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Juventus were held to a second consecutive draw at the Allianz Stadium as the Bianconeri failed to breakdown Genoa.
The Bianconeri struck the woodwork twice in the second half, first from Samuel Iling jr., the second from Moise Kean. Both the substitutes’ shots rebounded off the post. In stoppage time Dusan Vlahovic was shown a red card for dissent. THE MATCH With Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic back in from kick-off, Juventus fielded the same starting line-up as the reverse fixture. Genoa, instead, played three in attack with Vitinha making his first Serie A start. It was the visitors that created the opening chance. On seven minutes, Albert Gudmundsson’s free kick was flicked goalwards by Mattia Bani. Wojciech Szczesny sprung to his left to parry the header for a corner. The Bianconeri were finding openings hard to come by even though Fabio Miretti was playing intelligently between the lines. In fact, it was the midfielder that was at the hub of Juve’s forward play and was instrumental in the move that led up to a shot from the edge of the area from Federico Gatti, saved by Josep Martinez. Gatti again pushed forward in attack five minutes later when a first-time passing move that involved Miretti, Cambiaso, Vlahovic and Kostic set up the defender inside the penalty area. This time Johan Vazquez slid in to deflect the shot for a corner. A triple change by Massimiliano Allegri before the hour mark signalled the intent to find the key to breakdown the visitors’ solid defence. One of those substitutes almost found the breakthrough. Samuel Iling jr. cut in from the left and released a low shot that bounced over Martinez’s outstretched hand but struck the base of the post. Two minutes later Vlahovic twisted a header just wide of the far post. The number nine came close again on 75 minutes with another header, this time from close range, that spun over the crossbar. The striker’s frustrating afternoon would eventually see him sent off after continuing to remonstrate with the referee deep into stoppage time. Just as the game entered added-on time, Moise Kean became the second Juve player to hit the frame of the goal. The forward looking for his first goal of the season watched in disbelief as his crisp strike bounced back off the upright. For only the second time in the last 17 meetings Juventus failed to score against Genoa. JUVENTUS 0-0 GENOA (HT: 0-0): JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (82′ Kean), McKennie (58′ Rabiot), Locatelli, Miretti (77′ Weah), Kostic (58′ Iling Jr.); Vlahovic, Chiesa (58′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. GENOA: Martinez; De Winter, Bani (84′ Cittadini), Vasquez; Spence, Messias, Badelj (84′ Bohinen), Frendrup (69′ Strootman); Gudmundsson (69′ Malinovskyi); Retegui (78′ Ankeye), Vitinha. Subs not used: Leali, Sommariva, Thorsby, Vogliacco, Pittino, Haps. Coach: Gilardino. Referee: Giua. Bookings: 38′ Danilo, 57′ Cambiaso , 64′ Vitinha, 92′ Vlahovic. Sending off: 92′ Vlahovic. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus made it two seasons without defeat to Atalanta after a 2-2 draw on Serie A Matchday 28 but were left ruing two points dropped.
Trailing by a goal at the interval the Bianconeri turned the game on its head in five second-half minutes. Andrea Cambiaso and Arkadiusz Milik the scorers that gave Juve a 2-1 lead. However, Teun Koopmeiners scored his second of the game five minutes later to tie the match at 2-2. THE MATCH The opening exchanges saw Juventus hem the visitors inside their own half. The first opportunity for Massimiliano Allegri’s side came from a free kick, which Federico Chiesa failed to put on target - a flaw that would be the Bianconeri’s undoing in the first half. Juve continued to see plenty of the ball and a well-worked move down the right allowed Chiesa the chance to run at the Atalanta defence. The winger’s precise cross was met inside the six-yard box by Fabio Miretti, whose header was parried to safety by Marco Carnesecchi. Before the half hour, Juventus had spurned another two opportunities from free-kicks at the edge of the opponents’ penalty area. Both Arkadiusz Milik and Chiesa struck their shots into the defensive wall. At the other end, Atalanta took advantage of a set-piece of their own to open the scoring. While everyone was expecting a direct shot from Gianluca Scamacca, Mario Pasalic rolled the ball to Teun Koopmeiners, who unmarked drilled a left-foot shot beyond Wojciech Szczesny. Juventus slowly but surely built momentum after the interval, and although the move that led to an effort from Chiesa that brought out a fine one-handed save from Carnesecchi was eventually called back for offside, it signalled Juve’s intent. In fact, a minute later Chiesa, played through by Milik, dragged his shot wide. On 55’ Gianluca Scamacca made a decisive tackle on Fabio Miretti, set up after another run by Chiesa, just as the midfielder was set to pull the trigger. The Atalanta forward had just brought out the best in Szczesny with a powerful drive. Half-way through the second half Juve drew level. Chiesa won possession inside his own half and exchanged passes with Weston McKennie. The US international filtered a teasing ball into the area, which Cambiaso was first to reach, poking his shot under Carnesecchi for the equaliser. Momentum was with the home side and a second goal duly arrived. Samuel Iling’s cross was chested down by McKennie for Milik, whose half volley was too powerful for Carnesecchi to keep out. However, five minutes later the visitors grabbed the game’s fourth and final goal. Berat Djimsiti picked out Koopmeiners on the run and the Atalanta midfielder scored his second of the match with another left-foot finish. Both coaches used their full quota of substitutes, which included a return to action from Moise Kean. The forward came close to snatching a last-gasp winner but neither he nor Federico Gatti could divert a tantalising cross delivered deep into the Atalanta area. JUVENTUS 2-2 ATALANTA (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 35’ & 75′ Koopmeiners, 66′ Cambiaso, 70′ Milik. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (81′ Weah), McKennie (87′ Yildiz), Locatelli, Miretti (75′ Nicolussi C.), Iling-Junior (81′ Alex Sandro); Milik (75′ Kean), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Rugani, Kostić, Djalo, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. ATALANTA: Carnesecchi; Scalvini (66′ Toloi), Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta (66′ Hateboer), Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri (87′ Bakker); Koopmeiners, De Ketelaere (87′ Miranchuk); Scamacca (56′ Lookman). Subs not used: Musso, Vismara, Palomino, Toure, De Roon, Kolasinac, Adopo. Coach: Gasperini. Referee: Guida. Bookings: 90+2′ Hateboer. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus fell to a third defeat of 2024 following a 2-1 loss at the Diego Maradona stadium.
Napoli took the lead with three minutes to play of the first half through Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. Federico Chiesa grabbed an equaliser on 81 minutes. However, Napoli were awarded a penalty with five minutes remaining and although Wojciech Szczesny saved Victor Osimhen’s spot kick the goalkeeper was helpless to keep out Giacomo Raspadori’s rebound. At the final whistle, the Bianconeri were left ruing missing five gilt-edged chances. THE MATCH Both Juventus and Napoli appeared in the mood to take the game to their opponents from kick-off. With not even three minutes in and each side had already created an opportunity for an early goal. However, the game’s first clear-cut chance fell to the Bianconeri, and the on-form player of the moment, Dusan Vlahovic. A cross from the right from Federico Chiesa picked out the number 9, who turned his header back across goal but watched as the ball bounced the wrong side of the far post. On 28 minutes Napoli tested Wojciech Szczesny from a free-kick. The goalkeeper reacted sharply to save the rebound at the feet of Frank Anguissa. On his first Serie A start of the season Samuel Iling Jr had a chance to repeat his goal-scoring full debut feat from last season - when he scored at Atalanta - but failed to keep down a volley after another sharp delivery from the right, from Andrea Cambiaso. Two minutes later Vlahovic was sent through on goal by Chiesa. The striker steadied himself before releasing the shot, which cannoned off the post. In the 39th minute Alex Sandro headed off his own goalline but three minutes later, the Bianconeri backline was punctured. A cross from the right was met by Bremer, but the defender’s header fell perfectly for Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose volley sneaked in at Szczesny’s near post. There was still time before the half time whistle for Juve to spurn another glorious chance. It was Vlahovic who failed to capitalise on pressure by Daniele Rugani who forced a mistake at the edge of the hosts’ penalty area. The number nine curled his shot off target with only Alex Meret to beat. Juve’s wasteful ways continued into the second half. Napoli only just scrambled the ball clear from a Chiesa cross. Locatelli picked a pass to the feet of Cambiaso, who skied his shot over the bar. On 61 minutes Vlahovic did force a save out of Meret with his most difficult chance of the evening. Inside the final 10 minutes Juve found a lifeline. Chiesa exchanged passes with Carlos Alcaraz at the edge of the area but still had it all to do. The number 7 picked out an unstoppable curler into the bottom corner to draw the Bianconeri level. However, the drama was far from over. Following an on-field VAR review the referee awarded Napoli a penalty after a Joseph Nonge tackle had caught Victor Osimhen on the ankle. For the first time this season Szczesny had a penalty to contend with. And the keeper thwarted Osimhen’s effort - only for the rebound to be rifled home by Giacomo Raspadori. Yet, there was still time for Juve to spurn another chance. Two minutes into stoppage time Rugani was presented with a chance six yards out, but last week’s match winner this time hit his shot over the bar. NAPOLI 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 42′ Kvaratskhelia, 81′ Chiesa, 88′ Raspadori. NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani (63′ Ostigard), Juan Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Traorè (63′ Zielinski); Politano (63′ Raspadori), Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia (92′ Lindstrom). Subs not used: Contini, Gollini, Natan, Simeone, Mazzocchi, Dendoncker. Coach: Calzona. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Rugani, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cambiaso (64′ Weah), Miretti (75′ Nonge) ((88′ Danilo)), Locatelli, Alcaraz (88′ Milik), Iling Jr (75′ Yildiz); Vlahovic, Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Daffara, Gatti, Kostić, Djaló, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. Bookings: 18′ Vlahovic , 26′ Bremer, 28′ Cambiaso, 47′ Traorè, 86′ Nonge. Source: www.juventus.com |
Daniele Rugani emerged as the hero of a five-goal thriller against Frosinone with a 95th-minute winner.
The defender turned home a Dusan Vlahovic cross with practically the last kick of the match. Vlahovic had struck twice in the first half, first to open the scoring after three minutes, the second to cancel out Frosinone’s advantage on 32 minutes. The 3-2 success rewarded Juventus with a first win in five matches. THE MATCH Juventus were keen to display their intent from kick-off and needed only two and a half minutes to open the scoring. Weston McKennie was picked out on the run down the right wing and his pinpoint cross was turned home by Duscan Vlahovic. Any thoughts of a stroll in the park on this lunchtime kick-off were quickly dismissed by Frosinone’s response. The visitors pulled level inside the opening quarter of an hour when Walid Cheddira powered a header beyond Wojciech Szczesny. Not satisfied with having cancelled out the Juve’s opener, Frosinone pushed on and a lightning quick counter attack orchestrated by Abdou Harroui was finished by Marco Brescianini. It was the Bianconeri’s turn to react, and that is exactly what they did, but not after Adrien Rabiot had limped off, replaced by Carlos Alcaraz. Federico Chiesa was involved in the original build-up in the move that led to the game’s fourth goal. Inadvertently the ball rebounded off the winger into the path of Vlahovic whose close-range effort was blocked by Michele Cerofolini. However, Juve's attack persisted and once again McKennie popped up with the assist for Vlahovic, who drilled home his 15th goal in 22 Serie A appearances so far this campaign. Just over half an hour on the clock and the score was tied at 2-2. The game’s fifth goal was more difficult to find, however. Second-half chances fell to Federico Chiesa and his replacement Kenan Yildiz without testing Cerofolini. With 10 minutes to play the Frosinone goalkeeper was called into action from Manuel Locatelli’s long-range effort. Two minutes later Weston McKennie injured his shoulder on making a recovery tackle to deny Kaio Jorge a run in on goal. With time running out, Juventus continued to press, and their endeavour was rewarded. A second consecutive corner was not dealt with by the visitors, allowing Vlahovic to place a cross to the far post where Daniele Rugani was waiting. With a striker’s poise, the defender drilled his shot low into the bottom corner. The game’s fifth goal in the fifth minute of stoppage allowed the Bianconeri to enjoy the sweet taste of victory for the first time in February. JUVENTUS 3-2 FROSINONE (HT: 2-2): Scorers: 3′ & 32′ Vlahovic, 13′ Cheddira, 27′ Brescianini, 90+5′ Rugani. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (85′ Milik), Bremer, Rugani; Cambiaso, McKennie (85′ Iling Jr), Locatelli, Rabiot (28′ Alcaraz), Kostic (61′ Weah); Vlahovic, Chiesa (61′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Daffara, Alex Sandro, Djaló, Miretti, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. FROSINONE: Cerofolini; Romagnoli, Okoli, Valeri; Lirola (95′ Monterisi), Mazzitelli (85′ Gelli), Brescianini, Harroui (72′ Barrenechea), Zortea; Soulé (85′ Seck), Cheddira (72′ Kaio Jorge). Subs not used: Turati, Frattali, Baez, Reinier, Vural, Garritano, Kvernadze, Ibrahimovic, Ghedjemis. Coach: Di Francesco. Referee: Rapuano. Bookings: 7′ Bremer, 63′ Valeri, 68′ Cerofolini, 71’ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus came from behind twice to share the points with Hellas Verona in a four-goal thriller at the Bentegodi.
Dusan Vlahovic converted a penalty on 28 minutes to cancel out Michael Folorunsho’s opening wonder goal. After the interval, the hosts again took the lead, through Tijjani Noslin on 52 minutes. Three minutes later Adrien Rabiot steered home the Bianconeri’s second equaliser. A reflex save inside stoppage time by Lorenzo Montipò frustrated Federico Chiesa’s attempt to complete the turnaround and the Biaconeri had to settle for a single point. THE MATCH The intense atmosphere inside the Bentegodi stadium encouraged both teams to play open football from kick-off. The first chances were created by the home side, and they took the lead with a goal of a lifetime from Michael Folorunsho on 11 minutes. Adrien Rabiot headed clearance from a corner was met on the volley at the edge of the area by Folorunsho, who dispatched an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Two minutes later Wojciech Szczesny was called on to keep out Tijjani Noslin when the Verona striker was sent through on goal. Andrea Cambiaso was the first to worry Lorenzo Montipò in the Verona goal with a shot from distance, which whistled just wide of the keeper’s left-hand post. Folorunsho was also involved in the action that led to the Bianconeri’s equaliser. Filip Kostic’s shot struck the arm of the Verona midfielder and the referee, perfectly positioned, immediately indicated to the penalty spot. Dusan Vlahovic stepped up from 12 yards to bury his shot beyond Montipò for his seventh goal of 2024. The game continued to flow from end to end and although there was no further scoring in the opening half, it appeared unlikely that the match would finish 1-1. In fact, at the start of the second period, Giangiacomo Magnani hit the top of the crossbar with a header from a corner, although Szczesny had it covered. The Juve keeper made an excellent stop to deny a powerful drive from Noslin on 51’, but was powerless a minute later when the Verona striker completed a one-touch move through midfield to hit a shot low under Szczesny. The Bianconeri’s response was immediate and within three minutes were level again. Pressure from Federico Gatti forced a poor clearance from Juan Cabal down near the Verona corner flag. Manuel Locatelli quickly played a pass to the feet of Adrien Rabiot, who steered his shot into the far corner. Cambiaso almost completed the turnaround soon after but blasted over from an excellent position inside the opposition penalty area. Juve were pinning Verona inside their own half and substitute Carlos Alcaraz was in the thick of the action as the visitors sought the game’s fifth goal. The January arrival fed Rabiot on the run. His cross with the outside of the boot was a fraction too high for Vlahovic, who threw himself at the ball but could not keep his header down. It was another substitute, Federico Chiesa, who came closest to snatching victory for the Bianconeri. First on 83 minutes he made space for the shot, but his curling effort went just over. In setting up the chance, Danilo landed awkwardly and despite having his ankle heavily strapped, the captain valiantly played on. Then in the first minute of stoppage time, Chiesa and Alcaraz exchanged passes deep into the Verona penalty box. This time winger’s shot was on target but was somehow kept out by the feet of Montipò. There was to be no fifth goal of the game and come the final whistle the pointes were shared. HELLAS VERONA 2-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 11′ Folorunsho. 28′ Vlahovic (pen), 52′ Noslin, 55′ Rabiot. HELLAS VERONA: Montipò, Tchatchoua (84′ Coppola), Magnani, Dawidowicz, Cabal, Duda, Suslov; Dani Silva (84′ Henry); Folorunsho (73′ Belahyane), Lazovic (73′ Vinagre); Noslin (64′ Swiderski). Subs not used: Chiesa, Perilli, Tavsan, Mitrovic, Centonze, Charlys, Bonazzoli. Coach: Baroni. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (55′ Alex Sandro), Rugani, Danilo; Cambiaso (80′ Weah), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (55′ Chiesa); Vlahovic (80′ Milik), Yildiz (65′ Alcaraz). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Iling Jr, Miretti, Djaló, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge Boende. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Di Bello. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus suffered a second consecutive defeat in Serie A after Udinese edged out the Bianconeri at the Allianz Stadium.
The game's only goal was scored by Lautaro Giannetti after 25 minutes. Akadiusz Milik did put the ball in the net with an hour played but his header was chalked off as the cross from the lead-up corner had gone out of play. THE MATCH The opening exchanges set the pattern for the remainder of the game with Udinese content to sit deep and invite Juventus to break down their defensive line. Federico Chiesa, on his first start of 2024, called on Maduka Okoye to make a save with a shot from the edge of the area in the opening minutes. Federico Gatti, Adrien Rabiot and Andrea Cambiaso would also try their luck from distance, with Rabiot’s the only effort on target, forcing the Udinese goalkeeper to parry away the danger. The deadlock was broken on 25 minutes. The visitors earned a free-kick outside the penalty area. A flick-on from Thomas Kristensen broke off Alex Sandro at the edge of the six yard box into the path of Lautaro Giannetti, who had the easy task of slotting his shot into the unguarded net. Juve came close to a first-half equaliser with three minutes to play. Bremer picked out Alex Sandro, who delivered a precise cross that was met by Arkadiusz Milik. The striker’s header was kept out by a reflex save from Okoye. In the second period, Milik did put the ball into the net, from another close-range header. Rabiot had picked out the number 14 from a corner. Chiesa's cross, however, had gone out of play before it reached the penalty area, so the goal was disallowed. The Bianconeri were granted plenty of possession but even the substitutions, including the first team debut of Leonardo Cerri, could not turn the game in the home side's favour. The closest they came to an equaliser arrived with nine minutes remaining. An inviting cross from Andrea Cambiaso picked out Kenan Yildiz on the run at the edge of the six-yard box, but the teenager just failed to make contact to knock the ball goalwards. The final whistle after four minutes of time added on condemned Juve to a first loss at home to Udinese since 2015. JUVENTUS 0-1 UDINESE (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 24′ Giannetti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weah (60′ Yildiz), McKennie, Locatelli (76′ Nicolussi C.), Rabiot, Cambiaso (83′ Cerri); Milik, Chiesa (76′ Iling Jr). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Scaglia, Rugani, Djalo, Kostić, Miretti, Alcaraz, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. UDINESE: Okoye; Perez, Giannetti, Kristensen; Ehizibue (64′ Joao Ferreira), Lovric, Walace, Samarzdic, Zemura (64′ Ebosele); Thauvin (76′ Brenner); Lucca (76′ Success). Subs not used: Silvestri, Padelli, Zarraga, Davis, Kamara, Tikvic, Kabasele, Payero. Coach: Sottil. Referee: Abisso. Bookings: 9′ Ehizibue, 37′ Bremer, 73′ Gatti, 81′ Walace, 88′ Success , 91′ Nicolussi Caviglia. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus lost for the first time in 20 games in both league and cup with a 1-0 defeat at Inter.
The game’s only goal arrived after 37 minutes when Federico Gatti touched the ball into his own net. The defender came close to grabbing an equaliser in the second half, but his powerful shot went wide. Wojciech Szczesny produced two world-class saves to keep Juventus in the game but the Bianconeri failed to find an equalising goal. THE MATCH The tactical chess match that is the Derby d’Italia saw neither goalkeeper make a save in the first half but that did not detract from the absorbing spectacle that unfolded under the floodlights at San Siro. An immense recovery tackle by Bremer denied Marcus Thuram a tap-in on 24 minutes, a scare that sparked a reply from Juventus. Weston McKennie set off on a slaloming run into Inter territory with Kenan Yildiz and Dusan Vlahovic in support. The midfielder opted for the latter, who belied his 2024 form, unable to take the ball in his stride and the chance went begging. Another important tackle at the edge of the penalty area, this time by Danilo, set off another Bianconeri counter attack. Andrea Cambiaso’s run allowed him to feed the ball to Filip Kostic, whose cross was blocked for a corner. The five-minute spell of end-to-end play ended with Inter taking the lead. A cross from Nicolò Barella invited Benjamin Pavard to attempt a scissors kick. The ball bounced into the six-yard box, where Federico Gatti, under pressure from Thuram, turned the ball into his own net. The second half saw Inter come close to adding to their lead, especially from a Hakan Calhanoglou volley which struck the outside of the post. With an hour on the clock, Juve sowed panic in the Nerazzurri defence. Adrien Rabiot assisted Yildiz, who turned the ball into the path of Kostic, whose drive found no takers inside the Inter penalty area. The Bianconeri kept up the pressure, and a Bremer header from a corner was controlled on the chest by Vlahovic, but his overhead kick finished high. On 67’ Gatti almost made amends. A powerful shot from the edge of the area whistled wide of Yan Sommer’s far post. Two minutes later, Wojciech Szczesny pulled off a huge block to keep out a close-range volley from Barella. The closing phase of the game saw both side’s tire and turn to the bench for fresh legs. Federico Chiesa and Tim Weach were introduced but with Inter sitting more deeply to defend their lead, neither found the space to exploit their speed. With three minutes of normal time remaining, again Szczesny kept the scoreline within touching distance for Juve with an incredible save to deny Marko Arnautovic, but with even five minutes of time added on the Bianconeri could not break down the Inter backline. INTER 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 37′ Gatti (o.g.). INTER: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni (88′ De Vrij); Darmian (72′ Dumfries), Barella (88′ Klaassen), Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (72′ Carlos Augusto); Thuram (76′ Arnautovic), Lautaro. Subs not used: Di Gennaro, Audero, Sensi, Klaassen, Frattesi, Buchanan, Asllani, Bisseck, Sanchez. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti (87′ Alex Sandro), Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (87′ Miretti) , McKennie (89′ Alcaraz), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (65′ Weah); Vlahovic, Yildiz (65′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Iling Jr, Rugani, Djalo, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Maresca. Bookings: 18′ Vlahovic, 32′ Danilo. 50′ Mkhitaryan, 76′ Thuram. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus failed to win for the first time in 2024 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Empoli on Matchday 22 of Serie A. Despite being reduced to 10 players on 16 minutes following the sending off of Arkadiusz Milik, the Bianconeri took the lead on 50 minutes.
Dusan Vlahovic scored his 12 goal of the league campaign with a close-range volley from a corner kick. Empoli equalised 20 minutes later from substitute Tommaso Baldanzi. The share of the points ended Juve’s run of seven straight wins in all competitions. THE MATCH The 16th minute sending-off of Arkadiusz Milik altered a bright start from Juventus, which produced no early goal, as down to 10 men, the home side took a more cagey approach to proceedings. In the fifth minute Dusan Vlahovic tried to reproduce his form from free-kicks displayed against Sassuolo in the previous home fixture. However, his curling effort was tipped wide by Elia Caprile. The Empoli goalkeeper was called into action again on 12 minutes following an intrepid run and shot by Andrea Cambiaso. Then the incident that changed the complexion of the game. Arek Milik miscontrolled in midfield and in attempting to retrieve possession his studs caught the ankle of Alberto Cerri rather than the ball. After an on-field review, the referee overturned his initial yellow card for a direct red. Juve would play more than 70 minutes minus one player . With a man extra Empoli stepped out of their defensive shell and tested Wojciech Szczesny through a couple of efforts from Nicolò Cambiaghi, the second a swerving cross-cum-shot that the Juve number one did well to tip wide. Just as the first-half stoppage time was almost up the Bianconeri had the best chance of the match. Fabio Miretti read Emmanuel Gyasi’s intentions and intercepted the Empoli midfielder’s pass and charged into the penalty area. With only Caprile to beat, Miretti fired his shot high over the bar. However, Juve reproduced the same thrust after the interval and took the lead five minutes into the second half. A corner from the right was not cleared by the visiting defence and without thinking twice Vlahovic smashed the ball into the net from close range. It was the striker’s sixth goal in 2024. After going a goal down, Empoli began to make their extra player count. On 63’ Alex Sandro produced an interception to deny Tommaso Baldanzi from sneaking in at the far post. Seven minutes later the substitute struck the equaliser from a low shot drilled into the far corner from the edge of the penalty box. Both coaches made a flurry of substitutions in the game’s closing phase but neither defence was breached again as Juventus collected a 17th match without loss in Serie A but failed to collect a sixth staight league win. JUVENTUS 1-1 EMPOLI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 50′ Vlahovic, 69′ Baldanzi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cambiaso (76′ Iling Jr), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (57′ Weah), Kostic (76′ Yildiz); Vlahovic, Milik. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Danilo, Rugani, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge Boende. Coach: Allegri. EMPOLI: Caprile; Ismajli, Walukiewicz, Luperto; Gyasi, Zurkowski (88′ Fazzini), Grassi (55′ Cancellieri), Maleh, Cacace; Cambiaghi (93 Marin), Cerri (55′ Baldanzi). Subs not used: Perisan, Berisha, Goglichidze, Pezzella, Shpendi, Bereszynski, Indragoli. Coach: Nicola. Referee: Marinelli. Bookings: 20′ Walukiewicz, 90+3′ Weah. Sending-off: 16′ Milik. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus clocked up a second consecutive win by three goals without reply to move one point clear at the top of Serie A.
The breakthrough against Lecce came close to the hour mark - again Dusan Vlahovic found the target, scoring for his third game in succession. The centre forward added a second in poacher’s style nine minutes later before Bremer wrapped up the victory with five minutes to play. The Bianconeri extended their unbeaten run to 16 matches in Serie A and have now scored 18 games in the five matches played between league and cup in 2024. THE MATCH Despite the two teams experiencing opposing runs of form the first half between Lecce and Juventus was a tightly-fought contest, just as it was the first time the sides met in September. However, the Bianconeri almost got off to a flying start, inside the opening 15 seconds to be precise, after a powerful run by Federico Gatti, back from suspension, set up Dusan Vlahovic, who stabbed his shot wide. It was Juve’s other player that was absent last week against Sassuolo because of a one-match ban, Weston McKennie that came closest to breaking the deadlock, on 10 minutes. A Fabio Miretti corner reached McKennie, whose goal-bound header was cleared off the line by home striker Nikola Krstovic. Two minutes later Filip Kostic blasted over from a tight angle from inside the penalty area. On 19’ Andrea Cambiaso produced a tantalising cross which Vlahovic threw himself at but could not find the contact to divert the ball into the net. As the opening period progressed, Lecce pressed hard to reduce the space for Juve to manoeuvre. Chances were few and far between at both ends of the pitch, with neither goalkeeper ever seriously tested. The Bianconeri signalled their intent after the restart when Miretti burst into the penalty area only to see his shot deflected for a corner. A couple of minutes later a Vlahovic diving header spun wide of the far post - but the striker was just finding his aim. Vlahovic started the counter attack that he eventually finished for the game's opening goal. The number 9 touched a pass on for McKennie who in turn found Kenan Yildiz. The teenager’s control on the run allowed him the opportunity to hit from distance. The shot stung the gloves of Wladimiro Falcone, who could only parry the ball into the path of Cambiaso, whose inch-perfect cross was sweetly met on the volley by Dusan. Not even 10 minutes later and the Bianconeri were two goals to the good with Vlahovic’s second consecutive double. A cross from Kostic was met at the far edge of the six-yard box by McKennie, whose header again appeared to be goal bound. Not wanting to take any risks, Dusan applied the finishing touch to tap home his 11th of the campaign. Although Patrick Dorgu curled a shot off target from a useful position, Lecce were not creating much to upset the Juve defence. Instead it was a defender that grabbed the team’s third goal on the night. With five minutes to play Samuel Iling Jr flighted in a free-kick which was met perfectly by Bremer, who gave Falcone no chance from close range. Wojciech Szczesny was called on to make his first important stop of the evening deep into stoppage time to keep out a Nicola Sansone snap shot. A crucial save in that it meant back-to-back clean sheets on top of back-to-back Vlahovic doubles. LECCE 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 59′ & 68′ Vlahovic, 85′ Bremer. LECCE: Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschirotto, Gallo (65′ Dorgu); Gonzalez (60′ Blin), Ramadani, Kaba; Oudin (65′ Pierotti), Krstovic (71′ Piccoli), Almqvist (71′ Sansone). Subs not used: Brancolini, Samooja, Venuti, Berisha, Strefezza. Coach: D’Aversa. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (80′ Alex Sandro), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (56′ Weah), Kostic (74′ Iling Jr); Vlahovic, Yildiz (74′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Doveri. Bookings: McKennie, Kaba. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus continued their winning start to 2024 with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo to get even against the only team to have defeated the Bianconeri this campaign.
A memorable Dusan Vlahovic double in the first half was added to by Federico Chiesa in the closing minute of the second period. The three points saw Juve remain on the heels of Inter at the top of the table. THE MATCH A cautious start saw both sides take the measure of each other but at the first sight of goal on 15 minutes Juve took the lead. Pressing in midfield saw the Bianconeri recycle possession and Fabio Miretti quickly shuffled the ball onto Dusan Vlahovic at the edge of the area. The striker took aim and hit a sweet curler up and over Andrea Consigli. For Dusan it was a fifth direct involvement in his last four league outings - and it wasn’t his last of the first half. However, before Vlahovic completed his double, Wojciech Szczesny kept out a wicked drive from distance from Armand Lauriente. Coming close to seeing their slender advantage cancelled out sparked Juve back into life and Kenan Yildiz jinked his way into the Sassuolo penalty area only to see his shot blocked by Gian Marco Ferrari. Two minutes later, Miretti’s burst forward led to a free-kick within shooting distance. Vlahovic calmed himself before unleashing a left-foot screamer which flew into the top corner. Vlahovic had a chance to complete a first-half hat-trick, but his free-kick from the opposite side was comfortably saved by Consigli. The Sassuolo keeper was then called on again to get down quickly to keep out an Adrien Rabiot pile driver. After the restart Sassuolo tried to claw themselves back into the contest, through their talisman Domenico Berardi. On 53’ he drilled a shot just wide, then on 64’ he galloped from his own half with the ball at his feet. The number 10’s shot required an exceptional one-handed save from Szczesny, made even more remarkable considering a deflection off the heel of Danilo caused the ball to change direction. The closest Vlahovic came to completing his hat-trick in the second half was an effort from an acute angle, which Tressoldi blocked to concede a corner. Tim Weah almost added goal number three with a quarter of an hour remaining after being set up in the area by fellow substitutes Federico Chiesa and Arkadiusz Milik. The US international lashed his shot over the bar. It was Chiesa, however, that ensured the Juve subs left their mark in the final minute of normal time. Milik chased down what seemed a lost cause deep in Sassuolo territory. Chiesa allowed the ball to run through to Manuel Locatelli, who again showed his generous side by laying a pass into the path of Chiesa for a close-range finish to wrap up the scoring. Juve head to Lecce on Sunday with confidence high on the back of six straight wins in all competitions. JUVENTUS 3-0 SASSUOLO (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 14′ & 36′ Vlahovic, 87′ Chiesa. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bremer, Rugani; Cambiaso (87′ Alex Sandro), Miretti (56′ Weah), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (80′ Iling-Jr.); Vlahovic (80′ Milik), Yildiz (56′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Hasa. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Pedersen, Erlic (45′ Tressoldi), Ferrari, Viti(73′ Missori); Matheus Henrique, Boloca, Thorstvedt (69′ Volpato); Berardi (69′ Castillejo), Pinamonti, Lauriente (83′ Mulattieri). Subs not used: Pegolo, Cragno, Bajrami, Ceide, Alvarez, Lipani. Coach: Dionisi. Referee: Piccinini. Bookings: 41′ Erlic, 64’ Ferrari. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus came from behind to collect all three points at a rain drenched Arecchi Stadium. The Bianconeri were trailing to a Giulio Maggiore goal at the interval, but took advantage of the Salernitana midfielder’s sending off on 53 minutes to lay siege on the home goal and turn the game on its head.
Samuel Iling-Junior rifled home the equaliser on 65 minutes and as the clocked ticked into stoppages, Dusan Vlahovic towered above the Salernitana defence to head the game’s winning goal. The victory allowed Juventus to reach the midway point of the season on 46 points. THE MATCH The result of the midweek cup tie had little bearing on the opening exchanges of the league encounter against Salernitana. With Federico Chiesa sidelined with a swollen knee, Kenan Yildiz started his third consecutive Serie A match. Straight from kick-off the teenager attacked the opposition defence, but would soon find was space was exceedingly hard to find. Filippo Inzaghi welcomed back Federico Fazio at the heart of the home defence and the veteran proved pivotal in denying Juve the game’s opening goal. The clock had already ticked onto the 25th minute when a free-kick from Hans Nicolussi Caviglia appeared to be destined to reach Bremer, poised to head the ball into the net when Fazio backtracked to make a massive interception. Before that chance, Weston McKennie had forced a save from Benoit Costil. However, the referee awarded a free-kick to the home side for an earlier infringement. Juventus, toiling to break down the well-organised defensive line, were caught on the break on 39 minutes. A long pass from the back released Salomon Sambia, who cut the ball back to Louma Tchaouna inside the penalty area. The forward laid off to Giulio Maggiore, who took the pass with his right foot to then hit a left foot piledriver out of the reach of Wojciech Szczesny. The Bianconeri started the second half with intent. McKennie glanced his diving header wide just three minutes in. Five minutes later, Juve found themselves with a numerical superiority. Maggiore tripped Adrien Rabiot as he powered towards the Salernitana penalty area. The first-half goal scorer received his second yellow card, leaving the home side down to 10 men. Juve upped the pressure as Salernitana sat deeper and deeper. And the pressure paid off on 65 minutes. Arkadiusz Milik threaded a pass to Tim Weah, whose cut back picked out Dusan Vlahovic. The striker’s miss-hit shot arrived at the feet of Samuel Iling Junior, who slammed the ball high into the roof of the net. Although Domagoj Bradaric asked Szczesny to produce his first serious save of the match soon after, the pattern of the game remained the same, with the home side defending in numbers. And the tactics were frustrating Juventus, until the first minute of stoppage time. Danilo intercepted inside the Salernitana half and quickly released a cross into the heart of the penalty area. Just as he had done in the previous away fixture at Frosinone, Vlahovic outjumped his marker to power a header beyond the home goalkeeper. The number 9 celebrated in front of the travelling support and was quickly mobbed by his teammates. Juventus had completed the turnaround to claim an 11th win in their 14 match unbeaten run in Serie A. SALERNITANA 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 39′ Maggiore, 65′ Iling-Junior, 90+1′ Vlahovic. SALERNITANA: Costil, Daniliuc, Gyomber, Fazio; Sambia (89′ Martegani), Legowski, Maggiore, Bradaric; Candreva, Tchaouna (57′ Bronn); Simy (77′ Ikwuemesi). Subs not used: Fiorillo, Ochoa, Botheim, Stewart, Sfait, Lovato. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (46′ Rugani), Bremer, Danilo; Weah (78′ Nonge), McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia (59′ Milik), Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling-Junior); Yildiz (68′ Miretti), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Guida. Bookings: 20′ Gyomber, 32′ Maggiore, 43′ Gatti, 69′ McKennie, 73′ Rugani, 91′ Vlahovic, 92′ Rabiot. Sending off: 53′ Maggiore. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus came from a goal down in the first minute to thrash Salernitana 6-1 and march on to the Italian Cup quarter-finals.
The opening game of 2024 was one to remember for Fabio Miretti, Kenan Yildiz and Tim Weah, who all celebrated goals for the first time at the Allianz Stadium, as it was also for Joseph Nonge, who made his first team debut as a second half substitute. Andrea Cambiaso and Daniele Rugani were also on the scoresheet while an own goal completed the scoring. THE MATCH In an Italian Cup round of 16 full of surprises, Juventus were caught cold in the first minute, but any thoughts of an upset by Salernitana were blown away by sparkling Bianconeri performance. With less than 60 seconds on the clock Juve were behind when the visitors pressed Federico Gatti into making a mistake with a passback to Daniele Rugani. The ball landed at the feet of Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi, who slotted his shot beyond a stranded Mattia Perin. Federico Chiesa then took the proceedings by the scruff of the neck. On 12 minutes he charged at the Salernitana defence before flighting a cross to Andrea Cambiaso. The number 27 intelligently nodded the ball down into the path of Fabio Miretti, for the midfielder to slide in and drill the ball in at Vincenzo Fiorillo’s near post. Juve kept up the pressure and another slick move down the right between Iling and Cambiaso released Gatti on the run. The defender was brought down by Salomon Sambia and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. However, VAR decided the contact was made just outside the area, overturning the spot kick for a free kick. With Chiesa prompting attack after attack, and coming close with a shot of his own, it was only a matter of time before the Bianconeri completed the turnaround. The number 7 curled in a cross from a corner, which Danilo headed on to Andrea Cambiaso. From the edge of the six-yard box Cambiaso hit his volley low into the far corner. Fiorillo then made a save to keep the gap to just one goal at the break, denying Miretti a double, but the Salernitana captain was set for a torrid second half. On 54’ another move from a corner saw Chiesa deliver another precise cross, which was met in the air by Arek Milik. The striker’s header was blocked by Fiorillo, only for Rugani to tap in from close range. Massimiliano Allegri freshened up his side with a quarter of an hour remaining, and it was the substitutes that added to the glut of goals. When Kenan Yildiz was played in on goal by Milik, Fiorillo managed to make the block, but this time it was teammate Dylan Bronn, who turned the ball into the empty net. Yildiz was not going to be denied his first goal at the Allianz Stadium, however, and with two minutes of normal time remaining he glided away from two Salernitana defenders before slamming his shot into the net. A turn of pace and display of lucidity in front of goal and Kenan lapped up the applause. The scoring was not yet over. Timothy Weah grabbed his first in the black and white stripe with a screamer from outside the box that smashed in off the underside of the crossbar. A debut strike to remember. Juventus powered into the Italian Cup quarter-finals and will take on Frosinone, the vanquishers of Napoli. JUVENTUS 6-1 SALERNITANA (HT: 2-1): Scorers: 1′ Ikwuemesi, 12′ Miretti, 35′ Cambiaso, 54′ Rugani, 75′ Bronn (o.g.), 88′ Yildiz, 90+1′ Weah. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Cambiaso (82′ Kostic), Miretti (76′ Nonge), Locatelli, Rabiot, Iling-Junior (65′ Weah); Milik (76′ Vlahovic), Chiesa (65′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Bremer, Huijsen, Muharemovic, McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. SALERNITANA: Fiorillo; Sambia, Bronn, Lovato, Daniliuc; Legowski (76′ Borrelli), Maggiore (46′ Bradaric); Tchaouna (54′ Sfait), Botheim (54′ Simy), Ikwuemesi; Stewart (46′ Gyomber). Subs not used: Costil, Allocca, Fazio, Elia. Coach: Inzaghi. Referee: Ghersini. Bookings: 39′ Maggiore. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus saw out 2023 with a 13th match undefeated in Serie A following a 1-0 win over Roma at the Allianz Stadium.
The decider came two minutes into the second half when Adrien Rabiot scored after a Dusan Vlahovic backheel had played the midfielder through on goal. With victory, the Bianconeri closed the gap on Inter at the top of the table to just two points. THE MATCH Kenan Yildiz held down his starting place for a second consecutive match. This time the teenager was joined in attack by Dusan Vlahovic. The two showed a growing understanding as the first half progressed but it was Vlahovic’s presence inside his own penalty area that proved fundamental to thwart Roma’s opening attack. With four minutes on the clock, Bryan Cristante unleashed a powerful volley from inside the penalty area, which deflected off the Juve striker onto the post, with Wojciech Szczescy at full stretch. Vlahovic then showed strength and opportunism to continually test the Giallorossi rearguard throughout the remainder of the first period. The number 9 dragged a shot wide on nine minutes. Three minutes later, bearing down on goal, he blasted his effort off target from a promising position. On the half hour, Yildiz used his skill to leave the Roma defence trailing in his wake. He allowed Weston McKennie to take over, whose cross was acrobatically met by Vlahovic. Again the shot did not test Rui Patricio. The visiting goalkeeper was relieved to see Yildiz also fail to hit the target after the 18-year-old ran at the Giallorossi defence. A minute later, Roma once again threatened the Bianconeri defence. The chance fell to Paulo Dybala, whose swerving shot shaved Szczesny’s far post. With the first half coming to a close, Juve created their most clear-cut chance. A long throw from McKennie reached Filip Kostic unmarked just inside the penalty area. The winger’s shot was crisply hit, but with Rui Patricio beaten all ends up, Evan N’Dicka spectacularly cleared off of his own line. However, the opening goal arrived not long after the restart. Juventus picked up where they had left off, pinning Roma inside their own half. The high pressing from the Bianconeri midfield allowed Kostic to chase down a loose ball, which broke to Vlahovic. The centre forward cleverly backheeled the ball into the path of Adrien Rabiot, who drilled his shot low and hard beyond Rui Patricio. The hosts invited Roma to find a way to break them down but the nearest the capital outfit came was a curling shot from Dybala on 71’, which called on the watchful Szczesny to make a routine save. Federcio Chiesa thought he had wrapped up the win with five minutes of normal time remaining when he latched onto Samuel Iling’s pass. However, the forward was flagged for offside after having deposited the ball into the net. Despite seven minutes of time added on, Roma could find no way through the solid backline as Juve collected a 20th clean sheet of the calendar year. Juventus start 2024 with a double header against Salernitana, first in Coppa Italian then Serie A, when the same team spirit will be called on to maintain the momentum. JUVENTUS 1-0 ROMA (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 47’ Rabiot. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, McKennie (90’+5′ Rugani), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (75′ Iling-Junior); Vlahovic (75′ Milik), Yildiz (65′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Huijsen, Miretti, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. ROMA: Rui Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, Ndicka; Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes (74′ El Shaarawy), Bove (64′ Pellegrini), Zalewski (79′ Azmoun); Dybala, Lukaku. Subs not used: oer, Svilar, Karsdorp, Belotti, Celik, Renato Sanches, Spinazzola, Pagano, Pisilli. Coach: Mourinho. Referee: Sozza. Bookings: 68′ Paredes, 77′ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
A first start for Kenan Yildiz with Juventus in Serie A brought the teenager a record-breaking first goal for the club. Dusan Valhovic then claimed the game’s third and final goal to seal all three points for Juventus at Frosinone.
The hosts equalised at the start of the second half through Jaime Baez, but a goal inside the final 10 minutes rewarded the Bianconeri with a crucial victory heading into the festive period. THE MATCH Massimiliano Allegri welcomed back Adrien Rabiot after the midfielder sat out the trip to Genoa. The coach also brought Alex Sandro and Arkadiusz Milik into the starting line-up, and granted a first start in Serie A for Kenan Yildiz. The teenager wasted no time in leaving his mark. With his first run at the home rearguard, he burst through three Frosinone defenders, leaving them in his wake, and despite the tight angle smashed his shot low into the bottom corner. A dream start for the 18 year old. On the other side, the Juventus loanees, Matias Soulé, Enzo Barrenechea and Kaio Jorge, tried to spark a reaction from the hosts, but it was Yildiz once again involved in the action that almost gave Juve a second goal inside the opening quarter of an hour. His pass released Filip Kostic, who was put off just as he was about to pull the trigger. Alex Sandro was forced off after 26 minutes. The Brazilian limped off on the day he surpassed Juan Cuadrado as the foreigner with third most appearances for the Bianconeri, replaced by Federico Gatti against his former club. Over the half-hour mark, Juve created two more opportunities to double their lead. Firstly Milik played in an inviting cross but there were no takers at the far post. Meanwhile, Danilo powered a header over from close range from a Kostic corner. Wojciech Szczesny was called into action with 10 minutes of the first half remaining after Soulé had dribbled his way to the deadball line. The Argentine’s driven cross was parried away by the Juve number 1. However, Szczesny was beaten six minutes into the second half. Ilario Monterisi split the Juve defence open for Jaime Baez to slot his shot under the keeper. Allegri made a triple change on 56 minutes, bringing on Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Samuel Iling jr in midfield, and Dusan Vlaovic for Yildiz in attack. Vlahovic had his first sight on goal on 63 minutes, forcing Stefano Turati to save with his feet. On 72’, a finger-tip save by Szczesny kept out a dipping shot from Abdou Harroui as both teams went for the game’s crucial third goal - which Jventus came so close to grabbing four minutes later. A Rabiot cut-back reached Weston McKennie, who smashed a drop-kick volley off the crossbar. McKennie was also involved in the move that led to the winning goal. The midfielder flighted an inviting cross which was met majestically by Vlahovic. The number 9’s header looped beyond Turati before nestling into the net. The striker then thought he had grabbed a double in the final minute of normal time. With only Turati to beat, Vlahovic placed his shot at the near post and wheeled away to celebrate. However, VAR disallowed the goal for off-side. Juventus saw out the five minutes of added on time to reach the 40-point mark with still two games remaining before the midway point of the season. FROSINONE 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 12′ Yildiz, 51′ Baez, 81′ Vlahovic. FROSINONE: Turati; Monterisi, Romagnoli, Lusuardi; Lirola (30′ Baez) (79′ Kvernadze), Gelli, Barrenechea, Brescianini, Garritano (69′ Harroui); Soulé, Kaio Jorge (69′ Cheddira). Subs not used: Frattali, Cerofolini, Lulic, Caso, Cuni, Bourabia, Bidaoui. Coach: Di Francesco. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro (26′ Gatti); Cambiaso (69′ Weah), McKennie, Locatelli (54′ Nicolussi Caviglia), Rabiot, Kostic (54′ Iling-Junior); Milik, Yildiz (54′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Crespi, Rugani, Miretti, Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. Bookings: 20′ Cambiaso, 43′ McKennie. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus and Genoa played out a 1-1 draw at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Matchday 16 of Serie A. Federico Chiesa opened the scoring from the penalty spot after the number 7 had been brought down by home goalkeeper Josep Martinez.
Immediately after the interval Genoa equalised through Albert Gudmundsson, his second goal in as many games against Juventus. In the cup-tie atmosphere of Marassi, the highly contested match brought a flurry of bookings but no further goals. THE MATCH On what was a homecoming for Andrea Cambiaso it was fitting that the Genoa-born talent found himself at the centre of Juventus’ first foray into Grifone territory. With a quarter of an hour played, the 23-year-old burst over the halfway line and forced his way into the heart of the hosts’ penalty area. A clever backheel picked out Federico Chiesa, who lashed a shot from a tight angle towards the near post which Josep Martinez parried for a corner. The Juve winger and Genoa goalkeeper would clash again in the turning point of the first half. On 22 minutes, Chiesa then delivered a cross that made its way through to Dusan Vlahovic at the edge of the six-yard box. The number 9 swept his shot over the bar from close range. The Bianconeri front-two linked up again five minutes later when Genoa were caught dallying in possession inside their own half. Vlahovic fed Chiesa, whose attempt to round Gonzalez saw the keeper swipe the feet from under the Biaconeri forward. Chiesa took the honours from the spot, dispatching the penalty into the bottom corner for his first goal in 11 matches. Genoa looked to get back on level terms before the break. With 10 minutes of the opening period remaining, Johan Vazquez crashed a shot just over the bar from a corner. With the break looming, the Mexico international then cut the ball back from the byeball line, but Albert Gudmundsson misshit from a promising position. Alberto Gilardino introduced Caleb Ekuban for the restart and the coach’s decision to bolster his attack brought about an immediate reaction from his team. Ekuban used his strength to hold off Bremer’s challenge and find Gudmundsson inside the area. The Icelandic forward’s volley left Wojciech Szczesny no chance. Martinez then almost gifted Juve a way back to restore their lead immediately. The keeper’s pass out of defence was intercepted by Chiesa, whose attempt to round the Spanish stopper was halted by a one-handed block. Martinez also used just one glove to cut out a dangerous Cambiaso cross as Juventus tried to use the width of the pitch to break down the home defence for a second time. However, the Rossoblù backline was holding firmly. In the final minute of normal time, the Bianconeri crafted one last outstanding chance. A cross was played into the heart of the Genoa penalty area. When the ball reached Bremer the defender appeared to need to the merest contact to knock the ball into the net. However, Martinez backpedalled to acrobatically tip the ball from underneath his crossbar. Juventus continued their unbeaten run, but for the first time after 56 games failed to collect all three points after taking the lead - when they last visited the home of Genoa in May, 2022. GENOA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 28′ Chiesa (pen), 48′ Gudmundsson. GENOA: Martinez; Dragusin, Bani, De Winter; Sabelli (84′ Vogliacco), Malinovskyi, Badelj, Frendrup, Vasquez (46′ Ekuban); Gudmundsson, Messias (90+3′ Haps). Subs not used: Leali, Sommaria, Thorsby, Martin, Jagiello, Kutlu, Matturro, Hefti, Puscas, Fini, Galdames. Coach: Gilardino. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (88′ Yildiz), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (74′ Iling Jr), Kostic (68′ Weah); Vlahovic (68′ Milik), Chiesa. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Huijsen, Rugani, Nicolussi C., Nonge. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Massa. Bookings: 61′ Danilo, 70′ McKennie, 71′ Milik, 74′ Badelj, 90′ Malinovskyi. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus stretched out a 12-point lead over Napoli with a 1-0 win over Serie A's defending champions on Matchday 15.
