), Sansone (61' Vignato); Arnautovic. Subs not used: Bardi, Bagnolini, Posch, Soumaoro, Moro, Zirkzee, Lucumi', Kasius. Coach: Motta. Referee: Abisso. Assistants: Tolfo, Perrotti. Fourth Official: Maggioni. VAR: La Penna, Preti. BOOKINGS: 90'+2 Sosa (B). Source: www.juventus.com |
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BEGINNING AGAIN
"Tomorrow, a new season begins. The first month went badly, even though we had a good start with the first three games in terms of performances. The data confirms that we have played nine games and we have lost three in total, we must be aware of this and responsible for the situation that we find ourselves in. We have to return to winning ways against Bologna." TEAM NEWS "The players have all come back well from their national teams. I have a larger number of players available to be able to manage the numerous games and we are also recovering important players. Tomorrow, Alex Sandro, Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli will all return to the squad and all three of them are good both mentally and physically, they are ready to play. Juan Cuadrado and Arek Milik both return after being disqualified. Paul Pogba, Federico Chiesa and Angel Di Maria - who is suspended for two matches are all out. Next week, Chiesa will start working with the ball and getting closer to the team. Pogba hasn't started running yet. Locatelli didn't start the season in the best way, but in this break he looked revitalised. In the future he will be one of the pillars of Juventus for his both his technical and sportsman-like qualities." THE NEXT 12 GAMES "A block of 12 games begins tomorrow and need to be good at managing the team by taking things one step at a time, when you lose you always go through bad periods. We are trying to bring Juventus back to winning and we hope to do it as soon as possible. We have looked at everything in these two weeks to analyse what could be the problem. We have to find a solution and do something more, with a different management of the unexpected." Source: www.juventus.com |
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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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