The game’s only goal came from Federico Gatti, whose two goals in as many matches have brought six points to the Bianconeri’s push at the top of the table. THE MATCH With both sides setting off with clear intent, the match started at an electrifying pace but despite end-to-end play there were no clear cut chances inside the opening quarter of an hour. That said, Napoli almost took the lead with a cross-cum-shot that Wojciech Szczesny managed to stop on the line. On 18 minutes Juve started making inroads down the left flank. Dusan Vlahovic started the move on the half-way line, and an exchange between Filip Kostic and Federico Chiesa saw the number 7 set up the striker. Vlahovic took one touch before hitting his shot, which was blocked by Juan Jesus. Vlahovic won the rebound in the air and the ball spun towards the edge of the six-yard area where it was met by an overhead kick from Weston McKennie. The acrobatic attempt finished over the bar. A minute later, Chiesa again caused panic in the visitors’ defence, but his cut-back was deflected out for a corner before a teammate could pounce. The best chance of the first half fell to the defending champions on 28 minutes. Victor Osimhen controlled deftly on the half-way line and sprinted into space. His cross-field pass played through Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who one-on-one with Szczesny blasted his shot high into the stands. The Polish keeper, on his 250th Serie A appearance, then produced a world-class one-handed save to deny Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who found himself unmarked in front of goal after Bremer attempted clearance bounced off Federico Gatii. The Napoli captain was eventually flagged for off-side. Juve emerged with desire after the interval. Vlahovic struck the post with a shot just inside the area after being set up by McKennie. However, the midfielder was adjudged to have received possession from an offside position. The Bianconeri continued to press, however, and made the breakthrough on 51 minutes. Not satisfied with his match-winning heroics one week ago at Monza, Federico Gatti pounced once more to score his third of the season. A precise delivery by Andrea Cambiaso was met by the number 4 at the height of the six-yard box. His header left Alex Meret no chance. Napoli’s reaction came in the shape of a Franck Anguissa header that finished well off target. Szczesny then caused a moment’s panic inside the Allianz Stadium after an attempted clearance reached the head of Stanislav Lobotka. The midfielder found Osimhen, who rounded Szczesny at the edge of the air and deposited the ball into the unguarded net. Much to Bianconeri relief, the striker was offside. Although Walter Mazzarri reshuffled his front line from the bench, the Juve defence held strong to deny Napoli a goal in Turin for the first time in eight visits. At the final whistle, the players celebrated with the fans for what was a 10th match without loss worth first place in the standings. JUVENTUS 1-0 NAPOLI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 51′ Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso (92′ Rugani), McKennie (92′ Iling-Junior), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (82′ Alex Sandro); Chiesa (82′ Kean), Vlahovic (70′ Milik). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Huijsen, Miretti, Nicolussi C., Nonge, Yildiz. Coach: Allegri. NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Natan (72′ Zanoli); Anguissa, Lobotka (86’Cajuste), Zielinski (64′ Elmas); Politano (72′ Raspadori), Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia (86′ Simeone). Subs not used: Gollini, Contini, Demme, Zerbin, Cajuste, Lindstrom, Ostigard, Gaetano. Coach: Mazzarri. Referee: Orsato. Bookings: 45+1′ Kvaratskhelia, 58′ Bremer, 63′ Juan Jesus, 90+5′ Osimhen, 90+5′ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
The club’s never-say-die spirit came to the fore once again as Juventus claimed a first league victory over Monza thanks to a stoppage-time winner.
Federico Gatti pounced on an Adrien Rabiot cut-back after the home side had equalised two minutes into added time. Gatti restored Juve’s lead, first established by Adrien Rabiot on 12 minutes from a corner following a Dusan Vlahovic penalty saved by the home goalkeeper. The three points allowed Juve to leapfrog Inter at the top of the table once again. THE MATCH Juventus, hunting their first league goal against Monza, started in determined fashion. After the initial opening minutes in which the two teams studied one another, it was the Bianconeri that created the first hint of danger. Alex Sandro signalled his intent on his first start since matchday 2 with a long ball over the home defence on nine minutes. Andrea Cambiaso managed to get goalside of Giorgio Kyriakoplous inside the penalty area, forcing the full-back into a foul. The referee did not hesitate as he pointed to the penalty spot. Up stepped Dusan Vlahovic, whose spot kick was saved by Michele Di Gregorio. Not satisfied, the Monza goalkeeper also somehow managed to keep out the rebound to doubly deny Dusan. However, from the resulting corner, delivered by Hans Nicolussi Cavgilia, Adrien Rabiot powered a header beyond Di Gregorio. Juve’s early pressure had paid off. Without a recognised striker, Monza seldom threatened the Bianconeri backline, and the visitors should have doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark. Another corner kick caused concern, this time delivered by Filip Kostic. Alex Sandro’s flick reached Federico Gatti one metre out, who to his own disbelief put his effort over the bar. Juve continued to press and two minutes later Rabiot drilled a low shot from the edge of the area, which required quick reflexes from Di Gregorio to keep the ball out of his net. Monza reverted to a more classic approach after the interval with the introduction of strikers Lorenzo Colombo and Dany Mota. The extra presence in attack allowed the hosts to maintain possession higher up the field, but still Wojciech Szczesny remained an onlooker for most of the second period. Matteo Pessina and Dany Mota hit shots wide of target, while a Danilo D’Ambrosio header was blocked by Bremer inside his own six-yard box. But just as the Bianconeri were contemplating another clean sheet, another substitute, Valentin Carboni, delivered a ball into the Juve area, which spun beyond both forwards and defenders, deceiving Szczesny in turn. For the teenager, it was his first goal in Serie A. Juve were not to be denied a precious victory, however. The Bianconeri regrouped and immediately set about restoring their lead, which they did through a well-worked move on the right. Rabiot’s determination and strength took him to the deadball line, where his cross was met by Gatti. The defender’s first attempt was blocked by D’Ambrosio but there was denying his second effort. The number 4 thrashed the ball into the net. A goal that gave Juve a first win over Monza at the third time of asking for three huge points. MONZA 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 24′ Rabiot, 94’ Gatti. MONZA: Di Gregorio; D’Ambrosio, Pablo Marì (65′ Carboni A.), Caldirola; Birindelli (46′ Colombo), Machin (46′ Mota Carvalho), Pessina, Gagliardini, Kyriakopoulos (65′ Pedro Pereira); Ciurria, Colpani (76′ Carboni V.). Subs not used: Lamanna, Sorrentino, Gori, Akpa Akpro, Carboni F., Bettella, Maric, Bondo, Cittadini. Coach: Palladino. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cambiaso (86′ Locatelli), McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia (69′ Danilo), Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic (69′ Milik), Chiesa (75′ Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Huijsen, Rugani, Miretti, Nonge, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Fabbri. Bookings: 9′ Kyriakopoulos, 29′ Bremer, 81′ Milik. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus continued their unbeaten run but remained two points off the pace at the top of the table following a 1-1 draw with Inter.
Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring on 27 minutes completing a move the striker had started from midfield. Inter drew level six minutes later through Lautaro Martinez. Neither attack could penetrate the defensive walls again after the break as the game finished with a share of the spoils. THE MATCH The opening phases of the 249th Derby d’Italia saw both sides take careful measure of their opponents. The fact that the teams were tactically mirror images would have an important influence over the entire 90 minutes. The first chance came after a quarter of an hour when Juve won possession at the edge of the visitors’ penalty area. Federico Chiesa was picked out unmarked, but curled his shot high and wide of Yann Sommer’s goal. Three minutes later Inter created their first chance. A cross from the right found Lautaro Martinez, whose header at the edge of the six-yard box was comfortably dealt with by Wojciech Szczesny. Another phase of intense study followed before the breakthrough was made on 27 minutes. Dusan Vlahovic started and finished the move. The number 9 earned possession at the halfway line, and released Chiesa, who returned the favour with a slide rule pass into the path of Vlahovic now just inside the area. The striker coolly steered the ball beyond Sommer. The lead was short-lived. Six minutes later, Marcus Thuram, whose father watched on from the stands, broke down the right. His cross was met first- time by Lautaro, who beat Szczesny with an angled shot. The teams headed into the break all square. At the restart defences slowly but surely gained the upper hand. Inter had a sight on goal six minutes in but Thuram’s shot failed to concern Szczesny. On the hour mark Manuel Locatelli replaced Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, who’ll remember his first ever start in the black and white stripes. Arek Milik and Moise Kean were brought on as the game headed into the closing stages with the intention to shake up the Inter backline, but defences remained on top all the way to the final whistle. A share of the points ended Juve’s winning streak of five matches, but extended the run without loss to eight matches. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus collected a fifth win in a row in Serie A and a fifth straight success at the Allianz Stadium with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari. All the goals came in the second half and all were scored by defenders. Bremer opened the scoring on the hour and was followed on the scoresheet by Daniele Rugani.
However, the two goal lead was short lived as the visitors pulled one back through Alberto Dossena, who then hit the post But there was to be no denying another Bianconeri win ahead of the international break. THE MATCH Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari came into the encounter against the Bianconeri enjoying their best form since returning to the top flight. The seven points from the most recent nine available had certainly boosted the visitors’ confidence. The Sardinian outfit held their own for the opening half an hour. The most clear cut chance until that moment fell to Alberto Dossena, when the central defender failed to put his free header from a corner on target. Once over the 30-minute mark, Juventus began to make their presence felt. A sweet one-touch move from defence through midfield saw Federico Chiesa release Moise Kean through on goal, but the striker’s heavy first touch allowed Simone Scuffet to race off his line and smother the danger. Two minutes later, Andrea Cambiaso swept a shot over when well-positioned at the edge of the area. Kean was likewise inaccurate with an effort from a tight angle after once again beating the offside trap. The last chance of the first half fell to Weston McKennie, who had followed an attack he had started to reach a Filip Kostic cross. The midfielder’s volley crept just wide. After the interval the hosts continued to press and created three chances in as many minutes. Chiesa twice came close, first with a rasping shot from the edge of the area, followed by a volley which dipped just wide. In between, Kean again had a sight of goal but was again blocked by the presence of Scuffet. The breakthrough eventually arrived on the hour. Kostic delivered a tantalising cross from the left, and Bremer rose above the rest to power home his first goal of the season. A first of the season also for Daniele Rugani 10 minutes later, his first in Serie A since March 2021, appeared to have given Juve some breathing space. Another Kostic delivery, this time from a corner, was met by Rugani, who chested the ball onto the bar, then again with his chest bundled the ball over the line from close range. Cagliari displayed the fighting spirit that has seen them climb off the foot of the table and clawed their way back into the contest with Dossena’s header on 75 minutes. Seven minutes later the central defender hit the outside of the post with another header with Wojciech Szczesny at full stretch. The last chance of the game fell to Juve after Dusan Vlahovic worked the ball well for fellow substitute Samuel Iling jr, whose shot was parried by the visiting defence. The three points, worth top spot, at least overnight, were celebrated by fans and players alike at the final whistle. After the international break Juventus will play once more at home, when they host Inter. JUVENTUS 2-1 CAGLIARI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 60′ Bremer, 69′ Rugani, 75′ Dossena. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; Cambiaso (87′ Nicolussi Caviglia), McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti (65′ Iling), Kostic; Kean (65′ Vlahovic), Chiesa (80′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nonge, Yildiz. Coach: Allegri. CAGLIARI: Scuffet; Zappa, Dossena, Goldaniga, Augello; Jankto (88′ Pavoletti), Prati, Makoumbou; Viola (66′ Oristanio); Luvumbo (71′ Shomurodov), Petagna (46′ Lapadula). Subs not used: Radunovic, Aresti, Mancosu, Deiola, Hatzidiakos, Gaston Pereiro, Wieteska, Suleman, Obert, Paulo Azzi, Desogus. Coach: Ranieri. Referee: Piccinini. Bookings: 57′ McKennie, 70′ Luvumbo, 81′ Kostic, 87′ Cambiaso. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus collected all three points against Fiorentina thanks to Fabio Miretti’s first goal in Serie A. The midfielder’s maiden strike, combined with an outstanding defensive performance, pushed Juve over the line for a fourth win on the spin as the Bianconeri emerged from the cauldron of the Artemio Franchi stadium with a sixth successive clean sheet.
The game’s only goal came on 10 minutes when Miretti met a Filip Kostic cross. The remainder of the match witnessed expert defending led by the back line of Federico Gatti, Bremer and Daniele Ruagni, and when called on Wojciech Sczcesny. The victory keeps Juventus in the slipstream of leaders Inter. THE MATCH Massimiliano Allegri expressed his desire that Fabio Miretti develop an eye for goal in the pre-match press conference before the squad set off for Florence and the midfielder responded by making the coach’s wish come true just 10 minutes into the encounter at the Franchi. Fiorentina had enjoyed the bulk of possession until that moment - and would continue to do so for the remainder of the match - but a Juve counter-attack driven by the thrust of Adrien Rabiot carved open the Viola defence. The stand-in captain rolled a pass into the path of Filip Kostic who quickly delivered his cross into the penalty area. Fabio Miretti timed his run to perfection to slot the ball under Pietro Terracciano. It was the midfielder’s first goal in Serie A in his 43rd appearance. Fiorentina, urged on by their vociferous support, responded but until the half-hour mark never seriously tested Wojciech Sczcesny despite a penetrating run by Nicolas Gonzalez, whose finish did not match the build up play on 23 minutes. Seven minutes later the Argentine tried a snapshot from the edge of the area, which Sczcesny smartly parried to safety. In the closing stages of the opening period, the Viola upped the pressure, relying on set pieces. First Cristiano Biraghi’s curler from a free-kick brought out another impressive save from Sczcesny. The following corner saw Luca Ranieri unmarked inside the area but the defender flashed his header off target. The foul that led to Biraghi’s free-kick was costly for Rabiot, who received the only booking of the first half, which will see him sit out next week’s match against Cagliari. The second half followed the same script as the first, with the hosts seeing plenty of the ball, but creating very few clear cut chances. In fact, the first opportunities of the second period fell to Juve. First Moise Kean had a shot blocked before the striker played through Federico Chiesa, in an offside position and whose effort was saved by Terracciano. Fiorentina turned to Giacomo Bonaventura for inspiration as home coach Vincenzo Italiano freshened up his attack. The veteran midfielder screwed two shots off target, the nearest Fiorentina came to testing Szczesny after the hour mark. On 74’ the keeper was called on to make a routine save from a Kouame shot from distance. Four minutes later Rugani made a vital interception after Riccardo Sottil had found space behind the Juve rearguard. The winger’s cross seemed destined to be finished off by fellow substitute Joanthan Ikone before the recovery header by the faultless Rugani. Fiorentina ran out of ideas and the final chances fell to Juve. Andrea Cambiaso almost made it back-to-back goals in stoppage time but his diving header was tipped wide by Terracciano. Smiles greeted the final whistle in the Juve camp after an impressive team performance. The three points collected puts Juventus two points behind Inter and four ahead of third-placed Milan. FIORENTINA 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorer: 10’ Miretti. FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Parisi, Ranieri (83′ Mina), Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Arthur (77′ Sottil), Mandragora; Gonzalez, Barak (59′ Bonaventura), Kouame (77′ Ikoné); Beltran (46′ Nzola). Subs not used: Martinelli, Christensen, Milenkovic, Maxime Lopez, Infantino, Duncan, Comuzzo, Amatucci, Brekalo. Coach: Italiano. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; McKennie, Miretti (61′ Cambiaso), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Kean (67′ Vlahovic), Chiesa (67′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. Bookings: 43′ Rabiot, 47′ Kean, 57′ Gatti, 82′ Ranieri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Last second drama turned frustration to celebration at the Allianz Stadium as Andrea Cambiaso scored a tap-in deep into stoppage time to reward Juventus with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. The Bianconeri dominated the match but heading beyond the sixth minute of time added on still had not found the breakthrough - much to the disappointment of Moise Kean, who had two goals disallowed.
With Verona being pushed deeper and deeper to the edge of their own penalty area a Federico Gatti cross was met by Arek Milik. The striker’s header bounced off the inside post to Cambiaso, who pounced to slam the ball into the unguarded net for his first goal with the Bianconeri. The three points propel Juventus to the top of the table. THE MATCH Match winner the last two times Juve and Hellas had met, Moise Kean was determined to add to his tally against his former side and finally get off the mark for the campaign. The striker appeared to have done exactly that on 13 minutes after a wonderful solo run and shot. Kean not only held off his marker, he then dribbled past two Verona players before rifling a shot into the bottom corner. However, just as had happened against Toro, the number 18’s celebration turned into frustration as a VAR review picked up on the slightest of offside positions when Kean first received the ball. Five minutes later Lorenzo Montipò at full stretch tipped a Kean header destined for the top corner over the bar, and from the resulting corner kick, the forward fired just wide of the far post with the Verona goalkeeper scrambling across his goal line. Co-striker Dusan Vlahovic also came close with a header, but the number 9 twisted his effort over the bar as the first half headed into the final 10 minutes. Wojciech Szczesny had been a spectator until the last minute of the opening period when Federico Bonazzoli struck a vicious volley, which Tek touched wide at his near post with reflexes on a par with his save last weekend at San Siro. Frustration for Kean continued after the restart. First he placed a header over the bar from Filip Kostic cross, then another goal disallowed - again after VAR intervened. Kean won possession on the half way line and continued to follow the attack and met the cross in the area with a powerful header low into the bottom corner. The referee consulting with VAR decided that Kean had committed a foul on Davide Faraone in midfield. Massimiliano Allegri called on all of his attacking options, from Fabio Miretti at the start of the second half and Federico Chiesa and Arek Milik to Kenan Yildiz in the final minutes - all of whom had chances to score. Chiesa had a shot blocked off the line following a McKennie cutback. Miretti and Chiesa then had efforts in quick succession thwarted by the Verona defence. Pressure continued unabated all the way to the second minute of time added on when Yildiz was sent through by Milik, but the teenager placed his volley agonisingly over the bar with only the keeper to beat. Finally, the pressure paid off. Milik’s last gasp header struck the upright, but Cambiaso was determined that the three points were going to be claimed one way or another. His tap-in sparked wild celebrations, and it was Cambiaso that led the way in the team’s explosion of joy. JUVENTUS 1-0 HELLAS VERONA (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 90+6’ Cambiaso. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani (87′ Yildiz); Weah (46′ Miretti), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (62′ Cambiaso); Kean (62′ Chiesa), Vlahovic (81′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. HELLAS VERONA: Montipò; Faraoni (72′ Tchatchoua), Magnani, Dawidowicz; Terracciano (90’+45′ Coppola), Hongla (72′ Suslov), Folorunsho, Doig (72′ Lazovic); Duda; Bonazzoli (84′ Serdar), Djuric. Subs not used: Berardi, Perilli, Amione, Cruz, Joselito, Saponara, Ngonge, Charlys, Mboula. Coach: Baroni. Referee: Feliciani. Bookings: 38′ Djuric, 39′ Rugani, 50′ Folorunsho, 56′ Kean, 90’+6′ Cambiaso. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus made it four wins out of four against Milan coming off the international break. More importantly Manuel Locatelli ended a 50-match barren run in front of goal with the game-winning strike, which ended a five-match winless run against the Rossoneri.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men when Malik Thiaw was sent off five minutes before half-time, an advantage Juventus slowly made the most of as the second half progressed. Locatelli grabbed the only goal of the game on 64 minutes. Only two points now separate the top three teams in the table. THE MATCH Both sides had to contend with important absences ahead of the first clash between Juventus and Milan since 2016 with both teams occupying places in the top-3 - a match decided by Manuel Locatelli, then wearing the red and black stripes. Milan were forced to field third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante due to number 1 Mike Maignan’s sending-off against Genoa before the international break. Another Milan player would see red before halftime against the Bianconeri. Daniele Rugani stepped in to replace Danilo, injured on international duty, on the right side of the defensive three, while in attack Arkadiusz Milik paired up with Moise Kean. Kean led the line with power and determination and his tussle with central defender Malik Thiaw supplied the first-half’s talking point. In the 40th minute, Kean slipped the Germany international’s close marking with a fine dummy and would have been through on goal had Thiaw not chopped the striker down. For the referee it was a case of halting a clear scoring opportunity, worthy of a straight red card. Before the flashpoint, Wojciech Szczesny had made a prodigious fingertip save to deny Olivier Giroud on 15 minutes. At the other end, Timothy Weah had a sight of goal on seven minutes but his shot struck international teammate Weston McKennie. Weah then won a free-kick against another USMT teammate Christian Pulisic at the edge of the Milan penalty area on 23 minutes. After Milik’s effort was blocked by the wall, Filip Kostic fired the rebound that flashed just wide. In the final minute of the opening period, Kean popped up between two Milan defenders at the edge of the six-yard box, but poked his shot wide. It was Juve's best chance of the first half. After the break the extra player advantage was used wisely. Never showing impatience, Juventus managed possession in search of the right opening to make the breakthrough. An opening which arrived just after the hour mark. Locatelli completed a personal circle - this time scoring the game’s only goal wearing the black and white stripes of the team he has supported since a boy, Juventus. The midfielder’s shot from the edge of the area took a deflection off Rade Krunic, which sent the ball spinning into the net. A goal and a player to the good, Juventus never allowed Milan a chance to get back into the contest, and could have eased Massimiliano Allegri’s nerves by adding a second. However, Dusan Vlahovic was twice denied by Mirante, the second from close-range after the veteran keeper had first kept out Andrea Cambiaso’s effort. Vlahovic and Cambiaso were the first fresh players brought on by the Juve coach, and were followed by Federico Chiesa, Dean Huijsen on his first team competitive debut and Fabio Miretti. The strength of the squad pulled through as the Bianconeri inflicted a second defeat of the campaign on Milan with a fourth straight clean sheet, the 16th this calendar year. MILAN 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 64′ Locatelli. MILAN: Mirante; Calabria (79′ Kjaer), Thiaw, Tomori, Florenzi; Musah, Adli (60′ Krunic), Reijnders (79′ Romero); Pulisic (42′ Kalulu), Giroud (60′ Jovic), Leao. Subs not used: Nava, Bartoccioni, Pellegrino, Jimenez, Pobega; Okafor, Traore. Coach: Pioli. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti (78′ Huijsen), Bremer, Rugani; Weah (83′ Miretti), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (55′ Cambiaso); Milik (78′ Chiesa), Kean (55′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Yildiz, Iling-Junior, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge Boende. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Mariani. Bookings:51′ Weah, 61′ Reijnders, 66′ McKennie, 70′ Gatti, 72′ Locatelli. Sending off: 40′ Thiaw. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus produced two second-half goals to extend their unbeaten run over Torino in all competitions to 19 matches, with a 15th win in that sequence.
Grabbing derby glory were Federico Gatti, with his maiden top-flight goal four minutes after the restart, and Arkadiusz Milik who like Gatti pounced to finish off another Filp Kostic corner on 62’. The Bianconeri rearguard held firm for the remainder of the game to collect an eighth clean sheet in 13 Serie A matches, a third in succession. THE MATCH On his 100th appearance in Serie A, Moise Kean thought he had got Juve off to a flyer. The striker was played through on goal by Tim Weah after just five minutes. Kean took one look before thumping his shot high into the top corner. His joy, and that of the Bianconeri faithful, was short-lived. VAR ruled out the striker’s effort for offside. Kean was the only recognised striker in the Juventus attack at kick-off, with top scorers Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa forced to watch from the stands because of injury. The arrival of a co-striker after the interval would change the complexion of the first Derby della Mole of the season. Kean was close to a tap-in when Filip Kostic burst through the Toro defence on 18 minutes, but the winger’s cross-cum-shot went wide of the far post, agonisingly too far ahead of Kean. Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested as the opening period progressed. A spate of three shots in succession from the edge of the area by Juve captured just how much defences were on top. Kostic saw his effort blocked, likewise Fabio Miretti, before Adrien Rabiot’s shot deflected harmlessly through to Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the Granata goal. Arkadiusz Milik was asked to make an impact coming off the bench for the restart. And that was exactly what the Polish forward did. The number 14 was involved from kick-off in helping Juve win a corner. Panic ensued From Kostic’s precise delivery as Milinkovic-Savic made no contact on the cross, the ball struck Adrien Tameze and ricocheted to Kean, whose overhead kick was blocked on the line before Federico Gatti pounced on the loose ball. Just to make sure the number 4 headed his second effort into the unguarded net. However, just like in the first half. The goal was disallowed for offside, or so it seemed. Four minutes of VAR review, during which Bremer received treatment after being unintentionally kicked in the face by Kean, eventually validated the goal. Gatti raced off to celebrate his first ever Serie A strike. The local lad had made the breakthrough in the derby. Just over the hour mark, Milinkovic-Savic produced a reflex save to deny a powerful header from Milik, but from the resulting corner the striker got the better of the keeper. Again Kostic’s delivery asked questions of the Toro defence, and Milik outjumped Savic inside the six-yard box to double Juve’s lead. Six minutes later, Gatti almost added a third from another wicked Kostic corner, flashing his header just wide. Toro did not threaten until the closing minutes. First Duvan Zapata called on Wojciech Szczesny to make his first real save of the game on 87 minutes with a glancing header, then substitute Antonio Sanabria’s overhead kick flew just wide. In between those two Granata chances, Milik was thwarted by another Milinkovic-Savic block. Derby delight for the Bianconeri was just the tonic before the squad splits for the international break. JUVENTUS 2-0 TORINO (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 47′ Gatti, 62′ Milik. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (75′ Cambiaso); Miretti (46′ Milik); Kean (85′ Yildiz). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Rugani, Fagioli, Nicolussi Caviglia, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. TORINO: Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Schuurs, Rodriguez (83′ Vojvoda); Bellanova, Ilic (83′ Pellegri), Ricci, Lazaro (83′ Gineitis); Seck (71′ Sanabria), Vlasic; Zapata. Subs not used: Gemello, Popa, Zima, Karamoh, Sazonov, Linetty, Antolini, N’Guessan Cauneman. Coach: Juric. Referee: Massa. Bookings: 20′ Bellanova, 72′ Gatti. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus earned a second clean sheet in succession with a goalless draw at Atalanta in Matchday 7 of Serie A.
The Bianconeri had the better of the first half chances, with efforts from Nicolò Fagioli and Moise Kean. Federico Chiesa, a continual thorn in the Atalanta side, forced a spectacular save from Juan Musso at the start of the second half - just as Luis Muriel did from Wojciech Szczesny from a direct free-kick in the closing 15 minutes. THE MATCH Perhaps it was to be expected in a match between a side that had held four clean sheets from their opening six league games this campaign and the team that had collected most clean sheets since the start of last season, 23 out of 44 games, that there would not be many chances for either side when Atalanta hosted Juventus. The few opportunities that did arise in the first half were for the most part created by the Bianconeri despite an early fright when Davide Zappacosta latched onto a deep cross and found himself unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box. His first effort was blocked before his second shot went wide. On the half hour mark, Federico Chiesa burst into life, getting the better of Rafael Toloi twice in as many minutes. The second show of skill from Chiesa earned Juve a free-kick at the edge of the Atalanta penalty box. Chiesa took the responsibility himself but couldn’t get his shot beyond the wall. The spark from the number 7 ignited a wave of Juventus attacks. Nicolò Fagioli tried his luck from distance. The midfielder’s swerving shot was watched all the way by Juan Musso. The home goalkeeper was called on again four minutes later. Moise Kean, enjoying his first start of the season, showed strength on the ball to ride a couple of challenges and create space for himself. The striker’s shot was held by Musso. The game of chess between two grandmasters continued in the second half, with each attacking manoeuvre being outplayed by the opponents’ defensive lines. It was the only mix-up by the home defence that allowed Juve the first chance in the second period. The ball ricocheted into the path of Chiesa, who let fly from just outside the area. His shot was kept out by a one-handed save from Musso. Not to be outdone by his opposite number, Wojciech Szczesny produced the save of the match on 74’. Luis Muriel curled a free-kick over the wall but Szczesny managed to get finger-tips to the ball to touch it onto the underside of the crossbar. The Juve keeper was again called into action to deny Muriel on 88’. Another dipping shot from distance saw Szczesny pull off the save. This time the rebound broke into the path of Teun Koopmeiners, who blasted over from close range. The Atalanta midfielder also failed to hit the target from a promising position inside stoppage time as the two sides earned back-to-back clean sheets for a share of the points. ATALANTA 0-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): ATALANTA: Musso; Scalvini (64′ Kolasinac), Djimsiti, Toloi; Zappacosta (81′ Holm), De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri (85′ Bakker); Koopmeiners; De Ketelaere (81′ Pasalic), Lookman (64′ Muriel). Subs not used: Carnesecchi, Rossi, Palomino, Zortea, Adopo, Hateboer, Miranchuk. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Gatti, Bremer (83′ Rugani), Danilo; McKennie (83′ Weah), Fagioli (67′ Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso (67′ Kostic); Kean (75′ Yildiz), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Iling-Junior, Mancini, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. Bookings: 5′ Rabiot, 53′ Danilo, 90’+2 Holm. Source: www.juventus.com |
An Arek Milik goal was enough for Juventus to inflict a first defeat of the season on Lecce. The side from Salento arrived ahead of the Bianconeri in the standings but the Polish striker’s 57th minute close range finish saw Juve leapfrog the visitors ahead of the remaining fixtures of Matchday 6.
THE MATCH Juventus demonstrated early ambition with the first shot of the evening in under 30 seconds. Adrien Rabiot’s effort from distance called Vladimiro Falcone into action but the Lecce goalkeeper would have a relatively uneventful first half. On 13’ Nicolò Fagioli looked to link up Federico Chiesa, as he did to good effect against Sassuolo in the previous match, but this time the number 7 dragged his shot off target. Falcone was called on again halfway through the opening period when Arkadiusz Milik tried his luck from outside the penalty area. Five minutes later, Juventus finally carved open the visiting defence. First-time exchanges in midfield gave Danilo space to feed the ball through for Chiesa. However, from an excellent position the forward placed his shot just the wrong side of the far post. The second half continued with a well-organised Lecce sitting deep, leaving the onus on Juve to break them down. And that was what the hosts did on 57 minutes. A corner kick was kept in the area by Milik, who prodded the ball to McKennie. The midfielder’s delivery was headed back across the face of goal by Rabiot, where Milik was waiting to pounce. The striker tapped in from close range to finally break the deadlock. On 65’ some good work down the left flank left Rabiot in space to attack the penalty area. The Frenchman’s shot flashed just wide. Juve came close to adding a second with a quarter of an hour remaining, when again quick link-up play on the left released Chiesa. His cross was intended for McKennie, denied a tap-in by a crucial interception by Patrick Dorgu inside his own six-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, Szczesny remained a virtual onlooker as Lecce sought in vain a way to test the Juve number 1. In stoppage time, the visitors were reduced to 10 men when substitute Mohamed Kaba was shown a second yellow for simulation. Juventus now prepare for the trip to Bergamo on Sunday with confidence restored. JUVENTUS 1-0 LECCE (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 57’ Milik. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Rugani (71′ Gatti), Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (86′ Weah), Fagioli (86′ Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso (71′ Kostic); Chiesa, Milik (77′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. LECCE: Falcone; Venuti (62′ Gendrey), Baschirotto, Pongracic, Dorgu; Oudin (62′ Rafia), Ramadani (69′ Kaba), Blin (81′ Piccoli); Almqvist, Krstovic, Strefezza (62′ Sansone). Subs not used: Brancolini, Joan Gonzalez, Berisha, Listowski, Faticanti, Corfitzen, Gallo, Burnete, Touba, Samek. Coach: D’Aversa. Referee: Giua. Bookings: 29′ Ramadani, 55′ D’Aversa, 68′ Rafia, 75′ Chiesa, 85’ Kaba, 90′ Krstovic, 90’+1′ Rabiot. Sending off: 90’+3 Kaba. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus suffered their first defeat of season 2023/24 with a 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo. The Bianconeri had rallied to draw level twice, first through an own goal by Matias Vina in the opening half and Federico Chiesa on 78 minutes in the second half.
However, the home side restored their lead on 82 minutes and Federico Gatti’s own-goal in the last minute of stoppage time completed the scoring in favour of Sassuolo. THE MATCH The rain that began to fall just before kick-off at the Mapei Stadium played its part in the game’s opening goal. With 12 minutes on the clock a dipping, swerving drive from distance from Armand Laurienté deceived Wojciech Szczesny, with the ball slipping through the goalkeeper's gloves into the net. The Bianconeri responded and were level inside 10 minutes. Federico Chiesa created the danger when he whipped in a delivery that the home defence could not cope with. Matias Vina turned the ball into his own net from close range under pressure from Weston McKennie. Just before the half hour, Manuel Locatelli came close from the edge of the area. Moments later Federico Gatti tried to set up Danilo for a tap-in following a well-worked free-kick but the captain just could not reach the ball played across the face of goal. On 38’ Szczesny made amends for his earlier mistake with a prodigious save, at full stretch he palmed away a powerful header from Ruan Tressoldi. However, two minutes later the hosts restored their advantage, when Berardi swept the ball beyond Szczesny with a first-time shot at the edge of the box. A Federico Chiesa free-kick that went just wide of target eight minutes into the second half showed Juve’s intention to draw level for the second time, and they did exactly that on 78’, with Chiesa eventually grabbing his goal. The number 7 lashed an unstoppable shot beyond Alessio Cragno after being set up by Nicolò Fagioli. Before Chiesa’s equaliser, Laurienté and Dusan Vlahovic spurned gilt-edged chances with only the oppostion goalkeeper to beat - a sign that defences were not on top. In fact, the game’s fifth goal came a mere four minutes after the Bianconeri had drawn level for the second time. Laurienté hit a similar shot to the one that had led to the game’s opener. This time Szczesny made the save, but Andrea Pinamonti was fastest to react to the rebound and placed his header into the unguarded net. Juventus pushed forward in search of a third equaliser on the night but were almost caught out on the counter attack in stoppage time, when Gregoire Defrel struck the underside of the crossbar. However, there was to be one more goal, when Gatti placed the ball into his own net in the final minute of stoppages. A home match against Lecce on Tuesday gives Juventus an immediate opportunity to redeem this their first setback of the new campaign. SASSUOLO 4-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 2-1): Scorers: 13′ Laurienté, 21′ Vina o.g., 41′ Berardi, 78′ Chiesa, 82′ Pinamonti, 90’+5′ Gatti o.g. SASSUOLO: Cragno; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi (46′ Viti), Vina (90’+1′ Ferrari); Matheus Henrique, Boloca; Berardi, Bajrami (85′ Castillejo), Lauriente (85′ Pedersen); Pinamonti (85′ Defrel). Subs not used: Pegolo, Theiner, Missori, Racic, Mulattieri, Obiang, Ceide, Volpato, Thorstvedt. Coach: Dionisi. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (60′ Weah), Miretti (46′ Fagioli), Locatelli (83′ Milik), Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling); Vlahovic (75′ Kean), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Rugani, Cambiaso, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Colombo. Bookings: 36′ Rabiot, 51′ Boloca, 55′ Danilo, 58′ Berardi, 64′ Vina, 83′ Pinamonti. Source: www.juventus.com |
Coach Massimiliano Allegri fulfilled his pre-match press duties ahead of Juventus' away game against Sassuolo on Saturday evening, looking ahead to the trip to Reggio Emilia.
FOCUS AND BALANCE “Now we have to stay focused because there’s too much euphoria and, while on the one hand that’s nice, it can take away energy and attention. We’e only on Matchday 5 and Sassuolo, with the exception of a 3-0 win with a [Paulo] Dybala hat-trick a few years ago, have always been tough opponents. They’re coming off the back of a big defeat to Frosinone, so we’ll have a tough task and we will have to be very attentive, physical and technically good. It ill be important to get a good result. We have to get back to normality, which is winning as many games as possible and is part of Juventus’ DNA. We have a big game tomorrow, and then there’s another on Tuesday. The strength of any team is to have balance, because that’s how results are obtained. One win or loss should not change that, nothing collapses when we lose or draw a game, we just have to keep on working. I repeat, there are better-equipped teams and we have to fight with them, we have to do it with the desire to improve and with work." CHOICES “[Federico] Chiesa and [Dusan] Vlahovic are fine, on Wednesday Vlahovic had some back pain and Federico had some fatigue with his flexor. They’re fully available. On Tuesday we’ll have a game, three days later, which will only happen for midweek Serie A rounds this year, but we are only thinking about Sassuolo. I think we’ll rotate on Tuesday and I’ll evaluate Vlahovic’s condition for tomorrow. But everybody up front is doing well, including [Moise] Kean and [Arkadiusz] Milik. [Kenan] Yildiz will be with the Next Gen tomorrow, while Huijsen will be with us permanently from now on as Alex Sandro will be out for a while. Fagioli has the technique to play in front of the defence, in 2017 I defined him as a playmaking midfielder and that's what he continues to be. Then with experience he will also be able to play in front of the defence. [Weston] McKennie is fine, I’ll take a look at him today. [Timothy] Weah is a good option, he’s settling in well after just a few months in Italy but I’m happy with the way he’s integrating.” GOALS “Next year we have to be in the Champions League. We have a chance to get into the top four, but it won’t be easy because Inter, AC Milan and Napoli are stronger than everybody. We have to go one step at a time, with balance, without mood swings that are tied to single results. Whatever path we take will be determined to have been right or not by the results at the end of the season. We have to have the desire to be at the top, we have to get the results to get into the Champions League. You don’t win or lose league seasons on one game, and you don’t qualify for the Champions League or not because of one game.” STAFF "[Francesco] Magnanelli is very good. The staff, including those who have been with me for 18 years and those added more recently, bring great value. I'm happy when some of them, like [Paolo] Bianco or [Simone] Padoin, start their career as a coach. I like my staff to be made up of quality people and it would be a source of pride for me to have people I’ve worked with to go into coaching. I’m very happy with everybody who woks at Continassa, there’s a good team with a good spirit." THE SQUAD AND THE FUTURE "We have a less experienced squad this year, but we've got enthusiasm and dynamism. We have to keep working hard to improve, remembering that we have to run more than everybody else and results will bring more confidence and belief. Everybody here must feel the responsibility. When you are at Juventus you have to grow faster. We have young players who we know can make mistakes, but we also have experienced players. The boys are growing and we have to be clear about what we can achieve. The way this team is structured, it's clear that it has a big future. There are a lot of Italians, young players, all with a future and that is important. If we make it into the top four this year, after a generational change, we will have helped the club a lot. It should be remembered that last year, on the field, we finished third." SPALLETTI'S VISIT "The national team coach visiting was a real pleasure, because we are there to put the national team playes in the best working conditions and to have as many players called up as we can. In the last squad we had Chiesa and [Manuel] Locatelli, but there are others who can be called up too. We're committed to Juventus and also the national team." SPORT IN THE CONSTITUTION "I'm very happy that the country recognises the educational, social and mental wellbeing-promoting value of spots. Among other things, I've been a coach committed to sport and health for years. The numbers in Italy have changed in recent years, there's more obesity among kids so they need to be motivated to do sport. Sports give you rules, education and discipline and that's why I'm happy about the introduction of Article 33 into the Italian Constitution, because it will help to go into schools to educate the new generations that will be the future of Italy." Source: www.juventus.com |
Unfazed by the interruption of leaue duty for the international break, Juventus made it back-to-back wins in Serie A with an impressive 3-1 over Lazio in the opening fixture of Matchday 4.
The Bianconeri charged into a two-goal advantage before the half hour mark was reached in the first half following clinical finishes from Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa. Although the visitors pulled one goal back through Luis Alberto midway through the second period, another outstanding goal from Vlahovic restored Juve's two-goal advantage two minutes later. The first home win of the campaign saw Juventus reach the 10-pioint mark, leaving last seasons runners-up already seven points adrift. THE MATCH Massimiliano Allegri confirmed the same outfield players that had started the previous match, against Empoli - a first for the coach since his return - and the decision to stick by Weston McKennie on the right side of midfield proved crucial. The USA international, enjoying his 100th appearance in the black and white stripes, was involved in the build-up for all of the Bianconeri’s goals. On 10 minutes the midfielder stretched to keep the ball in play. His pass to Manuel Locatelli was played first time into the heart of the penalty area where Dusan Vlahovic swooped on the half volley. The number 9 thundered his shot beyond Ivan Provedel for his third of the season. Filip Kostic, with a swerving shot from the edge of the area, and Vlahovic, with a close-range header from the resulting corner after Provedel’s finger-tip save, came close to adding a quick second for the Bianconeri. The team’s second goal arrived on 26 minutes. Federico Chiesa also enjoying his third of the campaign. The number 7 pounced ahead of Adrien Rabiot onto a cross from McKennie and lashed a right foot curler that Provedel could do nothing about. The goal arrived just after Lazio had come close to equalising. Maurizo Sarri’s side found the opening through Daichi Kamada, whose rasping effort was acrobatically tipped over the crossbar by Wojciech Szczesny. The Bianconeri came out in determined fashion after the restart and only a reflex save from Provedel stopped Adrien Rabiot from adding a third goal. Lazio continued to play their football, however, and with Juve being guilty of sitting too deep, found a way back into the match - or so it seemed. Andrea Cambiaso was caught in possession and Luis Alberto took advantage to curl a shot up and over Szczesny. The electric atmosphere that had filled the Alianz Stadium until then was silenced. The moment of trepidation lasted all of two minutes, however, the time Vlahovic needed to power home his second of the afternoon. The striker received a cross-field pass from McKennie but still had a lot to do. Undaunted, the number 9 brought the ball down on his chest and held off two challenges before drilling his shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. The fans greeted the prodigious act with thunderous applause, as they did when the goalscorers were substituted with less than 10 minutes to play. Arkadiusz Milik and Moise Kean had chances to add to the tally on the counter-attack as Lazo threw more players forward. A huge roar greeted the final whistle as Juve collected a 10th point from the 12 available. With the Vlahovic-Chiesa partnership producing the goods, the Bianconeri look confidently ahead to next weekend’s trip to face Sassuolo. JUVENTUS 3-1 LAZIO (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 10′ & 67’ Vlahovic, 26’ Chiesa, Luis Alberto 65’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (71′ Weah), Miretti (58′ Fagioli), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (58′ Cambiaso); Chiesa (83′ Kean), Vlahovic (83′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Nicolussi Caviglia, Yildiz, Iling. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj (46′ Pellegrini); Kamada (77′ Guendouzi), Cataldi (46′ Rovella), Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson (73′ Pedro), Immobile (69′ Castellanos), Zaccagni. Subs not used: Sepe, Mandas, Patric, Vecino, Isaksen, Lazzari, Gila. Coach: Sarri. Referee: Maresca. Bookings: 7′ Miretti, 16′ Bremer, 60′ Gatti, 77’ Cambiaso, 81′ Vlahovic, 84′ Pellegrini. Source: www.juventus.com |
"The players who stayed here trained well, and the others came back with a lot of enthusiasm after their international commitments, although some will have to recover a little because of the time difference. Tomorrow will be a good game and it will be important for us to be ready."
With the above words, Massimiliano Allegri opened his press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Juventus' Serie A fixture against Lazio. On Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 15:00 CEST, Juventus will kick off the fourth day of Serie A, the first after the international break. BONUCCI AND POGBA "I've already said everything I have to say about Bonucci, a number of times. I don't feel the need to say any more, I only wish him the best of luck for the rest of his career. We're sorry about the whole situation and are waiting for developments and further clarity. We hope that light will be shed on what has happened as soon as possible. I can't comment on other issues because they concern Paul directly and they are strictly personal." ON LAZIO "We have to focus on the players we have available to us, and there are a lot. Tomorrow will be a tough game and we have to be 100% focused on this game alone. Lazio are a direct rival for the top four. Lazio are a well organised team, both in defence and attack. Tomorrow we'll be at home, so we'll see if we can find an extra gear to click into after the win at Empoli." DOUBTS ABOUT THE XI "We have to focus on the players we have available to us, and there are a lot. Tomorrow will be a tough game and we have to be 100% focused on this game alone. Lazio are a direct rival for the top four. There's a good chance that we'll see Chiesa from the start. Fede has recovered and is available. I'm very happy with how Locatelli played with Italy, and McKennie is becoming a reliable option and could start." THE SQUAD HARMONY "There's a good atmosphere in the group, and it's always tough to choose who will start. But it's good to know that we have a competitive squad and that will be important to qualify for next season's Champions League. It’s a young group with a lot of desire, and tomorrow is a big test." JUVE'S PENALTY TAKERS "After Vlahovic our penalty taker is Milik. Kean also takes them well, as does Danilo. We have a lot of options from 12 yards. There is no shortage of players to choose from." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus head into the international break unbeaten after collecting a second win out of three for the season at the Castellani against Empoli.
A goal in either half, the first from Danilo, the second from Federico Chiesa, were just reward for a confident Bianconeri performance, which saw Mattia Perin not asked to make a save throughout the match. THE MATCH Juventus came at Empoli from kick-off, implementing the high-pressing game desired by Massimiliano Allegri. It was through possession retrieved inside the opponent’s half that the Bianconeri produced their first chance, a snapshot from Dusan Vlahovic, saved by Erit Berisha, a deadline-day signing by the Tuscan club. The striker and the goalkeeper would continue their duel throughout the first half. Danilo emerged as the other Juve player to cause the shot stopper difficulties on his debut. In fact, it was the captain that opened the scoring on 24 minutes after Empoli failed to clear a corner. A similar situation unfolded 14 minutes earlier when Danilo nodded the ball into the net from close range but was adjudged to have impeded the keeper earlier in the build-up. However, the captain was faultless when he steered home his shot for the game’s opening goal after Filip Kostic’s delivery was not dealt with by the home defence. Kostic, on his first appearance of the campaign, won the corner after dispossessing Bartosz Bereszynski with a perfect steal deep in the Empoli half. Danilo proudly displayed the number 6 on his back on the day the club remembered a historic number 6, Gaetano Scirea. Another player determined to leave his mark on his first start of the campaign was at the heart of the action that led to Juve being awarded a penalty with seven minutes of the first half remaining. Federico Gatti burst into the area only to be tripped by Youssef Maleh. After a VAR check confirmed the referee’s initial decision, Vlahovic struck his spot kick too centrally, allowing Berisha to make the save. Immediately after the restart, Berisha was again called on as he raced off his line to thwart Federico Chiesa racing in on goal. Just before the hour mark, Chiesa again burst into the penalty box, this time with only the keeper to beat he curled his shot just wide of the far post. The number 7 was not going to be denied though. After Paul Pogba had his thumping ruled off due to Vlahovic being in an offside position when setting up the Frenchman, Chiesa killed off the hosts’ lingering hopes of salvaging something from the match. Arek Milik spun on the half-way line and played the ball into the path of Chiesa who, once again one-on-one against the home keeper, used all of his pace to avoid Berisha’s challenge in midfield, and regained his footing before stroking the ball into the unguarded net. Inside stoppage time, Juve came close to adding to their tally, when a Milik header clipped the crossbar and Moise Kean struck the outside of the post with a low drive. As it was, two goals were enough to secure a second win of the season. After the international break, Lazio visit the Allianz Stadium. EMPOLI 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 24′ Danilo, 82’ Chiesa. EMPOLI: Berisha; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto, Pezzella; Maleh, Marin (72′ Kovalenko), Fazzini (61′ Grassi); Baldanzi (61′ Cancellieri), Caputo (72′ Destro), Cambiaghi (83′ Gyasi). Subs not used: Perisan, Stubjar, Shpendi, Cacace, Guarino, Ranocchia, Ebuehi, Bastoni, Ismajli. Coach: Zanetti. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie (86′ Weah), Miretti (62′ Pogba), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (70′ Cambiaso); Chiesa (83′ Kean), Vlahovic (70′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Daffara, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Fagioli, Nicolussi Caviglia, Yildiz, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Ayroldi. Bookings: 15′ Locatelli, 43′ Bereszynski, 48′ Vlahovic, 49′ Miretti, 86′ Gyasi, 90’+7′ Destro. Source: www.juventus.com |
The last match for Juventus before the international break sees the team travel to Tuscany to face Empoli, with Sunday’s scheduled for 20:45 CEST.
The Bianconeri are aiming to return to winning ways following last week’s draw with Bologna, while Empoli are still in search of their first points of the 2023/24 campaign. Coach Massimiliano Allegri addressed in the media in the pre-match press conference on Saturday, highlighting the potential danger this match could pose. “Tomorrow we will find an opponent who will try to earn their first points of the championship, so we expect a difficult game, as are all the ones we have faced and will have to face. Empoli shouldn't be underestimated, they have the DNA of a team that likes to play, we'll have to be solid. We want to return to Turin with the three points.” Below are the main points touched on by the Juventus coach. THE TEAM “I have six defenders, including Dean Huijsen, and they are all reliable. Tomorrow Danilo and Gleison Bremer will definitely start, but I have to decide who will play between Alex Sandro and Federico Gatti. Nicolo Fagioli missed some of our pre-season training, but he is recovering after breaking his collarbone. In the future he could also occupy the role of regista, but at the moment that role is held by Manuel Locatelli and he is doing it well. I'm disappointed at hearing some boos at the Stadium on Sunday, directed at players who are always reliable and professional. I see Dusan Vlahovic as very calm, also because he is physically better, and then we know that when the forwards score, they are always fine. Dusan will score this year and I'm very serene about what his season will be like and the same goes for Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean and Arek Milik. Filip Kostic could also start tomorrow – he is a reliable player and last year he provided twelve assists and is improving a lot on shooting from distance. Paul Pogba is coming off an injury and his playing time needs to be managed because he hadn't played for a year. Good things are already being seen because Samuel Iling-Junior's assist for Vlahovic came from a good play by Paul. When Pogba is only at 70% he is still decisive, he is different from the others. Wojciech Szczesny is better following his knock, but he will come back only after the international break.” EIGHT TEAMS, FOUR POSITIONS “There are eight very strong teams this year, so we will need to be very good to qualify for the Champions League. This year's championship will be very balanced, in my opinion, and I think that to finish fourth you need to score 76 points and the Scudetto-winning total will be around 86-90 points. Napoli remain the favourites, but Milan and Inter are also two well-equipped teams. We will have to be at our best to be in the top four come the end of December to then push for our objectives over the second half of the campaign.” TRANSFER MARKET “We shared every market move with the Club: it didn't make sense to sign players just to "change faces". We also had the desire of maintaining a competitive and sustainable team, we have players who will grow compared to last year. We work every day to be competitive and then, as mentioned, there are our opponents; it will be a very difficult championship for every team.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The first home outing of season 23/24 ended in a 1-1 draw with Bologna. Juventus levelled the scoreline with 10 minutes to play through Dusan Vlahovic, his sixth goal in as many matches against the Rossoblu, after the visitors had taken a first half lead.
The draw puts the Bianconeri on four points from the opening two games. THE MATCH Expectations were high among the fans that flocked to the Allianz Stadium, especially considering the confident performance in the opening fixture against Udinese. Instead, Juve struggled to make inroads in the first half against Thiago Motta’s well-drilled Bologna. The visitors closed down the flanks and took advantage of their own pressing game to head into the interval with the advantage. Both defences held firm until the midway point of the first half when Mattia Perin, replacing the injured Wojciech Szczesny, blocked an effort from Dan Ndoye. A minute later, however, Bologna took the lead when Joshua Zirkzee played through Lewis Ferguson. The midfielder received possession inside the penalty area and took his time before placing the ball into the far corner. A goal behind, Juve raised the tempo and crafted their first chances of the game, both of which fell to Nicolò Fagioli. In quick succession, his shots were blocked by the Bologna defence. While, visiting goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski made his first save of note with three minutes to play of the opening spell, punching away a free kick from Andrea Cambiaso. It was a transformed Juventus that emerged from the dressing room. After pinning back the visitors inside their own half from the restart, the Bianconeri appeared to have drawn level on 52 minutes. Dusan Vlahovic struck from close range to divert a Bremer cross into the net. However, the striker’s joy was short lived as VAR intervened, and the referee confirmed Adrien Rabiot’s offside position when Vlahovic shot. Unaffected, Juve kept up the pressure and four minutes later, Tim Weah’s rasping drive was tipped wide by Skorupski. Still the hosts pressed on, but after Fagioli saw his shot ruffle the side netting. All this within the opening quarter of an hour of the second half. With Bologna having ridden out the initial storm, Massimiliano Allegri turned to the bench for inspiration. The coach called on Paul Pogba and Samuel Iling Jr. to provide new impetus and it was the two substitutes that linked up in the move that led to the equaliser. Pogba shrugged off a couple of tackles in the centre of the park before releasing Iling on the run down the right. The winger’s first time cross was met majestically by Vlahovic, whose header gave Skorupski no chance. With 10 minutes to play, Juve were level. However, despite as many as seven minutes of time added on, the Bianconeri couldn’t complete the turnaround and had to settle for a share of the points. JUVENTUS 1-1 BOLOGNA (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 23′ Ferguson, 80′ Vlahovic. JUVENTUS: Perin, Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weah (80′ Yildiz), Fagioli (66′ Pogba), Locatelli (80′ McKennie), Rabiot, Cambiaso (66′ Iling); Vlahovic, Chiesa (73′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Gatti, Huijsen, Rugani, Kostic, Miretti, Nicolussi Caviglia, Kean, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumì, Lykogiannis (60′ Corazza); Moro (60′ Dominguez), Aebischer (84′ El Azzouzi); Ndoye (90’+1′ Fabbian), Ferguson, Orsolini (60′ Karlsson); Zirkzee. Subs not used: Ravaglia, Gasperini, Joaquin Sosa, Bonifazi, De Silvestri, Van Hooijdonk, Urbanski. Coach: Thiago Motta. Referee: Di Bello. Bookings: 11′ Rabiot, 16′ Posch, 86' Yildiz. Source: www.juventus.com |
"It's our first home game, so the fans will give us a big helping hand and that's important. We are looking forward to playing at home, in front of a full house. We'll have to carry the fans along with us by playing well."
That was coach Massimiliano Allegri's first answer in his pre-match press conference on Saturday, looking ahead to Juventus' first home game of the season against Bologna on Sunday. Our home campaign kicks off on Sunday, August 27, with kick-off set for 18:30 CEST in Turin. LOOKING AHEAD TO BOLOGNA The boss was asked about the state of the squad, and gave updates on Moise Kean, Paul Pogba and Wojciech Szczesny. "Moise Kean has never been out of the squad. He arrived late once, but that can happen. He suffered a relapse after a knock, but he's available tomorrow. The transfer market? I think we'll stay as we are, and I'm very happy. Pogba is better. He had a good week and responded very well on Wednesday after a very intense training session. He is available tomorrow and he could be used. Szczesny won't be with us tomorrow after he picked up a knock. Perin will play. I have two doubts about the rest of the XI, one in the middle and one out wide." A YOUNG SQUAD "We have to keep working. The average age of the team has gone down and we have to ride the wave of enthusiasm that the youngsters bring. But, I'll repeat, we need balance, to stay calm, and before anything else we have to work. We have a different team this year, we'll have to run a lot. Every season when we get started I give the team and the staff a direction on how to work, according to the characteristics of the squad we have. We have to get used to winning as many games as we can, continuing to work and improving both as a team and as individuals." ON THIAGO MOTTA'S BOLOGNA "Bologna are a strong team and they proved it last season. Tomorrow we'll face a tough team who did well and created a lot against AC Milan. We'll need to have the right attitude. They have also strengthened in the transfer market, especially by increasing the quality in attack. We will have to be alert, but above all we must maintain the right balance. We must not get overly excited in good moments and we must not let our heads drop in the more difficult spells. As I said, we always need balance. The important thing is to be convinced of how we are working and of our means." ON SAUDI ARABIA "Offers from Saudi Arabia? I signed a four-year contract at Juventus and I can't leave now. When I leave Juve I want to leave a team behind me that will have a bright future and one that will continue to fight for success for years to come." Source: www.juventus.com |
Pressing. Power. Precision. That is how Juventus started the season in Udine as the curtain raiser to the new season saw Massimiliano Allegri's side run out 3-0 winners.
All three goals were scored in an incisive opening half, which saw Tim Weah and Andrea Cambiaso make their competitive debuts for the Bianonceri. Another new face, teenager Kenan Yildiz, made an appearance in the second half when the points were safely in the bag after a solid defensive display after the break matched the attacking verve of the first. THE MATCH The season could not have got off to a better start as Federico Chiesa opened his and the team’s account for the new campaign inside two minutes. Pressing in midfield forced Udinese to concede possession inside their own half and when Dusan Vlahovic fed the ball into the path of Chiesa, the number 7 had just one thought on his mind, go for goal from the edge of the area. On pulling the trigger, his shot nestled into the bottom corner. The second goal came in the 20th minute. This time it was Vlahovic who received the fans’ affection after he slammed home a spot kick, awarded following a handball in the home penalty area. Even before Vlahovic converted from 12 yards, Juve had threatened on another occasion. Andrea Cambiaso was out to make it a debut to remember in the Juventus shirt, and the wingback tried his luck after a swift move down the left flank allowed him to burst in on goal. Silvestri blocked the effort with his feet. However, Cambiaso was involved in the third goal of an electric opening half. Three minutes into stoppage time, a Chiesa back-heel picked out the number 27, whose precise left-footed cross was headed home from close range by Adrien Rabiot. The sharpest player on the home side was Florian Thauvin, who threatened either side of the half-time whistle. The forward was first denied by Wojciech Szczesny at full stretch, then his deflected shot almost looped in at the far post. Neither Fabio Miretti or Tim Weah made it out for the second half, replaced by Nicolò Fagioli and Weston McKennie respectively. McKennie produced a disciplined performance in the wingback role to help limit Udinese’s attempts to get a foothold in the game. Sandi Lovric proved to be the most dangerous for Udinese, first with two shots from outside the area before he ghosted in behind the Juve backline but placed his header wide. Juve breached the home defence for the fourth time on the night after soaking up the pressure. Dusan was denied a double though after the flag was raised against Samuel Iling only after the striker had deposited the ball into an unguarded net. Vlahovic was replaced in the closing minutes by Kenan Yildiz. The class of 2005 made it a first call-up to remember, with his first slice of Serie A action. What's more, at the other end, a brave double save on 83' by Szczesny made sure there was to be no late surge by the home side. Three goals, three points and a clean sheet, a confident start by Massimiliano Allegri’s team that allowed the coach to collect his 250th win in charge of the Bianconeri, only the second in the footsteps of Giovanni Trapattoni to reach such a milestone. UDINESE 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-3): Scorers: 2′ Chiesa, 20’ Vlahovic, 45+3’ Rabiot. UDINESE: Silvestri; Kabasele, Bijol, Perez; Festy Ebosele (55′ Ferreira), Zarraga (46′ Samardzic), Walace, Lovric, Kamara (46′ Zemura); Thauvin (66′ Success), Beto (74′ Lucca). Subs not used: Piana, Malusà, Guessand, Quina, Abankwah, Aké, Semedo, Camara, Pejicic, Nwachukwu. Coach: Sottil. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weah (46′ McKennie), Miretti (46′ Fagioli), Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso (69′ Iling); Vlahovic (84′ Yildiz), Chiesa (77′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Pogba, Kostic, Huijsen, Rugani, Soulè, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Rapuano. Bookings: 27′ Alex Sandro, 31′ Kabasele, 34′ Danilo, 90’+5′ Locatelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Serie A returns after almost two and a half months, with Juventus travelling to Udinese for their first match of the 2023/24 campaign, scheduled to take place at 20:45 CEST on Sunday evening at the Udinese Arena.
Like the fans, Coach Massimiliano Allegri is looking forward to the season's start, sharing his thoughts with the media in the first pre-match presser of the season: "We are very happy to start the championship. There's always great anticipation when you have to play your first league game. Tomorrow will be the first of a long journey that will end on May 25th. We will start to get serious and we will have to be ready for this first appointment." The Coach touched on several points in answering the journalists' questions, a re-cap of which you can read below. THE SQUAD "I am very happy with the squad I have available, with how the group is working and how we have prepared, between Turin and the United States. Now with the matches that start to count, it will be completely different from those played in pre-season." LACK OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL "We are very disappointed not to be able to play in the European cups, and the Champions League in particular. It's never nice not participating, also because we had achieved our qualification on the field. We will have to transform the bitterness into positive energy and anger to give everything in the league and in the Italian Cup. Technically, not having the commitment in the middle of the week will allow us to have more days to work on the pitch and, consequently, to prepare for the matches that await us. We'll try to exploit this aspect to our advantage, but I don't think it's an advantage to not play in European competitions." GIUNTOLI'S ARRIVAL "We have excellent relations with Cristiano Giuntoli and Giovanni Manna, I get along very well with them both. Cristiano has fully integrated into our set-up since he arrived. He was very well-received and found a group that was available and prepared to work. He is a very important figure within the Club." ATTACKING DEPTH "In addition to Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic, we can count on excellent players such as Arek Milik, Moise Kean - who unfortunately will not be called up for Udine because he is still recovering from a knock - and Kenan Yildiz. Kenan comes from the Youth Sector, he's a very interesting prospect who has shown his qualities, and there are many. I am very happy and satisfied with the players I have at my disposal." LEAGUE FAVOURITES "Usually whoever won the championship the year before always starts as favourites, so Napoli starts ahead of all the other teams. Then there are many other excellent teams: Inter are strong, Lazio and Milan are no different. It is too early to make predictions now, Serie A has yet to start. What I can say is that we will have to improve our away performance because last season this was the big difference with Napoli." THE MATCH VS UDINE "Nicolo Fagioli has trained well and is available, so I will evaluate his use tomorrow. On the flanks I have four players for two spots, so this afternoon I'll have to decide. Tomorrow the changes from the bench will be fundamental because it will be the first official match and it will also be very hot. Paul Pogba's presence in the squad will be decided after today's training." NATIONAL TEAM COACH "Roberto Mancini did an excellent job with the national team, even winning a European Championship. I wish Luciano Spalletti all the best in this new role, which is an important assignment that was given to him after winning the Scudetto last year." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus collected all three points in Udine on the final day of the season thanks to a second-half goal scored by Federico Chiesa.
The winger curled home with just over 20 minutes to play in a match that had seen Leonardo Bonucci hit the crossbar as the Bianconeri wrapped up the campaign with yet another clean sheet. THE MATCH A noisy Dacia Arena welcomed the two sets of players for the closing encounter of the campaign, and the match almost got off to a flying start. A mistake by home keeper Marco Silvestri gifted possession to Fabio Miretti inside the area, but the young midfielder delayed too long, allowing the Udinese defence to thwart the danger. On the hosts' first attack, a cross picked out Beto inside the six-yard box. The striker couldn’t keep his header down. Juve increased the pressure on the home defence as the game entered the half hour mark. First a fiercely delivered free-kick from Juan Cuadrado brought out a finger-tip interception from Silverstri, which was crucial to take the ball away from the lurking Leonardo Bonucci - who shortly after would come closest to opening the scoring in the first half. Arek Milik and Federico Chiesa combined well at the edge of the penalty box. Milik’s return pass sent Chiesa on the run, but his shot was deflected for a corner. From the set piece, Milik’s glancing header was met by Bonucci, who redirected the ball goalwards, only to see his header rebound off the underside of the crossbar. Goalless at the break. To add some impetus to the attack, Massimiliano Allegri swapped Filip Kostić with Samuel Iling jr. The Next Gen talent made an instant impact. A cross from the winger was flicked just wide by Chiesa. Like in the first period, Juve took control of proceedings at the midway stage of the half. Adrien Rabiot drilled a shot into the side netting when sent through on goal. Five minutes later Cuadrado cut inside and unleashed a shot that rose over the crossbar. But the goal was on its way. Manuel Locatelli turned inside the Udinese area and released Chiesa. The number 7 took a couple of touches before firing an unstoppable shot into the far corner. There were still over 20 minutes to play, however, and both sides created further chances. Sandi Lovrić run straight at the Juve defence before letting fly, forcing Wojciech Szczęsny into his first real save. The keeper was called on to repeat his act by keeping out another long range effort from Nehuen Perez. In between the two opportunities for the hosts, Manuel Locatelli came close to grabbing his first goal of the season. However, his flick was brilliantly saved by Silvestri. Despite over eight minutes of time added on, Chiesa’s finish remained the only goal of the game as Juventus completed the anomalous season in seventh place. UDINESE 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 68′ Chiesa. UDINESE: Silvestri, Abankwah (58′ Cocetta), Perez, Guessand (79′ Buta); Pereyra, Samardzic, Walace (47′ Arslan), Lovric, Udogie; Thauvin (79′ Vivaldo), Beto (79′ Nestorovski). Subs not used: Padelli, Piana, Ulineia, Centis, Russo, Bassi, Castagnaviz. Coach: Sottil. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bonucci (90’+3′ Rugani), Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling); Miretti (61′ Di Maria); Chiesa (78′ Paredes), Milik (78′ Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Barbieri, Riccio, Sersanti. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Guida. BOOKINGS: 38′ Gatti, 88′ Paredes, 88′ Arslan, 89′ Nestorovski. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus were handed the knock-out blow to their fading Champions League qualifying hopes by Milan in the final home match of the campaign.
The game's only goal was scored by Olivier Giroud on 40 minutes. Danilo came closest to equalising in stoppage time but the Bianconeri left the pitch empty handed. THE MATCH The closing home fixture of the season brought a Calcio classic to the Allianz Stadium, but the long season had taken its toll on both sides. Milan started the stronger of the two teams. However, their only shot in the opening spell, from Junior Messias, was easily dealt with by Wojciech Szczęsny. Just before the quarter of the hour, Juve threatened. Juan Cuadrado was invited to try his luck from distance, and his effort forced Mike Maignan to parry the shot wide. The Bianconeri had a string of chances midway through the first half. First Moise Kean used his strength to charge forward from the half-way line. His cross was met on the slide by Ángel Di María, whose volley finished high. Immediately after, Federico Chiesa flashed a shot from a tight angle over the crossbar, while Kean on the turn at the edge of the area, drilled in a shot, which was comfortably taken by Maignan. However, the only goal of the first half - and of the game - was scored by the visiting side. Davide Calabria floated in a cross, which was attacked by Olivier Giroud, who outjumped Federico Gatti and powered a header into the corner beyond Szczęsny. Into the second half, the Rossoneri looked to add to their advantage when Alexis Saelemaekers was picked out inside the area. The substitute’s angled drive was blocked by Szczęsny, who earlier had used his height advantage over Brahim Diaz inside the six-yard box. Juve made progress into the Maignan's area on 84’, but Adrien Rabiot’s header flew wide of target. Milan had put up a red and black wall in front of their goal and Juve were invited to break it down, which they almost did in stoppage time. A corner kick reached Danilo whose close range effort was net bound until it was blocked by Pierre Kalulua practically on his goal line. At the full-time whistle, the visitors celebrated nailing down fourth place and Champions League football next season. For Juventus, next week’s final match at Udinese will decide the Bianconeri’s final league position. JUVENTUS 0-1 MILAN (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 41′ Giroud. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer (82′ Bonucci), Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (63′ Paredes); Di Maria (63′ Milik), Kean (72′ Iling-Junior), Chiesa. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Barbieri, Miretti, Sersanti. Coach: Allegri. MILAN: Maignan; Calabria (85′ Kalulu), Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Krunic; Messias (56′ Saelemaekers), Brahim Diaz (81′ Pobega), Leao (81′ Ballo-Touré); Giroud (85′ Origi). Subs not used: Mirante, Tătăruşanu; Florenzi, Gabbia, Kjær; Adli, Vranckx; De Ketelaere. Coach: Pioli. Referee: Mariani. BOOKINGS: 33′ Messias, 55′ Cuadrado, 64′ Krunic. Source: www.juventus.com |
On the evening that Juventus were docked 10 points for events off the pitch, the team lost 4-1 on it.
Empoli took advantage of their chances, while the Bianconeri missed theirs to lead 2-0 at the break. The hosts went three goals up before Federico Chiesa pulled one back with five minutes to play, only for Empoli to score a fourth deep inside stoppage time. THE MATCH Despite the news that had filtered through to the players, Juventus started with intent to climb back up the standings. The first chances fell to Dušan Vlahović and Filip Kostić, but both times home keeper Guglielmo Vicario smothered the danger. On 13 minutes, Arek Milik got involved, attacking a corner played to the edge of the six-yard penalty area. The striker’s header crashed back off the crossbar and although Federico Gatti poked the ball into the net from the ensuing scramble, VAR confirmed that Vicario had been impeded in the lead-up. Despite dominating the opening 15 minutes, Juve would find themselves two goals down five minutes later. With their first attack, Empoli were awarded a penalty when Milik tripped Nicolò Cambiaghi at the edge of the area. Francesco Caputo converted the spot kick. Three minutes later a corner wasn’t cleared despite a reflex save from Wojciech Szczęsny from a close range Jean Akpa Akpro header. The ball broke into the path of Sebastiano Luperto, who drove his shot high into the net. The Bianconeri responded immediately. Bremer was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance when the ball broke to him from six yards out but he couldn’t keep his shot down. Adrien Rabiot then went close with a powerful shot from distance, but Juve were being well marshalled by the home side. The last chance in the first half arrived in stoppage time when Kostić played through Vlahović, but a tackle from Vicario, who had come rushing outside of his penalty area, stopped the striker in his tracks. At the start of the second half the script remained the same despite Leandro Paredes and Federico Chiesa being brought on after the interval. The first opportunity fell to Vlahović, who skied his shot. Two minutes later, Empoli scored their third. Akpa Akpro raced away from Alex Sandro. His cross was flicked beyond Szczęsny by Caputo for the veteran striker’s second on the night. The three-goal deficit was reduced with five minutes to play. Rabiot’s cross cleared the danger area before arriving to Chiesa, who controlled with his chest before drilling a volley low into the net. The goal didn’t spark an onslaught from Juve, however, and Empoli restored their three-goal advantage in stoppage time. Roberto Piccoli was set up in front of goal and the striker drilled home on 93 minutes. An evening that started in anomalous circumstances ended with a result no one would have predicted. EMPOLI 4-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 2-0): Scorers: 18′ (pen) & 48’ Caputo, 22′ Luperto, 85′ Chiesa, 90+3′ Piccoli. EMPOLI: Vicario; Ebuehi, Ismajli, Luperto, Parisi; Grassi, Bandinelli (68′ Haas); Akpa Akpro (87′ Stojanovic), Fazzini (78′ Henderson), Cambiaghi (78′ Pjaca); Caputo (87′ Piccoli). Subs not used: Perisan, Ujkani; Cacace, Satriano, Destro, Tonelli, Vignato. Coach: Zanetti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro (63′ Rugani); Barbieri (46′ Chiesa), Miretti (46′ Paredes), Locatelli (58′ Di Maria), Rabiot, Kostic; Milik (58′ Kean), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin,, Riccio, Sersanti, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Ayroldi. Bookings: 53′ Parisi, 55′ Rabiot, 66′ Bandinelli, 76′ Paredes. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus tumbled out of the Europa League in the semi-finals despite a battling performance in a pulsating match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium.
In a game that saw both sides create chances, the Bianconeri opened the scoring on 65 minutes through Dušan Vlahović. The lead lasted seven minutes when Suso levelled from distance. The match was decided in extra time by Lamela, who powered a header beyond Wojciech Szczęsny. THE MATCH With five changes to the starting XI from last week’s first leg in Turin, Juventus took time to settle in the passionate atmosphere of the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium. That said, on 15 minutes the Bianconeri’s first shot, struck by Nicolò Fagioli, who would be stretchered off later in the opening half following a shoulder injury, led to the team’s first corner. Again Federico Gatti displayed his aerial strength, bulleting a header that was well saved by Yassine Bounou. Sevilla’s response came from a flashing header from Lucas Ocampos, which was miraculously kept out by Wojciech Szczęsny. Five minutes later, Tek made another acrobatic stop to deny a dipping shot from Marcos Acuña. In between the two chances for the home team, Juve created a glorious opportunity themselves. A well-worked counter attack saw Adrien Rabiot feed Ángel Di María on the run. With only the keeper to beat, El Fideo chipped wide of the target. On 33’ Moise Kean used his strength to hold off a challenge from Loïc Badé to drive his shot across the face of goal, beyond Bounou but the effort bounced back off the upright. Juve did have the ball in the back of the net in the first half. Leandro Paredes, who had replaced Fagioli, lofted a pass over the top for Manuel Locatelli, who dragged his cross into the path of Adrien Rabiot. The Frenchman slammed his shot high into the net, but the flag was raised against Locatelli. VAR confirmed the midfielder set off in an offside position. Again it was Juve that created the first clear-cut chance after the interval. Rabiot was sent through but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Before the hour mark, Bremer headed wide as the Bianconeri continued to look dangerous. And the game’s opening goal arrived on 65 minutes. Dušan Vlahović latched onto some slack play at the edge of the Sevilla area and dinked his shot over the advancing keeper. Budapest beckoned. However, seven minutes later another substitute, Suso unleashed an unstoppable shot that flew high beyond Szczęsny for the equaliser. With a quarter of an hour of the 90 minutes remaining, it was 1-1 on the night, 2-2 on aggregate. As the game edged towards extra time, Szczęsny made a fine block to keep out Bryan Gil, then the Juve number 1 acrobatically tipped Youssef En-Neysri’s header over the bar. Also in the first period of extra time, the first chance fell to Juve. Federico Chiesa drilled a low shot at the near post, which Bounou spilled but managed to scoop the ball away from the onrushing Vlahović. A minute later Sevilla scored the match’s third goal. Gil’s flighted cross was met by Lamela, whose header gave Szczęsny no chance. Sevilla sat back, intent on soaking up the pressure. Acuña was shown a second yellow card for time wasting leaving the hosts down to 10 men after 115 minutes. Juve threw cross after cross into the middle, but there was to be no repeat of the last-gasp equaliser in the first leg. Juventus bowed out of the Europa League in the semi-finals for the second time. SEVILLA 2-1 JUVENTUS (AET) (HT: 0-0) (3-2 AGG.): Scorers: 66′ Vlahovic, 72′ Suso, 95′ Lamela. SEVILLA: Bounou; Jesus Navas (105′ Gomez), Gudelj, Badé, Acuña; Fernando, Rakitic; Oliver Torres (61′ Suso) (117′ Rekik), Ocampos (69′ Lamela), Bryan Gil (99′ Montiel); En-Nesyri. Subs not used: Dmitrovic, Alberto Flores, Alex Telles, Rafa Mir, Hormigo, Bueno. Coach: Mendilibar. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (105′ Milik), Fagioli (40′ Paredes), Locatelli (86′ Miretti), Rabiot, Iling-Junior (86′ Kostic); Di Maria (63′ Chiesa); Kean (63′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Barbieri. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Makkelie. Bookings: 11′ Kean, 57′ Acuna, 105′ Danilo, 116′ Paredes, 117′ Suso, 120 Montiel. Sending off: 115′ Acuna. Source: www.juventus.com |
The return of Paul Pogba to the starting line-up was the major talkig point as a new-look Juve - launching the shirt for season 23/24 - welcomed Cremonese. However, Pogba's involvement was short-lived due to a muscle injury.
Juventus nonetheless collected all three points to reclaim outright second place in the Serie A table thanks to second half goals from Nicolò Fagioli and Bremer. THE MATCH With Cremonese fighting to keep their Serie A status, the visitors’ tactics were simple: keep Juventus as far as possible from their goal. Although Davide Ballardini’s side were content to concede the Bianconeri possession, the flicks and vision of Paul Pogba combined with the pace and direct running of Federico Chiesa were beginning to work openings in the Cremonese rearguard. In fact, it was Pogba who had the first glimpse at goal when he turned inside the area. However, Vlad Chiriches blocked the number 10’s effort. On 22 minutes, after flighting in a cross, Pogba fell to the ground in pain. The midfielder left the pitch in tears, replaced by Arkadiusz Milik. The Polish striker was the first to test Marco Carnesecchi with a shot from distance. The Cremonese goalkeeper then had to react quickly to parry a Bremer header from a corner. The grey and red wall was doing its job, keeping Juve at a safe distance, until the final seconds of stoppage time in the first half when Leandro Parades picked out Milik, who had sneaked in behind the defence. However, Carnesecchi was alert to the danger and quickly punched clear before the forward could bring the ball under control. More urgency was required to find a way through the well-drilled Cremonese defence and that’s exactly what Juve supplied at the restart. First a Milik cross was punched only as far as Paredes, whose drive was deflected for a corner. The Bianconeri kept up the pressure. Adrien Rabiot saw his shot saved and Milik turned the rebound over the bar. However, the breakthrough was only minutes away. Chiesa was launched down the left wing and as he made his way into the area the number 7 laid the ball back to the edge of the area, where Nicolò Fagioli was waiting to lash the ball high behind Carnesecchi. Juve knew a second goal would put the game to bed and so continued to push forward. Another Chiesa cross picked out Milik in the middle but a magnificent recovery tackle by Chiriches denied the Pole another goal against Cremonese. The second goal duly arrived, but only after Milik had seen another effort disallowed for offside and Rabiot had hit the side netting from an excellent position. With just over 10 minutes remaining a Paredes corner was met by Rabiot. The loose ball inside the area was too appetising for Bremer not to make the most of and he placed his header into the unguarded net. A third win in succession in Serie A was just the confidence booster the team needed heading into Thursday’s Europa League semi-final decider against Sevilla. JUVENTUS 2-0 CREMONESE (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 55′ Fagioli, 79′ Bremer. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (82′ Barbieri), Fagioli, Paredes, Rabiot, Chiesa (66′ Iling); Pogba (24′ Milik) (82′ Kean); Vlahovic (66′ Di Maria). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Locatelli, Kostić, Miretti. Coach: Allegri. CREMONESE: Carnesecchi; Ferrari (66′ Castagnetti), Chiriches, Lochoshvili (70′ Sernicola), Vasquez; Meite, Benassi (66′ Buonaiuto); Quagliata (46′ Valeri), Galdames, Okereke; Afena-Gyan (46′ Ciofani). Subs not used: Saro, Sarr, Aiwu, Bianchetti, Ghiglione, Acella, Basso Ricci. Coach: Ballardini. Referee: Chiffi. Bookings: 64′ Cuadrado, 66′ Danilo. Source: www.juventus.com |
Leonardo Bonucci made his 500th appearance in the black and white stripes, but it was his replacement who grabbed the headlines with a last-gasp equaliser for Juventus against Sevilla. Federico Gatti pounced inside stoppage time to score for a second consecutive European night at the Allianz Stadium as the first leg of the Europa League semi-final finished 1-1.
The Spanish side took the lead on 26 minutes through Youssef En-Nesyri. At the interval Massimiliano Allegri made two changes and it would be substitutes linking up that set up, Gatti, who took over from Captain Bonucci on 62', that left the tie on a knife's edge. THE MATCH An electric atmosphere welcomed the teams out on the pitch at the Allianz Stadium. Both teams displayed their intentions early to hit at pace, with Filip Kostić and Ángel Di María linking up with Dušan Vlahović. For Sevilla, the main threat came from Lucas Ocampos, who forced Wojciech Szczęsny into two early saves from headers. The second save, a one-handed parry, was especially worthy of note. Immediately after, Vlahović had his first sight of goal. Although the flag was eventually raised for offside, the striker was thwarted twice in quick succession by Yassine Bounou. The Sevilla goalkeeper was cut out in Juve’s next attack. A low cross from Kostić on the left was placed out of reach of Bounou, whose presence did enough to unsettle Vlahović as he shot over with the goal gaping. Ocampos missed a similar chance at the other end but two minutes later the hosts took the lead. This time Ocampos led a counter attack and delivered a low pass into the penalty area. A Bryan Gil dummy saw the ball arrive at the feet of Youssef En-Nesyri, who had time to pick his spot as he slotted his shot beyond Szczęsny on 26 minutes. Juventus were clearly rocked at finding themselves a goal down but dug deep to hold firm and keep Sevilla at a safe distance for the remainder of the opening half. In fact it was from distance that Szczęsny was called into action again, on 40 minutes when Ivan Rakitić’s vicious swerver almost deceived the Juve keeper. At the interval Massimiliano Allegri made two substitutions, Federico Chiesa and Samuel Iling-Junior. The two forwards immediately gave the Bianconeri momentum going forward. Chiesa was inches away from making contact with a long-ball played into the area, while Iling jinked his way into the box but his cut-back didn’t find a teammate. On 63 minutes it was Iling, however, who tested Bounou with a low drive from the edge of the area. It would be two other substitutes that would be fundamental in Juve levelling on the night. Sevilla were happy to sit deeper and deeper in a bid to hold onto their lead, and the tactic was effective as Juve were denied any clear cut chances. But the never-say-die spirit came to the fore again. With the last attack of the match, Chiesa won a corner, which he took himself. Paul Pogba played a header back across the face of goal, and from close range, Federico Gatti pounced with a crucial goal. In seven days the return leg in Andalusia will decide which of the two teams makes it to the final, in what is nothing less than a winner-takes-all. JUVENTUS 1-1 SEVILLA (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 26′ En-Nesyri, 90’+7′ Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci (61′ Gatti), Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Miretti (46′ Chiesa), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Iling); Di Maria (69′ Pogba); Vlahovic (61′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Kean, Rugani, Soulé, Paredes, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri SEVILLA: Bounou; Jesus Navas, Badé, Gudelj, Acuna; Fernando, Rakitic; Ocampos (34′ Montiel), Oliver Torres (73′ Gomez), Bryan Gil (81′ Lamela); En-Nesyri. Subs not used: Dimitrovic, Alberto Flores, Alex Telles, Rekik, Rafa Mir, Bueno. Coach: Mendilibar Referee: Siebert Bookings: 42′ Rabiot, 71′ Rakitic, 77′ Locatelli, 78′ Bryan Gil, 79′ Chiesa, 82′ Badé, Lamela 90+5’. Source: www.juventus.com |
Two goals without reply in Bergamo. Juventus collected an important win on Serie A Matchday 34 thanks to second half goals from Samuel Iling Junior, on his first Serie A start, and Dušan Vlahović, back-to-back goals for the striker.
The three points on the back of a solid performance push Juve into second place, two points ahead of Lazio on a weekend when six of the top-eight teams in Serie A went head on. THE MATCH The first lunchtime kick-off for Juventus coincided with the first signs of summer as the sun shone at a sold-out Gewiss Stadium. The temperature was certainly high on the pitch as both teams employed a pressing game, quickly closing down their opponents. It was from Bianconeri pressure that the first chance of the match sprang. Nicolò Fagioli forced Teun Koopmeiners into a mistake at the edge of his own area. The ball broke into the path of Ángel Di María, who let fly from the edge of the area but curled his shot wide. A minute later Arkadiusz Milik rose to meet a Juan Cuadrado cross but the striker flicked his header wide of the same post. Not to be outdone, Atalanta created chances of their own. The first arrived from a corner which was met by Giorgio Scalvini, whose header hit the post. Davide Zappacosta then headed over from an interesting position at the edge of the six-yard box and a Marten De Roon piledriver was blocked by Alex Sandro. The last chance of the first half was created down the Atalanta right-hand side, which was where the home side had been doing the bulk of their attacking. A cross from inside the area from Koopmeiners picked out Mario Pašalić, who lashed his shot over the bar. Neither goalkeeper was called into action in the opening half. An aspect that would certainly change after the break. In fact, 10 minutes after the restart Juve took the lead. Samuel Iling Junior won possession inside the Atalanta half before exchanging passes with Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder reached the deadball line and his low cross was deflected back to Iling, who finished from the edge of the six-yard area. A Serie A debut to remember for the teenager. Paul Pogba came close to adding a second after a swift counter attack. Then, with 15 minutes to play, Wojciech Szczęsny made his first save. Koopmeiners’s shot from a free-kick was hit with pace but was well covered by the Juventus number one. In the closing minutes, the home side continued to push forward in search of an equaliser, while Juve aimed to wrap up the points on the break. On 89’ Dušan Vlahović hit his effort straight at Marco Sportiello as the Juve striker was played through one-on-one against the Atalanta goalkeeper. Only a minute elapsed before a surprise shot from Zappacosta at the edge of the area struck the face of the post and bounced to safety. The Bianconeri defence was standing firm against everything the hosts were throwing at them and in the eighth minute of time added on Vlahović made sure all three points were heading back to Turin. The number nine unleashed an unstoppable shot that flew into the top corner. Juventus move into second place with four matches of Serie A to play. Attention now turns to the Europa League semi-final. ATALANTA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 56′ Iling, 90+8′ Vlahović. ATALANTA: Sportiello; Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini; Maehle, De Roon, Koopmeiners, Zappacosta; Ederson (49′ Boga) (64′ Soppy), Pasalic (60′ Muriel); Zapata. Subs not used: Musso, Rossi, Okoli, Demiral, Palestra. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli (64′ Pogba), Locatelli, Rabiot, Iling-Junior (82′ Kostić); Di Maria (82′ Chiesa); Milik (64′ Vlahović). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Bremer, Gatti, Bonucci, Barbieri, Miretti, Kean, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Doveri. Bookings: 62′ Rabiot, 90′ Maehle, 90+9′ Vlahović. Source: www.juventus.com |
All the goals came in the first half as Juve collected a first win in Serie A since the opening week of April. The 2-1 win over Lecce came courtesy of goals from Leandro Paredes and Dušan Vlahović, who restored Juve's lead after the visitors had equalised from the penalty spot.
The Bianconeri came close to adding a third through Danilo in the second half, but his header struck the upright. At the other end, Wojciech Szczęsny made an important double block to maintain the advantage. Momentarily, Juve move into second place. THE MATCH Straight from kick off there was no holding back between Juventus and Lecce. As early as the second minute the visitors had the ball in the net when Assan Ceesay slid in at the far post. However, VAR indicated that the Lecce striker was in an off-side position. He wouldn’t be the only player to have his joy short-lived for the same reason. On eight minutes Filip Kostić attempted an audacious lob on the run but couldn’t keep his effort on target. Juve continued to press, however, and Nicolò Fagioli won a free-kick after a quarter of an hour. Leandro Paredes took full advantage of a gap in the defensive wall to drive his shot into the bottom corner. Ten minutes later the Bianconeri had the ball in the net for a second time. However, it was Fabio Miretti who was to share the same fate as Ceesay. A well-worked move with Ángel Di María pulling the strings saw Miretti run onto the ball and crack a shot in off the crossbar. A matter of centimetres denied the teenager, adjudged to be fractionally offside, his first goal in Serie A. On 30 minutes, Massimiliano Allegri had to make the first substitution of the match as Mattia De Sciglio was stretchered off. Juan Cuadrado took over on the right flank. As the match flowed from one end to the other, on 37’ from a Lecce cross the ball struck the arm of Danilo inside the area. For a second match in a row, Juve had to face a penalty. For a second match in a row, Lecce had a chance to score from a spot-kick. Ceesay this time had a chance to celebrate as he drove his penalty low into the corner. Even if he guessed correctly, Szczęsny just couldn’t reach the well-placed shot. Only three minutes later Juve were back in front thanks to the Serbian connection. A Kostić cross was met sweetly on the half-volley by Dušan Vlahović, who smashed his shot low into the far corner. Either side of the interval Miretti found himself in a goal-scoring position again. Before the break he flicked an effort over the bar, then with the first chance since the restart, the midfielder poked the ball wide from the edge of the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy. Juve came close to opening a two-goal advantage through Danilo. Looking to make amends for giving away the penalty, the defender pushed forward for a corner but saw his header crash off the post. It wasn’t all one-way traffic, however, and the Bianconeri had Szczęsny to thank for two reflex saves from point-blank headers, the first from Ceesay, the second on the rebound from Federico Baschirotto. With just the one-goal lead, the tension remained inside the Allianz Stadium even until the final seconds of the five minutes of time added on. At the final whistle, the Juve faithful gave a huge cheer of satisfaction - Juventus were back to winning ways in Serie A. JUVENTUS 2-1 LECCE (HT: 2-1): Scorers: 15′ Paredes, 37′ Ceesay (pen), 40′ Vlahovic. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny;Bremer (87′ Gatti), Bonucci, Danilo; De Sciglio (32′ Cuadrado), Fagioli, Paredes (87′ Locatelli), Miretti (72′ Pogba), Kostić; Di Maria (72′ Chiesa); Vlahović. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Milik, Kean, Soulé, Iling jr. Coach: Allegri. LECCE: Falcone; Romagnoli, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Pezzella (70′ Ceccaroni); Gonzalez (59′ Di Francesco), Hjulmand (89′ Voelkerling), Maleh (59′ Blin); Banda, Ceesay (89′ Colombo), Oudin. Subs not used: Bleve, Brancolini, Tuia, Helgason, Gendrey, Cassandro. Coach: Baroni. Referee: Fourneau. BOOKINGS: 47’ Umtiti, 55′ Paredes, 61′ Pezzella, 76′ Bremer. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus stretched their unbeaten run at Bologna to 20 matches with a share of the points in Serie A Matchday 32 after the Bianconeri came from a goal down to draw 1-1 at the Renato Dall'Ara stadium.
The first half was a tale of two penalties. Bologna converted theirs on 10 minutes, through Riccardo Orsolini. On the half-hour, Arek Milik saw his spot kick saved by Lukasz Skorupski. Milik made amends, however, with the equaliser on 61 minutes. Juve are return to league action when they host Lecce in the midweek round as the season heads into a nail-biting finale for a top-four finish. THE MATCH Both sides fielded 4-3-3 formations set to attack. Juve’s front three of Federico Chiesa, Arkadiusz Milik and Filip Kostić were intent on breaking down the home defence, which was saved twice by Georgios Kyrakopoulos at the edge of his own penalty area. Bologna’s reply came in the shape of Riccardo Orsolini, who stole the ball from Alex Sandro to be then tripped up by Danilo as he made his way into the penalty box. After consulting with VAR the referee pointed to the penalty spot (due to a malfunctioning pitchside monitor the referee was not able to check the evidence in person). Orsolini took the penalty himself, sending Wojciech Szczęsny the wrong way. Juve set out to find an equaliser, but one player in particular would ensure Bologna held onto their lead until half-time, Lukasz Skorupski. The home keeper first denied Arek Milik’s volley on 25 minutes. A minute later, the Bianconeri broke into the Bologna box again, this time through Nicolò Fagioli. His first close-range effort was blocked by Skorupski, who parried the shot back into the path of Fagioli, who tried his luck again, but this time the keeper’s foot kept the ball out. The Bianconeri continued to create chances and were awarded a penalty of their own when Milik was upended at the edge of the area. Again the referee was advised by VAR after he had initially given a free-kick. Milik stepped up but saw his spot kick saved by Skorupski. The Polish striker would eventually have the better of his international teammate, but only after the interval. Samuel Iling Jr and Matias Soulé were introduced to the action just short of the hour mark, and the two substitutes made an immediate impact. Iling touched the ball into the area for Chiesa, whose attempted pass was deflected into the path of Milik. This time the striker drilled the ball beyond Skorupski. Iling again was at the heart of the next attack, which almost led to Juve completing the turnaround. The winger spun inside the area, only to blast his shot over the bar. Bologna came off the ropes in the closing phases as both sides created chances to clinch all three points. Stefan Posch headed wide from close range after Orsolini attempted a spectacular volley. Soon after, Joshua Zirkzee was thwarted twice in as many minutes by Szczęsny. However, the last clear-cut chance fell to Juve on 85 minutes. Dušan Vlahović challenged for a cross, obliging Skorpuski to punch the ball down only as far as Soulé, who from the height of the penalty area with the goal gaping, shot over the bar. The point kept Juventus in third place, but with six teams split by only six points the chase for a top-four finish is hotting up, and the teams return to action in midweek, when Lecce visit the Allianz Stadium. BOLOGNA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 10’ Orsolini (pen), 61’ Milik. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Posch (86′ De Silvestri), Soumaoro, Lucumì, Kyriakopoulos (66′ Cambiaso); Moro (81′ Medel), Schouten, Dominguez (66′ Zirkzee); Orsolini, Barrow, Ferguson (81′ Aebischer). Subs not used: Bardi, Ravaglia, Bonifazi, Sosa, Lykogiannis, Pyyhtia. Coach: Thiago Motta. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Gatti, Danilo, Alex Sandro; Fagioli (57′ Soulé), Locatelli (83′ Paredes), Rabiot; Chiesa (69′ Miretti), Milik (83′ Vlahovic), Kostic (57′ Iling-Junior). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, Bremer, Bonucci, Rugani, Pogba. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Sozza. BOOKINGS: 2′ Posch, 41′ Kyriakopoulos, 54′ Rabiot, 87′ Paredes. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus missed out on an eighth Coppa Italia final in nine seasons after losing 1-0 to Inter in the semi-final second leg at San Siro. The game's only goal arrived after a quarter an hour of play from Federico Dimarco.
The Bianconeri saw plenty of the ball but lacked the creativity to find a way in behind the Inter defence. In the end Juve bowed out 2-1 on aggregate. THE MATCH The 36th Derby d’Italia in Coppa Italia kicked off with both sides being highly attentive, with Juventus sitting deep, perhaps too deep. As early as the third minute, the home side created the first chance. A cross whipped in from the right was just beyond Lautaro Martinez. Bremer’s timely interception denied a scoring opportunity for Edin Dzeko. Likewise, 10 minutes later Alex Sandro was well positioned to head clear from Denzel Dumfries lurking at the far post. However, Inter continued to press and took the lead on 15 minutes. Nicolò Barella played a pass through the heart of the Juve defence for an unmarked Federico Dimarco, who hit a first time shot with the outside of his boot to place the ball beyond Mattia Perin. Juve’s response came in the shape of a Mattia De Sciglio header that flashed just wide and a Filip Kostić shot, which produced a fine save from Andrè Onana. The Bianconeri knew something more was needed after the break to keep their cup dreams alive. Arek Milik came on at the restart to add to the attacking options. And the first signs were positive. Fabio Miretti found himself in space at the edge of the area but couldn’t keep his shot down. A few minutes later Manuel Locatelli hit the target but his shot curled into the arms of Onana. On 52 minutes Inter had the ball in the net for the second time after Edin Dzeko placed his shot in off the far post. The goal was disallowed due to striker having set off from an offside position. A reprieve for Juve, but the Bianconeri were still struggling to find the guile to break down a well-drilled Inter defence. In fact, with a one-handed save from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, it was Perin the keeper that was most severely tested in the closing stages of the match. Even four minutes of time couldn't change the complexion of the game. Juve failed to find the goal to take the game to extra time. At the final whistle, Dimarco’s goal proved enough on the night for Inter. INTER 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0): Scorers: 15’ Dimarco. INTER: Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella (68′ Brozovic), Calhanoglu (82′ Gagliardini), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (78′ Gosens); Dzeko (68′ Lukaku), Lautaro Martinez (78′ Correa). Subs not used: Cordaz, Botis, De Vrij, Bellanova, Asllani, D’Ambrosio, Carboni, Zanotti. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Perin; Bremer, Bonucci (68′ Danilo), Alex Sandro; De Sciglio, Miretti (79′ Pogba), Locatelli (62′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (46′ Milik); Di Maria, Chiesa. Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Rugani, Fagioli, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Doveri. BOOKINGS: 58′ Locatelli, 90’+2′ Mkhitaryan. Source: www.juventus.com |
Despite finding the net twice, Juventus came out losers in the Serie A Matchday 31 fixture against Napoli. Ángel Di María and Dušan Vlahović had goals disallowed inside the final 10 minutes of a tight contest with the league leaders, who then claimed victory in stoppage time through Giacomo Raspadori.
THE MATCH Juventus did not hold back, not allowing Napoli to settle in possession in the opening minutes. On 10’ the first shot. A rasping effort from Juan Cuadrado, which Alex Meret was happy just to parry, allowing his defence to mop up the loose ball. Six minutes later, Filip Kostić made progress down the left flank. His cross reached Arek Milik, whose header brought another save from Meret. As the game progressed, Napoli were seeing more of the ball but the aggressive pressing game by Juve was keeping Wojciech Szczęsny a virtual bystander. On 26’ Adrien Rabiot muscled his way onto a through ball after Matias Soulé and Cuadrado had linked up to good effect. Rabiot’s cross was too powerful for the onrushing Milik as it sped across the face of the Napoli goal. At the other end, only once did Napoli see some daylight between them and the Juve goal. Hirving Lozano sped away on the counter attack but a timely recovery tackle by Danilo blocked the winger’s shot. Federico Gatti was on hand to complete the clearance. Napoli’s possession continued to grow but at half time the visitors had failed to hit a shot on target. Five minutes after the restart the first save from Szczęsny after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cut in from the left. Half way through the second half the goal threat posed by Victor Osimhen came to the fore. The Serie A top scorer had three attempts in the space of a few minutes. First the striker’s shot was deflected out for a corner. From the set piece he won a header, which was placed straight at Szczęsny, who then watched Osimhen’s half-volley fly over the crossbar from close range. The reaction from Juventus came in the shape of Daniele Rugani with an attempted scissors kick, quickly followed up by a Milik slap shot that went wide. Heading into the closing 10 minutes, the game opened up and Juve thought they had scored the opener. A lightning counter attack was finished off by Ángel Di María. However, a tackle by Milik before El Fideo was sent in on goal was adjudged to have been a foul after the VAR review. Two minutes later the Bianconeri had the ball in the net again. Federico Chiesa sprinted to the deadball line. His cut back was finished off by Dušan Vlahović. This time the goal was disallowed because the ball had crossed the line before Chiesa’s delivery. Inside stoppage time it seemed as if Szczęsny had ensured Juve a point when he denied Osimhen with the striker galloping in on goal. However, there was still time for Giacomo Raspadori to fire a volley into the net. Juve threw everything forward in a last ditch attempt to salvage a point but it was to be the visitors’ night. JUVENTUS 0-1 NAPOLI (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 90+3’ Raspadori. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Soulé (65′ Fagioli), Rabiot, Locatelli, Kostic (60′ Chiesa); Miretti (60′ Di Maria); Milik (89′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Bremer, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Pogba, Paredes, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka (90’+5′ Rrahmani), Ndombele (68′ Zielinski); Lozano (68′ Elmas), Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia (86′ Raspadori). Subs not used: Marfella, Gollini, Demme, Bereszynski, Zerbin, Zedadka, Ostigard, Gaetano. Coach: Spalletti. Referee: Fabbri. BOOKINGS: 23′ Locatelli, 39′ Rabiot, 85′ Fagioli, 89′ Di Maria, 90’+7′ Anguissa. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus have secured qualification into this year’s Europa League semi-finals following a 1-1 draw against Sporting CP at the José Alvalade Stadium. Adrien Rabiot’s early strike inside 10 minutes was cancelled out by Marcus Edward’s penalty kick, yet Federico Gatti’s winner in the first leg proved vital as the Bianconeri progressed 2-1 on aggregate.
THE MATCH Mister Allegri opted to field an attacking trident featuring Federico Chiesa, Angel Di Maria and Dušan Vlahović, knowing full-well his side could not sit on the 1-0 lead from the first leg played a week prior. Yet it would free-scoring Frenchman Adrien Rabiot who would give the Bianconeri the lead, the midfielder reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box following Juve’s first corner of the match, turning in his 11th goal of the season just nine minutes into the encounter. Ten minutes later, however, Juve’s goalscorer was adjudged to have taken down Manuel Ugarte in the Sporting box, as the hosts were awarded a spot-kick. Edwards stepped up to the mark, sending Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way to make it 1-1. The Portuguese side, backed by a vocal home crowd, rode the momentum from their equaliser as they looked to get back into the tie, enjoying a decent spell of possession in attack, but failing to make their half-chances count. Diomande rose highest from Sporting’s fifth corner of the match in the 35th minute, but could only guide his headed effort wide of the right-hand upright. POSITIVE START The visitors began the second half with positive intent, Vlahović involved in the thick of the action as he twice came close to registering his name on the scoresheet, narrowly failing to head Juan Cuadrado’s cross from the right-hand side on target before having a strike on goal deflected out for a corner minutes later. The Serb would then combine well the lively Chiesa, the Italian latching onto his teammate's pass, but could not keep his shot down as he watched it sail over the bar. With 20 minutes to go, Coach Allegri made a triple substitution, bringing on Paul Pogba and Arek Milik to add to the attack, while an injury to Bremer saw first-leg scorer Federico Gatti added to the fray. In desperate need of a goal, the home side continued their attacking intent, with a heart-in-mouth moment for the Bianconeri as Danilo misjudged a ball in the box, allowing Ricardo Esgaio to slip in behind, yet the right-back could only drag his shot on goal wide. It was nervy end to the game for Juventus as an unmarked Sebastian Coates blazed a volley over the bar from close range, before failing to connect cleanly with a neatly-played ball over the top on 90 minutes as Alex Sandro hoofed away the danger. Juventus remained resolute, seeing out the match to secure the 2-1 aggregate victory, and a date with Sevilla in the Last Four of this season’s Europa League. SPORTING CP - JUVENTUS 1-1: SCORERS: 9' Rabiot (J), 20' Edwards (S). SPORTING: Adan; Diomande, Inacio (71' Matheus Reis), Coates; Esgaio, Ugarte, Morita, Santos (87' Arthur Gomes); Trincao (81' Chermiti), Edwards, Gonçalves. Unused subs: Diogo Pinto, Israel, Alexandropoulos, Luis Neto, Rochinha, Fatawu Issahaku, Bellerin, Tanlongo, Dario Essugo. Coach: Amorim. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Danilo, Bremer (71' Gatti), Alex Sandro; Rabiot, Locatelli, Miretti (71' Pogba); Di Maria, Vlahovic (71' Milik), Chiesa (78' Kostic). Unused subs: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Soulé, Paredes, Fagioli. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Letexier. BOOKINGS: Ugarte, Edwards (S), Gatti, Pogba (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus fell to consecutive defeats in Serie A losing by the game's only goal at Sassuolo. Neither side risked much in the first half, but the game opened up after the break. Sassuolo took the lead through substitute Gregoire Defrel on 64 minutes. Adrien Rabiot and Angel Di Maria came closest to pulling Juve level but in the end the Bianconeri left empty handed.
Concentration turns once more to the Europa League on Thursday, when Juve take on Sporting CP in Lisbon. THE MATCH Another youngster promoted from the Next Gen made his Serie A debut. For Tommaso Barbieri it was not his first team debut having already tasted Champions League action against Paris Saint Germain in November. Still, the 20 year old was one of the main outlets for Juve in a tight first half. The full-back won a couple of corners, which for once the Bianconeri could not make the most of, leaving Andrea Consigli in the home goal untested over the opening 45 minutes. The same could be said for Consigli’s opposite number. Mattia Perin cut out two low crosses played into his six-yard penalty area, but also the Juve shotstopper had a quiet first half. Sassuolo winger Nedim Bajrami came closest to testing Perin, but the replacement for the injured Domenico Berardi shot high after finding himself in a useful position on the right side of the penalty area. Neither side had shown the guile to break down their opponents. After 45 minutes of taking the measure of each other, both teams had to risk something more after the interval to make the breakthrough. Sassuolo made the first change in an attempt to alter the balance of the game, bringing on Gregoire Defrel at the start of the second half. The substitute brought out a first-class save from Perin on 56 minutes from a corner, which had been awarded after another Perin save from a curling shot from Maxime Lopez. The home side continued to keep the pressure on the Juve defence, obliging Federico Gatti to make unconventional clearances, first off his own goal line then from a corner he headed against his own post. Sasssuolo’s pressure eventually paid off. From the Neroverdi’s ninth corner, Nicolò Fagioli miss hit his clearance into the path of Defrel, who drilled a low shot into the net. Massimiliano Allegri threw on Federico Chiesa and Angel Di Maria and the two subs linked up for one of Juve’s most clear cut chances to level. First, however, home keeper Andrea Consigli miraculously kept out Adrien Rabiot’s header. From the resulting corner, Juve kept up the pressure with Chiesa who burst to the heart of the Sassuolo penalty area. His cutback reached Di Maria, who blasted over the crossbar. Juventus collected corner after corner but never again tested Consigli, resulting in a second consecutive Serie A defeat. The Bianconeri must pick themselves up immediately, on Thursday there is the return leg in Lisbon of the Europa League quarter-finals. SASSUOLO 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): SCORERS: 65′ Defrel. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi (89′ Ferrari), Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Henrique (70′ Harroui); Bajrami (77′ Zortea), Pinamonti (46′ Defrel), Laurientè (77′ Ceide). Subs not used: Pegolo, Russo, Marchizza, Alvarez, Obiang, Romagna, D’Andrea, Thorstvedt. Coach: Dionisi. JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Barbieri (57′ Cuadrado), Paredes (82′ Pogba), Fagioli (66′ Miretti), Rabiot, Kostic (66′ Chiesa); Milik (57′ Di Maria), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Locatelli, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Rapuano. Bookings: 90’+5’ Chiesa. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus earned a narrow victory in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Sporting CP. The game’s only goal came from Federico Gatti, with his first goal for the club. With a double stop in stoppage time, Mattia Perin made sure the Bianconeri take a 1-0 win to defend in Lisbon next week.
The Match Massimiliano Allegri picked three in attack, Arek Milik flanked by Federico Chiesa and Ángel Di María. In fact, Juventus set out to exploit the pace of Chiesa, who looked the most dangerous of the Bianconeri in the opening phases. On 11 minutes the vision of Di María saw Chiesa on the run and the pass from El Fideo was inch perfect. Chiesa brought the ball down with one touch, with the second he struck his shot, which forced a clever stop from Adan. The Sporting keeper was called into action four minutes later. This time Chiesa popped up on the right wing when his low cross was cut out by the Spanish shotstopper. Sporting then came more into the game as an attacking force, and it was the Juve keeper that would be the busier of the two. The first scare came on 20 minutes when Hidemasa Morita drilled a low shot just wide. Nine minutes later, following a corner, Coates hit a volley which brought out an excellent save from Wojciech Szczęsny, who a minute later made a similar save from Pedro Gonçalves. The visitors continued to create and Nuno Santos saw his effort cleared off the line by Filip Kostić. In the closing minutes of the first half Szczęsny was taken off after receiving treatment, replaced by Mattia Perin. Sporting were also forced into a change with Jeremiah St. Juste coming off injured. The second half, if possible, was even tighter than the opening 45 minutes. Both sides made double substitutions just after the hour mark in a bid to find the key to unlock the opposing defence. However, it was once again the pace of Chiesa that caused the Sporting defence problems. His low cross was inviting but found no takers. However, from the resulting corner kick Juve took the lead. The delivery from Di María caught out Adan. Dušan Vlahović took advantage to head goalwards. Two Sporting players combined to clear the ball off the line but Federico Gatti was there to pounce inside the six-yard box to prod the ball into the net. The defender’s first goal for Juve, and it was huge. The visitors set out to grab an equaliser but it was only in stoppage time that they actually created scoring chances, two in succession, and both times Perin the stops on the goalline to ensure Juve held on for a fourth straight win in the Europa League - all achieved without conceding a goal along the way. In a week’s time, the return leg in Lisbon, with qualification for the semi-finals on the line. JUVENTUS 1-0 SPORTING CP (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 73’ Gatti. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; (41′ Perin); Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Locatelli (85′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (63′ Fagioli); Di Maria (85′ Pogba), Chiesa; Milik (63′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Kean, Bonucci, Miretti, Rugani. Coach: Allegri. SPORTING CP: Adan; St.Juste (45+3′ Diomande), Inacio, Coates; Esgaio (77′ Bellerin), Gonçalves, Morita, Nuno Santos (63′ Reis); Edwards (77′ Issahaku), Chermiti (63′ Gomes), Trincao. Subs not used: Israel, André Paulo, Alexandropoulos, Luis Neto, Rochinha, Tanlongo, Essugo. Coach: Amorim. Referee: Meler. BOOKINGS: 20′ Inacio, 24′ Rabiot. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus fell for a second time in succession at the Olimpico in Rome when they lost 2-1 to Lazio in Serie A Matchday 29.
Adrien Rabiot had equalised just before half-time after Sergej Milinković-Savić had broken the deadlock. Mattia Zaccagni restored Lazio's lead on 53 minutes. The Match No team had been as effective as Lazio in the opening quarter of an hour throughout the Serie A campaign and Maurizio Sarri’s side again started strongly, forcing Juve on the backfoot. Twice in the space of a minute Sergej Milinković-Savić had the chance to open the scoring. First on 12 minutes, the towering Serb found himself unmarked at a corner, but his free-header sailed over the crossbar. A one-two with Luis Alberto then saw the midfielder dribble his way into the penalty area before Bremer made a crucial challenge. It was Milinković that eventually did open the scoring. Wojciech Szczęsny - who had earlier made a full-stretch save to keep out a Ciro Immobile volley - could do nothing as the Lazio number 27 slammed the ball home from close range. Following consultation with VAR the referee confirmed the goal, adjudging that Alex Sandro had not been fouled by the eventual goalscorer in the build-up. Juve’s response was swift and determined. The Bianconeri won a corner immediately after the restart, which was met by Bremer. The centreback’s powerful header was kept out by Ivan Provedel but Adrien Rabiot pounced inside the six-yard box to bundle the ball into the net. Both sides continued to attack at the start of the second half, but it was Lazio that found the game’s third and final goal. Felipe Anderson played a pass into the penalty area. Some quick thinking by Luis Alberto freed Mattia Zaccagni, who curled his shot beyond Szczęsny. Again Juve looked to respond. Federico Chiesa’s pace on the left, Ángel Di María’s skill on the right were the main attacking threats employed by the Bianconeri. While a Chiesa run and cross set up Nicolò Fagioli, whose volley finished just over the bar, Di María had a goal-bound effort blocked by Milinković-Savić. In the five minutes of time added on Juventus continued to throw bodies forward but despite piling the pressure on the Lazio goal, there was to be no second equaliser on the night. LAZIO 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: 39′ Milinkovic-Savic, 42′ Rabiot, 53’ Zaccagni. LAZIO: Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi (69′ Vecino), Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Immobile (64′ Pedro), Zaccagni (84′ Basic). Subs not used: Maximiano, Adamonis, Lazzari, Patric, Gila, Radu, Pellegrini, Marcos Antonio, Romero, Cancellieri. Coach: Sarri. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (69′ Danilo), Fagioli (86′ Miretti), Locatelli (63′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (63′ Chiesa); Di Maria, Vlahovic (63′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Bonucci, Rugani, Soulé. Assistant Coach: Landucci. Referee: Di Bello. BOOKINGS: 45′ Alex Sandro, 45’+2′ Locatelli, 50′ Cuadrado, 85′ Milinkovic-Savic, 90’+5′ Miretti. Source: www.juventus.com |
Everything happened in a raucous finale of the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final between Juventus and Inter. The third Derby d'Italia appeared to be heading for a goalless draw until Juan Caudrado opened the scoring with seven minutes to play.
Deep into stoppage time, Romelu Lukaku equalised with a penalty. The Inter striker was then sent off, followed by Cuadrado and Handanović after the final whistle. The tie is balanced on a knife's edge with the second leg at the end of the month. The Match The sixth Derby d’Italia semi-final started with Juve keen to pounce on their first opportunity. And that opportunity arose when Adrien Rabiot and Mauel Locatelli worked together to win possession on the half-way line. The ball was shuffled forward to Dušan Vlahović, who with a deft flick freed Ángel Di María. El Fideo ran at the Inter defence, only for his shot to be tipped wide by Samir Handović. As the first half progressed Di María and Locatelli tried their luck from distance, but both shots sailed over the crossbar. Inter tested Mattia Perin first from a Federico Dimarco free-kick, then a precise passing move found Marcelo Brozović at the height of the penalty spot. His low drive was parried by Perin. Nicolò Fagioli and Vlahović linked up cleverly before the number 9’s glancing header finished between Handanović’s hands. Inside first half stoppage time Inter came close to opening the scoring, when Danilo D’Ambrosio won a header inside the six-yard area. However, the Nerazzurri defender couldn’t keep his effort on target. There was nothing to separate the two sides at the break. And there continued to be nothing between the sides for the bulk of the second half - until the explosive final 10 minutes. Just four minutes after the restart, Fagioli and Vlahović again linked up. This time the striker’s header went just over. On 64’ Henrikh Mkhitaryan flashed a shot only inches from Perin’s far post, as chances remained few and far between. Arek Milik, one of three substitutes employed by Massimiliano Allegri, came close to stabbing the ball home from a Juan Cuadrado cross. However, four minutes later it was Cuadrado that applied the finishing touch. Rabiot’s cross was helped on to an unmarked Cuadrado by the Inter defence. The number 11 took one touch before slamming the ball under Handanović. Just as it seemed to be a case of winding down the closing seconds, Inter were awarded a penalty after Bremer flicked the ball with his arm. Romelu Lukaku converted from 12 yards five minutes into stoppage time. And as happened in the recent league fixture, two more players were sent off after the final whistle, Cuadrado for Juve, Handanović for Inter. The second leg on April 26 promises to be an emotional decider. JUVENTUS 1-1 INTER (HT: 0-0): Scorers: 83′ Cuadrado, 90’+4′ Lukaku (pen). JUVENTUS: Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Fagioli (65′ Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria (65′ Chiesa); Vlahovic (73′ Milik). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Paredes, Barrenechea, Kean, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. INTER: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio (81′ Dumfries), Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Brozovic (81′ Asllani), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (68′ Gosens); Dzeko (68′ Lukaku), Lautaro (86′ Correa). Subs not used: Cordaz, Onana, Gagliardini, De Vrij, Bellanova, Carboni, Zanotti. Coach: Inzaghi. Referee: Massa. BOOKINGS: 40′ Brozovic, 80′ Lukaku, 89′ Miretti. SENDINGS OFF: 90’+5′ Lukaku, Handanovic e Cuadrado (after final whistle). Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus collected three precious points with a narrow win over Hellas Verona to maintain the winning form that had taken the Bianconeri into the international break.
The game's only goal was scored by Moise Kean - exactly as he had done in the first meeting between the two sides. THE MATCH Despite the two sides battling for vastly different objectives - Juve to break into the top four, Verona to climb out of the bottom four - there was nothing to split the teams in the first half. Ondrej Duda found himself with the ball at his feet inside the Bianconeri penalty area in the third minute but the Slovak drove his low shot straight at Wojciech Szczęsny. That would be the shot stoppers only save of the opening 45 minutes. However, on the quarter hour mark Tek was grateful that Fabio Depaoli’s vicious volley whistled wide of his far post. Juve threatened with two free-kicks. The first, struck by Juan Cuadrado - celebrating his 300th appearance with the Bianconeri - drove his shot over the bar. The second saw Arek Milik roll the ball for Danilo, whose drive took a wicked deflection, which diverted the ball onto the crossbar and out for a corner. The game was taking the same shape as the corresponding fixture in Verona. A tight encounter with scoring chances few and far between. And exactly as happened in November it was Moise Kean that broke the deadlock. On 55 minutes, the striker latched onto a through-ball from Manuel Locatelli. His first touch set him up, the second saw him beat Lorezno Montipò with a low drive. Dušan Vlahović, Ángel Di María and Filip Kostić were all brought on as Juve looked for a killer second goal but it was Szczęsny who was called on more than his opposite number. The Juve keeper did well to sweep the ball away from the advancing Kevin Lasagna before making a full-stretch save from Filippo Terraciano’s long-range effort. The last chance fell to Juve, however, when a well-worked free-kick saw Di María float in a cross which was met by Federico Gatti. The number 15 carefully placed his header across the face of goal but Bremer couldn’t find the finishing touch. JUVENTUS 1-0 HELLAS VERONA (HT: 0-0): Scorer: 55′ Kean. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (65′ Kostic), Fagioli, Locatelli, Barrenechea (46′ Miretti), De Sciglio; Milik (59′ Di Maria), Kean (59′ Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. HELLAS VERONA: Montipò; Dawidowicz, Ceccherini (66′ Cabal), Magnani; Faraoni (81′ Terracciano), Tameze, Veloso (66′ Verdi), Depaoli (66′ Doig); Duda; Lasagna (77′ Ngonge), Gaich. Subs not used: Perilli, Ravasio, Braaf, Abilgaard, Kallon. Coach: Zaffaroni. Referee: Marchetti. BOOKINGS: 44′ Depaoli, 58′ Gaich, 59′ Kean. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus defeated Inter in the 180th Derby d'Italia in Serie A. Filip Kostić scored the only goal of the game on 23 minutes.
It was the Bianconeri's 100th goal at Inter in Serie A as Juve won both league encounters against their old foes without conceding for the first time since season 1976/77. THE MATCH A well-drilled Juventus allowed Inter early possession, in fact, the home side would dominate possession in the first half, but Wojciech Szczęsny was seldom employed. It looked like it might have been a more complicated opening for the Polish goalkeeper when as early as the second minute he parried a Nicolò Barella long-range effort. Federico Gatti, Bremer and Danilo kept their attention high at all times, and just once was the backline punctured. On 17’ Romelu Lukaku linked up with Barella at the 18-yard line to play the midfielder in behind the Juve defence. Barella’s shot was powerful but straight at Szczęsny, who with the help of his body deflected the ball out for a corner. Five minutes later an incisive counter attack, led by Adrien Rabiot, gave Juve the lead. The midfielder latched on to a loose ball inside the centre circle. A quick exchange with Dušan Vlahović allowed him to make inroads to the edge of the area, where he picked out Filip Kostić. The number 17 took one touch before biding his time and driving the ball across the face of André Onana’s goal, where it nestled in at the far corner. Five minutes of VAR consultation confirmed that there was no use of the hand by Rabiot in the build-up. Juve’s lead was confirmed. Matias Soulé had the ball at his feet with an opportunity to punish Inter further but the teenager, a surprise inclusion by Massimiliano Allegri in the starting XI, just couldn’t coordinate himself for the shot. As the game headed towards the interval Lukaku headed wide. Juve saw out the five minutes of stoppage time to reach the break with the most slender of advantages. The second half started with Juve adopting the same tactics, allowing Inter to keep control of the ball and looking to hit on the counter attack. The tactics almost worked to perfection on 52’ when Kostić delivered a low ball into the area after another lung-bursting run. Matteo Darmian slid across to stop the ball arriving at the feet of Vlahović. At the other end, Manuel Locatelli charged down Hakan Çalhanoğlu, just as the Inter midfielder was shaping up for a shot at the edge of the area. The Juve number five then popped up in attack, drilling in a shot that was dealt with by Onana. As the game headed into the final 20 minutes, both sides created chances to add to the game’s solitary goal. Federico Chiesa, who had come on for Soulè, galloped down the field but fired just wide. Federico Gatti made a timely lunge inside his own area just ahead of Lukaka. On the counter attack, Kostić and Rabiot linked up to devastating effect. This time the Serb’s shot was deflected just wide. A minute later Locatelli followed up an attack he started after yet another crunching tackle. Chiesa’s cross was tipped away by Onana as Locatelli was hurtling forwards for the tap in. The tension never abated but the chances became fewer in the closing minutes of normal time, and the seven minutes of stoppages. Finally the referee blew the whistle and Juve could celebrate back-to-back wins against Inter in Serie A this season. However, passions spilled over at the end of the match, resulting in the sendings off of Danilo D’Ambrosio and Leandro Parades. INTER 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorer: 23’ Kostić. INTER: Onana; Darmian (79′ Correa), De Vrij, Acerbi; Dumfries (82′ Bellanova), Barella (62′ Mkhitaryan), Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco (62′ D’Ambrosio); Lautaro Martinez, Lukaku (79′ Dzeko). Subs not used: Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, Asllani, Carboni, Zanotti, Fontanarosa. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; De Sciglio (75’ Cuadrado), Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Soulé (66′ Chiesa) (82′ Paredes), Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin; Bonucci, Rugani, Barrenechea; Di Maria, Sekulov, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Chiffi. BOOKINGS: 30′ Barella, 31′ Gatti, 71′ Rabiot, 88′ Danilo, 90’+1′ Paredes, 90+7’ D’Ambrosio, 90+7’ Brozovic. SENDINGS OFF: Paredes, D’Ambrosio (after final whistle). Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus produced a solid, confident performance at the Europa-Park Stadion to win 2-0 and eliminate Freiburg from the Europa League.
The Bianconeri scored a goal in either half, the first from Dušan Vlahović from the penalty spot, the second in stoppage time from Federico Chiesa, to add to the first leg advantage to win the round of 16 tie 3-0 on aggregate. THE MATCH Juventus kicked off intent on conceding the home side nothing in the opening minutes. In fact, Freiburg were limited to a only a shot from the edge of the area from Ritsu Doan in the first 20 minutes. Juve weren’t only defending, however. A vicious drive from Manuel Locatelli stung the gloves of Mark Flekken to signal the visitors’ intention not to sit back and simply defend their slender goal lead from the first leg. At the midway point of the first half, the hosts broke in behind the Juve defence, forcing Wojciech Szczęsny to concede a corner. The keeper then outdid himself to keep out a Matthias Ginter header. Bremer stepped in to block the follow up from Michael Gregoritsch. Five minutes later the ball was in the back of the home side’s net. Filip Kostić whipped in a free kick awarded after Adrien Rabiot had been chopped down by Manuel Gulde, his first booking of the evening. Bremer met the cross with a powerful header, which crashed off the underside of the crossbar. Moise Kean was first on to the rebound, and his touch found its way to Dušan Vlahović, who spun and cracked the ball home from inside the six-yard area. Dušan’s joy turned to disappointment when VAR intervened to rule the goal out for offside. However, Vlahović would have his goal before half time. After a Moise Kean run and shot had been blocked by Fekken, Juve quickly recylced possession. Federico Gatti added extra weight to the attack. A Nicolò Fagioli dummy allowed the ball to run into the path of Gatti inside the area and the central defender’s shot was cleared off the line with Flekken beaten. Again VAR intervened. After studying the footage, the match official awarded Juve a penalty for handball by Gulde, who received his second yellow card. Dušan kept his cool from the spot, driving his shot down the middle. Flekken got a touch but not enough to keep the ball out. Juve went into the break one goal and one player to the good. The second half was more a matter of maintaining the advantage than pushing on for a second goal. Szczęsny was seldom tested as the 10-man Bundesliga outfit struggled to create clear scoring chances. Inside stoppage time, Juve did find their second goal on the night. Federico Chiesa was not to be denied. The substitute had just been denied by Flekken, whose arm deflected the number 7’s shot onto the crossbar, but with his second chance, set up by Rabiot, he slotted the ball in at the near post to the wheel away and celebrate in front of the joyous travelling support. Juve by two goals on the night, three on aggregate and go into the urn for tomorrow’s draw for the Europa League quarter-finals. FREIBURG 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORER: 43’ Vlahović (pen), 90’+5′ Chiesa. FREIBURG: Flekken; Kubler, Ginter, Gulde; Sildillia, Eggestein (46′ Schmidt), Hofler, Gunter (74′ Weißhaupt); Doan (63′ Sallai), Gregoritsch (74′ Petersen), Holer (63′ Grifo). Subs not used: Uphoff, Atubolu, Schmid, Keitel, Jeong, Rohl. Coach: Streich. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado (84′ De Sciglio), Fagioli, Locatelli (84′ Barrenechea), Rabiot, Kostic (70′ Iling); Kean (90′ Soulé), Vlahovic (70′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Paredes, Miretti, Compagnon, Di Maria. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Gözübüyük. BOOKINGS: 26’ & 43’ Gulde, 56′ Vlahovic, 81′ Iling, 87′ Sallai. SENDINGS OFF: 43’ Gulde. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus scored four against Sampdoria to notch up their 16th win of the season. First half goals from Bremer and Adrian Rabiot were cancelled out before the break but the Frenchman added a second to restore the advantage 20 minutes after the break.
Wrapping up the evening's goals was the first Serie A strike from Mati Soulé in stoppage time. In between the Bianconeri hit the woodwork three times, twice by Dušan Vlahović. THE MATCH The low-key start to the match belied the explosion of emotion that would arrive with four goals in the space of 11 minutes. Sampdoria looked dangerous twice through Manolo Gabbiadini in the opening 10 minutes. The captain on the night fired wide when one-on-one with Mattia Perin, before testing the keeper from range three minutes later. Juve then scored with their first effort on target. A corner from Filip Kostić was met by Bremer, who powered his header beyond Martin Turk. The Slovenian keeper, on his Serie A debut, would soon be called on again to defend another set piece. On 25’ Dušan Vlahović won a corner when his shot was deflected out by Bruno Damione. The visitors did not deal with the first delivery and when Fabio Miretti received possession he played in an inch-perfect cross, which Adrien Rabiot headed home. The French midfielder celebrated a third goal in as many home appearances in Serie A. At two goals up with 26 minutes played Juve looked to be cruising. However, two goals in a minute pulled Sampdoria level. The first arrived following a Filip Đuričić run, which had split the home defence. His pass picked out Mehdi Leris, whose shot was deflected into the path of Tommaso Augello, who curled the ball beyond Perin. There wasn’t time to take a breath before Đuričić finished off a run and cross from Alessandro Zanioli. The stadium and the team were shell-shocked, but if Juve had already found a way past the visiting defence twice then they had the ability to do it again. Massimiliano Allegri introduced Juan Cuadrado and Manuel Locatelli at the start of the second half. Cuadrado signalled Juve’s intentions from long range on 63’. One minute later, an attack down the opposite flank produced Juve’s third goal of the evening. Kostić and Rabiot swapped passes at the half-way line to release the Frenchman. Another exchange, this time between Rabiot and Nicolò Fagioli at the edge of the area, gave the number 25 a sight of goal, and he didn’t wait for a second invitation, powering his shot beyond Turk. Three minutes later, there was a chance to open a two goal advantage for the second time. Locatelli won the ball in the centre of the park to send Cuadrado galloping down the flank. The winger made his way into the area and when he checked his run, he was tripped by Augello. Vlahović took the responsibility from 12 yards but struck his penalty off the post. Juve continued to push players forward in search of the killer fourth goal. Matias Soulé had a shot saved before Cuadrado cracked an effort off the crossbar. Deep into stoppage time, the decisive goal arrived. Kostić again delivered an inviting cross, Vlahović won the header. Somehow Turk parried the striker’s effort onto the bar but Soulé pounced on the loose ball to head into the empty net. The entire team surrounded the young Argentine to celebrate together his debut strike in Serie A, the goal that ensured Juve collected another three points. JUVENTUS 4-2 SAMPDORIA (HT: 2-2): SCORERS: 11′ Bremer, 26′ Rabiot, 31′ Augello, 32′ Đuričić, 65′ Rabiot, 90’+4′ Soulé. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo, Bonucci (46′ Cuadrado), Bremer (83′ Rugani); De Sciglio (87′ Gatti), Fagioli, Barrenechea (46′ Locatelli), Rabiot, Kostic; Miretti (72′ Soulé); Vlahovic. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Paredes, Compagnon, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. SAMPDORIA: Turk; Gunter, Nuytinck (76′ Paoletti), Amione; Zanoli, Winks, Rincon (82′ Malagrida), Augello (72′ Murru); Leris, Đuričić (72′ Jesè); Gabbiadini. Subs not used: Ravaglia, Tantalocchi, Oikonomou, Sabiri, Quagliarella, Yepes. Coach: Stanković. REFEREE: Prontera. BOOKINGS: 39′ Rincon, 58′ Fagioli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Two days after Juve earned a precious first leg victory over Freiburg in the Europa League last 16, Massimiliano Allegri presented the next match in the hectic fixture list, the Serie A encounter with Sampdoria, tomorrow, Sunday 12 March.
The coach touched on various topics, not only the players' fitness, but also the approach required to face the team at the foot of the table. NO ROOM FOR MISTAKES "Sampdoria at first glance seem beatable, but their last few results can be misleading because they have been running their opponents very close indeed. It's an important match because we can go second - that is where we are with what we have done on the pitch and that’s the only thing that counts. "It is not a decisive week, but certainly an important one. Winning the "small matches" are vital in the league. Head-to-heads are more balanced, you can win them or lose them, that’s why we must not get the smaller games wrong." TEAM TALK "Paul [Pogba] is available, while [Mattia] Perin and [Dušan] Vlahović will play. [Federico] Chiesa is out tomorrow but hopefully he’ll be back for Thursday, like [Angel] Di Maria, who’ll be rested. Both [Mattia] De Sciglio and [Samuel] Iling-Junior will return. [Mattia] Compagnon from our Next Gen team will be called up, while we hope to have [Arkadiusz] Milik back for the match against Inter." “The plan was to play [Leonardo] Bonucci tomorrow, then Alex Sandro got injured so Leo played more minutes against Freiburg. Tomorrow we'll understand how he is to see if he will play from the first minute.In midfield, I have to decide between [Leandro] Paredes and [Enzo] Barrenechea, while tomorrow morning I will evaluate the rest of the players. "It doesn't matter who plays, we have to have the right approach. The important thing is that the team understands the importance of this match." Source: www.juventus.com |
A header from Ángel Di María was the difference between Juventus and Freiburg in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Europa League.
The Bianconeri dominated the match until the breakthrough, only then did the visitors begin to enjoy some possession. However, the six shots on target to just one from Freiburg demonstrated how Juve had held the upper hand. The aim is to do the same in seven days in the return leg. THE MATCH Juve came strongly out of the blocks and as early as the second minute Ángel Di María worked his way into the penalty area to lay a tantalising ball across the face of the Freiburg goal. However, there were no takers. Again the Argentine was at the centre of the action that led to the visitors’ first save. Di María slipped a pass for Juan Cuadrado to race on to. A quick exchange in the centre of the park freed Adrien Rabiot, who bore in on goal. His shot from a tight angle was untidily dealt with by Mark Flekken, with the ball spinning dangerously towards the goalline before being cleared. A change in the team's set up was required when Alex Sandro had to come off after 23 minutes, replaced by Leonardo Bonucci, before the Bianconeri called the Freiburg keeper into action again from two free-kicks. The first was curled over the wall by Cuadrado. The second by Dušan Vlahović. Both were palmed away to safety by Flekken. After Vlahović’s effort, Juve continued to press and Fabio Miretti turned the ball into the path of Manuel Locatelli, but off balance the number five shot off target. With just over half an hour elapsed, Juve almost got the breakthrough. Again the danger came from a set piece, a corner from Di María, which deceived Flekken. Bremer made his move to apply the finishing touch at the far post but couldn’t direct his header on target. Neither could Vlahović with the last chance of the first half after Cuadrado had let fly from the edge of the area. The shot stung the keeper’s gloves and when the rebound broke back into the area, the Serbian striker twisted his header wide. A header in the second half would provide the breakthrough, however. Juve continued to boss the game after the interval. An attack down the right broke down but the Bianconeri recycled the ball and tried their luck down the left. Filip Kostić flighted in a cross, which was majestically met by Di María. El Fideo’s bullet header gave Flekken no chance. Nine minutes later, with their first shot, Freiburg thought they had found the equaliser. A free-kick delivered into the area by Vincenzo Grifo and was laid off into the path of Lucas Höler, who smashed his half volley into the net. However, VAR called the attention of the match official and the goal was disallowed because of a handball in the build-up. Freiburg took the upper hand in the contest and began to see more of the ball. Juve dug in, though, and kept the German side at a safe distance. With 10 minutes remaining, Juve broke on the counter attack. Rabiot broke forward and Federico Chiesa found himself with the ball at his feet at the edge of the area, but his shot was charged down. At full time only one goal split the two sides despite the gulf of 19-1 in overall attempts over the first leg. Next Thursday will provide the final verdict. JUVENTUS 1-0 FREIBURG (HT: 0-0): SCORER: 53’ Di María. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro (23′ Bonucci); Cuadrado, Miretti (46′ Fagioli), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (77′ Kean); Di Maria; Vlahovic (66′ Chiesa). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti,Rugani, Soulé, Paredes, Barrenechea. Coach: Allegri. FREIBURG: Flekken; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart (67′ Gulde); Kubler, Eggestein (58′ Keitel), Hofler, Gunter; Sallai (58′ Doan), Holer (88′ Gregoritsch), Grifo. Subs not used: Uphoff, Atubolu, Schmid, Petersen, Wagner, Weisshaupt, Rohl, Schmidt. Coach: Streich. REFEREE: Sidiropoulos. BOOKINGS: 24’ Gunter, 51′ Holer, 71′ Bremer, 84′ Bonucci. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri and Filip Kostić were in the press room at the Allianz Stadium to present the Europa League last 16 first leg against Freiburg, which kicks off tomorrow at 21:00 CET.
The coach and the winger underlined the importance of a home win in the opening leg, without underestimating the quality of the side sitting equal fourth in the Bundesliga. MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI "I want to see a positive attitude tomorrow and lay the foundations by taking a lead into the second leg. Freiburg are physically strong, they are fifth [on goal difference] in the league, unbeaten in Europe, but we have to get back to winning at home - between the Champions League and Europa League, we’ve only managed one win. "It is clear that Ángel [Di María] is an extraordinary player, what with his experience and all the trophies he has won. He will play from the start tomorrow. I haven't yet decided who else will play. I also have to think about managing the squad, considering Sunday's match. [Paul] Pogba is available, but I still need to decide how to get the best out of him. [Leonardo] Bonucci is fine, but I have to evaluate whether to play him or Alex Sandro, who is 99% ok. "I'm happy with how Dušan [Vlahović] is performing. He is constantly growing. Forwards are judged on goals scored, but you also have to look at their performance. Like every player, he has to keep up the work and continually improve. Last year we played with [Federico] Chiesa as centre-forward. I consider him a striker that starts out wide, but he has the characteristics to cover every position in attack." "[Vincenzo] Grifo is a good player and he's proving it. He scores goals, provides assists, and is good at set pieces. He's a player we need to keep an eye on." FILIP KOSTIĆ "I've played against Freiburg several times. They're a compact and solid team. We have to take control of the game because they adapt very well. We have to start tomorrow with a good performance. I know the Europa League well, having already won it. Our aim is to win the competition. It's one of our objectives." "Juve have great quality. We are above average skillswise. We've always worked together and we believe in ourselves. As for Dušan, I have know him for a long time. We talk often. I think every player experiences some periods like this, but I'm not worried because he is showing a lot of hunger. I'm sure he just needs one goal to get over this period, and I hope he scores it tomorrow." "My goal is always to give 100%, no matter the competition. I listen to what the coach asks of me and I always adapt. I'm happy here. All my teammates have helped me settle in and understand the level of expectations at Juve." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus hit the woodwork three times in the capital but it was Roma that claimed all three points. The game's only goal was scored by Gianluca Mancini on 53 minutes.
Adrien Rabiot, in the closing seconds of the first half, Juan Cuadrado from a free kick and Mancini again hit the post as Juve sought an equaliser in vain. THE MATCH In front of a sold-out Stadio Olimpico, Juventus took the game to the hosts, but Roma had no intention to allow Juve a route to goal. In fact, after a flicked effort by Dušan Vlahović on four minutes brought the first save from Rui Patricio. The Portuguese keeper wouldn’t be called on again until the final four minutes of the half from a long-range drive from Manuel Locatelli. In between, both sides packed midfield, denying their opponents space. When Juve had the chance to hit on the counter attack, hesitation at the crucial moment allowed the home team to recover. First, Ángel Di María took one touch too many in space at the edge of the area. Nicolò Fagioli did likewise from an interesting position. At the other end, Paulo Dybala attempted a shot from the edge of the area, which forced Wojciech Szczęsny to look sharp, diving to his right. Then, just as half time was approaching, Juve came so close to the breakthrough. Danilo flighted in a deep cross, which was met by Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder’s header appeared goal bound but Rui Patricio with the slightest of touches deflected the ball onto the post. Although the second half started in the same fashion as the first, with Juve managing possession, again the Bianconeri lacked precision in the final pass. Then eight minutes after the restart Roma took the lead. Gianluca Mancini was given time to take aim before firing an unstoppable shot low into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. A minute later Juan Cuadrado made a recovery tackle to stop Leonardo Spinazzola in his tracks when bearing in on goal. Juve regrouped but were thwarted in their search for the equaliser by the frame of the goal, not once but twice. Five minutes after going behind, Cuadrado stepped up to take a free kick. His curling effort struck the outside of the post. Vlahović then read a back-header but just couldn’t reach the ball before it bounced into the hands of Rui Patricio. Soon after, the Roma keeper made the save of the game, with a one-handed stop to keep out an effort from distance from Di María. Juve never relented and forced corner after corner. From one of those set pieces they hit the post again - or rather Mancini almost turned the ball into his own net from close range, saved by the upright. The sending off of Moise Kean 40 seconds after his introduction did little to help the cause but Juve still had one last chance, when the ball broke to Danilo at the height of the penalty spot in the final minute of stoppage time. The number six couldn’t repeat his goal scoring touch from the derby, however, and his shot was saved on the line by Rui Patricio. Immediately after, the referee blew the final whistle, which signalled a fifth league defeat of the season for the Bianconeri. ROMA 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): SCORER: 53’ Mancini. ROMA: Rui Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Zalewski (63′ Karsdorp), Cristante, Matic, Spinazzola; Pellegrini (85′ Belotti), Wijnaldum (73′ Bove); Dybala (73′ Abraham). Subs not used: Boer, Svilar, Llorente, Celik, Kumbulla, Camara, Volpato, El Shaarawy. Coach: Mourinho. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro (45′ Bonucci); Cuadrado (89′ Kean), Fagioli (59′ Chiesa), Locatelli (76′ Paredes), Rabiot, Kostic (76′ Pogba); Di Maria; Vlahovic. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Rugani, Miretti, Barrenechea, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Maresca. BOOKINGS: 31′ Locatelli, 33′ Matic, 57′ Cristante, 63′ Spinazzola, 75′ Kostic. SENDING OFF: 90’ Kean. Source: www.juventus.com |
Tomorrow, Sunday 5 March, the Stadio Olimpico will be lit up for Roma-Juventus.
On the eve of the Serie A Matchday 25 fixture, Coach Allegri spoke to the press that had gathered at the Allianz Stadium for the pre-match conference. ROMA'S FORM "Roma are having an excellent campaign and are fighting for a place in the Champions League. At home they have one of the best defences in Europe, conceding just five goals in eleven games and are coming off four home wins without conceding a goal. Roma-Juventus in a full stadium - it'll be a good match. We will have to be on top of our game. "I hope [José] Mourinho is able to take his place on the bench tomorrow. He doing a great job at Roma, leading them into the battle for a place in the Champions League. As for [Paulo] Dybala, he was important for Juventus, and he's just as important for Roma. We'll face him being full aware of his characteristics." TEAM UPDATE "[Paul] Pogba is fit and feeling fine. I was very happy with how he entered the game against Torino. It wasn't easy after such a long time out. He still has to recover full match fitness, he doesn't have much playing time in his legs yet, but at the moment he's an excellent solution to have on the bench. As for players recovering [from injury], [Fabio] Miretti is back. So, everyone is available except [Arkadiusz] Milik, who'll return after the break, and Kaio Jorge. "Tomorrow I will evaluate who will play. [Leandro] Paredes is fine, [Manuel] Locatelli is available again, [Enzo] Barrenechea is in the reckoning, too. They are all fine and they are all reliable. Now we will have a match every four days, with Freiburg immediately on Thursday, it will be important that whoever comes off the bench makes an impact like the players that came on against Torino. [Angel] Di Maria has been ever present over the last few games, the important thing is that when he plays he is a determining factor, like he has been in the last few games, regardless of the result." SETTING GOALS "It is an important match against Roma because it's a head-to-head and we must start to pull away from the teams behind us. As for looking ahead, we'll keep an eye on how the situation in the table develops. However, if we want to be realistic, qualifying for the Champions League is now very difficult, almost impossible. "The team has so far earned 50 points and we will have to give continuity to the results obtained on the field by working on mini-objectives, as I have been saying for a while. Would making it to the Champions League despite a 15-point penalty be like winning the Scudetto? I'd say it would be like winning three!” Source: www.juventus.com |
Derby della Mole number 156 in Serie A will go down as a classic.
Juve rallied from trailing twice to emerge 4-2 victors. Second half goals from Bremer and Adrien Rabiot added to the comeback goals in the first-half from Juan Cuadrado and Danilo. The return of Paul Pogba while the match was still tied at 2-2 added to the sense of celebration inside the Allianz Stadium. THE MATCH The worst possible start to a derby. Torino won a corner with their first attack. From the cross Wilfried Singo headed the ball into the path of Yann Karamoh. Unmarked inside the six-yard box, the winger took a touch before firing into the net. Just two minutes on the clock and Juve were forced to chase the game. And that’s exactly what they did. 10 minutes later a half-volley from Ángel Di María flashed across the face of goal. On 16’ the Bianconeri were level. Another run from Filip Kostić down the left flank opened up the Toro defence. The winger’s cross cleared the danger area but was collected at the opposite side of the penalty area by Juan Cuadrado. The number 11 steadied himself before unleashing his shot goalwards. A deflection sent the ball into the roof of the net. It was Cuadrado’s fourth derby goal and his celebration captured all of the Colombian’s joy. Just after the half hour, Dušan Vlahović tested his international teammate in the Torino goal. Vanja Milinković-Savić was relieved to grab the ball at the second time of asking. Torino also threatened. Antonio Sanabria’s glancing header was tipped wide for a corner on 38’ but five minutes later the Toro striker would find the net. Ivan Ilić swung in an inviting cross, which Sanabria met first time to place the ball into the corner out of reach of Wojciech Szczęsny. Two minutes of time were signalled by the fourth official, and Juve had every intention of using each precious second. A corner from the left was gloriously met by Danilo, whose powerful header had clearly crossed the line before the Torino keeper could attempt to keep it out - confirmed by the goal-line technology. Four goals in a pulsating first-half. The second half would prove to be just as emotional. Not even five minutes from the restart and both side’s had chances. First, Aleksej Mirančuk curled wide from the edge of the area. Juve broke directly up the field. A one-two between Vlahović and Nicolò Fagioli released the striker in on goal, only for the number 9’s shot to bounce back off the crossbar. On 67’ Karol Linetty saw his effort crash off the face of the bar. The match was still in the balance, but not for long. Inside the final 20 minutes the Bianconeri stepped up another gear - in part due to the return to action after a 236-day lay-off of Paul Pogab. The number 10 was one of three changes made on 69’. Federico Chiesa and Mattia De Sciglio completed the triple switch. And the new impetus immediately paid off. Bremer rose highest from a corner worked in by Chiesa to bullet a header beyond former teammate Milinković-Savić. Nine minutes later Juve opened up a two-goal cushion. Another set-piece did the damage. This time a free-kick delivered by Kostić was not dealt with by the Granata defence. Applying the finishing touch at the far post was Adrien Rabiot. After a lengthy VAR check the goal was confirmed and celebrations in the Allianz Stadium started in earnest. JUVENTUS 4-2 TORINO (HT: 2-2): Scorers: 2’ Karamoh, 16’ Cuadrado, 43’ Sanabria, 45+2’ Danilo, 71’ Bremer, 80’ Rabiot. JUVENTUS: Szczesny 6; Danilo 6.5, Bremer 6 (90′ Bonucci SV), Alex Sandro 6.5; Cuadrado 6.5 (69′ De Sciglio 6), Fagioli 6.5, Barrenechea (69′ Pogba), Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria (69′ Chiesa); Vlahovic (86′ Kean). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Rugani, Paredes, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. TORINO: Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji (84′ Gravillon), Schuurs, Buongiorno; Singo, Linetty (74′ Ricci), Ilic, Rodriguez (74′ Vojvoda); Miranchuk, Karamoh (59′ Radonjic) (74′ Seck); Sanabria. Subs not used: Fiorenza, Gemello, Bayeye, Adopo, Seck, Gineitis, N’guessan Cauneman. Coach: Juric. Referee: Chiffi. BOOKINGS: 60′ Rodriguez, 90+3′ Ricci. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the press ahead of the Derby della Mole tomorrow, Tuesday 28 February. The coach touched on various subjects, such as the return to the squad of both Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa, and obviously the significance of the match against the city rivals.
DERBY PRESSURE "The derby is always an important match. We have to continue our climb up the table by adding to our points tally, trying to reach Bologna, Torino permitting. Our strength must be that of setting one small goal at a time. However, tomorrow will be difficult. “Torino are a team moulded by [Ivan] Juric, teams that have a very specific playing system. They attack a lot, they pile on a lot of pressure. These matches are very intense but we've done well at immersing ourselves in these kinds of challenges. If we think we can play on our tiptoes, we're done for.” SQUAD UPDATE "[Paul] Pogba will be called up for the derby and will play if necessary. He doesn't have much playing time in his legs, but more than enough. I have spoken to him as I have done with the other players. He must understand that we're at an important stage of the season. He must have the drive to have given his contribution at the end of the season. "Yesterday [Federico] Chiesa trained with the team after six so-so days. Now to say that Pogba can be a starter after 315 days on the sidelines or likewise Chiesa, who has been out for 10 months, is another thing. A little patience is needed. "[Leonardo] Bonucci is fine, but due to his long period of inactivity, he'll be sitting close to me at kick-off tomorrow evening. But having him back is already an important plus, he is the club captain afer all." THE SEASON'S FOCUS "Regardless of what happens off the pitch, we have earned 47 points and we must try and stay in the top four, one of our aims at the start of the season. "We have got over the 15-point deducton. We know that we have to try to get to the end of the season having enough points that would allow us to finish in the top four. Also, we have the semi-final of the Coppa Italia and the last 16 of the Europa League to focus on." Source: www.juventus.com |
Ángel Di María supplied the finishing touch, not once, but three times as Juve powered to a 3-0 win at the Stade de la Beaujoire to send Nantes out of the Europa League and the Bianconeri through to the last 16.
The Argentine grabbed two goals in the first half - the first an absolute screamer - and added a third late on as Juve dominated the play-offs second leg. THE MATCH As expected, driven by the passionate home support, Nantes took the game to Juve in the opening minutes. However, the Bianconeri defence held the home attack at a safe distance and when they had the chance to break forward, they did to devastating effect. Nicolò Fagioli intercepted a pass inside Nantes territory and quickly fed the ball forward to Ángel Di María. El Fideo swept a first-time shot over the stranded Albant Lafont. What a start with just five minutes on the clock. Nantes responded to going a goal down by throwing players forward, but never pierced the Juve defence. After absorbing the home side’s reaction, the Bianconeri again struck on the counter attack. Di María received possession just outside the box. The number 22 dribbled his way to the edge of the six-yard box, only for his chip to be blocked on its way into the net by Nicolas Palois. The veteran central defender was shown a straight red card for having denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity. From the resulting penalty, Di María sent Lafont the wrong way. On 22 minutes the number 22 almost grabbed his hat-trick, which would arrive in the second half. The World Cup winner then picked out Adrien Rabiot with a pin-point cross, which the midfielder headed over from the edge of the six-yard box. The visitors continued to keep the tempo high. Manuel Locatelli swept a shot from the edge of the box just wide of goal. In stoppages, Filip Kostić received a defence-splitting pass from Rabiot and shaped up against Lafont, who gratefully gathered the ball after the winger’s shot rebounded off the post. Juventus emerged after the break with their concentration still at 100%, pinning the home team inside their own half for the first 10 minutes from the restart. Mattia De Sciglio had a shot blocked by Charles Traore after Lafont had saved from Di María. Kostić then had a volley saved. The Nantes keeper made two more saves, point blank to keep out a Juan Cuadrado volley and Alex Sandro’s close-range header before Juve eventually scored a third. With 11 minutes to play, Di María completed his treble. The Nantes defence failed to clear the danger and when Dušan Vlahović’s effort looped across the face of goal, El Fideo pounced on the loose ball. His header was parried by Lafont, but only after the ball had crossed the line. Only when the referee indicated that goal-line technology had signalled the goal did Di María celebrate. With qualification assured, Juve took their foot off the pedal as Nantes sought a consolation goal. However, Wojciech Szczęsny was determined to take home another clean sheet and pulled off a spectacular one-handed save in stoppage time to round off a commanding performance. NANTES 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-2): Scorers: 5’, 20’ (pen) & 79’ Di María. NANTES: Lafont; Catelletto, Girotto, Pallois; Centonze, Sissoko (46' Moutoussamy), Chirivella (24' Traore), Simon (73' Mohamed); Mollet (73' Guessand), Delort (46' Ganago), Blas. Subs not used: Descamps, Coco, Knepe, Doucet, Corchia. Coach: Kombouaré. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo (83' Bonucci), Bremer, Alex Sandro; De Sciglio (64' Cuadrado), Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostić (83' Iling-Junior); Di Maria (83' Paredes), Kean (64' Vlahovic). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé, Barrenechea. Coach: Allegri. Referee: Sánchez. BOOKINGS: Traore, Cuadrado. SENDING OFF: Palois. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus collected a 15th clean sheet from their 23 Serie A matches this season with a 2-0 win at the Alberto Picco stadium in Spezia.
Moise Kean opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark. With a quarter of the match remaining, Ángel Di María displayed all of his class with the second goal, which killed off the contest. THE MATCH Juve’s return to Serie A duty after midweek Europa League commitments saw the team undergo a mini-makeover. Mattia Perin took over in goal, Daniele Rugani replaced the suspended Bremer at the heart of defence, while Moise Kean led the line in attack. In midfield, Leandro Paredes joined Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli. The latter was booked after a mere 18 seconds into the game for a late lunge in the centre of the park. A yellow card that will see the number 5 miss out on the Derby della Mole next week. It was an even first-half on the tight pitch at the Alberto Picco, with Spezia playing an intense pressing game under caretaker coach Fabio Lorieri. Daniele Verde had the first shot on target, a tame effort on 10 minutes that did little to worry Perin. On 17’ instead Juve had the ball in the net. Vlahović raced onto a defence-splitting pass to poke the ball between the legs of Bartłomiej Drągowski. The flag was raised, however, and the goal was disallowed. In attempting the save, the Spezia keeper picked up an injury and was replaced by veteran Federico Marchetti. For the 40-year-old, it was his first action since August 2021. His first involvement was from a corner, met by Danilo, whose header flashed just wide, with Vlahović sliding in at the far post but he arrived just too late to apply the finishing touch.. With their next attack, Juve took the lead. Paredes created space for himself in midfield. The Argentine invited Filip Kostić to progress down the flank. The winger whipped in his cross and Kean on the volley directed the ball in at the far post. It was the striker’s first league goal in 2023. Although Eldor Shomurodov reached a couple of crosses, his headers were comfortably dealt with by Perin. A mix-up by Paredes and Kostić gifted Spezia another opportunity before the half-time whistle but home captain Emmanuel Gyasi couldn’t reach the delivery at the far post. Nicolò Fagioli and Mattia De Sciglio were brought on immediately after the break as Juve continued to hold back wave after wave of Spezia attack. The Bianconeri dug deep at the edge of their penalty area and allowed the home side little in the way of clear cut chances despite intense pressure. Locatelli and Danilo made two important blocks. Then, with a quarter of the match remaining, Juve added a second. Ángel Di María received possession at the edge of the area and on looking up, drilled a low shot beyond Marchetti into the far corner. The Bianconeri had doubled their lead with their second shot on target. With a two-goal cushion to defend, Perin stepped up to the mark. First Gyasi met a cross from the right. His volley was destined for the back of the net until the Bianconeri keeper at full stretch tipped the ball away. A similar save was required 10 minutes later, this time to deny Dimitris Nikolaou’s header. Juve ensured that Spezia had no way back into the contest in the closing minutes as they collected a fourth clean sheet in their six wins over the Ligurian side in Serie A. SPEZIA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): Scorers: 32' Kean (J); 66' Di Maria (J). SPEZIA: Dragowski (25' Marchetti); Amian, Ampadu, Nikolaou; Gyasi, Bourabia, Ekdal (79' Caldara), Agudelo (59' Nzola), Reca; Verde (79' Maldini), Shomurodov. Subs not used: Zovko, Beck, Krollis, Ferrer, Kovalenko, Wisniewski, Giorgeschi, Cipot. Coach: Lorieri. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (46' De Sciglio), Locatelli, Paredes (46' Fagioli), Rabiot, Kostić (81' Iling-Junior); Kean (56' Di Maria), Vlahović (92' Bonucci). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Soulé, Barrenechea. Coach: Allegri. Referee: La Penna. BOOKINGS: 1' Locatelli (J); 16' Agudelo (S); 51' Fagioli (J); 55' Reca (S). Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus set off for Liguria later today for tomorrow's match at the Picco stadium against Spezia. Ahead of the Serie A Matchday 23 fixture Massimiliano Allegri greeted the press in his customary pre-match conference. The coach touched on various subjects such as the player fitness, the right approach and the fallout from Thursday's Europa League debut against Nantes.
ON THE OPPOSITION "It will be a complicated game in La Spezia, it's a tough ground to play at. They are a team that creates a lot of chances, as they showed against Napoli and Atalanta. We must have the right approach, take to the field with our attention high, with maximum concentration and determination." TEAM CHOICES "Those who play every three days are used to it. [Federico] Chiesa won't be available because he's very tired after his recent efforts, which is to be expected. I still have to evaluate the others, but there will certainly be some changes. "[Moise] Kean, [Mattia] Perin and [Daniele] Rugani are three who will come in - also because Bremer is suspended and Leo [Bonucci] is not yet in the condition to start. He's fine but not ready to play from kick-off. However, I'm happy he's in the group. As for the others, I have to decide." AWAY FORM "We've scored nine goals in nine away games, a statistic that was boosted with our three goals against Salernitana, otherwise it would be much lower. It's something we must improve upon." WINNING CONVICTION "We need to improve our performance during the match, especially when we are in control. After going a goal up against Nantes we slowed the game down and we moved the ball very slowly. We were no longer convinced about getting that second goal when it was something that had to be sought with greater insistence. "Then we conceded the only time they broke forward - proof that Nantes are very good at staying in the game considering with their first opportunity they punished us." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Nantes in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs. Dušan Vlahović, Federico Chiesa and Ángel Di María were fielded in attack from kick-off and combined for the game's opening goal. On the hour the visitors equalised through Ludovic Blas.
The Bianconeri struck the crossbar twice as they sought to restore their advantage. THE MATCH Juventus started sprightly and the front three created the first danger for the visiting defence. Ángel Di María let fly from the edge of the area, stinging the gloves of Alban Lafont. The Nantes goalkeeper had no chance just over 10 minutes later, when the front three linked up to perfection. A defence-splitting pass from Di María picked out the run of Federico Chiesa, who from the edge of the six-yard box headed across the face of goal. Rushing in to tap home was Dušan Vlahović, who spun away to celebrate with Chiesa. It was the first time that two had directly combined for a Juve goal. With the five players across the back, supported by three in midfield, Nantes were set up to frustrate Juve, but the Bianconeri were moving the ball quickly, using both flanks, and at the heart of it all was Di María. And it was El Fideo that came close to adding a second on 28 minutes. Another dipping shot from the edge of the area was once again dealt with by Lafont with a spectacular one-handed save. Three minutes later the Nantes keeper was called onto save his team once more. Alex Sandro sought Vlahović inside the penalty area. Aware of the danger Andrei Girotto stretched to reach the cross, almost turning the ball into his own net. Lafont did enough to touch the ball away. Lafont was last called on by Juve in the first half when a Leandro Paredes free-kick in stoppage time saw the former Fiorentina shot stopper opt once more for his favoured punch clearance. The second half started in the same manner as the first, with a shot from El Fideo saved by Lafont. On the hour Di María had the ball at his feet again in a shooting position but delayed allowing the defence to close him down. Nantes then set off on the counter attack. Three passes later Ludovic Blas found himself one on one with Wojciech Szczęsny. The Canaries forward lashed the ball into the top of the net for the equaliser. Juve’s response was immediate, but unfortunate. Just one minute later Vlahović fed Chiesa and when the number 7 went for goal, he saw his shot first hit the crossbar, bounce on the line before striking the far post to safety. Two minutes later a corner from Di María flew over the head of Lafont but once again the frame of the goal stood between Juve and their retaking the lead. Juve were kept at a safe distance by their French opponents until stoppage time drama. First Danilo flashed a volley over the bar from close range then in the fifth minute of time added on, Bremer headed over from a metre out. The referee was called on to study the moment by VAR however. The match official interpreted the incident in favour of Nantes, indicating that a push by Bremer on his marker caused the same player to strike the ball with his hand. The outcome was no penalty. The scoreline remained 1-1, leaving Juventus needing victory in the second leg to progress to the knock-out stage proper. JUVENTUS 1-1 NANTES: Scorers: 13' Vlahović, 60' Blas. Juventus: Szczęsny; De Sciglio (73' Cuadrado), Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Fagioli (63' Kostić), Paredes (63' Locatelli), Rabiot; Di Maria (73' Soulé), Vlahović (86' Kean), Chiesa. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Crespi, Gatti, Bonucci, Rugani, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. Nantes: Lafont; Centonze, Castelletto (88' Guessand), Girotto, Pallois (83' Corchia), Coco (77' Traore); Moutoussamy, Chirivella (77' Mollet), Sissoko; Blas, Mohamed (77' Simon). Subs not used: Descamps, Petrič, Doucet, Diaz. Coach: Kombouaré. Refreee: Pinheiro (POR). Bookings: 45'+1' Castelletto, 54' Chiesa, 57' Mohamed, 75' Danilo, 90' Corchia. Source: www.juventus.com |
This afternoon was the moment for the pre-match press conferences at the Allianz Stadium ahead of the Europa League knock-out round play-offs. Coach Allegri and Gleison Bremer gave the Juve side of the story on the eve of the first leg against Nantes.
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI "Nantes have lost only once, against Olympique Marseille, in the last ten games, collecting six clean sheets along the way. It's a tie that is played over 180 minutes. I have great respect for the French team but here we have to lay the foundations that allow us to go to Nantes with a good lead. A new European path begins for us, it is an important objective because it could be a gateway to the Champions League. We want to go all the way. "For me it is a debut on the bench in the Europa League. Our Champions League exit has left us with a bitter taste in our mouths and we're fired up. Playing in Europe gives us the possibility to fill the fixture list, it's better playing twice a week. We do this job for the challenge, to face important games. The stadium will be full and this is a good signal from the fans, who are helping us a lot." The coach then touched on the fitness of some of the players, "[Juan] Cuadrado and [Leonaardo] Bonucci have recovered, Leo will also be called up to let him savor the match climate again. The only ones out are [Paul] Pogba, Kaio Jorge and [Arek] Milik. We hope to get Pogba back as soon as possible, he trained with the team this morning but he's still catching up. Chiesa has recovered well after Sunday's match, which is already a positive sign." Allegri closed with two considerations, "I want to send a big hug to the Nantes player [Ignatius Ganago] who lost his little girl. I'd also like to wish good luck to Juventus Next Gen, who are playing the return leg of the semi-final of the Coppa Italia against Foggia tonight - let's hope they reach the final." GLEISON BREMER "It's an important match. We want to go the distance taking it one match at a time, starting from tomorrow. Nantes are a well-organised team that play well. We will have to be just as well organised on the pitch. We have to look at every single game as a final. We are a good team with a strong squad of players, we know the difficulties we are going through but we have closed ranks and reinforced our group spirit." The Brazilian defender, in his debut seaon at Juve, then commented on his personal learning curve, "I'm always ready to play for the coach and the team. Whether it's a three-man or a four-man backline, it makes no difference. Last season at Torino we used man-marking, now I'm learning zonal marking. For now my overall performance is positive, apart from a few matches like those against Napoli and Monza. I want to continue growing and improving all the way to the end of the season." Source: www.juventus.com |
After back to back wins in the cup and league, Massimiliano Allegri aimed for his side to keep up the momentum by fielding a front three of Dušan Vlahović, Federico Chiesa and Ángel Di María.
However, it was a goal from Adrien Rabiot the split the sides after both teams had efforts ruled out for offside by VAR in the second half. THE MATCH Two of the front three linked up for the game’s first chance. On 12 minutes Vlahović won the ball in midfield. His quick pass to Di María gave the Argentine time to pick his shot, a shot that was deflected to the far edge of the six-yard box where Filip Kostić was lurking. The number 17 seemed destined to score in successive matches after his goal against Salernitana but struck his effort wide. On 24’ Kostić then had another opportunity from almost the exact same position. This time the chance sprung from a Chiesa run and cross down the right flank. Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenković slipped as the ball reached him, catching Vlahović off guard. Again at the far post was Kostić, who this time was denied by Pietro Terracciano, who blocked the shot on his goal line. The Viola keeper thought he had done likewise 10 minutes later, but goal line technology ruled otherwise. A decision that gave Juve the lead. Mattia De Sciglio delivered an excellent cross after linking up with Chiesa. Adrien Rabiot was at the far post, and the midfielder put enough power in his header for it to go over the line, confirmed by the signal received by the referee. Manuel Locatelli ensured Wojciech Szczęsny was not tested by the visitors as he threw himself into two consecutive clearances inside his own penalty area as the Viola attempted to level before the half-time whistle. Technology would take centre stage also in the second half. On the hour mark, Locatelli won possession on the half-way line and intelligently touched the ball into space for Kostić. From one Serb to another as the winger played through Vlahović. The striker raced in on goal and delivered a deft finish for his first goal against his former side, or so he thought. VAR disallowed the goal for offside. And not for the last time. It was the first and last opportunity for the Juve number 9, replaced by Moise Kean, whose first involvement was to find himself one-on-one with Terracciano after the ball was deflected into his path by Kostić. Kean’s crashed his close-range shot against the Fiorentina keeper. Juventus sat back to defend in depth in the closing 10 minutes as the Viola pressed for an equaliser. Luka Jović glanced a header just wide on 82’. Then again in the final minute of normal time, VAR was called on again. The ball was driven into the net by Gaetano Castrovilli through a ruck of players. However, from the delivery into the area, Luca Ranieri was fractionally offside. For the referee the central defender participated in the lead-up to the goal, which therefore led to its being disallowed. Juve saw out stoppage time without risking further for three hard-earned points, which pushed them within one point of seventh place. JUVENTUS 1-0 FIORENTINA (HT: 1-0): Scorer: 34’ Rabiot (J). JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; De Sciglio, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostić; Chiesa (82′ Paredes), Di Maria (75′ Fagioli); Vlahović (65′ Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Rugani, Barbieri, Barrenechea, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. FIORENTINA: Terracciano; Dodò (79′ Terzić), Ranieri, Milenkovic, Biraghi; Amrabat, Duncan (61′ Castrovilli); Ikoné (65′ Jović), Bonaventura (79′ Saponara), Gonzalez (79′ Cabral); Kouamé. Subs not used: Cerofolini, Sirigu, Venuti, Quarta, Bianco, Brekalo. Coach: Italiano. Referee: Fabbri. BOOKINGS: 1′ Rabiot, 19′ Alex Sandro, 30′ Duncan, 47′ Bonaventura, 85′ Bremer, 87′ Kostic. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus will need to bide their time and adopt a cautious approach if they are to come out on top against Fiorentina, says Massimiliano Allegri.
The coach was speaking to the gathered media ahead of the Bianconeri's Matchday 22 fixture against the Viola on Sunday evening (18:00 CET). “After two big wins against Lazio in the Coppa Italia and Salernitana in the league, we can expect a different sort of game against Fiorentina tomorrow,” the coach began, “They're always a tricky side to play against: they play good football and run and press hard. We're going to need to keep things tidy and bide our time.” FITNESS UPDATES “[Leo] Bonucci will be available for the game against Nantes on Thursday. [Arek] Milik is improving. Kaio Jorge is still unavailable. [Paul] Pogba is not ready for the matchday squad. He's working hard to be available but I can't put a timescale on it. We're all waiting for him to return – no one more than me. Danilo is fine. He can manage himself playing in this position. He's an increasingly important player for us. [Adrien] Rabiot is 27 and has reached the level of maturity you often see in players of that age. He's certainly not a gamble. He'll play tomorrow.” KEEP ON IMPROVING “Right now we must focus on the small targets and catch the sides ahead of us. The lads are working well but we can do better still during the match. I didn't like the last 30 minutes against Salernitana. We'll need to perform better if we want to beat Fiorentina tomorrow. We can improve the directness of our play.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus returned from Salerno with all three points on the back of a 3-0 victory. The Bianconeri's two Serbian internationals grabbed the goals, with a Dušan Vlahović double split by Filip Kostić just before the break.
After three matches without success in Serie A, Juventus rediscovered their winning touch in the league on the back of last week's win in Coppa Italia. THE MATCH As early as the third minute Dušan Vlahović showed his hunger. The number 9 hurled himself at a cross but his diving header finished off target. No other player would have as many efforts on goal in the opening half, and it was the Serbian striker that opened the scoring with a penalty. The incident that led to the spot kick was made in Next Gen as Juve-owned Salernitana loanee tripped Fabio Miretti inside the box after the teenage midfielder had played an intelligent give-and-go with Ángel Di María. Vlahović struck his shot in off the post, out of reach of Guillermo Ochoa, for his first goal in the black and white stripes since October 21. With his confidence boosted, Vlahović tried his luck on 33 minutes with a half-volley from outside the box, which dipped just over the Salernitana crossbar. The only negative moment of the first half arrived on 43 minutes when Miretti was stretchered off with an ankle injury. Replacing the number 20 was another Next Gen product Nicolò Fagioli. There was enough time though for Juve to double their lead before the break. Adrien Rabiot’s cross was headed into the path of Vlahović. The Serb miss hit his shot but it ended up as a perfect assist for his international teammate Filip Kostić. The winger stole in ahead of Ochoa to touch the ball beyond the advancing home keeper. A Serbian one-two that gave Juve a solid lead at the interval. And after the break Juve put the game on ice. Again Dušan was at the heart of the action, sweeping home his shot first-time after being played through by Fagioli. The third goal for the Bianonceri knocked the stuffing out of the home side, who would never seriously test Wojciech Szczęsny over the length of the match. Instead Juve kept on pushing forward in search of goal number four. In fact, the frame of the goal stood between the Bianconeri and their adding to the advantage. First to strike the woodwork was Ángel Di María, whose curling effort had Ochoa beaten before crashing off the crossbar. With the game heading into the final minutes, a burst of pace from Federico Chiesa left opponents in his wake. The number 7 rolled the ball for Moise Kean on the run inside the box. This time it was the post that got in the way, with Ochoa again grateful. A confident performance produced a return to winning ways in Serie A for Juve. Three crucial points to begin their climb back up the league table. SALERNITANA 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-2): Scorers: 26’ & 47’ Vlahović, 45’ Kostić. SALERNITANA: Ochoa; Sambia, Troost-Ekong, Bronn, Bradaric (60’ Bonazzoli); Coulibaly (80’ Kastanos), Nicolussi Caviglia (71’ Bohimen), Vilhena (46’ Lovato); Candreva, Piatek (71’ Crnigoj), Dia. Subs not used: Sepe, Sorrentino, Daniliuc, Pirola, Botheim, Valencia. Coach: Nicola. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; De Sciglio (80’ Iling Junior), Miretti (43’ Fagioli), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic(62’ Cuadrado); Di Maria (62’ Chiesa), Vlahovic (79’ Kean). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Rugani, Soulé. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Rapuano. BOOKINGS: Rabiot, Vilhena. Source: www.juventus.com |
Salernitana-Juventus tomorrow evening at the Arechi stadium wraps up the action of Serie A Matchday 21.
Today Massimiliano Allegri faced the press in the customary pre-match conference and admitted that the match in Salerno will be far from easy, "Tomorrow's match will be complicated. Their fans are passionate, [Davide] Nicola is doing a great job there and they are coming off a victory in Lecce. "For us, the important thing is to face the match with the right approach. We must put ourselves on a par with Salernitana. We have to get back on track and set about catching the teams ahead of us and start climbing the table." TEAM NEWS The coach also considered the current situation regarding the fitness and form of those in his squad, adding "All the players are available apart from [Leonardo] Bonucci who has the flu, [Paul] Pogba who is recovering and [Leandro] Paredes who has a niggle. "Dušan [Vlahović] has recovered well, I think he is much better physically. In my opinion he's lost weight but is more powerful than before. However, leaving [Moise] Kean out is getting harder and harder for me. He has improved a lot technically and physically. I think he is a very important player for our team." "[Nicolò] Fagioli has grown a lot, too. When many players were missing, he did well and in general, our young players have brought enthusiasm and technique. I think everyone has contributed to the cause and they're all coming on well." YOUTH ACADEMY "[Hans] Nicolussi Caviglia was unlucky due to the problems he had with his knee. He is proving his worth at Salernitana and I am very pleased. But there are many very good young players in our academy, the club has done an excellent job with the youth sector. It is possible that in the next few years many will be part of the First Team." LEAGUE STANDINGS The coach also touched on the side's mid-table position and the consequences on setting team goals, "Right now the fact is that we have been deducted 15 points and we have to think about reaching the 40-point mark. It's ironic, but we need to think about this objective first and then take it step by step. "After all, it's a long season and we have to continue our journey. We are in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia and our aim is to progress in the Europa League as well. "We must do our talking on the field, though, without any alibis." Source: www.juventus.com |
A Bremer header on the cusp of half-time sent Juventus into the Coppa Italia semi-finals. The defender’s goal gave the Bianconeri a 1-0 win over Lazio at the Allianz Stadium after a determined, focused display against the side from the Capital.
THE MATCH The two sides took the measure of each other over the first quarter of an hour. The only threat to either goalkeeper came from a Mattia Zaccgni shot that Mattia Perin watched curl wide of his far post. Just after the 15-minute mark, however, Perin’s opposite number was called into action. Dušan Vlahović carried the ball down the right flank and worked it into the path of fellow-Serb Filip Kostić. The winger let fly with his trusted left foot and only the fingertips of Maximiano kept the ball out. Juve stepped up their game and were often first on the loose ball in the centre of the park, allowing the team to build up momentum in attack. One such example saw Kostić deliver an inviting cross into the heart of the Lazio penalty area. Adrien Rabiot rose unchallenged but couldn’t find direction on his header. The Lazio keeper, placed centrally, made a comfortable save. A Kostić cross would set up the game’s opening goal, but only after Lazio threatened at the other end. Felipe Anderson was picked out in space at the edge of the area. His powerful drive whistled just wide of Perin’s post. With the interval looming Juve broke the deadlock. A corner was partially cleared by the visiting defence. Nicolò Fagioli swung in another cross, which went all the way back to Kostić. The number 17 quickly lobbed the ball back into the middle, where Bremer timed his run to perfection. The central defender was quicker to the ball than the Lazio keeper, allowing him to nudge the ball over the advancing keeper into the unguarded net. Juventus set their stall out at the start of the second half to defend their hard-earned lead. Perin was eventually called on to make a save, from a Danilo Cataldi free-kick. The Juve keeper then had plenty of opportunity to show his safe handling as Lazio launched in plenty of crosses, all of which were dealt with by Perin. At the other end, the Lazio keeper was brought into action after the interval with a save from a Manuel Locatelli drive at the midway point of the second half. As both coaches turned to the bench for fresh legs and to keep the level of concentration high, Bianconeri sub Moise Kean drilled in a low shot at the near post that tested Maximiano. The Lazio keeper finally making the save on his goal line. Juve saw out the remainder of the match, keeping Lazio at a safe distance, and the slender goal was all that was needed to book a place in the semi-finals, where Inter await. JUVENTUS 1-0 LAZIO (HT: 1-0): Scorer: 44’ Bremer (J). JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (88' De Sciglio), Fagioli (64' Miretti), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostić; Chiesa (78' Di Maria), Vlahović (63' Kean). Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Gatti, Paredes, Soulé, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Maximiano; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli (78' Casale), Marusic; Vecino (59' Milinkovic-Savic), Cataldi (74' Marcos Antonio), Luis Alberto (75' Basic); Felipe Anderson, Immobile (46' Pedro), Zaccagni. Subs not used: Provedel, Adamonis, Gila, Radu, Hysaj, Lu. Pellegrini, Romero, Bertini, Cancellieri. Coach: Sarri. Referee: Maresca. BOOKINGS: Cuadrado (J), Zaccagni (L), Perin (J), Danilo (J). Source: www.juventus.com |
Tomorrow evening, at 21:00 CET, Juventus welcome Lazio to the Allianz Stadium in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. Today Massimiliano Allegri addressed the press in the customary pre-match conference.
The coach first touched on the league defeat to Monza at the weekend, "The players are sorry, disappointed and upset. Tomorrow we have to put our league issues aside." THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CUP "The Coppa Italia is another competition. It will be a difficult match against Lazio, a team that is performing well at the moment. "It is a direct knock-out match. It is necessary we approach the game with the idea in the forefront of our minds that this is a one-off encounter. It could go all the way to extra-time, so substitutions might prove to be even more important." TOMORROW'S TEAM SELECTION "I'll decide the line-up tomorrow morning. Apart from [Leonardo] Bonucci, the only player not available is [Paul] Pogba, who is suffering from some tightness in his flexors. It'll take a little patience, he needs to reset the motor, it'll take time. The same thing happened to [Federico] Chiesa. [Dušan] Vlahović should play from the start. As for [Juan] Cuadrado? He's fine." THE PECULIAR MOMENT AT JUVENTUS "Last Sunday against Monza the whole team put on a bad performance. I made three changes at half-time and we improved slightly. "We must remain concentrated, however, because the 15-point deduction must not become an alibi, the club will take care of defending itself against the charges." Source: www.juventus.com |
The news before kick-off was positive with call-ups for Paul Pogba and Dušan Vlahović. However, the former would not set foot on the pitch, while the latter, as the team's fifth substitute, failed to find a way through the visitors' defence.
Juve were undone by Monza in the first half. Goals from Patrick Ciurria and Dany Mota gave the side from Brianza a two-goal lead at the interval, from which the Bianconer, try as they might, were unable to reduce after the break. THE MATCH Juventus set out to rediscover their winning touch in the league against the team they had defeated just 11 days ago in Coppa Italia. Instead it was the visitors that looked more at home and found the net on 10 minutes through Gianluca Caprari. The Bianconeri were grateful for the introduction of the semi-automatic offside as the VAR signalled the slightest advantage of Caprari over Bremer. The goal was disallowed but Monza’s lead was only postponed. On 13 minutes Juve showed some of the link-up play that has been a feature lately when Nicolò Fagioli burst from midfield, leaving three Monza players in his wake. His cross picked out Moise Kean, who shot wide. Five minutes later Monza broke the deadlock. José Macìn played a pass in behind the Bianconeri rearguard for Patrick Ciurria to chase. Ciurria accepted the invitation and drilled a shot low past Szczęsny. The Biancorossi continued to see more of the ball and doubled their lead with five minutes of the first half to play. Carlos Augusto won back possession on the half way line and sprinted forward undisturbed. The wing back fed a pass into the penalty area for Dany Motta. The striker rounded Szczęsny and placed the ball into an unguarded net. In the second half, Juve had it all to do. Massimiliano Allegri made three changes during the interval. Samuel Iling, Matias Soulé and Manuel Locatelli were quickly joined by Arek Milik as the Bianconeri made a fourth substitution before the hour mark. The changes provided the needed impetus and Juventus finally built up pressure on the visitors’ defence. Locatelli unleashed a drive from the edge of the area, punched away by Michele De Gregori at full stretch. The Monza keeper would thwart Juve four minutes later when Milik hit another effort from distance, and again with a one-handed save after Ángel Di María’s long-range effort seemed goal bound. Juve eventually found a way beyond the Monza keeper but Bremer was in a clear offside position when he tapped the ball into the net after Rabiot had forced yet another save. In stretching for the ball Milik picked up an injury, which would see him limp off and Juve finish with 10 on the pitch. Monza saw out the final minutes to collect home and away wins and become only the second side to win their first two matches in Serie A over Juve since Inter in 1930. JUVENTUS 0-2 MONZA (HT: 0-2): Scorers: 18’ Ciurria, 39’ Mota Carvalho. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; De Sciglio (64' Vlahovic), Fagioli (46' Soulé), Paredes (46' Locatelli), Rabiot, Kostic (46' Iling-Junior); Di Maria, Kean (58' Milik). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Pogba, Alex Sandro, Miretti, Rugani. Coach: Allegri. MONZA: Di Gregorio; Izzo, Pablo Marì, Caldirola (24' st Marlon); Ciurria (32' st Birindelli), Machin, (32' st Ranocchia) Rovella (14' st Sensi), Carlos Augusto; Pessina, Caprari (25' st Petagna); Mota Carvalho. Subs not used: Cragno, Sorrentino, Donati, Barberis, Gytkjaer, Valoti, Antov, Colpani, Carboni, D'Alessandro. Coach: Palladino. Referee: Aureliano. BOOKINGS: 69' Caprari (M), 78' Sensi (M). Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus and Atalanta grabbed three goals each in a pulsating draw at the Allianz Stadium as the championship reached the mid-way point.
The 3-3 draw, which saw Juve come back from behind twice, kept the Bianconeri 12 points behind their opponents after the 15-point deduction handed out by the sporting authorities on two days ago. THE MATCH The game could not have got off to a worse start. With their first attack Atalanta found the opening goal. On five minutes, Ademola Lookman received the ball inside the penalty area. The striker found half a yard before driving his shot in at the near post. Caught by surprise, Wojciech Szczęsny could only parry the effort into the net. Juve’s response was immediate and effective. Signalling the Bianconeri’s intent were shots from the edge of the area from Manuel Locatelli and Ángel Di María, who would be at the heart of everything Juve did in attack in the opening half. A corner from El Fideo saw his international teammate Juan Musso scramble to punch the ball away just as Weston McKennie was about to make contact. Juve kept up their high pressing game and the intensity paid off. Locatelli won back possession inside the visitors’ half and forced his way into the Atalanta area. The ball broke to Nicolò Fagioli, who was taken down by Ederson. VAR called the referee’s attention and after studying the pitchside monitor, the official pointed to the spot. From 12 yards Di María sent Musso the wrong way. 20 minutes after going a goal down, Juve were level. And 10 minutes later the hosts would be ahead. A flowing move down the right completed the first half comeback. A Di María backheel freed Fagioli down the right flank. The midfielder’s cross was met on the half volley by Arkadiusz Milik, who dispatched the ball into the net. Juve were caught cold at the restart. Not even a minute had elapsed and Atalanta were level. Joakim Maehle ghosted in behind the home defence to side foot his shot beyond Szczęsny. And not satisfied, the Dea pushed on again. On 53’ Atalanta again made progress down the left, Jeremy Boga crossed from the byeline and Lookman, who had peeled off the shoulder of Alex Sandro, glanced his header into the net. Juventus were called on to respond again and again they did. Manuel Locatelli was fouled at the edge of the penalty area. From the free-kick, a training ground move was worked to perfection. Di María rolled the ball into the path of Danilo, who drilled his shot into the net. With 25 minutes to play, it was all square. All three points were still there for the winning. However, the defences finally came out on top. A Tolói run and shot forced Szczęsny into a smart save, while at the other end, two Bianconeri substitutes almost provided the game’s seventh goal. Moise Kean put pressure on Merih Demiral, whose attempted backheel clearance fell again to Kean. The striker played the ball into the middle of the area, where Fabio Miretti was arriving. The teenager didn’t make clean contact on his shot. A chance spurned. That was to be the last opportunity of the match. Six goals, a share of the points, but however spectacular the match, Juve's climb back up the table was put on hold. Source: www.juventus.com |
Tomorrow evening at 20:45 CET Juventus will take on Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium in their final game of the first half of the 2022/23 Serie A season. Coach Allegri gave a run down of the current situation on and off the field.
NEW LEAGUE POSITION “Tomorrow’s game is a big one. We need to end this first half of the season on a high. After being handed a 15-point penalty yesterday we’ve got to close ranks, keep our heads down and put in some hard graft, focusing solely on football. It has no bearing on our approach – we’ve still got to get points on the board, win games, take things step by step and never stop working. There are 60 points still up for grabs.” “The legal proceedings are in the hands of other people at the club. There will be an appeal, but given the change in our league standings we have to try to really make the most out of the coming matches. We’ve got to do what we can. The final verdict will be issued in two months and we can’t look back in anger.” “This morning I had a word with Maurizio Scanavino about yesterday’s events and today at 14:30 both President Gianluca Ferrero and Scanavino will address the team before training. We’ve been docked 15 points and we can’t shy away from that, even if it may be temporary. We’ll look for any silver lining. When faced with difficulties you’ve got to take responsibility. We’ve got to move on from what happened yesterday and as a team we’ll just try our best as always. On a personal note I’m very sorry for Andrea Agnelli, Pavel Nedved, Maurizio Arrivabene, Federico Cherubini and Paolo Garimberti.” ATALANTA CLASH “Atalanta are playing fantastically and are fighting fit. We’ll need our fans to give us an extra boost. While Paul Pogba and Dusan Vlahovic won’t be in contention until the Monza game next week Juan Cuadrado may feature tomorrow. Adrien Rabiot didn’t train normally with the team but there’s a chance that he’ll be fine to face Atalanta.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus made it 18 matches unbeaten at home in the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 win over Monza in the Round of 16. Moise Kean had given Juve an early lead, canceled out on 25 minutes.
However, Federico Chiesa's comeback goal restored the Bianconeri's advantage with 12 minutes to play as the number seven definitively put his injury woes behind him. THE MATCH Six of the Juventus starting XI had come through the Bianconeri Academy as Massimiliano Allegri turned to youth to kick off this season’s Coppa Italia campaign. What’s more, seven of the starters were 24 or under. And it was the youth factor that created the early chances. On five minutes Samuel Iling Junior showed his impressive turn of pace as he raced at the Monza defence. The winger’s cross reached Nicolò Fagioli, whose side footer went close. Three minutes later again Fagioli was involved as he linked up with Matias Soulé in midfield. The Argentine teeanger burst forward and fed a pass into the path of Weston McKennie. A pin-point cross from the US international picked out Moise Kean, who glanced his header into the net from the six-yard line. Juventus, however, did not press home their early advantage and were pegged back by the visitors from a corner kick on 25 minutes. No one followed the run of Mattia Valoti, who like Kean, headed home from close range. In an open contest, there were plenty of flashes of skill, but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested apart from another run from Iling which forced a finger tip save from Alessio Cragno. At the break there was no splitting the two teams. Immediately after the restart Kean had a chance to restore the lead with his personal double after he was played through from a cross field pass. The striker found himself one-on-one but fired his shot straight at Cragno, who blocked the effort with his shin. Monza replied with a couple of efforts from Andrea Colpani. The 23-year-old fired his first shot over the crossbar, his second brought out a tidy save from Mattia Perin. As the game entered the closing 15 minutes, the effect of the flurry of substitutes began to make an impact on proceedings. Ángel Di María’s first real involvement saw him deliver a dangerous cross into the area, which reached Danilo. The captain’s shot was deflected off the crossbar by a Monza defender. The rebound broke to Kean, who touched the ball into the net, but his celebrations were cut short after he was flagged for offside. However, Juve’s second goal was just around the corner and it arrived for a flash of magic from another sub on the night. Federico Chiesa ran at the Monza defence, shrugged off a challenge from full-back Valentin Antov and picked out a curling shot into the top corner. Di María almost added a third in the final minutes with an outrageous rabona, which was saved by Cragno. As it was the touch of class from Chiesa proved to be a worthy winner as Juve booked their place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals for the 16th consecutive season, where they will meet Lazio. JUVENTUS 2-1 MONZA: Scorers: 9′ Kean; 25′ Valoti (M); 78′ Chiesa. Juventus: Perin; Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Soulé, Fagioli (74′ Di Maria), Paredes, Miretti (60′ Locatelli), Iling-Junior (74′ Alex Sandro); Soulé (60′ Chiesa), Kean (82′ Milik). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Bremer, Barbieri, Kostic. Coach: Landucci (Allegri suspended). Monza: Cragno; Marlon, Pablo Marì, Carboni (57′ Carlos Augusto); Antov (82′ Sensi), Pessina (Rovella), Ranocchia, D’Alessandro (67′ Izzo); Colpani, Valoti (67′ Vignato); Gytkjaer. Subs not used: Lamanna, Sorrentino, Caldirola, Barberis, Petagna, Bondo, Ciurria, Machin, Colombo, Ferraris. Coach: Palladino. Referee: Pezzuto. Bookings: Antov (M), Rovella (M). Source: www.juventus.com |
A run of eight successive wins in the league without conceding a goal was definitively ended by Napoli in Serie A Matchday 18. The game that could have opened up the title chase instead saw the Neapolitan side run out 5-1 winners to stretch their advantage over the Bianconeri at the top of the standings to 10 points.
THE MATCH Federico Chiesa made his first start in just over a year, adding to the Bianconeri’s attacking potential in support of Ángel Di María and Arkadiusz Milik. However, it was the hosts that started on the front foot. After a quarter of an hour, Victor Osimhen sneaked in behind the Juve defence but his close range shot lacked power. A minute later, though, the striker demonstrated his finishing ability. A cross from Matteo Politano was met on the volley by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Wojciech Szczęsny made an acrobatic stop but Osimhen pounced on the rebound to head home from close range. Juventus responded to falling behind and had chances for a quick equaliser. First Di María latched onto a misplaced pass out of defence by the home side. El Fideo looked up and struck a shot from distance, which clipped the top of the crossbar. Four minutes later, Di María delivered an interesting cross, which was met by Milik. The striker’s header forced Alex Meret into his first save of the evening. The home goalkeeper was put to the test again from a corner, met by Bremer inside the six-yard area, but the central defender couldn’t keep his header down despite outjumping Meret. Then Napoli doubled their lead on 39 minutes and again it was a combination between Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia that did the damage. The Georgian winger latched onto the pass from Osimhen and dispatched his shot beyond Szczęsny. Juve pulled a goal back immediately. Di María played a one-two at the edge of the area with Manuel Locatelli, then found the ball at his feet again from a short pass from Milik. This time the Argentine placed his shot firmly into the net. Just before the break it was almost level. Amir Rrahmani turned a cross towards his own goal but Meret produced a fantastic reflex save to keep the ball out. Despite an early goal line clearance from home captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo from a dangerous Juve corner, the second half was dominated by Napoli. The league leaders added three goals in a 17 minute burst. First from Rrahmani who met a corner kick. 10 minutes later Osimhen added his second, from another cross from Kvaratskhelia. Juve failed to respond and fell further behind, when Alex Sandro diverted an Eljif Elmas drive beyond Szczęsny. Napoli proved to be worth their commanding lead at the top of the table, but for Juve there is little time to lick their wounds. On Thursday there is the visit from Monza in the Coppa Italia before the Bianconeri host Atalanta in the last match of the first half of the season. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri has urged Juventus to continue their upwards curve as they prepare for a top-of-the-table tussle with Napoli at the Stadio Maradona on Friday evening.
The coach was speaking to the media at his traditional pre-match press conference ahead of the Serie A Week 18 clash, which kicks off at 20:45 CET. «The lads are in pretty good shape,” Allegri began. “We've had three days to prepare for this match and they're in good condition. We'll see how we get on tomorrow. We've obtained some good results so far but we must carry on improving. We must finish in the top four». FITNESS UPDATE «Our injured players should be available again soon. I don't think we'll have anyone back before we play Monza in the Coppa Italia but some of them might be available for Atalanta. Cuadrado will probably train with the team on Tuesday. The others are looking much better.». SPALLETTI' S NAPOLI «Napoli are a very talented team and they're well drilled by an excellent coach. It will be a great game of football tomorrow night in front of a packed stadium. It won't decide anything in terms of the league and it's more important to them than it is to us. We must play with great technique and intensity. It's going to be tough because it's a head-to-head encounter against the team that are currently the best in the league. We must be really up for it. Spalletti is a fantastic coach and teacher – he showed that at Roma and Inter.». PRESIDENT AGNELLI «HIS RESULTS AND HIS WORK OVER THE YEARS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. ON A PERSONAL LEVEL I'M GRATEFUL TO HIM FOR GIVING ME THE CHANCE TO COACH JUVENTUS, FOR SUPPORTING ME AND WORKING WITH ME FOR SO MANY YEARS». DANILO AND CHIESA «Danilo is doing really well, as they all are. We're playing with a different attitude now and we must carry on down this path. Chiesa is much better and I'm happy with him. I'll weigh up my options today and then decide on the team». Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus world bid farewell to Gianluca Vialli before kick-off at the Allianz Stadium through the words of Gianluca Pessotto.
The minute’s silence touched the heart of the fans inside the ground as both Vialli and Ernesto Castano were both remembered before the match against Udinese. THE MATCH Juventus welcomed World Cup winner Ángel Di María back to the line-up as Massimiliano Allegri made five changes from the starting XI from the midweek win over Cremonese. Although experiencing a winless run after being one of the early season trail blazers, Udinese were no pushovers. Their physical brand of football was always going to keep a tight lid on proceedings. That said, both goalkeepers were called into action twice in the first half. First Wojciech Szczęsny on 18 minutes held out Walace after the Udinese midfielder had won a header from one of the visitors’ many first half corners. A minute later, it was a Bianconeri set piece that almost provided the game’s opening goal. Daniele Rugani reached Di María’s free-kick delivery but his header from six-yards out was prodigiously tipped wide by Marco Silvestri. The Udinese keeper produced another excellent save to thwart Juve after their first example of flowing football in the first 45 minutes. Fabio Miretti and Di María linked up before the Argentine fed the ball into the path of Moise Kean. The striker’s angled shot was blocked by Silverstri. The last chance before the break forced a reflex save from Szczęsny to keep out Walace again. The Bianconeri showed more urgency at the restart. Di María and Adrien Rabiot were supplying the cut and thrust from midfield. One such move saw the Frenchman deliver a pass to Miretti in the area, but the teenager was dispossessed before he could shoot. Rabiot again was involved two minutes later with a cross that went close to finding its way into the net. Just as he had done against Cremonese, Allegri brought on Leandro Paredes and Federico Chiesa to increase forward momentum. However, chances were few and far between but Juve had been making it a positive habit of grabbing late goals. And so it was to be again. With less than five minutes of normal time on the clock, Paredes played through Chiesa, who from the heart of the penalty area delivered a pass into the six yard area. Waiting to apply the finishing touch was Danilo. The captain on the night placed the ball high into the net. Again a solitary goal was enough for all three points. Eight wins in a row. Eight wins without a goal conceded. Next week Juve travel to league leaders Napoli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Before previewing Saturday's match against Udinese at Allianz Stadium, Massimiliano Allegri took a moment to remember former Bianconeri players Ernesto Castano and Gianluca Vialli, who passed away on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
“They were two great players, and two great men, who gave so much to the game, to Juventus and to Italy. “I knew Vialli personally and he meant so much to Italian football. He was a role model for the younger players and we will all miss him. Watching him play, you couldn't help but be in awe of his technique, his heart and his passion.” UDINESE CLASH “We'll have a full house tomorrow and it will be a great occasion for us. Udinese are a physical side and they're having a great season. They have some top-quality players, like our former player [Roberto] Pereyra. It's going to be a tricky match, as they all are." FITNESS UPDATES “[Angel] Di Maria is available again and [Leo] Paredes is improving his condition. I'll assess [Gleison] Bremer today because he's a little tired but we have [Daniele] Rugani who's ready to play. "[Matias] Soule is another one I need to consider. He helped us out by playing at wing-back against Cremonese but he's more of an attacking player. He's a quality footballer who works hard. “Alex Sandro should be back tomorrow. [Federico] Chiesa did well in the last game, from a physical point of view too. He needed a match like that. His fitness is improving and I'm very happy. “[Moise] Kean has come in with a different mindset this year and dropped six kilos. You can see the difference on the pitch. [Juan] Cuadrado is working well and I think he'll be able to rejoin the team in another week or so.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus picked up 2023 where they had left off 2022. Winning. And winning without conceding.
A seventh straight win was collected at the Giovanni Zini stadium thanks to an inch-perfect Arek Milik free-kick just as the 90 minutes had elapsed. It was Juve’s eighth effort on target from their 19 shot total - enough to earn the team all three points against battling Cremonese and continue Juve’s march in Serie A. The home side started aggressively, backed by the vociferous support. Cyriel Dessers had the first chance but flashed his close-range volley off target, while Emanuel Valeri thought he had scored on 15 minutes. Instead, even without analysing the goal-line clearance from Bremer, the play was halted because of offside against the Cremonese full-back. Juventus took the measure of their opponents, who played with five across the back. The defensive line kept the Bianconeri outside of the penalty area, which meant inspiration had to come from distance. Matias Soulé provided the first threat, cutting inside from the right flank twice. Both his efforts were aimed for the far corner and both were intercepted by the outstretched hand of home goalkeeper Marco Carnsecchi. On the half hour, Fabio Miretti followed in the footsteps of his fellow Next Gen graduate, when he dropped the shoulder to cut in from the left. His effort dipped just wide. As did Filip Kostić's shot after he invented something out of nothing, but again the curler fell just the wrong side of the far post. It would be a shot from outside the box, though, that would decide the game. But before then... 10 minutes into the second half Massimiiano Allegri decided to freshen his side. Federico Chiesa and Moise Kean were brought on to add some spark to the attack. Another Miretti effort parried out for a corner almost brought the opening goal as Federico Gatti retrieved the ball from the corner inside the box, to fire just wide. Then Chiesa lashed a shot into the side netting as the match opened up. In fact, at the other end, Dessers sneaked in behind the Juve defence only to smash his shot off the post. Juve responded, first through Adrien Rabiot, another player introduced by the coach, whose volley was once again saved by Carnsesecchi, who outdid himself from the resulting corner, blocking a point-blank effort from Kean. Again Cremonese hit the upright when Felix Afena Gyan drove in a cross from the byline. Kean then attempted a dipping shot, again saved by the home keeper. Just as the 90 minutes were almost up, Rabiot was brought down as he powered forward. From the resulting free-kick, up stepped Milik, whose precise left-footed curler hit the post on its way into the net. Finally, the deadlock was broken. The Bianconeri saw out the seven minutes of time added on to clinch a seventh straight Serie A win, all obtained without a goal conceded. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus are set to return to league action at 18:30 CET on Wednesday at the Stadio Zini to face Cremonese in Serie A Week 16. Coach Max Allegri excitedly looked ahead to the game in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“We’re starting up again tomorrow after a 52-day break and we’re in for a very tough game straight away against a team that didn’t concede in their last two home matches. They also gave Napoli a run for their money despite losing in the end. Cremonese get a lot of shots and crosses in, so we’ll need to take to the pitch with respect and humility. Substitutions will play a key role.” TEAM NEWS “[Paul] Pogba is running. The most important thing right now is that his knee isn’t swollen. If he carries on like this for the next two to three weeks, he’ll be able to train with the squad. [Federico] Chiesa is doing better and has been in full training. He’s ready to play some part tomorrow. [Angel] Di Maria and [Leandro] Paredes are back and doing well. I’ll assess today whether [Wojciech] Szczesny can play or not. [Adrien] Rabiot came back from the World Cup raring to go. [Dusan] Vlahovic is doing well. I hope to have everyone available in three weeks’ time.” THE LEAGUE RESTART “It’ll be important to play as a team in Cremona. Games are always tougher after breaks. I’m interested to see how the approach will be. The biggest game of the season is our next one and we need to approach it with desire and a sense of responsibility. Napoli are clear favourites for the Scudetto at the moment, so now our aim is to get into the top four and go all the way in the Coppa Italia and the Europa League.” Source: www.juventus.com |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Juve got themselves three points for Christmas with victory over Cagliari in their final game of 2021. The 2-0 success marked further progress for the Bianconeri following their win against Bologna at the weekend – another careful, determined display with some nice flowing football to boot.
Federico Bernardeschi set up the opener for Moise Kean then bagged the second himself with a fine finish late on, while Wojciech Szczesny and the backline earned themselves another clean sheet, underlining the team's defensive solidity. KEAN BREAKS THE DEADLOCK A headed pass by Matthijs de Ligt to Kean for a headed effort sent shivers down the spine of the Cagliari defence after just a few minutes. Another huge chance came soon after following pressure from Juventus: Juan Cuadrado swung the ball in from the right and Kean rose with magnificent timing to power a header towards goal, only for it to strike the post. Walter Mazzarri’s team set up with a 4-5-1 to put up a wall, which over time looked stronger and was able to limit the Bianconeri, who were no longer able to play the passing game with which they started the match. However, the crosses kept raining into the area and one of these - sent in by Federico Bernardeschi – was met by the head of Kean, who put the ball into the corner of the net for a more than deserved advantage. BERNARDESCHI SEALS IT Juve continued attacking after the break and almost got their second with an Alex Sandro header set up by Juan Cuadrado. The energy of Weston McKennie, who came on to replace Adrien Rabiot, and the speed of Kean and Alvaro Morata kept the visitors under pressure and they seemed less compact in defence compared to the first half of the game. However, they were also more dangerous: first came Dalbert, skimming the post after shooting too far right from a good position, then Joao Pedro, whose header forced Szczesny to push the ball over the bar with an outstretched save. Allegri brought off Kean and Arthur replacing them with Dejan Kulusevski and Manuel Locatelli and it was the Swede who started a counter-attack on the right before switching the ball to Federico Bernardeschi. The Italy man took the ball down and hit a powerful, accurate left-footed shot across goal leaving Alessio Cragno with no chance. Bernardeschi was applauded off the field when substituted, as were the rest of the team at the final whistle, to say goodbye to 2021 in the best possible way. JUVENTUS 2-0 CAGLIARI (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Kean 40, Bernardeschi 83. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Arthur (Locatelli 83), Rabiot (McKennie 46); Bernardeschi (De Sciglio 89), Morata (Kaio Jorge 89), Kean (Kulusevski 72). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Pellegrini, De Winter, Locatelli, Soule. Coach: Allegri. CAGLIARI: Cragno; Zappa, Ceppo, Carboni, Lykogiannis; Bellanova, Deiola (Oliva 71), Grassi, Dalbert (Keita 84); Joao Pedro, Pereiro (Pavoletti 64). Subs not used: Aresti, Radunovic, Altare, Faragò, Obert, Ceter. Coach: Mazzarri. REFEREE: Dionisi. ASSISTANTS: Rossi, Scarpa. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Colombo. VAR: Orsato, Carbone. BOOKED: Carboni 24, Dalbert 35, Pavoletti 85. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus produced a confident, mature performance to secure a deserved 2-0 victory at Bologna, with Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado on the score sheet. The Bianconeri started strong and aggressive but knew when to slow down the tempo and bide their time too. They were rarely threatened and ran out throughly deserved winners.
BERNARDESCHI INVENTS, MORATA SCORES The fog covering the Dall’Ara didn’t manage to dampen the teams’ spirits as they started the game. Juventus got going at a lightning pace, pressing constantly, which after just six minutes gave McKennie and Arthur the chance to pick up the ball in midfield and send Morata away on the break. The Spaniard spread the ball to Bernadeschi, who played a brilliant return pass and Morata fired home from close range. OPEN GAME Bologna tried to react and get back into the match but when Morata managed to get away at speed towards the box he regularly put the Bologna defence under pressure. Another burst on the quarter-hour mark saw him he set up Rabiot, who hit a low angled effort which was blocked by Skorupski. It was a wonderful open game, especially as the hosts were not put off by going behind and managed to give Arnautovic a chance with a header which was stopped by Szczesny, and Svanberg with a spectacular overhead kick which missed by a whisker. Juventus picked up on the danger from their opponents and tried to maintain control of the game by winning the ball back high and keeping possession, often with one touch play, but the tempo eventually slowed as the minutes ticked by and the defences were able to limit opportunities. CUADRADO MAGIC Bologna came out after the restart with the bit between their teeth and Juve dropped off, keeping things tight at the back. On the hour mark Allegri brought on Alex Sandro and Locatelli for Pellegrini and Arthur, but the hosts kept probing for an equaliser – Szczesny was well placed at the near post to save Dominguez's effort. The Bianconeri maintained the calm Allegri has so often called for and allowed Bologna to let off some steam, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. They weren't always able to engineer effective counter-attacks but when they did they got their reward. Rabiot and Morata linked up well to play in Cuadrado on the edge of the box, the Colombian sold his man a dummy to buy himself the space for the shot: it came off Hickey and ended up beneath the bar beyond Skorupski's reach. JUVE SEE IT OUT Bentancur and Kulusevski took over from McKennie and Kean as Juve set about controlling the game. Bologna's play was more frantic by this point, leaving themselves open on the counter. Cuadrado exploited that space to run the length of the pitch and tee up Bernardeschi on the edge of the area but Skorupski was equal to his effort. The keeper was then called into action once more to keep out Rabiot's header. Juve battened down the hatches and refused to offer Bologna a glimpse of goal. Cuadrado and Kulusevski had chances to make it three but in the end it was only the three points that really mattered. BOLOGNA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Morata 6, Cuadrado 69. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Soumaoro, Medel, Theate; De Silvestri (Skov Olsen 46), Soriano (Santander 85), Dominguez, Svanberg (Vignato 80), Hickey (Viola 85); Arnautovic, Barrow (Sansone 79) Van Hooijdonk. Coach: Mihajlovic. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 61); McKennie (Bentancur 72), Arthur (Locatelli 61), Rabiot; Bernardeschi, Morata (Kaio Jorge 85), Kean (Kulusevski 71). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, De Winter, Soule. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Orsato. ASSISTANTS: Valeriani, Bresmes. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marini. VAR: Banti, Di Iorio. BOOKED: Dominguez 29, McKennie 29. Source: www.juventus.com |
Alvaro Morata’s first-half strike gave the Bianconeri the lead, but Mattia Aramu’s leveller ensured the points were shared as Venezia and Juventus played out a 1-1 draw in their Serie A encounter on Saturday evening.
It took Juventus a few minutes to get going in the compact but picturesque Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Venezia packing numbers behind the ball to block a number of early Bianconeri efforts on goal. Massimiliano Allegri was forced to shuffle the pack as early as the 12th minute as captain on the night, Paulo Dybala, limped off with an injury, young Kaio Jorge introduced into the action early on. The Brazilian had an almost-immediate impact, Matthijs De Ligt heading a corner down to the young forward who stuck out a boot, as the ball ballooned over the bar. Juan Cuadrado watched his shot from outside the box whizz wide moments later. While on the opposite flank, Luca Pellegrini was growing into the game, advancing into threatening positions down the left as he fed in Alvaro Morata, who from a tight angle got his shot away to force Romero into a sharp save at his near post. The very same combination would link up with success in the 32nd minute, Morata getting in front of his man to connect with Pellegrini’s cross and steer the ball in at the near post, his second consecutive away goal giving the visitors the lead. The Spaniard had a shot saved moments later, firing a grass-cutter straight at Romero who gratefully collected the arrowed strike. Venezia’s attempts were few and far between, Thomas Henry, Domen Crnigoj and Marco Modolo all letting fly from range, but failing to threaten Wojciech Szczesny in the Juve goal, with Bianconeri doing well to contain Venezia’s advancements in the closing stages of the half. In first-half additional time, the Bianconeri almost doubled their lead through Cuadrado, who found space to drive towards goal, lashing his effort across the face of goal and narrowly wide. Venezia began the second stanza on the front foot, Gianluca Busio warming the hands of Szczesny six minutes in as I Lagurani continued to probe, their efforts paying off on 55 minutes as Ridgeciano Haps found teammate Mattia Aramu on the edge of the box, his first-time shot squeezing past Tek to bring the hosts level. With their tails up, the Bianconeri backline was put under further pressure, Henry dragging his shot wide on 61 minutes as Venezia ventured forward I search of a second. Juve were denied a golden chance to take the lead on 65 minutes, the ball falling kindly to Federico Bernardeschi in the box, his fierce volley from close range bringing out a fine reflexive save from Romero. Intelligent play from Morata saw the Spaniard intercept a poor clearance from Romero soon after as he put in a low cross which the Venezia defence hastily took off Kaio Jorge. A triple substitution with 15 minutes to go saw Rodrigo Bentancur, Alex Sandro and Moise Kean enter the fray, the fresh legs adding impetus to the Juve attack who, try as they might, could not break down the resilient Venezia rearguard. Youngster Matias Soulé joined the mix in the closing stages, the Argentine hitting his free-kick straight into the wall before blasting a long range strike wide as the clock ran down. In the end, neither side could find a winner, the final score reading 1-1 as the two teams shared a point apiece. VENEZIA 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORERS: Morata 32’; Aramu 55’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 76’) Bonucci, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi (Bentancur 76’), Rabiot, Locatelli (Soulé 87’), Morata, Dybala (Kaio Jorge 12’, Kean 76’). Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Rugani, De Winter, Miretti. VENEZIA: Romero, Ebuehi (Mazzocchi 79’), Modolo, Caldara, Haps, Crnigoj (Peretz 80’) , Ampadu (Tessmann 64’), Busio, Aramu, Henry (Forte 79’), Johnsen (Kiyine 57’). Unused substitutes: Lezzerini, Svoboda, Molinaro, Schnegg, Heymans, Bjarkason, Sigurðsson. Source: www.juventus.com |
An early Moise Kean header was enough for Juventus to defeat Malmo 1-0 and secure top spot in Group H, after Chelsea drew with Zenit in Saint Petersburg.
The victory was just what Massimiliano Allegri had ordered, making it three wins on the bounce in all competitions and five in six Champions League outings. There were plenty more positives to take, starting with a third clean sheet in a week – this time with Mattia Perin in goal. Koni De Winter made his full debut for the senior side, becoming the youngest Juve player to start a Champions League match (19 years, 179 days), while Kean's strike makes him the second-youngest Italian to score for the Bianconeri in the Champions League (21 years, 283 days), after a certain Alessandro Del Piero. Allegri brought a number of fresh faces into the starting line-up – Perin in goal, Daniele Rugani in defence, De Winter and Arthur in midfield – and had Weston McKennie and Mattia De Sciglio available again on the bench. Juve started strong and dominated the opening exchanges (73% possession). It wasn't long before the pressure saw the Bianconeri break the deadlock, courtesy of another Federico Bernardeschi assist – his third in as many games and fourth for the season. In the 18th minute, the Italy man clipped an inch-perfect cross towards Kean, who duly obliged by heading home. If anyone was expecting a reaction from Malmo, none was forthcoming. The Swedes managed zero shots on target in the first half as Juve comfortably controlled proceedings and had the chance to double their lead shortly before the break, but Arthur's finish was wayward. Allegri rested Paulo Dybala for the second half, with Alvaro Morata replacing him, as Juve came out after the restart clearly intent on putting the game to bed. The Bianconeri fashioned three decent chances in the opening quarter of an hour – two for Adrien Rabiot and a shot by Rodrigo Bentancur – but were unable to double their advantage. Malmo then finally ventured into Juve territory and threatened twice in a matter of minutes through Antonio Colak and Sergio Pena. That prompted Juve to seek the second goal with more resolve and Kean might have made it a brace midway through the half but Ismael Diawara was equal to it. The Bianconeri kept pushing but, despite the best efforts of Rabiot, Kean, Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado on break with five minutes remaining, just couldn't kill off the contest. Allianz Stadium had to settle for a single goal, yet there was still time for a roar at the end as news filtered through from Russia that Zenit had equalised in stoppage time – leaving Juve to celebrate qualifying for the knockout stage as group winners. JUVENTUS 1-0 MALMO (HT 1-0): Scorer: Kean 18. Juventus: Perin; de Winter (De Sciglio 71), Rugani, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (Cuadrado 82), Bentancur (Miretti 90+1), Arthur, Rabiot; Kean (Da Graca 90), Dybala (Morata 46). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, De Ligt, Locatelli. Coach: Allegri. Malmo: Diawara; Moisender, Ahmedhodzic, Nielsen, Olsson; Berget, Christiansen, Innocent (Nalic 89), Rakip (Pena 30); Birmancevic, Colak (Abubakari 78). Subs not used: Brorsson, Dahlon, Ellborg, Gwargis, Larsson, Nalic, Nanasi. Coach: Tomasson. Referee: Irfan Peljto. Booked: Colak 49, Innocent 69, Pena 80, Rabiot 90. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve made light work of Genoa by scoring a goal in each half thanks to Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala, while the visitors were unable to muster a shot on target in the entire game. The hosts had 70% possession, just under 30 efforts on goal and completed 723 passes (Genoa’s tally stood at 295).
The figures clearly demonstrate how much Max Allegri’s side dominated the proceedings on a night where the two-goal winning margin flattered the visitors. CUADRADO OPENS THE SCORING FROM CORNER Max Allegri set Juve up in a 4-2-3-1 system in a bid to ensure the team would cement themselves in opposition territory. La Joya dictated the play throughout and looking dangerous whenever on the ball, particularly when floating out to the right to link up with Dejan Kulusevski and Juan Cuadrado. Juve’s opener arrived with nine minutes on the clock when the Colombian headed over to the opposite side of the pitch to take a stunning in-swinging corner that eluded everyone, leaving Salvatore Sirigu helpless as the ball nestled in the far corner. It’s not the sort of goal you see every day, apart from this weekend in Serie A! Genoa were unable to respond and the Bianconeri stayed on top despite not playing at a particularly fast tempo. Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi had efforts on goal as the half wore on, but accuracy was lacking. On the stroke of half time, Matthijs de Ligt’s header from point-blank range was somehow kept out before Alvaro Morata failed to bundle the rebound home. ONE-WAY TRAFFIC The Bianconeri registered no fewer than 14 efforts on goal in the first period, six of which were on target, while Wojciech Szczesny watched on passively without being called into action. The trend continued in the second half, as Dybala’s curler flew just inches over the bar in the 51st minute. Moments later, Morata charged into the box after winning the ball back down the left channel, but Sirigu made a fine save to palm his shot away. Kulusevski broke down the right after a sumptuous pass from Manuel Locatelli, but when the winger cut in to shoot on his left, his effort was blocked. Bernardeschi showed his nifty footwork to get away from two Genoa players before his effort from long range was deflected behind just after the hour mark as Juve continued to press. Morata then set up Dybala inside the box only for Sirigu to pull off yet another stunning save. Seconds later, Cuadrado was picked out at the back post and volleyed the ball goalward, but the shotstopper got down low to save. LA JOYA DOUBLES JUVE’S LEAD Just as a feeling of doubt started to creep in with the clock running down and only a one-goal lead to show for all the domination, the second Juve goal finally arrived when Bernardeschi teed up Dybala, who took one touch on his left before rifling a powerful low drive into the far corner to make sure of all three points for the hosts. The win takes Juve up to fifth in the table, with a Champions League clash to negotiate in midweek at home to Malmo before Serie A action resumes next weekend away to Venezia. JUVENTUS 2-0 GENOA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: Cuadrado 9, Dybala 82. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Chiellini, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 46); Bentancur, Locatelli, Kulusevski, Bernardeschi (Rabiot 83); Dybala (Kaio Jorge 89), Morata (Kean 72). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Raina, Rugani, Bonucci, De Winter, Arthur, Soule. Coach: Allegri. GENOA: Sirigu; Biraschi, Bani (Vanheusden 73), Vasquez; Ghiglione, Behrami (Galdames 59), Hernani, Toure (Portanova 59), Cambiaso (Melegoni 85); Bianchi (Pandev 59), Ekuban. Subs not used: Semper, Marchetti, Sabelli, Serpe, Masiello, Buksa. Coach: Shevchenko. REFEREE: Chiffi. ASSISTANTS: Ranghetti, Colarossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Santoro. VAR: Valeri, Preti. BOOKED: Pellegrini 34, Cambiaso 49, Morata 72, Kean 74. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus recorded a well-earned 2-0 victory over Salernitana on Tuesday night, a goal in each half from Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata securing maximum points in Salerno.
Juventus asserted their authority on the game from the start, fashioning three decent chances in the opening ten minutes, a dangerous-looking Paulo Dybala forcing two saves from opposition goalkeeper Vid Belec while Dejan Kulusevski’s early strike flew just wide of the mark. Salernitana found it difficult to keep hold of the ball, but did send out a warning signal as Simy Nkwankwo rose highest, but headed the ball wide a quarter of an hour in. The Bianconeri attack, much-changed with Moise Kean leading the line with Federico Bernardeschi and Kulusevski in support, were fluid in their movements, pressing the opposition as they fought for each ball. Their early efforts paid dividends in the 21st minute: superb interplay among the Juve frontline saw Dybala play a neat one-two with Kulusevski before firing in a left-footed beauty to open the scoring, his fourth Serie A goal of the season giving the Bianconeri a deserved lead. The visitors thought they had another just past the half-hour mark, Juan Cuadrado’s free-kick rattling the post with Giorgio Chiellini on hand to smash the loose ball home, yet VAR intervened, ruling out the goal for a Kean offside in the build-up. The tempo of the game slowed down thereafter, the only other notable effort of the first half coming from Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguayan’s tenacity resulting in a strong forward run and a fierce strike on goal that blazed over the bar. Long-range strikes from Dybala and Cuadrado would fail to trouble the Salernitana goalkeeper in the opening stages of the second stanza, but it was the hosts, determined to get themselves back in the game, who would come closest to finding the game’s next goal: after the Bianconeri backline failed to clear a hopeful ball into the box, an unmarked Luca Ranieri fired in an effort at the back post, with the woodwork coming to the rescue to deny the hosts a leveller. Having come on as a substitute midway through the half, Alvaro Morata made an immediate impact just three minutes later, Bernardeschi playing in a low cross from the left with the Spaniard’s deft touch at the near post beating Belec to double the Bianconeri’s lead. The final minutes would see Juventus create several opportunities, Dybala spurning a one-on-one chance, with Belec equal to the task, while Morata’s header wide and Dybala’s strike off-target giving clear indications of the visitor’s intent to increase their lead. By the time Juventus won an injury-time penalty after a foul on Morata, the result had already been secured, Dybala unable to add the third as he slipped while taking the spot-kick, skying his effort over the bar. Nonetheless, the well-earned three points were already in the bag, a much needed 2-0 victory giving the team a necessary boost ahead of December’s busy schedule. SALERNITANA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORER: Dybala 21’, Morata 70’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Chiellini, de Ligt, Cuadrado, Pellegrini (Alex Sandro 67’), Bernardeschi (Rabiot 71’), Locatelli, Bentancur, Kulusevski, (Soule 90+4’), Dybala, Kean (Morata 67’). Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, De Winter, Arthur, Kaio Jorge. SALERNITANA: Belec, Veseli, Gyomber, Gagliolo, Zortea, Coulibaly, Capezzi (Di Tacchio 50’), Kechrida (Schiavone 50’), Ranieri (Jaroszynski 82’), Bonazzoli (Vergani 82’), Simy (Djuric 64’). Unused substitutes: Fiorillo, Guerrieri, Kastanos, Bogdan, Delli Carri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Duvan Zapata’s first-half strike proved the difference as Atalanta left the Allianz Stadium with maximum points following a 1-0 victory over Juventus on Saturday evening.
Atalanta had their foot on the accelerator from the start, firing in several early shots which the Bianconeri backline did well to block, putting their bodies on the line to deny both Ruslan Malinovsky and Remo Freuler in the opening quarter. Settling into their stride, Juve were then able to see more of the ball and fashion a number of chances of their own. Impressive work from Paulo Dybala down the right-hand channel saw the Bianconeri captain on the night worm his way through the Atalanta defense before attempting a left-foot curler towards the far post, which Atalanta shot-stopper Juan Musso was able to gather. Forward Alvaro Morata was next to get into a decent goalscoring position, the Spaniard doing well to keep a hold of the ball in the final third, playing it back in-field before failing to connect cleanly with a Juan Cuadrado cross. Juve continued their advances, the best chance of the half falling to Federico Chiesa: a long ball played in behind the defense was chased down by the Italian who sped towards goal, only for Rafael Toloi to close him down just as he lined up his shot. Minutes later, Juventus lost possession in midfield, Berat Djimsiti’s first-time ball putting Duvan Zapata through on goal, the Colombian’s shot ricocheting in off the crossbar to give the visitors the lead. The Bianconeri continued to search for a way through, Dybala’s free-kick slightly over-hit as a rising Leonardo Bonucci failed to meet it with his head, while the Argentine’s side-footed effort moments later whizzed just wide. An injury to Federico Chiesa saw him replaced by Federico Bernardeschi at the break, the substitute attempting Juve’s first opportunity of the second stanza, his drive from range lacking the accuracy as it flew past the left-hand upright. The Bianconeri had a double chance on goal on the hour mark, Weston McKennie’s run forcing Musso to block a shot off his own defender, Juve maintaining possession before Dybala struck a fierce effort over the bar. With their tails up and the Turin crowd urging them on, Juventus continued to turn the screw as another shot was fired on goal, this time from Adrein Rabiot, his left-footed strike forcing a fingertip save from Musso. Both Juve’s centre-backs then had chances to find the leveller, Leonardo Bonucci heading a Dybala free-kick wide while Matthijs de Ligt’s ferocious strike from a corner was closed down by the La Dea defense. Atalanta adopted a physical approach in the final stages, doing their best to thwart each Bianconero attack while earning several cautions in the process. The final foul of the evening was awarded just outside the Juve box in the 95th minute, Dybala watching in agony as his effort clipped the crossbar on its way out. At the final whistle, it was the visiting side who held on to their 1-0 advantage, the Bianconeri unable to bring themselves back into the game as Atalanta earned all three points at the Allianz. JUVENTUS 0-1 ATALANTA (HT 0-1): SCORER: Zapata 28’ (A). JUVENTUS: Szczesny, de Ligt, Cuadrado, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Mckennie (Kean 64’), Chiesa (Bernardeschi 46’), Rabiot, Locatelli, Morata (Kaio Jorge 85’), Dybala. Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Pellegrini, Rugani, De Winter, Arthur, Bentancur, Kulusevski. ATALANTA: Musso, Toloi, Demiral, Djimsiti, Zappacosta (Palomino 71’), De Roon, Freuler, Maehle, Pessina (Pasalic 59’), Zapata, Malinovskyi (Koopmeiners 87’). Unused substitutes: Rossi, Sportiello, Muriel, Pezzella, Hateboer, Scalvini, Miranchuk, Ilicic, Piccoli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Premier League leaders Chelsea earned a 4-0 home victory over Juventus in their penultimate UEFA Champions League Group Stage encounter played at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, with both sides heading into Matchday 6 on level points atop the group.
The hosts were up for the challenge from the first whistle, dictating play and seeing more of the ball as they looked to apply early pressure on the Bianconeri backline. The first real attempt came just inside ten minutes from a Chelsea corner, Reece James whipping in a dangerous ball which Trevoh Chalobah headed wide. After winning a free-kick just outside the box down the left-hand side, James was once again involved in the action, but instead of the expected cross, he went straight for the near post, Wojciech Szczesny diving to his right to deny the England international. Two minutes later the Blues took the lead from another set piece, this time a corner which bounced favourably off Antonio Rudiger for Chalobah to blast home from close range. The Bianconeri almost hit back straight away, Alvaro Morata cleverly lobbing Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, only for Thiago silva to slide in with a goal line clearance to deny the Spaniard. Chelsea kept up their high-tempo game, taking the ball upfield at pace when regaining possession. James continued to cause problems for the Juve defense as he chested the ball down and fired in a fierce shot on the half-volley to force Szczesny into another fine save. The Bianconeri ended the first half in a flurry and almost snuck in a leveller just before the break, the visitors keeping possession after a miscued Weston McKennie shot, recycling the ball for Rodrigo Bentancur to line up a strike from distance which narrowly whizzed over the bar. Chelsea built on their advantage at the start of the second half, doubling their lead ten minutes in as an unmarked James controlled a loose ball with his chest before driving in a powerful shot from the right to make it 2-0. The Blues then added a third two minutes later, patient build-up play seeing them retain the ball before neatly playing it into the box, Ruben Loftus-Cheek dribbling his way through before finding Hudson-Odoi who side-footed home. Despite a number of fresh legs brought on, including young junior talent Koni De Winter for his first team debut, Juventus were unable to break down a resilient Chelsea defense, who were able to control the latter stages of the game to see out the 90 minutes. Chelsea still looked a threat when going forward, and almost added a fourth late-on, substitute Timo Werner playing in Hakim Ziyech who was through on goal, but Szczesny was equal to the task, getting low to block to the goalbound effort. The duo would reverse roles in injury time, Ziyech crossing in for Werner to poke home a fourth in the final minute of added time. At the final whistle, the scoreboard read 4-0 to the home side, who draw level with Juventus at the top of Group H with 12 points, with one fixture remaining in the Group Stage. CHELSEA 4–0 JUVENTUS (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Chalobah 25’, James 56’, Hudson-Odoi 58’, Werner 90+5’ (C). JUVENTUS: Szczesny, de Ligt, Cuadrado (De Winter 81’), Alex Sandro, Bonucci, McKennie, Rabiot, Locatelli (Arthur 67’), Bentancur (Dybala 59’), Morata (Kean 67’), Chiesa (Kulusevski 80’). Substitutes not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani. CHELSEA: Mendy, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante (Loftus-Cheek 37’), Jorginho (Saul Niguez 76’), Chilwell (Azpilicueta 71’), Ziyech, Pulisic (Werner 72’), Hudson-Odoi (Mount 76’). Substitutes not used: Kepa, Bettinelli, Alonso, Christensen, Lukaku, Barkley, Sarr. Source: www.juventus.com |
Leo Bonucci's calm finishing from 12 yards combined with a solid defensive display saw Juventus overcome Lazio 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.
It was workmanlike performance by the Bianconeri, who kept things tight and limited the hosts to sterile possession with virtually no threat, while the defender got himself a brace with a spot-kick in each half. BONUCCI'S PERFECT PENALTY Lazio started strong with a high pressing game looking win the ball back quickly and initially succeeded in pegging the Bianconeri back in their own half. Juve had the odd opportunity to counter but one of these forays forward led to Danilo picking up an injury in a collision with Elseid Hysaj. Dejan Kulusevski replaced the Brazilian with just 15 minutes on the clock and Juan Cuadrado slotted back into defence. The tempo dropped a touch and Juve pushed forward. Luca Pellegrini picked out Alvaro Morata in the box and the Spaniard was floored by Danilo Cataldi. The referee let play continue but after a VAR check there could only be one outcome: penalty. Bonucci stepped up and coolly placed it inside the post to give us the lead. LAZIO HAVE THE BALL, JUVE THE CHANCES Lazio started to boss possession again, albeit with less intensity than in the opening stages, channelling most of their play down the right, but Juve managed to quell the threat thanks to the sterling work done by Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot in tracking back. While the hosts were seeing more of the ball, it was the Bianconeri who went closest to scoring. Cuadrado stood up a cross for Morata, who rose well to connect with it but could only send his finish over. Soon after, Kulusevski saw a low drive blocked by Francesco Acerbi just yards from goal. BONUCCI DOES IT AGAIN Soon after the restart, the Swede had another chance to double our lead but Pepe Reina saved with his feet at the near post. The keeper then thwarted Bonucci from the resulting corner. After 20 minutes of playing at a frenetic pace, Lazio had to ease off and Juve seized the opportunity to take control of the game. Allegri brought on Moise Kean for Morata looking to make the most of some fresh legs on the break. Lazio almost threatened when Sergey Milinkovic-Savic played in Vedat Muriqi but Wojciech Szczesny was able to gather. Juve meanwhile set about calmly and effectively building their own moves. With ten minutes remaining Kulusevksi hit a long pass forward for Chiesa, the Italy man skipped past Reina and Manuel Lazzari and was about to fire into the open net when he was brought down in a desperate attempt by the keeper to win the ball. Bonucci stepped up once again and produced another ice-cold conversion to seal three thoroughly deserved points from what was possibly Juve's best performance of the season. LAZIO 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Bonucci 23 (pen), 83 (pen). LAZIO: Reina; Lazzari, Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Hysaj; Milinkovic, Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson (Raul Moro 75), Zaccagni (Muriqi 65), Pedro. Subs not used: Strakosha, Adamonis, Patric, Radu, Vavro, Akpa Akpro, Escalante, Leiva, Basic, Romero. Coach: Sarri. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo (Kulusevski 15), Bonucci, De Ligt, Pellegrini; Cuadrado, McKennie, Locatelli (Bentancur 89), Rabiot; Chiesa, Morata (Kean 74). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Alex Sandro, Arthur, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Di Bello. ASSISTANTS: Bercigli, Berti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Paterna. VAR: Banti, Bindoni. BOOKED: Cuadrado 28, Hysaj 43, Reina 79, Luis Alberto 80, Allegri 90+2, Sarri 90+2. Source: www.juventus.com |
Substitute Juan Cuadrado’s goal from an acute angle in injury time earned Juventus maximum points as they overcame Fiorentina 1-0 in front of a sold-out crowd at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening.
The visitors were out the blocks quickest after kick-off, danger man Dusan Vlahovic nodding an early header on target which was easily swallowed by Mattia Perin. The Bianconeri fashioned their first big chance on 10 minutes, Alvaro Morata charging down a loose ball before laying it off smartly to Paulo Dybala who skied his effort over the bar. La Viola looked the more adventurous of the two sides, pegging the Bianconeri back, with frequent challenges disrupting the flow of the game which denied the hosts the chance to get into their rhythm. Riccardo Saponara spurned a guilt-edged chance to put Fiorentina in front after 30 minutes, volleying an effort off target after being left open in the box, before Jose Callejon pulled his strike from distance wide of the mark. Vlahovic went closest next, jumping between two defenders to nod his header wide as the Bianconeri defense continued to come under threat. Matthijs de Ligt’s header off a Weston Mckennie long throw was the Bianconeri’s last half-chance of the first stanza as the two sides headed into the break all square. The Bianconeri started the second half on the front foot, Morata showing brilliant skill as he neatly controlled a bouncing ball on his chest, swiveled and a volleyed an effort towards goal that arrowed narrowly wide. On 55 minutes Adrien Rabiot charged goalwards, his deflected effort clipping a defender as it blazed just past the upright. Fiorentina continued their aggressive approach in trying to stop any Juventus attack, their physicality resulting in their downfall as Nikola Milenkovic received his marching orders after taking down Federico Chiesa. Minutes later Chiesa smashed his fierce effort against the crossbar, as Morata tucked the ball into the back of the net soon after, only to be ruled offside as the hosts look to continue their search and make the most of their one-man advantage. Chiesa continued to look dangerous, forcing a save from Pietro Terracciano after latching onto a Juan Cuadrado cross. Yet it would be the Colombian super sub that proved to be the difference in the end: with the clock reading 90 minutes on the scoreboard, the wingback ran at the Fiorentina defense, out-muscling his marker before unleashing a fierce shot from an impossible angle to bulge the back of the net, sending the expectant home crowd into delirium. Chiesa forced Pietro Terracciano into another sprawling save in the dying seconds, moments before the referee blew the final whistle indicating a 1-0 victory for the home side, who enter November’s international break with all three points in the bag. JUVENTUS 1-0 FIORENTINA (HT 0-0): SCORERS: CUADRADO 90+1’. JUVENTUS: Perin, Rugani, de Ligt, Danilo, Alex Sandro (Pellegrini 46’), McKennie, Chiesa, Rabiot (Cuadrado 79’), Locatelli, Morata (Kaio Jorge 88’), Dybala (Bentancur 90+2’). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Israel, Bonucci, Arthur, Ramsey, Bernardeschi, Kulusevski. FIORENTINA: Terracciano, Odriozola, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi, Bonaventura (Duncan 78’), Torreira (Amrabat 64’), Castrovilli (Nastasic 79’), Callejon (Igor 75’), Vlahovic, Saponara (Sottil 75’). Subs not used: Rosati, Cerofolini, Maleh, Terzic, Egharevba, Venuti, Benassi. Source: www.juventus.com |
An accomplished Juventus display at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night saw the Bianconeri overcome Zenit St Petersburg 4-2 in their Champions League Group Stage encounter to secure qualification into the next round of the competition with two matches to spare.
Juventus showed attacking intent shown from the get-go, eager to set out off the blocks early and stamp their authority on the game. The highly-charged hosts fashioned a number of chances in the opening minutes, Federico Bernardeshi striking his effort straight at Zenit goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk before Paulo Dybala’s shot from range bounced back off the post. The Bianconeri’s relentless pressure paid dividends as after back-to-back corners, Zenit failed to clear their lines and dangerman Dybala was on hand to stroke home the game’s opener. Juve kept their foot on the gas, goalscorer Dybala finding an unmarked Alvaro Morata in the box, the Spaniard lifting his attempt over the crossbar as Zenit survived another Bianconeri attack. Reduced to shots from range, Zenit were gifted an equaliser after Leonardo Bonucci attempted to head away a harmless cross which looped over a helpless Wojciech Szczesny and into the back of the net. Undeterred, the home side continued their attacking play, Manuel Locatelli’s well-placed cross finding Federico Chiesa who couldn’t place his header past a diving Kritsyuk. Chances continued to be created, Morata finding the back of the net before being adjudged to be offside, following which a barrage of attempts from Locatelli, Weston McKennie and Bernardeschi in quick succession failed to get past the Zenit goalkeeper as the two sides headed into the tunnel on level terms. The Bianconeri started the second stanza with a flurry of opportunities, Dybala’s left-footed shot whizzing inches past the post, before his well-struck volley minutes later was frenetically cleared away by the Zenit rearguard. In the 58th minute, Chiesa’s meaningful run towards goal was illegally stopped as Juventus were awarded a penalty. Dybala stepped up to the spot, missing his first attempt but making no mistake at the second time of asking after the referee ordered a re-take. With their tails up, Juventus continued carving out more chances, Chiesa failing to keep his shot down as he blazed over the bar, before Mckennie smashed his effort against the crossbar after an impressive run from the halfway line. A Szczesny double save kept the Zenit attack at bay, but Juve would soon have a third, breaking on the counter as a fine Chiesa finish gave the hosts a two-goal cushion. The advantage would be extended as Morata raced onto a through-ball, netting a fourth to put the Bianconeri firmly in control. By the time Sardar Azmoun slotted home an injury time consolation, the result was all but assured as Juventus made it four wins from four, maintaining their 100 per cent record in the Champions League to advance to the next round with two matches still left to play in the group. JUVENTUS 4-2 ZENIT ST PETERSBURG (HT 1-1): SCORERS: DYBALA 11’, 58’, CHIESA 74’, MORATA 82’; BONUCCI 26’ (OG), AZMOUN 90+2’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, de Ligt, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bonucci (Rugani 85’), McKennie, Bernardeschi (Rabiot 80’), Chiesa, Locatelli (Arthur 79’), Morata, Dybala (Kulusevski 86’). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Cuadrado, Bentancur. ZENIT: Kritsyuk, Chistiakov, Lovren, Rakitskyy (Dzyba 75’), Sutormin, Barrios, Wendel (Kuznetsov 88’), Karavaev (Malcom 59’), Mostovoy (Krugovoi 59’) Claudinho (Erokhin 75’), Azmoun. Subs not used: M Kerzhakov, Byazrov, Krugovoi, Kravstov, Khotulev. Source: www.juventus.com |
Giovanni Simeone won the game for Hellas Verona with two goals inside the first quarter of an hour – an easy tap-in and a wonder strike which proved too much for Juve to come back from.
The hosts produced an outstanding performance, playing with grit and determination to defend their lead. Paulo Dybala hit the bar before the interval and the Bianconeri gave it everything in the second half, pulling one back through Weston McKennie ten minutes from time, but couldn't find a second despite a late onslaught. SIMEONE'S FAMOUS 15 MINUTES With both teams pressing high, it made for a chaotic start to the game. Indeed the first two chances came from balls won in the opposition half, one for each side. First Wojciech Szczesny was alert to Darko Lazovic's near-post effort then Dybala's low cross into the six-yard box generated panic among the Verona rearguard, but the ball was nicked away from Alvaro Morata at the last minute. The hosts cranked up the pressure and when Arthur mishit a poor backpass Antonin Barak latched onto it and fired across goal; Szczesny saved but it fell for Simeone, who was left with the simple task of turning into an empty net. The goal only made El Cholito hungry for more and three minutes later he collected the ball on the edge of the box and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner. Less than 15 minutes on the clock and Verona were already two up. DYBALA HITS THE BAR Juve tried to fight back and within minutes Dybala had an opportunity but couldn't get his effort on target. Verona continued to play at a high tempo, staying compact when not in possession and constantly harrying the Juve ball carrier, making it hard for the Bianconeri to string moves together Juve did manage to threaten when Dybala and Morata were able to link up and one such exchange led to a fierce shot from the Argentine that came to nothing. The problem was the Bianconeri forwards were often receiving the ball back to goal, making it difficult to get away from their marker and find space. Massimiliano Allegri tried switching to a three-man backline, pushing Alex Sandro forward to exploit the width better and it almost reaped dividends on the stroke of half time when Dybala collected Morata's pass – only to see his finish come off the bar. MCKENNIE ROCKET La Joya tried again soon after the restart but this time was off target. The game was now being played at a slightly slower pace and Juve were able to hold a higher line, partly thanks to better off-the-ball movement. Allegri replaced Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot with Manuel Locatelli and McKennie and the American's first touch was a close-range effort brilliantly saved by Lorenzo Montipo. Verona battened down the hatches and played on the counter, while Juve threw on Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Bernardeschi for Juan Cuadrado and Arthur. Then, just when when Gialloblu seemed to be in the ascendancy again, Juve got the goal they were after. Danilo picked out McKennie and the American smashed home beneath the bar. LATE ONSLAUGHT NOT ENOUGH Allegri made his final change, bringing on Luca Pellegrini for Alex Sandro, while Verona goalscorer Simeone made way for Nikola Kalinic, who very nearly made it 3-1 with a low shot that ran just wide. Juve moved into top gear for the final minutes and pegged the hosts back into their area. Dybala drew another fabulous save out of Montipo but that proved to be the final chance as Verona held on to claim the three points. Juve return to Turin empty-handed after a second defeat in a matter of days and will now turn their attentions to next Tuesday's Champions League clash with Zenit. VERONA 2-1 JUVENTUS (HT 2-0): SCORERS: Simeone 11, 14, McKennie 80. VERONA: Montipo; Dawidowicz, Gunter, Casale (Ceccherini 67); Faraoni, Tameze (Bessa 75), Veloso, Lazovic (Sutalo 67); Barak, Caprari; Simeone (Kalinic 83). Subs not used: Pandur, Berardi, Cetin, Magnani, Cancellieri, Ruegg, Hongla, Lasagna. Coach: Tudor. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Pellegrini 82); Cuadrado (Kulusevski 69), Bentancur (McKennie 58), Arthur (Bernardeschi 69), Rabiot (Locatelli 57); Dybala, Morata. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Ligt, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Marinelli. ASSISTANTS: Margani, Scatragli. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Cosso. VAR: Valeri, Valeriani. BOOKED: Lazovic 26, Danilo 29, Casale 57, Faraoni 61, Arthur 61, Gunter 76, Morata 76. Source: www.juventus.com |
A well-organised, motivated and mature Sassuolo side overcame Juve at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday by taking advantage of the space left by the hosts in the closing stages. The result did not flatter the visitors, who performed with character throughout and were not fazed by Weston McKennie’s equaliser with 75 minutes on the clock.
Juve may have deserved a point given the team’s endeavour in the central channel in the second half, but the desperate hunt for a winner proved costly for Max Allegri’s side. FRATTESI’S OPENER FOR SASSUOLO The Bianconeri did make a decent start to the game and showed aggression, with Leonardo Bonucci and Alvaro Morata getting into good positions, only to be thwarted by the offside flag. Allegri was forced into an early change when Mattia De Sciglio suffered an injury and was replaced by Alex Sandro. Domenico Berardi showed his intent in the first half by unleashing a powerful strike on his left foot that Mattia Perin did well to push around the post. Adrien Rabiot’s header went straight at the goalkeeper, but the flag was up for offside. The ball dropped to Federico Chiesa in the box in the 40th minute, but the Italian failed to connect well and his shot flew over the bar. Davide Frattesi fired Sassuolo into the lead just moments later with a low right-footed shot after Gregoire Drefel slotted him in on the stroke of half time. MCKENNIE EQUALISES Juve piled on the pressure in the second half after sending Juan Cuadrado on in place of Rabiot and shifting Chiesa to the left. The Colombian went close to an equaliser when his shot beat Andrea Consigli, but Kaan Ayhan was in the right place on the line to clear. The lively Kaio Jorge was sent on for Morata in the 63rd minute and showed his spark without any clear-cut chances coming his way. Sassuolo passed the ball around well and went close to doubling their advantage when Gianluca Scamacca’s shot nearly beat Perin. The hosts’ efforts to draw level were eventually rewarded when McKennie popped up in the 76th minute to head home a pinpoint Paulo Dybala free kick. LOPEZ STRIKES LATE Dejan Kulusevski and Arthur were introduced for the final ten minutes in place of Danilo and Manuel Locatelli in a bid to add attacking impetus to Juve’s attack, but it did not go to plan. Sassuolo defended resolutely, remained organised and were able to put together a lethal counter-attack in the final seconds with practically the last play of the game. Berardi played a crossfield pass to pick out Lopez, who burst into the box at pace and lifted the ball over the onrushing Perin to ensure the Neroverdi left Allianz Stadium with all three points. JUVENTUS 1-2 SASSUOLO: SCORERS: Frattesi 44, McKennie 76, Lopez 90+5. JUVENTUS: Perin; Danilo (Kulusevski 80), Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio (Alex Sandro 58); Rabiot (Cuadrado 46), Locatelli (Arthur 80), McKennie, Chiesa; Dybala, Morata (Kaio Jorge 63). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ramsey, Bentancur. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Muldur (Henrique 86), Ayhan, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi (Toljan 72), Lopez; Berardi, Raspadori (Scamacca 62), Traore (Chiriches 86); Defrel (Harroui 72). Subs not used: Satalino, Pegolo, Goldaniga, Magnanelli, Peluso, Toljan, Samele. Coach: Dionisi. REFEREE: Sacchi. ASSISTANTS: Bottegoni, Rossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marcenaro. VAR: Ghersini, Giua. BOOKED: Defrel 30, Berardi 58, Rogerio 61, Cuadrado 63, Traore 72, Muldur 86. Source: www.juventus.com |
A hard-fought encounter at the San Siro saw both teams leave with a point following a 1-1 draw between Inter Milan and Juventus in their Serie A match-up on Sunday evening.
Backed by a vocal San Siro crowd, the early exchanges went the way of Inter with Edin Dzeko making his presence felt up top for the hosts. Yet it was his opposite number Alvaro Morata who would force the first save of the game, stinging the palms of Samir Handanovic as a loose ball from a Juventus free-kick fell at the Spaniard’s feet. An unfortunate shoulder injury to Federico Bernardeschi saw the Italian require treatment on the sidelines, during which the hosts broke the deadlock: Hakan Calhanoglu tried his luck from range, his deflected effort hitting the crossbar as the ball ricocheted back kindly to Dzeko, who tucked it home to give the hosts an early lead. With Bernardeschi unable to continue, coach Massimiliano Allegri had to re-shuffle his pack, bringing on Rodrigo Bentancur after less than 20 minutes played. Forced into action after going a goal down, Juve upped the tempo, pressing high as they went in search of a leveller. Juan Cuadrado, in search of his sixth goals against the Nerazzurri, struck a powerful effort from range, the ball skidding narrowly wide of the host’s upright. Riding the wave of Juve’s threat, Inter then asserted themselves once more, fashioning several half-chances to keep the Bianconeri backline in check. Yet the visitors would end the first stanza with the best chance, a Cuadrado free-kick finding Alex Sandro whose blocked effort found Leonardo Bonucci lurking, but his snapshot at goal sailed wide of the mark. A cagey second stanza saw few goalmouth opportunities fall for either side, Dzeko’s glanced header failing to trouble Wojciech Szczesny, while Morata couldn’t head a floated ball on the bounce goalwards at the other end of the pitch. With 25 minutes to go, Mister Allegri made a double change, bringing on attacking talents Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa to help pry open the Inter defense. The duo immediately added a spark into the Bianconeri attack, their quick passing and nippy runs giving a new dimension to the Juve frontline. A Dybala free-kick soon brought Handanovic into action, while Chiesa’s industrious play from the flanks posed a constant threat. With three minutes left on the clock, a VAR check ruled in favour of the Bianconeri after Denzil Dumfries’ challenge on Alex Sandro resulted in the visitors being awarded a spot-kick. Substitute Dybala stepped up, sending Handanovic the wrong way to bring the Bianconeri level after 89 minutes played. And 1-1 it would end, the Derby d’Italia ending all square at the San Siro with a hard-fought point earned to keep the Bianconeri’s steady rise up the Serie A standings on track. INTER MILAN 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Dzeko 17’; Dybala 89’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Chiellini, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Cuadrado (Dybala 65’), McKennie (Arthur 83’), Bernardeschi (Bentancur 18’), Locatelli (Kaio Jorge 83’), Morata, Kulusevski (Chiesa 65’). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ramsey. INTER: Handanovic, Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni, Darmian, Barella (Vecino 90’), Brozovic, Calhanoglu (Gagliardini 61’), Perisic (Dumfries 72’), Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez (Sanchez 72’). Subs not used: Cordaz, Radu, Kolarov, Sensi, Ranocchia, Dimarco, D'Ambrosio, Satriano. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus continued their perfect run in Europe, this time defeating their UEFA Champions League Group Stage opponents Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 away from home to take command of the group and make it three wins from three.
NO WAY THROUGH It was a tight contest from the onset, Zenit pressing high up the pitch to keep the visitors on their toes, yet the Juventus players were able to maintain possession in their half and fend off their aggressive counterparts. Both sides refused to give an inch, keeping compact and playing a patient game. It took until the 18th minute for the first real chance of the game to be created: a Federico Bernardeschi slip gave possession back to the hosts, as Claudinho unleashed a swerving shot that Wojciech Szczesny had to be alert to, with Matthijs De Ligt on hand to clear the parried ball away. Birthday boy Mattia De Sciglio, with a consecutive start on the right, was again impressing, keeping calm under pressure and making vital interceptions in the defensive half while also getting involved on the opposite end of the field, his teasing ball punched clear as the Bianconeri searched for a way to break down the Zenit wall. CHIESA GETS CLOSE Dangerman Federico Chiesa was being kept under close watch, the home side's defense not allowing the Italian livewire any space. When he did manage to wriggle past a handful of defenders, another was waiting to block his attempt on goal. He then tried his luck from range, without reward, yet moments later, after finding space on the left, he could only watch in anguish as his curled effort sailed wide. Szczesny was on hand to quell any potential danger from a late first-half Zenit corner, while at the other end of the pitch, the Juventus players were still unable to truly test opposition keeper Stanislav Kritsyuk, who was kept well-protected by his defense. In the 50th minute, a golden opportunity for the Bianconeri went begging as Alvaro Morata's inch-perfect pass split the Zenit defense to pick out an onrushing Weston McKennie, yet the American unable to get his effort past an outstretched Stanislav Kritsyuk. The Juventus backline were then given another Claudinho scare, the Brazilian slipping his way through before firing a shot narrowly wide. KULU IMPACT A triple change on the hour mark saw Arthur, Juan Cuadrado and Dejan Kulusevski brought on to add fresh legs, the Brazilian's searching ball finding his fellow Colombian substitute whose side-footed effort couldn't find a teammate as the danger was averted. A flurry of Zenit attacks then arrived, yet the Bianconeri backline stood firm, resisting each wave to preserve the clean sheet, but never backing down in their own attempts to find a match-winner. Morata's deft touch allowed him to strike from distance, yet his rifled effort flew over the cross bar, before McKennie again came close to finding the opener, his glancing header from De Sciglio's cross drifting just wide. In the end, it was the Swedish substitute who would have the desired impact: patient Bianconeri build-up play resulted in a raking cross-field ball from Leonardo Bonucci who found De Sciglio down the left, his perfect ball into the box met by Kulusevski who nodded the ball home to give the visitors the advantage with just four minutes to go. In the ascendency, the Bianconeri looked to close the game on a high, Chiesa still doing his utmost to bundle his way through, the Zenit defense forcing him to strike wide from a difficult angle. Buoyed on by the home crowd, Zenit tried their best to find a leveller in the closing stages, yet the Bianconeri hung on to claim a hard-fought 1-0 and, more importantly, three valuable points, putting them firmly in command of the group and a step closer to the next round of the competition. ZENIT ST PETERSBURG 0–1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-0): SCORER: 86 Kulusevski. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Alex Sandro (Cuadrado 58'), Bonucci, McKennie, Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 58'), Locatelli (Arthur 58'), Bentancur (Ramsey 84'), Chiesa, Morata (Kean 76'). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Chiellini, Danilo, Rugani. ZENIT: Kritsyuk, Lovren, Chsitiakov, Rakitskyy, Douglas Santos, Karavaev (Azmoun 61'), Barrios, Wendel, Malcom (Kuzyaev, 69'), Dzubya (Sutormin 61'), Claudinho. Subs not used: Kerzhakov, Byazrov, Krugovoi, Azmoun, Mostovoy, Erokhin, Kravtsov, Kuznetsov, Khotulev. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus continued their upward trajectory with three hard-fought points against Roma, the 1-0 win at home in the Allianz Stadium setting a unique record against their Roman rivals.
It was a match of the highest order. Entering the encounter on the back of three straight Serie A victories, the Bianconeri were looking to continue their decent run of form and build on the momentum created before the two-week international break. Roma would have the first foray on goal of the match, Gianluca Mancini’s header warming the hands of Wojciech Szczesny early on, before the Pole watched Lorenzo Pellegrini’s deflected shot whistle over his crossbar. After biding their time, Juventus would light up the Allianz a quarter of an hour in as Rodrigo Bentancur met Mattia De Sciglio’s curling ball from the left flank, the ball deflecting off Moise Kean to put the Bianconeri a goal to the good. The early opener allowed the home side to settle into their stride, controlling the pace of the game and keeping their shape as their opponents looked for a way through, but with no reward, Tammy Abraham’s looping header plucked out of the air by an alert Szczesny as the first half wound down. With five minutes to go in the half, the referee awarded a penalty to the visitors, and after a long VAR check, Jordan Veretout stepped up, only to be denied by a superb Szczesny save to his left, the Bianconeri celebrating with their fans as parity was prevented. The second stanza began with a flurry as an acrobatic Federico Bernardeschi overhead kick was parried by Rui Patricio, Kean blasting the follow-up over the target as the hosts almost doubled their lead. De Sciglio was next to send out a warning shot, superbly controlling the ball with his chest before firing from an acute angle into the side-netting, following which Bernardeschi lined up a shot from range, firing narrowly wide as the hosts continued to show attacking intent. Roma burst into life midway through the second half, Veretout’s curling effort whistling past the post as the capital club upped the intensity in search of a leveller, Matias Vina then slipping his way through the Bianconeri backline before watching his deflected effort blaze wide. Fresh legs were brought on by coach Massimiliano Allegri, Arthur receiving a warm applause by the Juventus supporters as he ran on for his first minutes of the season, the Brazilian adding steel to the Bianconeri midfield for the closing stages of the game. The Giallorossi continued to search for a way through, but found no way past Leonardo Bonucci who put his body on the line, deflecting Bryan Cristante’s pile-driver out for a corner. Challenges were flying in as the clock ticked towards the game’s completion, yet the Bianconeri resistance withstood the Roman onslaught to ensure the scoreboard remained 1-0 in their favour at full-time, maximum points ensuring the steady climb up the standings continued. The result also set a unique record as Roma became the first side Juventus have managed to beat on ten occasions in the league since the opening of the Allianz Stadium in 2011, adding to the team’s impressive run against the Giallorossi in Turin. JUVENTUS 1–0 ROMA (HT 1-0): SCORER: Kean 16’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny, De Sciglio (Alex Sandro 88’), Chiellini, Danilo, Bonucci, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi (Arthur 75’), Locatelli, Bentancur, Kean (Morata 71’), Chiesa (Kulusevski 71’). Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Pellegrini, Rugani, Arthur, Ramsey, McKennie, Kaio Jorge. ROMA: Rui Patricio, Karsdorp, Mancini, Ibanez, Vina, Cristante, Veretout (Shomurodov 81’), Zaniolo (El Shaarawy 26’), Pellegrini, Mkhitaryan, Abraham. Substitutes: Fuzato, Boer, Villar, Reynolds, Calafiori, Kumbulla, Diawara, Darboe, Perez, Borja Mayoral. Source: www.juventus.com |
A victory of monumental proportions, for so many reasons. A crucial step in the title fight, a huge confidence boost to the squad, and another clean sheet. Not to mention there’s nothing like beating your local rivals on their turf, and especially after how Juventus reacted to a disappointing first half to perform so well after the break. Manuel Locatelli claimed the deserved winner fewer than five minutes from time for a team which is clicking into place and finding what it takes to win these kinds of games.
FEISTY TORINO REACT TO JUVE CHANCES It was Moise Kean who struck the first blow. After Matthijs de Ligt won the ball he played in the forward who took off, running 50 yards and cutting in, but his shot skewed wide. Adrien Rabiot was responsible for conjuring the second attempt with his pass to Weston McKennie in the centre of the area, but the American's first-time shot failed to hit the target. Following the Bianconeri’s encouraging start the hosts then sprang into action, testing Wojciech Szczesny through Rolando Mandragora’s effort from outside the area. Juve allowed Torino to take the initiative, sitting back and waiting for the right moment to strike. The visitors struggled, though, as Moise Kean was frequently left isolated up front. Yet when Federico Chiesa found his feet in the game Juve prospered on the counter-attack. Shortly before half time, Manuel Locatelli had an excellent opportunity, but his right-footed strike was deflected out for a corner. CLASSIC LOCATELLI With 80 minutes gone and the deadlock still yet to be broken, Max Allegri replaced Federico Bernardeschi with Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede had an immediate impact, playing in Rabiot who stormed into the box and whipped in a low ball to Chiesa, but the 23-year-old was unable to tap in before Cristian Ansaldi cleared. The clock ticked down but Juve showed no signs of letting up, seemingly immune to fatigue. Their persistance was rewarded four minutes from time when Locatelli struck the winner, with the ever-influential Chiesa crossing in to his international team-mate before beating Vanja Milinkovic at his near post. It was then just a matter of holding on. Kaio Jorge made his maiden Juventus appearence in place of Chiesa and the away side remained unbowed in defence, managing to keep possession while sitting comfortably in Torino’s half. The Bianconeri also came close to doubling their advantage through Kulusevski, who hit the post with a fantastic individual effort. It’s not like Juve needed to convince their doubters after beating Chelsea in the Champions League, but this vindicating win helped. What’s more, it was just as vital as beating the European champions, if not more. TORINO 0–1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-0): SCORER: 86 Locatelli. TORINO: Milinkovic; Zima, Bremer, Rodriguez; Singo, Pobega, Mandragora, Aina (65 Ansaldi); Lukic (66 Linetty), Brekalo (84 Rincon); Sanabria (77 Baselli). Unused substitutes: Berisha, Gemello, Buongiorno, Izzo, Vojvoda, Verdi, Kone, Warming. Coach: Juric. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (80 Kulusevski), Locatelli, McKennie, Rabiot; Chiesa (89 Kaio Jorge); Kean (45 Kean). Unused substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, De Sciglio, Pellegrini, Bentancur, Arthur. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Valeri. ASSISTANT REFEREES: Giallatini, Galetto. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Baroni. BOOKED: 57 Sanabria, 62 Lukic, 65 Mandragora, 82 Chiellini. Source: www.juventus.com |
DERBY DIAGNOSIS
"The Derby will be a good match. There is a positive energy right that we must make the most of. We have the opportunity to improve our position in the table a bit. Torino are a team that runs and presses, Ivan Juric is doing an excellent job: he is a coach who has transmitted to the team the concept of playing games in a certain way, which very much embodies the Granata spirit. For us it will be a complicated match: we will have to be patient and fight back blow by blow. Up to now Torino are the team that has allowed teams the fewest chances and the fewest shots on goal. We will have to stay switched on for 95 minutes with great clarity, there will be spaces also because our opponents play man to man across the whole field. For them it will be the match of their life." THE MATCH AGAINST CHELSEA "The game on Wednesday filled me with joy. I was very happy for the atmosphere, for the team and for the fans who supported us with great enthusiasm and passion, this is a good sign. Federico Bernardeschi played a very important physical match and within the good performance he put an extraordinary play on the goal." TEAM NEWS "Arthur took part in his second training session with the team yesterday, it may be that tomorrow both he and Kaio Jorge will be on the bench. Arthur is a technical player who can also dribble that raises the level of the team's quality. I've known Alex Sandro for 5 years, he is a player of absolute value and you can tell that as he's the current first choice full-back of the Brazilian national team. Both Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Locatelli had never managed the midfield by themselves before. Rodrigo needs someone by his side to organise the game, whilst Locatelli put in an excellent performance against Chelsea, he closed the trajectories of passing towards Romelu Lukaku and played an "ugly" game from a physical point of view." TORO-JUVE LINE-UP "Wojciech Szczesny and Giorgio Chiellini will both start tomorrow. As for the others I still have to evaluate them, depending on the accumulated fatigue. I'll see tomorrow morning: whoever has the most energy will take to the field." Source: www.juventus.com |
Federico Chiesa’s brilliant strike endured defeat upon the defending champions Chelsea on Wednesday evening as Juventus secured their second batch of three points with a 1-0 win at the Allianz Stadium.
After an opening 3-0 win against Malmö, the Bianconeri were looking to build on from their win by stunning the defending Champions. It was an energetic start to the game, where both teams were moving the ball with pace. The first half-chance fell to Rabiot when he brilliantly intercepted Chelsea’s play and broke away on the counter, but his final cross was long, and it failed to meet a teammate. The first real chance came in the 20th minute when a moment of Chiesa magic saw him intercept play and burst up field before unleashing an angled drive that skimmed past the back post. Chelsea then saw the first dangerous play brought to an abrupt halt when Bentancur’s perfectly timed sliding tackle on Havertz saw him win the ball back. Juventus were doing most of the attacking and growing in confidence with each passing minute. A lovely piece of interplay between Bernardeschi and Chiesa saw the latter try to direct his shot on goal, but Chelsea’s pressure saw the effort sail wide. Rabiot was next to impress, as he unleashed a flying effort that narrowly sailed over the target. Despite their late efforts the two teams went into the half goalless. Into the second half and Chelsea barely had a chance to breathe before the Juventus found themselves a goal up courtesy of Chiesa: he got onto the end of Berna’s through ball and fired it into the roof of the net straight from kick-off! The perfect chance to make it 2-0 came in the 64th minute following a wonderful move conducted between Cuadrado and Chiesa: the ball then rolled across to Bernardeschi who just needed it tap it in, however, he tumbled and couldn’t get the shot. Kean and McKennie were introduced into the game in the 76th minute, as they continued to go in search of a second goal. Kean saw his shot inside the box charged down by Barkley, while Lukaku’s effort sailed just over the corner of the goal frame. An intense few moments saw out the remaining minutes of the game as Juventus went on to claim a second dose of three points in the group stages. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (Chiellini 84'), Locatelli, Rabiot (McKennie 76'); Cuadrado, Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 65'), Chiesa (Kean 76'). Subs: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, Chiellini, McKennie, Kean, Rugani, Kulusevski. Chelsea: Mendy; Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz; Lukaku. Source: www.juventus.com |
After the victory over Malmö on the first day of the Champions League, Juventus host holders, Chelsea at Allianz Stadium. Coach, Massimiliano Allegri and captain, Giorgio Chiellini, presented the fixture by answering questions from journalists at today's press conference.
Here's what was said to the media: MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI "I want to see a technically 'clean' game tomorrow night. We will have to have patience but also the pleasure of playing these types of matches. We need to pressure Chelsea, but in the right way and then the key will be to play well whilst in possession, because you can't press a team for 90+ minutes. Chelsea are both physically solid and organised and we need to play a good technical match. "Tomorrow morning I will decide on the line-up. We had a good training session and apart from Aaron Ramsey everyone is available. Wojciech Szczesny, Manuel Locatelli, Alex Sandro and Danilo will all start. If a player is at Juventus then they are there because they have the mental qualities, availability, the desire to improve and the right determination. These seem like small details, but they are not. "The only centre-forward is Moise Kean. I'll put two or three forwards out on the pitch depending on the characteristics. Kean knows how to score goals, he attacks deep and closes down well. He needs to improve in the team play and with his individual technique, but he already has good experience. "Federico Bernardeschi has great potential, he must play substantial matches like with Sampdoria. Everything starts from the head. "I expect that Federico Chiesa keeps doing as he is doing and even continues to improve. The Euros put him in a position where everyone now expects more and his margin of error has decreased. It will be an important and very difficult season for him. "Arthur Melo is behind with regards to physical progress. We will play two friendlies during the international break that will help him to improve his condition. Rodrigo Bentancur has improved a lot, but in my opinion he can't dictate the game by himself. He needs support and Locatelli can be the right partner to help with that. "I have the ambition to win the Champions League. It is a desire, a passion and an emotion that leads to doing extraordinary things. I don't know if we'll get there, but the goal is there and we have to go and get it. This makes the difference." "Tomorrow will be a match as beautiful as it is difficult, but these kind of matches are also the simplest challenges to prepare for and we can't wait. We will have to be patient and compact, paying attention to counter-attacks, as Chelsea play as a team. Playing against the best allows you to give your best. You can only grow by playing certain matches. "We need to create situations that they don't like and not allow great players like Romelu Lukaku to express themselves. But it's not only him that they have. "Paolo Dybala is essential for us, but we have the characteristics to cope without him. One of Allegri's strengths is always looking for new solutions. "We have to think about the present, improve and work hard, aware of the road ahead but also of our qualities: perspective and awareness. In the Champions League our goal now is to qualify for the next round and then we'll see. "A win would help us grow further and it would be very important for the standings, but we must never lose our balance, both when things are going well and not going well. "We need to rediscover the common thread that brought us solidity and consequently the self-esteem which made us stay at the highest levels for years." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve wrapped up a second 3-2 league win this week to build on the success away to Spezia on Wednesday, but it was far from plain sailing against Sampdoria.
DYBALA’S DESIRE Captain Paulo Dybala was clearly intent on running the show and started the game with real drive. His efforts were rewarded with ten minutes on the clock after Manuel Locatelli’s shot was blocked and the midfielder laid the rebound off to the Argentine, who steered a delicious low left-footed effort into the corner from the edge of the box. The hosts looked to extend their lead and had two glorious chances to do so within three minutes of going ahead, with Federico Chiesa firing wide from the right and Alvaro Morata unable to score a one-on-one as Emil Audero rushed out of his goal to deny him.With 20 minutes on the clock, Dybala was visibly distressed as he was forced off with an injury, and Dejan Kulusevski replaced him to join Alvaro Morata in attack. BONUCCI AND YOSHIDA TRADE BLOWS Samp worked hard, but did not threaten to grab an equaliser, with Juve going close to scoring the next goal when Kulusevski’s header went off target. Chiesa then sent a ball into the box that struck Nicola Murru on the arm and a penalty was given. Up stepped Leonardo Bonucci to convert and seemingly send Juve in at the break two goals to the good. The visitors did respond this time, however, with Mattia Perin getting down low to deny Fabio Quagliarella before Maya Yoshida got on the end of Antonio Candreva’s cross from the left to halve the deficit. LOCATELLI’S FIRST JUVE GOAL As the rain got heavier, Juve found it harder to play their usual passing game, but made up for it with increased aggression, resulting in Kulusevski dispossessing Omar Colley in the box, reaching the byline and setting up Locatelli for his maiden goal for the club just before the hour-mark. Allegri made changes in terms of personnel and formation in the last 20 minutes, sending on Giorgio Chiellini and Aaron Ramsey for Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi, to see out the game with a back three. Rodrigo Bentancur went close to a fourth, but Audero turned the shot behind for a corner. CANDREVA CUTS THE ARREARS, JUVE HOLD FIRM Samp did not give up the ghost and got back into the contest when Adrien Silva broke down the left and set up Antonio Candreva for a first-time shot with seven minutes of regulation time left. There were four minutes added on, in which Chiellini showcased his vast experience to ensure stoppage time was relatively painless and the visitors were not allowed to carve out any opportunities to potentially equalise. Allegri’s charges had to dig in to hold on to what could well prove to be three key points come the end of the season. JUVENTUS 3-2 SAMPDORIA (HT: 2-1): Scorers: Dybala 10, Bonucci 43, Yoshida 44, Locatelli 57, Candreva 83. JUVENTUS: Perin; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Chiesa (Chiellini 70), Bentancur (MckKennie 82), Locatelli, Bernardeschi (Ramsey 70); Dybala (Kulusevski 67), Morata (Kean 82). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Danilo, Rugani, Pellegrini. Coach: Allegri. SAMPDORIA: Audero; Bereszynski; Yoshida, Colley, Murru (Augello 59); Depaoli (Damsgaard 59), Thorsby (Askildsen 87), Ekdal (Silva 59), Candreva; Caputo (Torregrossa 70), Quagliarella. Subs not used: Ravagli, Falcone, Chabot, Ciervo, Dragusin, Ferrari, Trimboli. Coach: D’Aversa. Referee: Ayroldi. Assistants: Di Vuolo, Lombardi. Fourth official: Camplone. VAR: Orsato, Tegoni. Booked: Thorsby 28, Murro 41, Ekdal 45+2, Bentancur 53, Cuadrado 66, Bonucci 84, Kean 86. Source: www.juventus.com |
Second-half goals from Federico Chiesa and Matthijs de Ligt saw Juventus come back against Spezia to secure a 3-2 victory at the Stadio Alberto Picco on Wednesday evening. Moise Kean had opened the scoring in the first half, but goals from Emanuel Gyasi and Antiste saw Spezia go in front.
With no win in four of their previous Serie A games, Juventus knew that anything short of three points would be unacceptable. As such, they started the game full of energy and they nearly grabbed an early opener in the seventh minute when Chiesa's pulled back ball met Kean, who drilled it just wide. De Ligt threatened on Dybala's corner when he blazed his effort over the target after striking on the half volley. Juve's breakthrough did come in the 27th minute when a Bonucci long-ball up field was knocked on from Rabiot to Kean, who got onto the end of it and blasted it home! Unfortunately, the lead only lasted five minutes when Spezia continued the move off Szczesny's initial save, which saw Emanuel Gyasi strike a curling effort into the top corner. The half ended with a ferocious effort from Dybala, whose blaster was palmed over the cross bar by Zoet. Massimiliano Allegri introduced Alex Sandro and Locatelli on at the start of the second half, however, it was Spezia who started off on the strong foot when an over-the-top ball to Antiste saw him go on a great run, he turned Bonucci in the box and fired home in the 49th minute to make it 2-1 to the hosts. Kean nearly grabbed an equaliser five minutes later with a glancing header that was tipped over by Zoet, while Morata came on in place of Kean. The Spezia stopper was having a strong game and he once again found himself pulling off a save, this time denying Dybala. The goalkeeper couldn't do much with Chiesa's effort, as the Italian striker brilliantly worked his way through the defenders before sliding onto the ball as it rolled over the line. Juventus turned the scoreline in their favour in the 72nd minute when de Ligt pounced onto the end of a corner kick, that bounced around in the box, and turned it home to make it 3-2. Szczesny pulled off a great save to deny Maggiore in the final moments of the game, as the Bianconeri claimed their first victory of the season. Juventus: Szczesny, De Sciglio (Alex Sandro 46'), de Ligt, Danilo, Bonucci, McKennie, Chiesa (Kulusevski 84'), Rabiot (Bernardeschi 67'), Bentancur (Locatelli 46'), Dybala, Kean (Morata 59'). Subs: Perin, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ramsey, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Locatelli, Morata, Kulusevski. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus and Milan played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday evening at the Allianz Stadium after Ante Rebic's equaliser cancelled out Alvaro Morata's opener.
The game was nothing short of interesting from the get-go when Milan tested Szczesny with just three minutes on the clock: Leao recovered the ball, Brahim moved it up field and Tonali fired at goal only to see his effort tipped over the bar. Juventus then pounced on a poor Theo Hernandez clearance, which saw Morata go one-on-one with Maignan as he poked it into the back of the net. Milan were always looking to slow the pace of the game down when on the ball, while Juve would do the opposite when winning it back. Both Dybala and Morata forced saves out of Maignan with low shots into the bottom, which he parried away for a corner. Bonucci had a glancing header sail over the cross bar, while Milan's attempts weren't enough to truly test Szczesny. Juventus started the second half nearly adding a second to the lit when an over-the-top ball from Bonucci met Rabiot, who was bursting into the box, the Frenchman connected onto the end of it, and it narrowly missed the goal post. Kean was brought on in place of Morata in the 65th minute of play, while Leao's shot narrowly skimmed over the bar. Chiesa was then introduced into the game in the 72nd minute in place of Cuadrado, as Danilo saw his effort blocked by the French goalkeeper. Milan were pushing for an equalizing goal and they got theirs in the 76th minute when Tonali's corner kick met the head of Rebic, who nodded it in. Brahim played the ball long and across field seven minutes from time to Rebic, who blazed his effort wide of the target. Szczesny pulled off a great save to deny Kalulu at the near post in the final moments of the game, as the game ended in a draw. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus got their Champions League Group Stage off to a good start when they defeated Malmö 3-0 at the Eleda Stadion on Tuesday evening. Alex Sandro opened the scoring, before two late first half goals by Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata wrapped up the victory.
The game was a chance for the Bianconeri to secure their first victory of the season, and they were the ones who created the first chance at goal when a Morata chipped ball to Dybala left him clean on goal, only to see him sky his effort. The hosts then had a chance of their own in the 17th minute when a cross by Berget met Rieks, who volley it just over the target. Juventus did grab the lead five minutes later through Alex Sandro who turned in Cuadrado’s cross with a diving header from 10 yards out! The Brazilian nearly added a second goal to his name when he got onto the end of a Bonucci long-ball, he brilliantly controlled it before whipping his effort narrowly out at the far post. Birmancevic and Locatelli saw their respective efforts go wide of the target, as Juventus went on to add two quick goals before the break. The first came courtesy of a Dybala penalty after Morata was brought down in the box by Nielsen. The second, which occurred in first half stoppages, saw Morata put away Dybala’s assist in a move which started with Szczesny’s long ball up the field for Rabiot who knocked it on. Into the second half and Juventus nearly added their fourth goal just after the hour mark when a beautiful attacking move saw Dybala tee up Morata with a great backheel touch, only to see the Spanish striker’s shot palmed away by Diawara. Kean thought he had bagged a goal of his own just minutes after coming on, but the offside flag ruled it out. The rest of the half played out in a quiet manner, as the Bianconeri claimed three points in their opening match of the UEFA Champions League. Malmo: Diawara; Berget, Ahmedodzic, L Nielsen, Brorsson, Rieks; Innocent, Christiansen, Rakip; Colak, Birmancevic. Malmo bench: Ellborg, Dahlin, Larsson, Olsson, Bejimo, Abubakari, Gwargis, Nalic, Eile, Bjorkqvist, Nanasi. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt (Rugani 87’), Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Kulusevski 82), Bentancur (McKennie 68’), Locatelli, Rabiot; Dybala (Ramsey 82’), Morata (Kean 68’). Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, Chiellini, Ramsey, McKennie, Kean, Rugani, Kulusevski. Source: www.juventus.com |
Kalidou Koulibaly's late goal handed Napoli a 2-1 victory on Saturday evening at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, despite Alvaro Morata striking first early on.
It was a game Massimiliano Allegri knew would be a must-win having come into the game off the back of a draw and a loss in the opening two Serie A match days. Napoli were eager to rock the Bianconeri boat with their chance in the opening 30 seconds of the game which saw Politano narrowly nod over Osimhen's cross over the target. The Bianconeri stunned the home crowd in the 11th minute when a defensive error was capitalized on by Morata, who then turned towards goal and fired it past Ospina. McKennie had a shot denied by the Colombian goalkeeper, along with Kulusevski's before the flag was raised. Few to no chances followed for the remainder of the half, as the Bianconeri went into the break in the lead. Into the second half, and Napoli were the side who was applying the most pressure, and it paid off in their favour when they scored the equaliser in the 57th minute. Insigne initially fired in a curling effort that was palmed down by Szczesny, but the ball fell to the path of Politano who tapped it home. McKennie immediately tried to restore Juve's lead with a shot that skimmed narrowly wide of the target. Mario Rui also struck wide of goal, while Osimhen's effort was curled over. Napoli continued to be a thorn in Juve's side and they forced Szczesny to make a save when he punched away a free-kick, the ball fell to the feet of Fabian Ruiz who blasted it narrowly over with Tek getting the slightest of touches. Kean was then introduced into the game in the 82nd minute in place of Morata, but it wasn't the second debut he would have hoped for. A Napoli corner kick was floated into the box, Kean nodded it down towards goal, Tek got the slightest of touches but couldn't get a proper grip and Koulibaly tapped it in from a yard out with just five minutes remaining on the clock. Napoli: Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Anguissa; Politano, Elmas, Insigne; Osimhen. Juventus: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Pellegrini (De Ligt 57'); McKennie (Ramsey 73'), Locatelli, Rabiot; Bernardeschi, Morata (Kean 82'), Kulusevski. Subs: Pinsoglio, Perin, de Ligt, Rugani, De Winter, Ramsey, Miretti, Kean, Soule. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus welcomed the fans back to Allianz Stadium but were unable to send them home happy as a stubborn, well-drilled Empoli side claimed all three points. Leonardo Mancuso's first-half finish put the visitors in front then they shut up shop after the interval to record a first-ever win away to Juve.
CHIESA DENIED BY VICARIO Juve started strong and within minutes of kick-off Guglielmo Vicario had to make his first save of the evening when Alex Sandro played in Federico Chiesa behind the back line. The Bianconeri were zipping the ball around at pace and Juan Cuadrado – nominally starting in the right-back position – was proving to be a real thorn in Empoli's side with his frequent forays forward. Meanwhile Chiesa looked almost unplayable at times, like when he set off from midfield with the ball at his feet, skipped past two blue shirts and angled a shot towards the corner, forcing Vicario into another save. MANCUSO GIVES EMPOLI THE LEAD Empoli, however, were not content to settle for a bit-part role and sought to exploit the spaces Juve inevitably left them, playing at such a high tempo. Midway through the half Nedim Bajrami spread play out to Filippo Bandinelli, collected the return pass in the box and pulled the trigger; the ball found its way to Mancuso, who was left with the simple task of finishing from a few yards out. Juve looked to respond instantly but Chiesa was thwarted by Vicario for a third time. Empoli then grew in stature and Patrick Cutrone lashed a fierce effort just wide. The Bianconeri kept the tempo high but their play began to lack precision and Empoli weren't unduly threatened again before the interval. JUVE ATTACK, EMPOLI HOLD ON Juve came out for the restart with Alvaro Morata in place of Weston McKennie but the first chance fell to Empoli, when Nicolas Haas' effort was saved by Wojciech Szczesny. Paulo Dybala then fired off a low drive from outside the box that Vicario had covered. The play shifted from one end to the other with Empoli moving the ball around well as Bajrami drew another save out of Szczesny. Massimilano Allegri rang the changes with Federico Bernardeschi replacing Adrien Rabiot, then Manuel Locatelli and Dejan Kulusevski taking over from Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Chiesa. The two newcomers soon fashioned a decent chance for an equaliser, the Swede's cross sent just wide by the former Sassuolo man, but Juve struggled to create much more of note. Mattia De Sciglio came on for Cuadrado but Empoli kept their heads and Juve at bay, defending resolutely. The last chance was an angled effort by Locatelli which ended wide – and with it Juve's hopes of salvaging something from the game. JUVENTUS 0-1 EMPOLI (HT 0-1): Goal: Mancuso 21. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado (De Sciglio 82), de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (Locatelli 66), Danilo, Rabiot (Bernardeschi 66); McKennie (Morata 46); Dybala, Chiesa (Kulusevski 66). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Pellegrini, Rugani, Fagioli, Ranocchia. Coach: Allegri. EMPOLI: Vicario; Stojanovic, Ismajli, Luperto, Marchizza; Haas, Ricci, Bandinelli (Zurkowski 80); Bajrami (Stulac 70); Mancuso (Pinamonti 72), Cutrone (Henderson 80). Subs not used: Brignoli, Furlan, Romagnoli, Lamntia, Fiamozzi, Tonelli, Viti, Parisi. Coach: Andreazzoli. REFEREE: Ghersini. ASSISTANTS: De Meo, Rocca. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marcenaro. VAR: Guida, Ranghetti. BOOKED: Mancuso 32, Cutrone 44, Ismajli 56, Bernardeschi 81, Danilo 89. Source: www.juventus.com |
Ahead of the first league match at home tomorrow evening (kick-off at 20:45 CEST), Coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media today about the team, Cristiano Ronaldo and tomorrow’s match.
Here’s what he had to say: ON CRISTIANO RONALDO Yesterday, Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus. For this reason he will not be called up for tomorrow's game. Things change, it's a law of life. Juventus remains, which is the most important thing. Cristiano gave his contribution, he made himself available, now he leaves, and life goes on. He is to be thanked for what he has done, also as an example amongst the youngsters. But as I said, we must go on… TOMORROW’S OPPONENT: EMPOLI Empoli play good football. We are working well, and we are very disappointed for not having won in Udine. Unforeseen events happened in that game that must not happen again. We are improving. Tomorrow there will be a good atmosphere, we will finally have our fans back and we will have to be ready. We have to be very angry about the points we left in Udine when we face Empoli tomorrow. I'm intrigued to see the team play tomorrow night and eager to hit our seasonal goals, improving as individuals and as a collective. There are no excuses and extenuating circumstances, those are for losers and those who are weak. TEAM’S FORM In the last two matches, including the friendly against Atalanta we scored five goals, but we conceded three. It means that we have the goals in our locker but we have to concede less because the championships are won with the goal difference. The squad is excellent, I am satisfied with the players we have available. They all have the potential to have a great season. The lads need to improve, one step at a time and victories are the best way to do it. In Udine I was happy with the performance but sorry for the management ON WESTON MCKENNIE Mckennie shouldn't leave, he's an attacking midfielder, and has got goals in his legs. PLAYER UPDATES Morata is fine & I consider Chiesa a forward, but I'll decide the line-up tomorrow. Without Cristiano there are many players who can score goals, they will be distributed across the team, with serenity and desire & the aim of winning. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri started the 2021/22 Serie A campaign with a draw after letting a 2-0 lead slip in the second half away in Udine.
Juventus made a fantastic start, as Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado both found the net to give the team a healthy lead after just 23 minutes but, as the past has shown, things are never so easy here in Friuli. After the half-time interval, Roberto Pereyra scored from the penalty spot and Gerard Deulofeu struck in the final stages of the game to draw the home side level. Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had grabbed all three points for Juve after heading home deep in stoppage time, but the goal was chalked off for offside. After a promising start, Massimiliano Allegri’s side return to Turin with a single point. DYBALA AND CUADRADO GET THE BALL ROLLING After little more than two minutes into Juventus’ opening game of the Serie A season, Cuadrado found Rodrigo Bentancur in the box, and he laid on an assist for Dybala to send a left-footed volley past Marco Silvestri. Udinese however took the early blow in their stride and threatened Wojciech Szczesny’s goal through Pussetto's right-footed shot, which was blocked by the Juve keeper. Nonetheless the home side’s forays forward left them exposed at the back and Juventus pounced to great effect. With just over 20 minutes played, Dybala unleashed a 40-yard pass to Cuadrado, who controlled the ball, outwitted Bram Nuytinck and fired into the far corner to double our lead and send the Bianconeri into the break with a two-goal advantage. PEREYRA HALVES THE DEFICIT FROM THE SPOT The game was by no means over, however, as Szczesny gave away a penalty a few minutes into the second half by fouling Tolgay Arslan. After Pereyra slotted home from the penalty spot, Juve reacted with fervour and Alvaro Morata's headed against the post from Alex Sandro's cross. Allegri made a triple substitution and switched to a three-man defence, sending on Giorgio Chiellini, Dejan Kulusevski and Ronaldo for Aaron Ramsey, Federico Bernardeschi and Morata. Ronaldo threatened straight away with a header, narrowly missing the target after Dybala's free kick. He then served up Bentancur on the edge of the box, only to see the Uruguayan hit the post to Silvestri's left. DEULOFEU EQUALISES Around 30 minutes into the second period it was time for Federico Chiesa to replace Cuadrado, but Udinese continued to probe at the other end. With just over five minutes to go they found the equaliser, when Szczesny loitered on the ball close to his goal and lost it to Stefano Okaka. The ball ended up at the feet of Deulofeu, who had the simple task of slotting into the unguarded goal. VAR DENIES RONALDO In the final stages, Allegri sent on Manuel Locatelli to replace Bentancur. Udinese almost found a late winning goal through Mato Jajalo, who fired Okaka’s ball over the bar. At the other end Dybala produced splendid chest control before firing on goal, only to see Silvestri parry the ball out for a corner. Juventus continued to push for a winner and thought they found one when Ronaldo rose to send a bullet header into the net from Chiesa’s cross. However, the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check and both sides settled for a point. UDINESE 2-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-2): Scorers: Dybala 3, Cuadrado 23, Pereyra 51 (pen), Deulofeu 83. UDINESE: Silvestri; Becao, Nuytinck, Samir (Zeegelaar 90+4); Molina, Pereyra, Walace, Makengo (Stryger Larsen 57), Udogie (Deulofeu 57); Arslan (Jajalo 81), Pussetto (Okaka 81). Subs not used: Padelli, Scuffet, De Maio, Palumbo, Samardzic, Cristo Gonzalez, Ianesi. Coach: Gotti. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Chiesa 74), Bentancur (Locatelli 90), Ramsey (Chiellini 60), Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 60); Morata (Ronaldo 60), Dybala. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Pellegrini, Rugani, Ranocchia, Kaio Jorge. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Pezzuto. ASSISTANTS: Paganessi, Longo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Prontera. VAR: Mariani, Carbone. BOOKED: Szczesny 50, Walace 77, Kulusevski 89, Ronaldo 90+5. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri has spoken of the difficulties his side can expect when they kick off their Serie A campaign against Udinese – and stressed the need for consistency if they are to reclaim the Scudetto.
The boss was speaking to the media the day before Sunday's 18:30 CEST kick-off at Dacia Arena. “The first game is always difficult,” he began. “Udinese are a strong, powerful team and they had one of the best defensive records last season in terms of chances conceded. They didn't concede from corners and they're dangerous on the counter with fast, skilful players. “We must play very carefully tomorrow. If we want to come away with all three points, we must be solid defensively and technically and bide our time.” RONALDO & DYBALA “[Cristiano] Ronaldo didn't play in our friendly on Thursday because I gave him half a day off to recover after a week of intensive training. He's available for tomorrow. He gives us an extra gear and means guaranteed goals. We must work as a team to get the most out of him. “[Paulo] Dybala turned up for pre-season looking like it was his first year at the club. He's working with desire and intensity every day. Paulo hasn't lived up to his potential in the last two seasons and he knows that.” RAMSEY, LOCATELLI & BERNARDESCHI “[Aaron] Ramsey has improved a lot in the holding role since the first few games, but he still tends to get sucked into the action and needs to run a bit less. “As for [Manuel] Locatelli, I'm very happy he's joined us. He's come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and grown into a great player. He''s not in peak condition yet because he hasn't trained much. He'll need a bit longer. He'll come with us to Udine and could play 15 or 20 minutes if we need him. He'll be in good shape after the international break. “[Federico] Bernardeschi is an excellent player with great ability – as they all are at Juventus.” SERIE A 2021/2022 “Serie A will be a very balanced league this season. To win it you need to go like a cruise ship – no fits and starts, just a good steady pace. The title favourites are normally the team that won it last but we're one of the six or seven contenders. “If you want to come out on top, you need to work on fitness, technique and mentality every day. Football is about balance and solidity: if you don't get that right quickly, it becomes a roller-coaster ride, and you can't challenge for the title like that. I'm working to achieve results, to get to the finish line first and win it.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus beat their U23 counterparts 3-0 in their final dress rehearsal before Sunday's Serie A curtain-raiser against Udinese.
Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata and Aaron Ramsey were the names on the score sheet but there were plenty more positives to take from an enjoyable match played at a decent tempo. DYBALA'S OPENER With Cristiano Ronaldo, Juan Cuadrado, Kaio Jorge and new signing Manuel Locatelli all training separately, Allegri started with three at the back and opted for a three-pronged attack of Dybala, Morata and Dejan Kulusevski. And it was two of these who combined for the opener just seven minutes in when the Swede teed up the Argentine, who fired home an unstoppable angled effort. MORATA BACKHEEL Allegri's side were holding a high line and a high tempo while closing down all the spaces and it wasn't long before another chance came their way. Kulusevski was again involved, serving as the foil for Federico Chiesa to play a delightful one-two – only for the Italian to be denied by the woodwork. Further chances came and went for Chiesa, Ramsey, Rodrigo Bentancur and Kulusevski before the Bianconeri finally got the second goal – and what a beauty it was. Morata played in Chiesa, who in turn laid off for the onrushing Danilo to send in a cross. Morata met it and cleverly diverted the ball into the net with the back of his heel. RAMSEY ADDS THE THIRD The U23s showed their character and looked to respond to the set-back through Fabio Miretti, whose shot crashed off the angle of the goal, before Dybala almost secured his brace with a curling right-footed effort that missed the target by inches. It was then Dybala who provided Aaron Ramsey with assist for the first team’s third goal, with the Welshman duly obliging in the form of a dinked finish over the keeper. Franco Israel did his bit to keep the half-time scoreline down, saving from Dejan Kulusevski and Dybala, while a curling strike from Morata went narrowly wide in between the two. EVEN SECOND HALF Both teams made 11 changes at half time, with the first team switching to a back four. The tempo remained high, however, and Filippo Ranocchia was the next to threaten as he headed Weston McKennie’s cross onto the crossbar. After around ten minutes, Allegri moved Federico Bernardeschi into the trequartista role behind Matias Soulé and Alejandro Marques, but it was Ranocchia that came close again with a right-footed effort from the edge of the box. The U23s responded with a left footer from Luca Clemenza, who saw his effort tipped over the bar by Carlo Pinsoglio, before Bernardeschi skimmed the woodwork from a free-kick with the final chance of the game. The fans present at the JTC applauded the Bianconeri at the final whistle, with just two weeks to go now until they will be able to watch them at Allianz Stadium against Empoli. For now, attention turns to trip to Udinese on Sunday, when the real football begins. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve returned to Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening and with them the fans, finally able to take their seats and enjoy the Bianconeri in action. Massimiliano Allegri's men didn't disappoint, as Paulo Dybala, Federico Bernardeschi and Alvaro Morata ensured victory in the final pre-season friendly before the league begins.
PAULO OFF THE MARK The first goal came just eight minutes in as Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Chiesa orchestrated a counter-attack and Dybala – named captain for the occasion – finished off the job, sliding in to send the ball into the net via the post. Allegri's attacking trio were looking the part. MURIEL FROM THE SPOT Atalanta were the usual tireless runners but Juve's ability to break at pace caused them no end of problems, and another jet-heeled foray forward by Chiesa ended with his shot fizzing just over. A few minutes later the visitors found an equaliser, Luis Muriel converting from 12 yards after Leo Bonucci had fouled Remo Freuler in the box. Muriel almost added a second immediately after the restart but was denied by Wojciech Szczesny. On the half-hour mark the Colombian had another opportunity but failed to find the target, then Szczesny was called into action once more to deny Josip Ilicic. BERNARDESCHI ROCKET Juve were putting together some fine moves themselves and five minutes before the interval one of these presented Bernardeschi with a shooting opportunity from 20 yards out. The Italian didn't need asking twice and he unleashed an unstoppable strike to restore Juve's lead heading into the break. MORATA WRAPS IT UP Atalanta came out fired up after the interval and before long Matteo Pessina's cross-shot caused a bit of a panic in Bianconeri box. Juve were soon cutting through Atalanta on the counter-attack again though, as Ronaldo saw an effort saved by Juan Musso. Dybala and Chiesa were applauded off as Morata and Dejan Kulusevski came on to replace them, followed by Mattia De Sciglio and Weston McKennie, with Bernardeschi and Ronaldo making way. Atalanta made plenty of changes of their own and the pace inevitably dropped. Ilicic played in Pessina with a clever ball but Szczesny darted off his line to cut down the angle. Giorgio Chiellini, 37 today, then replaced Bonucci while Carlo Pinsoglio took Szczesny's place between the sticks. The third goal came courtesy of Kulusevski and Morata in stoppage time when the Swede set up the Spaniard for the easiest of finishes. Next week it's the real thing as we start our Serie A campaign with a trip to Udine. JUVENTUS 3-1 ATALANTA (HT 2-1): SCORERS: Dybala 8, Muriel 18 (pen), Bernardeschi 39, Morata 90+3. JUVENTUS: Szczesny (Pinsoglio 83); Cuadrado, Bonucci (Chiellini 70), De Ligt (Rugani 71), Alex Sandrro (Pellegrini 70); Bentancur (Ranocchia 83), Ramsey (Fagioli 79), Bernardeschi (De Sciglio 62); Chiesa (Kulusevski 54), Dybala (Morata 54), Ronaldo (McKennie 62). Subs not used: Perin, Danilo, De Winter. Coach: Allegri. ATALANTA: Musso (Sportiello 84); Palomino (t Scalvini 84), Demiral (Lovato 84), Djimsiti (Toloi 59); Maehle (Sutalo 71), Pessina (Da Riva 84), Freuler (De Roon 59), Gosens (Pezzella 71); Pasalic (Del Prato 84); Ilicic (Piccoli 71), Muriel (Malinovskyi 59). Sub not used: Rossi. Coach: Gasperini. REFEREE: Abisso. ASSISTANTS: Imperiale, Rossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Bitonti. BOOKED: Djimsiti 57. Source: www.juventus.com |
Barcelona ran out Gamper Trophy winners on Sunday evening after beating Juventus 3- 0 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff courtesy of goals from Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite, and Riqui Puig.
It wasn’t the start the team would have hoped for as they found themselves a goal down inside the third minute of action: Memphis Depay found himself unmarked and with tons of space around him, he burst down the middle in full speed and slotted the ball past Szczesny. Cristiano Ronaldo came close to pulling one back when he forced a save from Neto at the near post with an angled drive, following a great pass from Alvaro Morata. Barca had the ball in the back of the net in the 21st minute, but it didn’t stand due to an offside on Griezmann. Szczesny made a great reflex save with his foot to deny Demir. The opening half was a bit of a cagey affair between the two teams, with both sides putting upping their physical play. De Ligt and Morata both forced great saves from Neto in the 38th minute, while the half ended with a ferocious Morata shot from Cuadrado’s cross that was parried away. Into the second half and it was Juve who were the first to threaten, through Chiesa’s shot that forced Neto to push it out wide. However, it was the hosts that landed up rattling the back of the net first when Braithwaite got onto the end of a corner kick and nodded it home. Griezmann saw his free-kick smack Bonucci in the face with the rebounded ball into the path of Depay, who blasted it wide of goal. The rhythm of the game drifted off somewhat, but it was the home side that would snatch the final goal, two minutes in stoppage time, with a stunning strike on the edge of the box by Puig, who curled the ball into the top corner of Perin’s goal to see the game end 3-0. Juventus: Szczesny; De Sciglio, de Ligt, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Ramsey, Bernardeschi; Cuadrado, Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo. Subs: Pinsoglio, Perin, Chiellini, Danilo, Pellegrini, Bonucci, De Winter, McKennie, Chiesa, Ranocchia, Kulusevski, Marques. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus' second pre-season outing ended with a 2-1 victory over Monza in the 25th edition of the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy.
Massimiliano Allegri had far more first-team regulars to call upon than he did against Cesena just seven days earlier and had no hesitation in naming recent arrivals Wojciech Szczesny, Matthijs de Ligt, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Dejan Kulusevski in his starting line-up. The back four had Mattia De Sciglio and Luca Pellegrini on the flanks, with Merih Demiral partnering the Dutchman in the centre. Filippo Ranocchia joined Ramsey and Rabiot in midfield while the youthful attacking trio was formed by Matias Soule, Andrea Brighenti and Kulusevski. The first chance fell to the hosts just a few seconds in and Szczesny had to be on his toes to thwart Marco Brescianini. The Bianconeri slowly grew into the game despite understandably being short of fitness at this early stage. It was two youth players who combined for the excellent opening goal in the 12th minute, with Ranocchia applying a brilliant curling finish after some sterling work by Soule. Monza, however, were determined to play their part and made a real game of it, very nearly finding an equaliser first through Brescianini (32) and then Antonino Barilla two minutes before the interval. Allegri's men came out firing after the restart with Rabiot in particular using his pace to good effect on the left. The second goal came eight minutes into the half when Kulusevski pounced on a defensive mess-up and made no mistake one on one against Michele Di Gregorio. The usual raft of changes followed and the second period was inevitably played at a slower pace than the first. One of the few chances was a fine Rabiot shot that forced Di Gregorio into an equally good save to keep the scores at 2-0. Marco D’Alessandro halved the arrears with a few minutes remaining when he beat everyone to the ball in the box, but that proved to be the last action of note as Juve took home the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy. The coming week will see the return of the remaining internationals as thoughts now turn to next Sunday's visit to Barcelona. Source: www.juventus.com |
It’s a new era with a familiar face in the crowd: Massimiliano Allegri.
Today he was officially presented as the Club’s new head, and alongside him during his presentation was President Andrea Agnelli who also shared his thoughts on the appointment and the forthcoming season. Here’s what was said: ANDREA AGNELLI I want to congratulate, first of all, the Federation and the Italian National Team for the great victory at the European Championships, a triumph for a great group. I won't dwell on Max's presentation. We took a potential risk together, but every expectation contains a prejudice, which takes for granted the results obtained. Anyone who thinks that the trophies of recent years are less appreciated are wrong, because behind them, there is always sacrifice and the desire to obtain them. No victory is ever taken for granted, winning costs effort and work. As Max says, 'winning is not for everyone'. The objectives are the same as always: to be competitive in our objectives. We got back together not out of friendship, but because Allegri has the credibility to write a new chapter, and he believes in the new management team. I don't want to talk about the past anymore, but only about the future. His contract is for four years, because it is a sign of trust, and also because there is a medium-term plan at the base. I really want to lead Juventus, both on and off the pitch. There is great concentration. MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI For me it's a new first time, I'm excited. I've started again with lots of emotion and fun, like when I first started coaching. I am with a group of good and quality young people, who are joining the first team. It's a new cycle here, let's think about the future. There are many youngsters here, they will be an added value and the future of the Club. Then there are the more experienced, like Chiellini, Bonucci and Ronaldo, who will be examples for the youngsters. A new cycle of work begins what has been done belongs to history. There are new goals to hit. I am proud that Juve called me back and that the fans showed affection. But from 22 August, it will be necessary to score points. Juve have a DNA made up of daily work. I join a team that has won three trophies in the last two years - a good job has been done. Cristiano is a great champion and an intelligent guy. Yesterday I spoke to him - as I did with everyone else - I told him that this is an important year and he has a greater responsibility, because the team is young. I can only imagine how difficult it was to work during the Covid emergency. We will have to manage everyone well, it will be an important year also for Dybala, who has presented himself very well, both physically and mentally: he is very motivated. I found a lot of enthusiasm and a great desire to work: these are the conditions for a great season. Players who intrigue me? Rabiot has important qualities, McKennie has the instinct for goals. I'm lucky: many players have goals in their legs. There are many great potentials, on which we will work every day. I chose Juventus, and for me it is a great responsibility. I am very grateful for the Club, which has given me the opportunity to return to coaching and to win. Dybala arrived when he was a kid. Now he is a man who realises that this is an important year for him. He has extraordinary plays, I expect a lot from him. I needed to switch off, then I started watching many games again. The next championship will be very balanced, in addition to Inter and ourselves, there are Milan, Napoli, Roma and Lazio. The important thing will be continuity in the results. Kulusevski is an excellent player, with an important engine, who needs to improve in the execution phase. For me, one goal will be to create value and improvement on all players in the squad, and that's one of the reasons why I was called. In Serie A there are many good coaches, Inter are the favorites because they are reigning champions. We must build a path that will lead us to win the championship. The Champions League must be everyone's desire. In the meantime, we must pass the first round. The best defence won this year too, so it's important to concede fewer goals than the others. The feeling is that the Scudetto odds are 87/88 points, then we'll see. The calendar fixture? We play when they tell us to play, no problem. From next Tuesday I will have the whole team available. Then, from that point on, I'll have to find the balance between playing well and getting results, in the various phases of the season. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus kick-started their preseason fixtures in a convincing manner by defeating Cesena 3-1 at home at the Juventus Training Center on Saturday evening. De Winter, McKennie and Soule all got on the scoresheet for the Bianconeri.
The fixture officially marked the return of Massimiliano Allegri on the Juve bench for his second tenure, and he couldn’t have asked for the more perfect start. It took just five minutes for the Bianconeri to get on the scoreline when Koni De Winter blasted home with force. The proceedings were dominated by Bianconero possession, and they made it 2-0 in the 34th minute through Weston McKennie who beautifully controlled the ball before striking it into the bottom right corner. Cesena didn’t waste any time in responding with a goal of their own, as they halved the deficit two minutes later though Shpendi who fired home on the rebound after Perin made a great initial save. Into the second half, and a bunch of changes was made by Allegri. It didn’t impact the performance of the team, as they continued to dominate. Matias Soule’ added a third goal to Juve’s tally with a great shot that took a deflection and sailed into the back of the net, leaving the goalkeeper stranded on the spot. Rafia threatened to help make it 4-1: after a series of feints, he crossed the ball to the back post for Clemenza, who just missed connecting onto it by a split second with ten minutes to go. The tempo of the game drifted off towards the end as Juventus eased to a solid win. Source: www.juventus.com |
Here we are: Juventus' 2020/2021 season has officially begun.
After yesterday’s medicals took place, the group, which will gradually begin to grow with the arrivals of the players involved in the summer with their national teams, found themselves for the first time under the orders of Coach Allegri at Continassa. Two training sessions were on the menu today: the players first focused on a series of technique exercises, and then dedicated themselves to a subsequent phase of athletic work. In the afternoon, after a well-deserved rest at the J | Hotel, the group took part in a second session, this time in the gym. Tomorrow, of course, the lads will return to the field for another double session. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri is the Juventus manager once more.
Allegri finds a bench that he knows very well, a club that he loves and that loves him back, as today a new journey begins together, towards new goals. What he achieved in his first adventure at Juventus are engraved in the club’s history: five Scudetti, to the four-consecutive doubles, coupled with the Coppa Italia and to the two Super Cups, reaching two Champions League finals in just three seasons, in what were epic feats both in Italy and in Europe. We said goodbye two years ago with the message, “History Alone”, the message on the back of the shirt given to Massimiliano Allegri by President Andrea Agnelli with an embrace and a shirt, on which in just two words encapsulated Allegri's experience at Juve. The beauty of the story, however, is that it never stops. And in football, this means a concept that we have ingrained in our DNA: the best victory is the next one. Always. And now we are ready to begin again with Allegri, to build our future together; with his enormous professionalism, his moral strength, with the brilliant ideas of a coach capable of shuffling the cards, both on and off the pitch. With his smile, a sort of "signature". With his way of understanding football and life with simplicity, with his desire to play things down and with the commitment to enjoy every beautiful moment that being at Juventus can give and will give. Let's start again together. Let’s start again with Max. Welcome home, coach! Source: www.juventus.com |
Thank you, Andrea.
These are the first words that all of us need to say at the end of this special experience together. A few months ago, Andrea Pirlo, an icon of world football, began his new adventure, his first as a coach. To do this, first of all, it takes courage, as well as awareness of one's own means, especially in a period marked by thousands of difficulties, with the world forced by the pandemic to reinvent its own rules day after day. Pirlo has just begun the first steps of what will no doubt become a brilliant career as a coach. An adventure of transformation, seeking, and often managing, to bring his ideas and his experience as a champion on the pitch from the “other side” of the fence. And since in football, what counts are the victories, let's remember them: in the space of a few short months Pirlo's Juve has raised two trophies: The Italian Supercup and the Coppa Italia. And he, as coach, brought home brilliant victories on the most prestigious of fields, from San Siro to Camp Nou. For all this, for the courage, the dedication, the passion with which he demonstrated every day, our heartfelt thanks go out to Andrea, as well as our good luck for the future that will surely be a wonderful one. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus qualified for the Champions League next season after defeating Bologna 4-1 at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday evening, following Napoli’s draw to Verona. Chiesa opened the scoring for the Bianconeri, before a brace from Morata and Rabiot sealed the three points in the season finale.
BIANCONERI DOMINATE FIRST HALF Buoyed by their victory in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday, the Bianconeri were eager to finish off the season with a win. They started off in the right manner when they took the lead in the fifth minute: Kulusevski rolled the ball across goal, it found Rabiot whose shot rattled the crossbar, before the rebound landed in front of Chiesa and he sliced it home. Neither goalkeeper was put to the test until the 29th minute when the Bianconeri made it 2-0: Dybala did all the hard work by dribbling past his opponents, before chipping it over Skorupski where Morata nodded it in from a yard out. A third and final goal of the half was added on the stroke of half time when Rabiot slotted the ball into the back of the net from Kulusesvki’s assist. MORATA WRAPS IT UP The opening seconds of the second half were action packed: Bologna thought they had pulled a goal back when Palacio slotted the ball past Szczesny straight from kick-off, only to have it ruled off for offside. From that goalkeeper, the Polish goalkeeper hoofed the ball up field and it fell to Morata, who made no mistake in grabbing his second of the game. It was so nearly a hat-trick for the Spaniard when he blasted Cuadrado’s cross into the side-netting from point-blank range, while Pirlo opted for a string of changes which included Pinsoglio coming on in place of Tek for his first appearance of the season. Arthur saw his shot charged down, before Kulusevski saw his goal ruled out for offside in the 80th minute of play. Bologna’s consolation goal would land up being the final goal of the game when Orsolini sliced home an angled drive to see the game end 4-1 in favour of Juventus as they finished in fourth place. Bologna: Skorupski; Tomiyasu, Medel, Soumaoro, De Silvestri; Schouten, Svanberg; Skov Olsen, Vignato, Barrow; Palacio. Juventus: Szczesny (Pinsoglio 67’); Cuadrado, de Ligt (Bonucci 46’), Chiellini (McKennie 58’), Alex Sandro; Kulusevski, Danilo (Bernardeschi 67’), Rabiot, Chiesa (Arthur 58’); Dybala, Morata. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Demiral, Frabotta, Arthur, McKennie, Bernardeschi, Fagioli, Cristiano Ronaldo, Felix Correia. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus claimed their 14th Italian Cup victory on Wednesday evening after defeating Atalanta 2-1 courtesy of goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa.
END-TO-END FIRST HALF Atalanta started off the brighter of the two teams, and they showed their determination from the very first touch of the ball, which resulted in Buffon having to deny Palomino with just three minutes on the clock, before Zapata drilled just wide. The Bianconeri goalkeeper then made a crucial intervention when he was forced to rush off his line after a de Ligt back-header didn’t go as he’d liked, and Buffon brilliantly palmed it away before Zapata could get a touch. It was proving to be an end-to-end game and Freuler fired his across the face of goal, before Juventus then took the lead in the 31st minute with their first chance on goal. Cuadrado’s tackle sparked a counterattack, Ronaldo ran into a crowd of Atalanta defenders on the edge of the box, but McKennie was there, and he poked the ball across to Kulusevski, who beautifully curled it into the back of the net. Atalanta went on the attack and they responded with a goal of their own 10 minutes later, through Malinovskyi’s sliced left-footed strike that cut down the centre of the goal to make it 1-1. CHIESA WINS IT FOR JUVE Into the second half and Atalanta grabbed the first chance of the half when a dangerous free-kick was bravely blocked by de Ligt, before seeing Gollini pull off a save to deny Kulusevski following Chiesa’s promising move on the opposite end of the field. Juventus then went agonizingly close to taking the lead again when Ronaldo’s back heel found Chiesa, who ferociously fired at goal only to see the ball rattle the post! The scoreline did change 2-1 in favour of Juventus in the 73rd minute: Chiesa did brilliantly well to cut inside from the left, pass it to Kulusevski, who then returned the layoff to him, as he swept it past Gollini from inside the small box. Dybala came on for the goalscorer, while Bonucci replaced Kulusevski as Juventus went on to hold out for a 14th Italian Cup victory. Atalanta: Gollini; Toloi, Romero, Palomino; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pessina; Malinovskyi, Duvan Zapata. Subs: Rossi, Sportiello, Maehle, Sutalo, Lammers, Muriel, Caldara, Djimsiti, Ruggeri, Miranchuk, Ilicic, Pasalic. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Chiellini, Danilo; McKennie, Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa (Dybala 74’); Kulusevski (Bonucci 82’), Ronaldo. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus took an important step forward to keeping their aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League alive by defeating Inter 3-2 in the Derby d’Italia at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening, despite ending the game with 10-men. Ronaldo opened the scoring while Juan Cuadrado grabbed a brace to help the Bianconeri secure all three points.
RONALDO SCORES AFTER SAVED PENALTY The first chance of the game fell to Juventus when Chiesa headed back Danilo’s cross into the centre of the box, Kulusevski struck it first time towards goal but it was headed away by Skriniar, who was positioned just in front of the goalline. It was the Bianconeri who were doing the majority of the attacking and they were awarded a penalty in the 23rd minute after VAR judged Darmian to have brought down Chiellini in the box. Ronaldo stood up to take the kick, and despite Handanovic having saved the penalty, the Portuguese fired in on the rebound to make it 1-0. LUKAKU COVERTS FROM THE SPOT Ten minutes later and Inter were then awarded a penalty after VAR judged de Ligt to have clipped Lautaro’s heel inside the box. Lukaku stood up to the spot and converted by sending Szczesny the wrong way. Danilo and Kulusevski combined inside the box, only to see the Brazilian prod wide, while Chiesa saw his ferocious shot headed out by Skriniar. A JUANDERFUL GOAL Andrea Pirlo’s men weren’t relenting inside stoppage time and Rabiot saw his header denied by Handanovic. Their persistence paid off after they grabbed the lead through Juan Cuadrado, who struck a stunning strike on the edge of the box that looped over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. BIANCONERI DOWN TO 10-MEN Into the second half and it was Inter who threatened first, with Lautaro blasting the ball narrowly over the target. The hosts were then reduced to 10 men when Bentancur was shown a second yellow card of the game. De Ligt made a great clearance to beat away Hakimi’s cross that was sailing towards Lautaro at the back post, before Szczesny pulled off a great save to palm away Vecino’s glancing header from point blank range. CUADRADO SECURES VICTORY Dramatic moments then ensued on either end of the field: Inter drew level through an own goal by Chiellini that was originally ruled out before VAR intervened. Seconds later, Juventus were awarded a second penalty in the 88th minute when Cuadrado was brought down by Perisic. The Colombian took to the penalty spot and fired home with ease to ensure the Bianconeri claimed a 3-2 victory. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa (Demiral 69’); Kulusevski (McKennie 57’), Ronaldo (Morata 69’). Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Demiral, Arthur, Ramsey, McKennie, Bernardeschi, Morata, Dybala, Felix Correia. Inter: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, A Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen, Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Lukaku. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus bounced back with a victory after they defeated Sassuolo 3-1 on Wednesday evening courtesy of goals from Adrien Rabiot, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala, while Gianluigi Buffon denied Domenico Berardi from the penalty spot.
BUFFON SAVES PENALTY After suffering a defeat to Milan on the weekend, Andrea Pirlo was looking to bounce back with a victory against Sassuolo. However, it was the hosts who were the first to threaten at goal, when they saw chances from Traore and Berardi both blazed narrowly over the target. The Neroverdi were awarded a penalty in the 15th minute when Bonucci brought down Raspadori inside the box. It was Berardi who took to the spot, and he was brilliantly denied by Buffon who palmed away his penalty to keep the scoreline goalless. RABIOT OPENS THE SCORING Kulusevski saw his angled shot parried away by Consigli, before the Bianconeri grabbed the lead in the 28th minute courtesy of Rabiot: he cut inside and drilled a left-footed effort through the legs of keeper. Buffon pulled off another spectacular save to deny Sassuolo, when he pushed away Obiang’s curling effort at the bottom post, before Ronaldo’s shot was saved by Consigli. CR100 Despite Sassuolo’s attacking efforts, Juventus would prove to be more ruthless in front of goal and they went two goals clear on the brink of half-time. Ronaldo brilliantly controlled a long ball, beat Marlon with a flick and drilled it past Sassuolo’s stopper to score his 100th strike in the black and white jersey. SASSUOLO PULL ONE BACK, DYBALA RESPONDS The second half started with Juventus testing Consigli, but he was equal to Chiesa’s effort. The Neroverdi then pulled one back in the 59th minute when a central pass to Raspadori allowed him to drill a low effort into the bottom corner. Chiesa curled the ball around the back post, before Alex Sandro pulled off an incredible intervention to toe-poke Locatelli’s cross out at the back post. Juventus’ two-goal lead was restored in the 66th minute when a breakaway saw Kulusevski cross the ball to Dybala, he then burst into the box and chipped the ball into the back of the net to also score his 100th goal for the club. Ronaldo then rattled the upright with a curling effort, as the Bianconeri went on to claim all three points. Sassuolo: Consigli; Toljan, Marlon, Ferrari, Kyriakopoulos; Obiang, Locatelli; Berardi, Traore, Boga; Raspadori. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Kulusevski, Arthur (Bentancur 60’), Rabiot, Chiesa (Cuadrado 81’); Dybala (McKennie 81’), Ronaldo. Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Cuadrado, Demiral, Ramsey, McKennie, Bentancur, Bernardeschi, Morata, Felix Correia. Source: www.juventus.com |
It wasn’t to be for Juventus as Milan claimed a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening courtesy of goals from Ibrahim Diaz, Ante Rebic and Fikayo Tomori.
DIAZ CURLER PUTS MILAN IN FRONT The opening quarter of an hour saw a very calculated play between the two teams, with neither side particularly testing the opposing goalkeeper. Ibrahimovic had his shot closed down by Chiellini, before the visitors strung a series of passes together around the box that resulted in Diaz unleashing an effort just high of the target. Szczesny was called into action in the 21st minute when Diaz fired straight down the middle after an exchange with Theo Hernandez. A great chance then fell to Juve when Chiellini turned Cuadrado’s corner kick just wide of the back post with his glancing header. De Ligt brought to a halt Milan’s attacking play when he stole the ball off Ibrahimovic’s feet inside the box, before Alex Sandro pulled off an excellent header to turn away Theo’s cross-shot. The half ended with Milan grabbing the lead inside stoppage time: Tek initially beat away Calhanoglu’s free-kick, but Diaz got onto the end of it and he curled the ball into the top far corner. SZCZESNY SAVES KESSIE PENALTY Into the second half and Juventus threatened straight away with a Bentancur strike that was punched away by Donnarumma. Milan was then awarded a penalty in the 57th minute after VAR had judged Chiellini to have handled the ball: Kessie stood up to take the kick and he was denied by a brilliant Szczesny! REBIC & TOMORI WRAP IT UP Juventus started to apply the pressure on Milan, but their backline was holding tight. Stefano Pioli’s men then went on the breakaway and they doubled the lead in the 78th minute through Rebic, who blasted in from the edge of the D into the back of Szczesny’s net, watching it sail into the top corner. It didn’t end there though for Milan, who added their third and final goal through Tomori, when he turned in Calhanoglu’s free-kick with a header with seven minutes remaining. The Bianconeri attempted to pull their way back, but it wasn’t to be as Milan claimed all three points. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; McKennie, Bentancur (Kulusevski 66’), Rabiot, Chiesa (Dybala 79’); Morata, Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Bonucci, Demiral, Arthur, Ramsey, Bernardeschi, Kulusevski, Dybala. Milan: G Donnarumma; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Calhanoglu; Ibrahimovic. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus Women set history once again by claiming their fourth consecutive Serie A title after defeating Napoli 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at Campo Ale & Ricky of Vinovo.
The Bianconere came into the game knowing that only one more point in their remaining three more games would be enough to secure the league trophy, and they made their intensions of winning clear from the get-go. Barbara Bonansea saw her dangerous run on the edge of the box come to a stop when she was brought down. Boattin and Girelli stood over the ball to take the free kick, which saw the latter’s effort sail over the target. Juventus’ persistence saw them grab the lead in the 19th minute when Maria Alves’ cross met Girelli, her header was saved by Tasselli, but there was nothing the former ex-Bianconere goalkeeper could do when she tapped in the rebound. That brought her tally of goals in Serie A with the club to 50. Rita Guarino’s girls doubled the lead 10 minutes later when Bonansea, who was left unmarked in the box, turned in Maria Alves’ cross from close range to put one hand on the Scudetto trophy. Into the second half and Juventus started it by nearly making it 3-0 through Girelli, who rounded the ball just wide of the post. Caruso on her 100th appearance for the club attempted a goal from 20 yards out that sailed high over the crossbar. A chance then fell to Lundorf just before the hour mark: she controlled the ball in the box and then tried to lob it into the net but it went just over, before Tasselli denied Rosucci in front of goal. The Bianconere were dominating play and it Bonansea went agonizingly close to getting her second of the day when her curling strike rattled the crossbar with force. Giuliani was then called into action, which she dealt with with ease, before a breakaway by the hosts saw Girelli's strike from range smack the woodwork. Juventus Women claimed all three points, and, more importantly, the league title! Source: www.juventus.com |
Two late goals by Cristiano Ronaldo meant Juventus return to Turin with three crucial points after they claimed a 2-1 victory over Udinese on Sunday evening at the Stadio Friuli.
MOLINA GETS UDINESE OFF THE MARK Udinese grabbed the lead with just 10 minutes on the clock when they took a free-kick quickly that took the Bianconeri by surprise, Molina worked his way down the right before firing a ferocious effort past Szczesny. Goalscoring occasions weren’t forthcoming, with neither side rarely testing the opposing goalkeepers. The Bianconeri’s first chance of the game came in the 27th minute when Juan Cuadrado floated in a corner into the box, which met the head of McKennie who directed it just wide of the back post. De Ligt then made an attempt to shoot at goal but after it being charged down, he then crossed it into the box to Ronaldo, who directed his header narrowly over the target. RONALDO TURNS THE GAME AROUND The second half started Arslan drilling just wide of the target, while Ronaldo’s was easily gathered by Scuffet. Stryger-Larsen then saw his long-range effort go high and wide of goal, before Bonifazi’s attempted overhead kick went out of play. A penalty was awarded to Juve in the 81st minute after De Paul was judged to have handled Ronaldo’s free-kick inside the box. The Portuguese took to the spot and he made no error in slotting it into the back of the net from 11 yards out. That goal spurred Juventus on and the Bianconeri then went on to find the winning goal in the 89th minute through Ronaldo, who headed in Rabiot’s cross at the back post, squeezing the ball between the post and Scuffet. Udinese: Scuffet; Becao, Nuytinck, Bonifazi; N Molina, De Paul, Walace, Arslan, Stryger-Larsen; Pereyra; Okaka. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Rabiot 84’), Bentancur, McKennie (Felix Correia 84’), Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 59’); Dybala (Morata 66’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Dragusin, Chiellini, Arthur, Rabiot, Ramsey, Vrioni, Felix Correia, Kulusevski, Morata. Source: www.juventus.com |
Alvaro Morata scored a wonderful left-footed effort seconds after coming off the bench at half-time to secure a 1-1 draw for Juventus at Fiorentina on Sunday afternoon.
Dusan Vlahovic had given the home side the lead from the penalty spot midway through the first half, with the Bianconeri only threatening through Aaron Ramsey just before the break. Juve came out fighting in the second half and looked the more likely side to take all three points after Morata’s goal, but Fiorentina dug in to deny Andrea Pirlo’s men. VLAHOVIC SCORES FROM THE SPOT Both sides set up with 3-5-2 formations, meaning space was at a premium in the middle and down the flanks. Aaron Ramsey and Juan Cuadrado threatened for Juve after Pirlo’s men pounced on errors from Fiorentina in the opening exchanges, while Franck Ribery and Dusan Vlahovic looked lively down the other end for the home side. The first real chance of the game fell to Nikola Milenkovic, who unleashed a piledriver from just outside the box that forced Wojciech Szczesny to concede a corner. Erick Pulgar followed that up with another long-range effort, this time hitting the post. These chances buoyed the Viola, who surged forward in the hope of making their pressure pay. Minutes later, the ball connected with Adrien Rabiot’s arm in the box, with VAR ruling it to be worthy of a penalty kick. Vlahovic made no mistake from the spot to give Fiorentina a 1-0 lead. Juventus looked to rally, focusing on central areas due to the lack of space out wide: Paulo Dybala and Rodrigo Bentancur managed to burst through the lines just before half time, with Aaron Ramsey eventually sent through on goal, but the Welshman failed to hit the target. MORATA HITS A STUNNING EQUALISER Pirlo switched to a 4-4-2 for the second half, replacing Leonardo Bonucci and Dybala with Dejan Kulusevski and Alvaro Morata. It took the Spaniard just 30 seconds and two touches to make his mark on the game: he used his first to control Cuadrado’s through ball and cut inside, while his second was a perfect curling left-footer that nestled in at the far post to level the scores at 1-1. The goal seemed to open the game up, leaving Juve with more room to manoeuvre. Yet Fiorentina remained a threat, with Pulgar testing Szczesny from the edge of the box. Down the other end, Giorgio Chiellini managed to knock down a Cuadrado free-kick into a dangerous area, but there was nobody waiting for the Bianconeri to convert the chance. Cristiano Ronaldo was twice thwarted, first by Milenkovic and then by the Viola keeper. Pirlo sent on Weston McKennie for Ramsey as Juve continued to go in search of the winner, with Cuadrado providing several crosses on top of his defensive duties against Ribery and Gaetano Castrovilli. Both teams appeared to tire as the match wore on – and both left themselves open to the counter. Yet Juve seemed to be the brighter side and they nearly had their second goal when Kulusevski’s cross came inches from finding its intended recipient at the back post. The Bianconeri kept pushing, but Fiorentina stood firm and batted back everything Juve threw at them until the final whistle blew. FIORENTINA 1-1 JUVENTUS: SCORERS: Vlahovic pen. 29, Morata 46. FIORENTINA: Dragowski; Milenkovic, Pezzella, Caceres; Venuti (M. Quarta HT), Amrabat, Pulgar, Castrovilli (Eysseric 85), Igor (Biraghi 72); Ribery (Kouame 72); Vlahovic. Subs not used: Terracciano, Malcuit, Barreca, Maxi Olivera, Callejon, Montiel, Rosati. Coach: Iachini JUVENTUS: Szczesny; de Ligt, Bonucci (Morata HT), Chiellini; Cuadrado, Ramsey (McKennie 69), Bentancur, Rabiot, Alex Sandro; Dybala (Kulusevski HT), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Frabotta, Arthur, Bernardeschi, Felix Correia. Coach: Pirlo. REFEREE: Massa ASSISTANTS: Meli, Alassio FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ayroldi VAR: Giacomelli, Ranghetti YELLOW CARDS: Igor 40, De Ligt 52, Caceres 61, Biraghi 88. Source: www.juventus.com |
Alex Sandro struck twice and Matthijs de Ligt got on the scoresheet too as Juventus claimed a 3-1 victory against Parma on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Stadium.
BRUGMAN SCORES UNSTOPPABLE FREE-KICK Juventus started off the stronger of the two sides, applying the pressure from the get-go. Their pressure on the Parma backline meant that goalkeeper Colombi was kept busy, as he pulled off a series on Cuadrado, Alex Sandro and Cristiano Ronaldo. Pellè created Parma’s first chance of the game when his header went just wide of goal in the 11th minute. The visitors would land up taking the lead in the 25th minute when Brugman’s free-kick flew over the wall and past Buffon in what was an unstoppable set-piece. Dybala nearly grabbed the equalizer minutes later with his strike from distance that sailed narrowly over the goalframe. ALEX SANDRO RESPONDS WITH A BRACE! Juve were putting the pressure again on Parma and Bonucci threatened with a glancing header from Alex Sandro’s cross that sailed just wide of the back post. The Bianconeri got their equalizer just minutes before the break when Alex Sandro brilliantly controlled the ball and unleashed an unstoppable left-footed volley into the back of the net. The Brazilian was proving to be in fine form, and he started the second half in the same manner with which he ended the first, with a goal! Cuadrado floated in a cross from the right to Alex Sandro, who was left unmarked at the back post, and he nodded it in from a yard out. DE LIGT HEADER MAKES IT 3-1 Parma nearly found a second goal themselves in the 64th minute when a dangerous header by Pezzella sailed towards goal, only to be cleared off the line by an Arthur header. Regardless of the visitors’ efforts, Juve were the ones who proved to be stronger on the night and as they grabbed a third goal four minutes later through Cuadrado’s corner kick which was turned in by de Ligt’s header. Colombi’s right foot denied the Bianconeri of a fourth goal when he toe-poked away Dybala’s effort, before Buffon was then called into action when he fingertipped Karamoah’s glancing header over the bar. The remainder of the game would play out with neither side adding a goal to their tally, as Juventus secured the three points. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Kulusevski 72’), Arthur (Bernardeschi 86’), Bentancur (Rabiot 72’), McKennie (Ramsey 72’); Dybala (Morata 84’), Ronaldo. Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Bernardeschi, Frabotta, Rabiot, Ramsey, Kulusevski, Felix Correia, Morata. Parma: Colombi; Laurini, Bani, Osorio, Pezzella; Grassi, Brugman, Kurtic; Man, Pellè, Gervinho. Source: www.juventus.com |
A late goal from Ruslan Malinovskiy, whose shot caught a fortunate deflection off Alex Sandro, earned Atalanta a narrow 1-0 win over Juventus in Bergamo. The goal settled an intense contest that never truly sparkled and looked on course for a 0-0 draw that both sides would have considered fair. Instead, the result could be springboard for Atalanta, who go above Juve to take third spot in the table.
PLENTY OF ENDEAVOUR, PRECIOUS FEW CHANCES Juventus made a strong start to the contest, moving the ball quickly and linking up well as Atalanta pressed high, looking to play their trademark direct football. The tempo was high in the opening exchanges, but there were no significant chances to speak of until before the 20-minute mark, when Atalanta’s Matteo Pessina played a one-two with Luis Muriel on the edge of the box before rifling towards goal. Matthijs De Ligt was there with an important block to deflect it behind for a corner. Juve’s first big chance of the game came on 30 minutes. Federico Chiesa did brilliantly to win the ball in the Atalanta box and find Alvaro Morata, who managed to work a yard of space before attempting to lob Pierluigi Gollini, only for Berat Djimsiti to deny him a fine goal. As the half drew to a close, the Bianconeri began to turn the screw, forcing the home side back into their half. There would be time for two more Juve chances before the end of the first period, but first Chiesa saw his shot blocked in the area and then De Ligt failed hit the target with a header from Juan Cuadrado’s free-kick. LATE MALINOVSKYI GOAL THE DIFFERENCE The match continued in a similar vein in the second period, though Andrea Pirlo had to do without Chiesa, who was replaced by Danilo just before the hour mark, while Atalanta were showcasing greater conviction. Luis Muriel's right-footed effort from the edge of the box just cleared the crossbar, as did a Paulo Dybala free-kick. The Argentine made way for Dejan Kulusevski, while Josip Ilicic came on for Muriel, making an immediate impact with dangerous cross that Zapata put just wide. At the other end, the Swede laid on a good opportunity for Morata, whose volley was diverted by Gollini out for a corner. Pirlo sent on Arthur in place of Weston McKennie in a bid to bring order to a muddled and disjointed end to the game, with the tired teams committing fouls to break up play. In a match that falls into such a pattern, individual moments can be decisive. And so it proved when Malinovskyi, who had already tested Wojciech Szczesny with a free-kick from 30 yards, saw a strike from the edge of the area deflect off Alex Sandro and find its way into the Juventus goal. The strike after 87 minutes was enough to earn the home side all three points, which take Atalanta above Juventus in the league table, making for an increasingly tight race for the Champions League spots. ATALANTA 1-0 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: Malinovsky 87. ATALANTA: Gollini; Toloi, Palomino, Djimsiti; Maehle (Malinovskyi 72), De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pessina (Pasalic 46); Zapata, Muriel (Ilicic 68); Zapata. Subs not used: Sportiello, F. Rossi, Caldara, Ruggeri, Sutalo, Kovalenko, Miranchuk, Lammers. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; McKennie (Arthur 77), Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa (Danilo 58); Dybala (Kulusevski 68), Morata. Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Demiral, Frabotta, Ramsey, Felix Correia. Coach: Pirlo. REFEREE: Orsato ASSISTANTS: Giallatini, Preti FOURTH OFFICIAL: Sacchi VAR: Fabbri, Liberti BOOKED: Bonucci 73, Gosens 78, Malinovsky 79, Djimsiti 82, Cuadrado 90+3. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus claimed another three points at the Allianz Stadium this week by beating Genoa 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. Kulusevski and Morata opened the scoreline in the first half, before McKennie added a third after he came on as a sub.
KULU & MORATA PUT JUVE AT 2-0 After winning at home in the mid-week against Napoli, the Bianconeri were showing renewed confidence and they put that on display in their patient build-up that saw them grab the lead in the fourth minute. Cuadrado skipped past his marker to burst into the box, he pulled it back to an unmarked Kulusevski, who curled it into the top left-corner. A second goal followed in the 22nd minute when a defensive error by Genoa allowed for Chiesa to break away. He shot at goal but Perin pulled off a great save to palm the ball away, Ronaldo then followed on the rebound and it kissed the crossbar, to bounce in the box as Morata buried the move with ease. Rabiot then attempted an effort which Perin pushed around the pole, before Kulusevski unleashed a low effort that was once again saved. SCAMACCA STRIKES EARLY Into the second half and Genoa started it in the same way Juve began the first, with a goal: a corner was bent into the box which saw Scamacca head in past Szczesny. Two more chances fell to the visitors in quick succession: Pjaca had his snapshot beaten away by Szczesny, before then firing again moments later with a dangerous effort in the box that went wide. SUPER-SUB MCKENNIE Ronaldo followed up with a chance of his own as he drilled the ball just inches wide of goal. Dybala and McKennie were then introduced into the game, and it was the American who made an immediate impact. Danilo played the ball forward to McKennie, who beat the offside trap, surged towards goal and slotted it past Perin. The former Juve stopper did just enough to turn away Alex Sandro’s effort from going in goal, while Dybala had his effort nodded off the line in the final minutes of stoppage time. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado (Alex Sandro 46’), de Ligt, Chiellini, Danilo; Chiesa, Bentancur, Rabiot (Ramsey 84’), Kulusevski (McKennie 68’); Morata (Dybala 68’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Demiral, Alex Sandro, Frabotta, Dragusin, Di Pardo, Arthur, McKennie, Fagioli, Ramsey, Dybala. Genoa: Perin; Masiello, Radovanovic, Criscito; Biraschi, Rovella, Badelj, Behrami, Zappacosta; Pandev, Scamacca. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Napoli on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal in the first half, while Dybala added the second after coming on as a substitute.
SIIII! RONALDO SCORES, CHIESA WITH SUBLIME ASSIST The opening three minutes of the game saw chances arrive on both sides of the field: Danilo sent in a cross to Ronaldo, who just had to nod it into the back of the net, but it glanced just wide of goal. Napoli followed up with an attack of their own, which saw Zielinski blast a good chance over the target. Juventus took the lead in the 13th minute after a superb move by Chiesa, who dribbled past his defenders, crossed low for Ronaldo, who then fired it home from 11 yards! Many chances didn’t follow but the game was equally tightknit: Insigne shot over the bar from range, while Chiesa also directed his effort over the target. BUFFON SAVES, DYBALA MAKES IT 2-0 Into the second half and it was Napoli who had the first chance at goal when Di Lorenzo found himself in acres of space and he unleashed a powerful effort that Buffon parried away. Cuadrado then struck a good effort wide after Juve burst down the field on a counter, Dybala and McKennie were introduced into the game in place of Morata and Cuadrado in the 68th minute. Buffon pulled off yet another solid save when he denied Fabian Ruiz’ snapshot round the post, as Juventus added a second goal to their tally courtesy of Dybala. Bentancur fed him the ball onto the edge of the box, and he struck a low left-footed curler into the bottom far corner. INSIGNE SCORES LATE PENALTY Napoli were handed a penalty in the 89th minute after Chiellini bodychecked Osimhem in the box: Insigne took to the spot and he converted by sending Buffon in the wrong direction. Juventus held on for the four minutes of extra time to claim all three points. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (McKennie 68’), Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa (Arthur 80’); Morata (Dybala 68’), Ronaldo. Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Demiral, Frabotta, Dragusin, Di Pardo, Arthur, McKennie, Fagioli, Ramsey, Kulusevski, Dybala. Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Koulibaly, Hysaj; Fabian Ruiz, Demme; Lozano, Zielinski, L Insigne; Mertens. Subs: Contini, Ospina, Bakayoko, Mario Rui, Elmas, Osimhen, Maksimovic, Politano, Petagna, Manolas, Cioffi, Lobotka. Source: www.juventus.com |
Derby della Mole points were shared as Juventus and Torino played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening at the Stadio Olimpico. Chiesa opened the scoring, but Torino responded with two goals from Sanabria, before Cristiano Ronaldo drew level.
CHIESA OPENS THE SCORING It was almost a dream start for the Bianconeri, who saw Morata’s shot in the second minute of play saved by the feet of Sirigu. A second chance followed shortly after when Ronaldo nodded the ball back to an unmarked Chiesa inside the box and he blazed his volley over the target. Torino’s responded with a chance of their own in the sixth minute when Ansaldi blasted his effort just wide of the back post. Chiesa was arguably the most dangerous player for Juventus, and he made it 1-0 in the 13th minute for the Bianconeri. He was involved in a give-and-go with Morata, who played the ball back to him on the edge of the box, as he burst in and slotted the ball between the legs of Sirigu. SANABRIA PULLS ONE BACK It was a thrilling half and Torino pulled one back in the 27th minute: Mandragora unleashed a screamer from distance, which Szczesny beat away with a hand, but Sanabria was there on the last man and he beat Alex Sandro to nod in the rebound from a yard out. Juve then forced a save on Sirigu when Morata’s downwards header from Cuadrado’s cross was blocked by the keeper. SANABRIA POUNCES AGAIN Torino started the second half with a goal scored just seconds after kick-off: Sanabria intercepted Kulusevski’s misplaced pass and he burst forward into the box, where he unleashed an unstoppable ball that beat Szczesny. Juventus were pushing for an equalizer and Ronaldo was painstakingly denied by Sirigu after he fingertipped his glancing header over the bar. The Portuguese turned another header over the bar, before Pirlo opted for a double change in bringing on Bernardeschi and Ramsey for Kulusevski and Danilo. RONALDO MAKES IT 2-2 Ronaldo had the ball in the back of the net in the 80th minute after he headed home Bernardeschi’s cross: the offside flag had originally been raised but VAR deemed it to be onside, putting the scoreline equal. It so nearly became 3-2 in favour of Juve after Betancur’s ferocious shot rattled the post after Sirigu got a touch onto it. Sanabria threatened again with a ferocious header, which Tek brilliantly fingertipped over the bar. The final chance of the game ended with a curling Baselli free-kick that looked destined to go into the top corner, but fortunately Szczesny made a great save to ensure the points were shared. TORINO: Sirigu; Izzo, Bremer, Buongiorno; Vojvoda, Mandragora, Rincon, Ansaldi; Verdi; Belotti, Sanabria. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Rabiot 87’); Kulusevski (Bernardeschi 71’), Danilo (Ramsey 71’), Bentancur, Chiesa; Morata, Ronaldo. Subs: Pinsoglio, Israel, Dragusin, De Marino, Frabotta, Di Pardo, Rabiot, Fagioli, Bernardeschi, Ramsey, Felix Correia. Source: www.juventus.com |
Benevento claimed a 1-0 victory over Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon courtesy of Adolfo Gaich’s goal.
GOALLESS FIRST HALF The first chance of the game fell to Cristiano Ronaldo - who just before kick-off received a jersey from President Andrea Agnelli with the word GOAT and 770 on it to mark his incredible milestone - when he saw his effort drill past the back post. Lapadula took aim from range but his effort was high off the target, while his teammate Tuia nodded a free-kick just wide of Tek’s goal. Morata had a half chance fall to him that was saved by Montipò, before a double chance came in the way of Juve: de Ligt saw his header palmed away by Montipò, before then seeing Morata blast the rebound over as the half ended goalless. BENEVENTO POUNCE THROUGH GAICH Chiesa went searching for an early goal in the second half to open the scoring, but after defeating his markers his shot blazed over the woodwork. Benevento risked an own goal in the 68th minute when Barba tried to clear away an effort, but it sailed towards goal, forcing Montipò to fingertip it over the bar. But it was the visitors who took the lead a minute later: Arthur’s back pass across the face of goal wasn’t precise and it was pounced on by Gaich, who fired it into the back of the net. JUVE GO IN SEARCH OF EQUALISER Ronaldo came agonisingly close to grabbing an equaliser in the 80th minute when his angled shot from close range was fingertipped over the bar by the keeper. He then attempted a second effort with an acrobatic overhead kick, which whisked past the post. The Bianconeri went in desperate search of a late goal to secure at least a point, and they nearly drew level when Ronaldo was once again denied by Montipò, before Danilo blazed over the rebound from a yard out as Benevento claimed the victory. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, de Ligt, Bernardeschi; Chiesa, Rabiot (McKennie 72’), Arthur (Bentancur 72’), Kulusevski; Morata, Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Dragusin, Di Pardo, Frabotta, McKennie, Bentancur, Fagioli. Benevento: Montipò; Caldirola, Tuia, Barba; Improta, Hetemaj, Viola, Ionita, Foulon; Gaich, Lapadula. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Juventus ran out 3-1 winners over Cagliari on Sunday evening at the Sardegna Arena.
RONALDO HAT-TRICK The Bianconeri were looking to bounce back from their elimination from the Champions League, and they responded straightaway by opening the scoring in the 10th minute. Juan Cuadrado delivered in the cross from a corner, and it met Ronaldo who rose above everyone and nodded it into the back of the net. The Portuguese added a second to his tally 15 minutes later from the penalty spot, blasting past Cragno after he was brought down in the box by the goalkeeper. A hat-trick was then completed in the 32nd: Chiesa rolled the ball across the face of goal for an unmarked Ronaldo, who changed feet and blasted it into the top far corner. Alex Sandro had to be replaced by Bernardeschi due to an injury, while Marin saw his long-range free-kick sail into the arms of Szczesny. CAGLIARI PULL ONE BACK Into the second half and it was Cagliari who was laying on the early pressure, as both Duncan and Merin forced saves from Tek with their shots from range. The hosts got their goal in the 61st minute when Simeone sliced home from Zappa’s assist. Rabiot blasted over the bar from close range, while Gaston Pereiro saw his angled drive flash past the back post in the 85th minute. The final seconds of the game saw Juventus attempt a fourth goal when he went one-on-one only to be denied by Cragno from close range. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado (Frabotta 83’), de Ligt, Chiellini (Bonucci 70’), Alex Sandro (Bernardeschi 34’); Kulusevski, Danilo, Rabiot, Chiesa (Arthur 83’); Ronaldo, Morata (McKennie 70’). Subs: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Di Pardo, Bonucci, Dragusin, Frabotta, Arthur, Fagioli, McKennie, Bernardeschi. Cagliari: Cragno; Ceppitelli, Godin, Rugani; Nandez, Marin, Duncan, Nainggolan, Zappa; Joao Pedro, Simeone. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus managed to record a 3-2 home win at the Allianz Stadium, but it wasn’t enough to see them through as 10-man Porto progressed to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League due to the away goal rule as the overall fixture ended 4-4 on aggregate.
SERGIO OLIVIERA CONVERTS FROM THE SPOT The Bianconeri knew they needed to pull out the stops in order to turn their first leg deficit around, and they nearly took the lead in the third minute when Morata’s powerful header off Cuadrado’s cross was met by Marchesin in goal. Porto came equally close minutes later when Taremi turned his header onto the bar. The visitors did find themselves take the lead with 18 minutes on the clock after they were awarded a penalty following Demiral’s foul on Taremi, in which Sergio Oliviera converted from the spot. End-to-end action then followed on either side of the field, in which Morata saw his dangerous shot denied by Marchesin from point blank range, while Szczesny was called in to make a save on a powerful Sergio Oliviera angled drive. CHIESA PULLS ONE BACK The second half started with Juventus knowing they needed to find a way back in the game and they made it 1-1 in the 50th minute. Bonucci sent a long ball to Ronaldo inside the box, he knocked it back to Chiesa, who curled it into the top far corner! That goal sparked new life into the hosts, and they drew a save on Marchesin from Ramsey’s corner. The dynamic of the game shifted in the 54th minute when Porto were reduced to 10 men after Mehdi picked up two bookings in the space of three minutes. CHIESA MAKES THE COMEBACK Juve went on the attack again, and they were denied by the upright: Chiesa had done all the hard work and just needed to slot it in, but Pepe’s charging run put him off and his effort rattled the foot of the post before being pushed out by the Porto defender. The attacker did eventually get his second goal to put the aggregate at 3-3 when he rose brilliantly to nod home Cuadrado’s incredible cross. Ronaldo saw his headed go wide of goal, while Szczesny beat away Sarr’s ferocious strike from distance. As extra time started approaching, both teams went in search of a late goal to decide the tie: Marega found himself some space in the box after brushing off his markers to turn his effort just wide of goal, while Cuadrado’s striking effort smashed against the crossbar as the game went into extra time. PORTO WIN IT IN EXTRA TIME Into extra time and Porto threatened on a short corner in which Corona dribbled past his marker, he then crossed the ball to Marega, whose header was saved by Szczesny. Kulusevski, who was brought on in extra time, made a great run inside the box but saw his shot charged down by Mbemba. Porto then went on the charge through Luis Diaz, but his teammates couldn’t unleash anything threatening. Morata then had his shot from outside the box saved by Marchesin. Two goals on each end of the field quickly followed: Porto made it 2-2 (4-3 on aggregate) through Sergio Oliviera who’s low free-kick sailed under the wall and into the net, despite Szczesny getting a touch. Rabiot, who gave away the free-kick that led to the goal, then put Juve back in front (4-4 on aggregate) after he nodded home a corner kick to give the Bianconeri a glimpse of hope. Despite Juve’s late efforts, they couldn’t find the fifth and final goal to ensure qualification into the next round. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Demiral, Bonucci (de Ligt 75’), Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Mckennie 75’), Arthur (Bernardeschi 101’), Rabiot, Chiesa (Kulusevski 101’); Morata, Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Chiellini, De Ligt, McKennie, Bernardeschi, Di Pardo, Dragusin, Frabotta, Fagioli,, Kulusevski. Porto: Marchesin; Manafá, Mbemba, Pepe, Zaidu; Corona, Uribe, Sergio Oliveira, Otavio; Marega, Taremi. Porto bench: Diogo Costa, Diogo Leite, Loum, Luis Diaz, Grujic, Felipe Anderson, Toni Martinez, Evanilson, Nanu, Sarr, Fabio Vieira, Francisco Conceicao. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus came back from a goal behind to claim a 3-1 victory against Lazio at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. Adrien Rabiot scored a rocket, while Alvaro Morata’s two goals in two minutes secured the three points.
Andrea Pirlo was able to welcome the return of Juan Cuadrado, Arthur and Bonucci, but had to make do without Matthijs de Ligt, Chiellini, Dybala, Frabotta and Rodrigo Bentancur, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. CORREA AND RABIOT MAKE IT EVEN Lazio were the first to threaten at goal when Fares, who caught Cuadrado off guard, burst forward and blazed his effort over the bar. Milinkovic-Savic was next to threaten at goal when his curling free-kick swooped just wide of the target. Their quick pressing paid off as they took the lead with only 14 minutes on the clock: Correa pounced on Kulusevski’s misplaced past, surged forward and fired into the back of the net. Juve’s first real chance of the half saw Morata flash his header just wide of the post, before Rabiot then found the equaliser in the 39th minute in stunning fashion. He went down the left, saw Reina off his line and blasted a left-footed rocket into the top corner from a tight angle. The half concluded with Fares firing a dangerous effort at goal, but it sailed inches wide. CHANCES AT BOTH ENDS Into the second half and it was Juventus who grabbed the first chance of the 45: Chiesa pulled off the most beautiful move by slaloming through the Lazio defence, but the final effort of his twist and turns were palmed away by Reina at the near post. Lazio then came close to scoring not once but twice: Szczesny pulled off a great save to deny Correa, before then seeing Milinkovic-Savic’s header turn onto the bar. #MOREMORATA The Bianconeri then turned the game around with two Morata goals in the space of two minutes. The first came when Juventus broke on the counterattack, Chiesa placed the pass perfectly to Morata, who smashed it into the top corner from 12 yards. The Spaniard then grabbed his second goal from the penalty spot after Ramsey was brought down in the box by Milinkovic-Savic, as he sent Reina the wrong way. Lazio went in search of trying to cut the deficit through Correa, who prodded his finish just wide, while Fares blasted a ferocious effort against the side-netting in what was the final chance of the game. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado (Arthur 69’), Danilo, Demiral, Alex Sandro; Chiesa (Chiesa 82’), Rabiot, Ramsey (McKennie 69’), Bernardeschi; Kulusevski (Di Pardo 92’), Morata (Ronaldo 69’). Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Dragusin, De Marino, Arthur, McKennie, Di Pardo, Fagioli, Peeters, Ake, Ronaldo. Lazio: Reina; Marusic, Hoedt, Acerbi; Lulic, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Luis Alberto, Fares; Correa, Immobile. Source: www.juventus.com |
Alvaro Morata, Federico Chiesa and Cristiano Ronaldo scored second half goals, while Szczesny saved a penalty as Juventus bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Spezia at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening.
SPEZIA FIGHT TOUGH Matthijs de Ligt was announced in the initial starting XI but after picking up niggle, he was replaced by Frabotta. Spezia started off well and they were the first to threaten at goal when a break on the counter saw Marchizza drill just wide of goal from eight yards out. Federico Chiesa had a goal ruled out for offside in the ninth minute, but it was Spezia who were causing trouble for Juve by allowing little space to create chances. An interesting moment happened on the half hour mark when Kulusevski found himself in an interesting position in the box, he passed to Ronaldo, but he was surrounded. Spezia managed to break away, as Marchizza’s shot was turned narrowly over the target by Demiral’s header. Provedel made an easy save off Chiesa’s snapshot, before Ronaldo’s powerful angled effort, which had beaten the keeper, bounced off the inside of the far post! SUPER SUBS BERNA & MORATA The second half started off with Juventus dominating the proceedings, and they had a few half chances fall their way. As a signal of all out offence, Morata and Bernardeschi were brought on in place of Frabotta and McKennie and both made an immediate impact. Seconds after coming on, Bernardeschi burst down the left, he pulled back by the byline for Morata, who ran onto the ball and tapped it in from close range at the near post. CHIESA DOUBLES THE LEAD The Bianconeri were starting to apply the pressure and Kulusevski saw his cross closed down on back-to-back occasions, while Ronaldo had the ball pinched from his feet. The pressure paid off as the scoreline was doubled to 2-0: Bernardeschi worked the ball brilliantly to Chiesa in the box, his first shot was denied by Provedel but he flung himself to acrobatically fire home on the rebound! RONALDO WRAPS IT UP, TEK SAVES A PENALTY Provedel denied Ronaldo of a goal when he punched away his free-kick in the 77th minute, but there was nothing the shot-stopper could do about his effort in the 89th minute. Bentancur won the ball back, and broke free on the right flank where he then rolled it across for Ronaldo, who drilled it into the back of the net. That wasn’t to be the final moment of action in the game, as Spezia were handed a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time after Demiral brought down Gyasi. Galabinov stood up to take the spot kick but Szczesny denied him in what proved to be the final kick of the game. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Demiral, Frabotta (Bernardeschi 61’), Alex Sandro; Chiesa (Ramsey 72’), Bentancur, Rabiot, McKennie (Morata 61’); Kulusevski (Di Pardo 88’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Di Pardo, Dragusin, de Ligt, Ramsey, Bernardeschi, Fagioli, Ake, Peeters, Morata. Spezia: Provedel; Vignali, Erlic, Terzi, Marchizza; Estevez, Sena, Maggiore; Farias, Nzola, Gyasi. Subs: Zoet, Acampora, Ricci, Galabinov, Agoume, S Bastoni, Salva Ferrer, Chabot, Ismajli, Agudelo, Piccoli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal wasn’t enough to bring home all three points from Verona as Juventus drew 1-1 against Hellas Verona on Saturday evening at the Stadio Bentegodi. After a goalless first half, Barak’s headed goal cancelled out Ronaldo’s second-half strike.
END-TO-END OPENING HALF Andrea Pirlo didn’t have many options coming into the game as Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Juan Cuadrado, Arthur and Paulo Dybala are all injured, while Alvaro Morata is still recovering from his viral infection, and Danilo is suspended. Despite this, Juve were the first team to threaten at goal when Ramsey smashed his effort into the side netting. Szczesny was then called into action moments later when a Zaccagni cross met Faraoni’s header and it thumped the outside the near post after Tek’s initial save. Chiesa, who was bursting with tireless energy, made a good move in the box before unleashing at goal, only to see it denied by Silvestri. By the half an hour mark of the half, the tempo had slowed down and neither side created any threatening chances, seeing them go into the break goalless. RONALDO OPENS THE SCORING However, that scoreline didn’t stay intact for very long as Ronaldo broke the scoreline just three minutes into the second half when he got onto the end of Chiesa’s perfect rolled pass to fire it home from 12 yards! It so nearly became 2-0 in the 59th minute: Kulusevski made an excellent run in the box, pulled back from the byline for Ramsey, whose shot was charged down. VERONA EQUALISE Weston McKennie was then introduced into the game in place of Ramsey, while Szczesny had to rush off his line to push the ball off the head of Faraoni. Verona started to pile on the pressure and their persistence paid off when they grabbed an equaliser in the 77th minute through Barak, who directed his headed ball into the top corner. The hosts nearly turned the result in their favour when Lazovic’s ferocious effort clipped the crossbar, while Veloso’s curling effort from the D went wide. One of Juve’s final attempts saw Ronaldo’s free-kick from 15 yards out strike the wall, as the points were shared in Verona. Verona: Silvestri; Magnani, Gunter, Lovato; Faraoni, Sturaro, Ilic, Dimarco; Barak, Zaccagni; Lasagna. Juventus: Szczesny; Demiral, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Chiesa (Di Pardo 87’), Bentancur, Rabiot, Bernardeschi; Ramsey (McKennie 67’); Kulusevski, Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Di Pardo, Dragusin, Frabotta, Capellini, McKennie, Fagioli, Peeters, Rafia, Marques, Ake. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-half brace and Weston McKennie’s second half strike ensured Juventus bounced back with three points after defeating Crotone 3-0 on Monday evening at the Allianz Stadium.
RONALDO HEADERS SENDS JUVE FLYING Crotone were the first to threaten at goal through Reca: he got onto the end of a chipped cross, Danilo slipped in front of him and he attempted to side foot it at the near post, but it went wide of goal. The game had a good ebb and flow to it, with the ball moving across the field with pace. The Bianconeri then won a free-kick inside the D, which saw Ronaldo blast it straight into McKennie, it then resulted in Crotone going on the counter, as they forced a save from Buffon. De Ligt then had a shot whisk just wide of goal, before Ramsey turned Chiesa’s cross onto the crossbar with his head. Juventus did eventually take the lead in the 39th minute when Alex Sandro floated in a cross into the box, it met Ronaldo who did what he does best, and he nodded it into the back of the net! A second goal was turned six minutes later by Ronaldo when he got onto the end of Ramsey’s cross to leap up into the air and turn it in for a second header. MCKENNIE’S MAGIC The Bianconeri started the second half looking to build onto their two-goal advantage: Danilo blazed his effort over the bar, while Ronaldo’s effort was denied by the foot of Cordaz. Juve did eventually make it 3-0 in the 66th minute when De Ligt’s header falls into the path of McKennie: he let it bounce before then smashing it home from close range. Messias let rip from range but it failed to test Buffon, while Ronaldo directed his free-kick over the target as Juventus took all three points. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, De Ligt, Demiral, Alex Sandro (Frabotta 86’); Chiesa (Di Pardo 86’), Bentancur (Fagioli 70’), Ramsey (Bernardeschi 75’), McKennie; Kulusevski (Morata 75’), Ronaldo. Bench: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Dragusin, Frabotta, Bernardeschi, Di Pardo, Fagioli, Peeters, Morata. Crotone: Cordaz; Pedro Pereira, Magallan, Golemic, Luperto; Messias, Molina, Vulic, Reca; Ounas, Di Carmine. Source: www.juventus.com |
Hosts Porto scored two early goals at the beginning of each half to claim a 2-1 victory at the Estádio do Dragão on Wednesday evening in the UEFA Champions League. Teremi and Marega both got on the scoresheet at the Estádio do Dragão, while Federico Chiesa managed to pull one back to secure a precious away goal.
TEREMI GRABS THE LEAD STRAIGHTAWAY The Bianconeri were left stunned after 70 seconds on the clock when Porto grabbed an early lead through Taremi. Szczesny passed the ball to Bentancur, who played the ball back to Tek, but didn’t realise Taremi was there, as he pounced and prodded it over the line. A second goal almost fell into Porto’s lap once again when Szczesny’s clearance landed at the feet of Oliveira, whose shot at goal took a deflection and sailed out of play. Juve then lost the services of Chiellini in the 34th minute due to injury, resulting in Demiral being brought on. The Bianconeri’s first chance of the game arrived in the 41st minute which saw Rabiot’s overhead kick palmed away by Marchesin, but it didn’t count for much as the offside flag was raised. MAREGA DOUBLES EARLY ON Just like the start of the first half, Porto got on the scoresheet just seconds after kick-off – this time through Marega. Manafà ran past the Bianconeri defenders and pulled back for Marega inside the box, who was left unmarked, and he made no mistake in making it 2-0. Kulusevski then saw his effort blocked by Uribe, before Szczesny was called into action moments later to deny Oliviera with a one-handed parry. CHIESA PULLS ONE BACK Morata was then introduced into the game in place of McKennie, while Bentancur’s long-range effort sailed over the crossbar. Both sides had promising chances flagged for offside, before Juve’s pressing resulted in them pulling one back in the 82nd minute through Chiesa. Rabiot pulled one back from the left flank, it reached Chiesa, who then side-footed it in from 12 yards for a great finish! Despite the Bianconeri’s late attempts, they couldn’t find an equaliser, but they return back to Turin with an important away goal. Porto: Marchesin; Manafá, Pepe, Mbemba, Zaidu; Corona, Otavio, Sergio Oliveira, Uribe; Marega, Taremi. Bench: Diogo Costa, Loum, Luis Diaz, Grujic, Romario Baro, Joao Mario, Felipe Anderson, Toni Martinez, Evanilson, Nanu, Sarr, Francisco Conceicao. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini (Demiral 34’), Alex Sandro; Chiesa, Bentancur, Rabiot, McKennie (Morata 63’); Kulusevski (Ramsey 77’), Ronaldo. Bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Ramsey, Morata, Dybala, Bonucci, Demiral, Bernardeschi, Di Pardo, Frabotta, Fagioli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty proved decisive as Napoli claimed a 1-0 victory over Juventus at the Stadio Maradona on Saturday evening.
INSIGNE PENALTY PUTS NAPOLI IN FRONT Both teams started the game looking to press the other and figure out the opposition’s tactics, and it resulted in a rather even opening 25 minutes with few chances. Napoli were then awarded a penalty, upon consulting VAR, on the half hour after Chiellini’s hand struck Rrahmani's face. Lorenzo Insigne hit home from nine yards out, sending the penalty into the roof of the net. The Italian then raced into the box, leaving de Ligt in his tracks but Chiellini was there for support and brilliantly charged down his effort. Chiesa saw his effort curl over the bar, while the half ended with Ronaldo’s free-kick smacking the wall. MERET DECISIVE FOR NAPOLI The start of the second half saw Alex Sandro was brought on in place of Juan Cuadrado. Juventus went on the attack from the get-go: Ronaldo flashed an effort wide of goal, before then seeing his shot from point-blank range saved by Meret. The Napoli goalkeeper repeated the feat by pulling off yet another strong save on Chiesa’s blazing strike, which he palmed over the bar. Morata had a goal ruled out for offside in the 63rd minute, due to Chiellini being in an offside position when making the assist. McKennie was then introduced into the game in place of Bernardeschi, as Ronaldo saw his effort at the near post denied by Meret. Juve were piling on the pressure in the final minutes of the game, and Chiesa saw another one of his effort sail narrowly wide of the post, before Meret pulled off yet another terrific save to deny Morata with his feet. Despite their late efforts, Juventus couldn’t find the equaliser as Napoli took home the points. Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Bakayoko, Zielinski; Politano, L Insigne, Lozano; Osimhen. Napoli bench: Contini, Zedadka, Elmas, Fabian Ruiz, Petagna, Costanzo, Cioffi, Lobotka. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado (Alex Sandro 46’), De Ligt, Chiellini, Danilo; Chiesa, Bentancur (Kulusevski 72’), Rabiot, Bernardeschi (McKennie 64’); Morata, Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Alex Sandro, McKennie, Bonucci, Demiral, Di Pardo, Frabotta, Fagioli, Kulusevski, Peeters. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus booked their spot in the Coppa Italia final after their goalless draw against Inter at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening, winning 2-1 on aggregate after the victory at the San Siro in the first leg.
GOALLESS FIRST HALF With the Bianconeri having ran out 2-1 winners in the first leg, Inter were always going to come out looking to snatch an early lead and the fiery atmosphere emanating from the field meant that tensions were high. The visitors went on a dangerous attack in the 10th minute when Hakimi burst down the flank and pulled back for Lautaro Martinez in the box, but as he went for the ball, he connected with Bernardeschi’s leg and went tumbling down. A chance fell to Inter in the 24th minute when an Eriksen free-kick struck the stomach of Lukaku and sailed out by inches. Brozovic fired straight into the arms of Buffon, while the half came to a conclusion with Ronaldo having had his shot charged down by De Vrij and an effort blocked by Handanovic’s feet. BIANCONERI DO ENOUGH Into the second half and Juventus came out more compact and looking to break away on the counter. Hakimi saw his effort curled narrowly over the bar, while McKennie replaced Bernardeschi in the 62nd minute. The Texan almost made an immediate impact when he fed the ball through to Ronaldo in the box, who saw his shot blocked by Handanovic. The shot-stopper denied CR7 again when he pulled off an excellent move of step overs and slaloms that resulted in him letting rip at goal, only to see it saved by the Slovenian. With neither side finding a break-through, Pirlo opted to go for a five-man defence by introducing Chiellini in place of Cuadrado with 10 minutes to spare. Inter increased the pressure in the final minutes through a series of corners, but the Bianconeri backline held out strong to ensure that the goalless draw was enough to book their spot in the Coppa Italia final. Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon; Danilo, Demiral, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Chiellini 81’), Bentancur, Rabiot, Bernardeschi (McKennie 62’); Kulusevski (Chiesa 87’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Dragusin, Chiellini, Frabotta, Di Pardo, McKennie, Peeters, Chiesa, Morata. Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen, Darmian; Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez. Inter bench: Padelli, Radu, Gagliardini, Vecino, Kolarov, Sensi, Ranocchia, Perisic, Young, D’Ambrosio, Pinamonti. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first half strike and Roger Ibanez’ own goal ensured a 2-0 victory for Juventus over Roma on Saturday evening at the Allianz Stadium!
RONALDO’S PERFECT PLACEMENT Roma started off as the team causing trouble through the likes of Mkhitaryan and Veretout, but it was Juventus who took the lead in the 12th minute. Alex Sandro did well to keep the ball on the left, before playing it to Morata inside the box, the Spaniard then teed up Ronaldo up for the shot by playing it back, as the ball sailed perfectly into the bottom corner of the net. The Giallorossi were determined to find an immediate equalizer, and they nearly did so through Cristante’s blazing shot from inside the D that grazed just over the top corner. Ronaldo followed with a firing effort of his own, that rattled the crossbar and bounced to the underside of the bar before going out of play. The rhythm of the game drifted off in the latter stages of the half, but Ronaldo did get manage to get a dangerous shot away at goal, which saw Pau Lopez at full stretch to palm it away. BIANCONERI 2-0, IBANEZ OG The second half started off with an equally tame pace to it, Cuadrado and Kulusevski were brought on in place of Morata and McKennie. Szczesny was called into action in the 67th minute when Carles Perez let rip on the volley towards goal, which saw Szczesny smother. Juventus went 2-0 up moments later after a great attacking move saw Kulusevski pull back for Ronaldo inside the box, Roger Ibanez slid in to try and stop it, but in turn, pushed it into the back of his own net. Roma was the team dominating the possession, and they saw Spinazzola scuff his shot just wide, before another dangerous cross saw the ball narrowly graze over Dzeko’s head and sail past everyone at the back post. The final moments saw Juve ensure that nothing got past them, as they claimed a 2-0 home win. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci (de Ligt 84’), Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Demiral 84’); McKennie (Cuadrado 65’), Arthur, Rabiot, Chiesa (Bernardeschi 82’); Morata (Kulusevski 65’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, de Ligt, Cuadrado, Demiral, Di Pardo, Dragusin, Frabotta, Bernardeschi, Kulusevski, Peeters. Roma: Pau Lopez; Mancini, Ibanez, Kumbulla; Karsdorp, Villar, Cristante, Veretout, Spinazzola; Mkhitaryan, Borja Mayoral. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus sealed first-leg advantage in the Coppa Italia semi-finals after defeating Inter 2-1 at the San Siro on Wednesday evening. Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring in the first half, but a Cristiano Ronaldo brace ensured that the Bianconeri would return to Turin with an advantage
LAUTARO OPENS THE SCORING The two teams met just weeks after the league encounter at the San Siro, which saw the Nerazzuri run out 2-0 winners. Antonio Conte’s side wasted no time in stunning Juventus with an early lead, as they made it 1-0 in the ninth minute of play. Alexis Sanchez won the ball in midfield and laid it off to Barella, who ran up the right flank and squared it for Lautaro Martinez, who had beaten de Ligt and shot it under Buffon into goal. RONALDO BRACE The Bianconeri equalised in the 25th minute when the referee, upon consulting with VAR, judged the pull on Cuadrado in the box by Young to be a penalty. Ronaldo stood up and converted with ease, sending Handanovic the wrong way. Confidence was instilling itself with each Juventus pass and it was Ronaldo who turned the scoreline on its head, making it 2-1 in favour of Juventus. Inter played the ball back, Handanovic was way off his line, Ronaldo stole the ball from Bastoni and he sent it towards goal, seeing it bounce off the upright and into the net. INTER DOMINATE BUT NO GOAL Into the second half and it was Inter who dominated from start to finish. First blood was nearly drawn when they were brilliantly denied by Demiral off the line after Alexis Sanchez took aim after spotting Buffon off his line. The hosts kept going in search for an equalizer, but they had to battle with Buffon, who was called into making a big save from close range, denying Darmian inside the box with a one-handed save. Barella then saw his acrobatic attempt sail just wide of goal, but despite all their attempts, it was Pirlo and his players who were left smiling. Inter: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Brozovic, Vidal, Young; Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Sanchez. Subs: Padelli, Radu, Gagliardini, Vecino, Kolarov, Sensi, Ranocchia, Perisic, Eriksen, D’Ambrosio, Pinamonti. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Demiral, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi (Danilo 76’), Bentancur (Athur 76’), Rabiot, McKennie (Chiellini 89’); Kulusevski (Chiesa 89’), Ronaldo (Morata 76’). Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Chiellini, Bonucci, Dragusin, Frabotta, Arthur, Peeters, Fagioli, Chiesa, Morata. Source: www.juventus.com |
A solid, convincing performance with goals by Federico Chiesa and Aaron Ramsey was enough for Juve to overcome Sampdoria. Wojciech Szczesny was rarely threatened and the Bianconeri manoeuvred the ball with finesse – an excellent sign, besides the all-important three points.
CHIESA BREAKS THE DEADLOCK The Bianconeri's high pressing and rapid ball circulation had the home side pegged back in their own half and while Samp tried to keep things tight and tidy Juve's precision passing was clearly going to cause them problems. So it proved with 20 minutes on the clock when Cristiano Ronaldo spread play out wide for Alvaro Morata, whose low delivery found Chiesa in space at the back stick: 1-0 to Juve. QUALITY AND CHARACTER The Bianconeri had quality in abundance and plenty of character too. As the minutes passed they increasingly seized control of the game, stifling anything Samp could muster and carving out a string of chances. Ronaldo fizzed an effort over from the edge of the box, fired wide after going past Emil Audero, then saw Maya Yoshida steal the ball off him just as he was about to pull the trigger in the area. JUVE IN CONTROL The incessant, driving rain hardly facilitated flowing football yet Juve appeared unaffected by it as they zipped the ball around with ease after the restart. It wasn't easy to create openings for the shot, though, with Samp defending well. Two rare forays forward for the hosts saw Fabio Quagliarella denied first by Giorgio Chiellini and then by Szczesny. However, even as the tempo began to drop, the Bianconeri always remained in complete control. RAMSEY WRAPS IT UP Andrea Pirlo brought on Adrien Rabiot and Federico Bernardeschi for Rodrigo Bentancur and Morata in the final 15 minutes, followed by Alex Sandro and Ramsey for Chiesa and Arthur shortly afterwards. In the meantime Samp had sparked into life as they sought a late equaliser but were unable to trouble Szczesny and inevitably left themselves open at the back. Juventus punished them for it in added time as Ronaldo hit a long ball up for Juan Cuadrado and the Colombian set up Ramsey for the simplest of finishes, wrapping up three thoroughly deserved points. SAMPDORIA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1). SCORERS: Chiesa 20, Ramsey 90+1. SAMPDORIA: Audero; Bereszynski, Yoshida, Colley, Augello; Candreva (Jankto 81), Silva (Damsgaard 63), Ekdal, Thorsby; Keita (Torregrossa 68), Quagliarella (Ramirez 68). Subs not used: Letica, Tonelli, Regini, Ferrari, Leris, Jankto, Askildsen, Verre, La Gumina. Coach: Ranieri. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Chiellini, Danilo; Chiesa (Alex Sandro 84), Arthur (Ramsey 84), Bentancur (Rabiot 75), McKennie; Morata (Bernardeschi 78), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, de Ligt, Demiral, Dragusin, Frabotta, Fagioli. Coach: Pirlo. REFEREE: Fabbri. ASSISTANTS: Alassio, Tolfo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Maresca. VAR: Valeri, Tegoni. BOOKED: Thorsby 24, Ekdal 30, Bentancur 37, Damsgaard 87, Bernardeschi 89. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus booked their spot into the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia after defeating Spal 4-0 at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening. Alvaro Morata opened the scoring from the penalty spot, while Frabotta, Kulusevski and Chiesa got onto the scoresheet too. Juventus will meet Inter next in the tournament.
MORATA AND FRABOTTA SECURE FIRST HALF LEAD Andrea Pirlo gave starting berths to Dragusin and Fagioli, while he also welcomed back Alex Sandro for the first time on the bench after he was cleared of Covid-19. The Bianconeri started the game looking for an early goal, and it was Morata who forced a save from Berisha with his ferocious shot in the eighth minute. They only needed a further eight minutes before finding the back of the net after Rabiot, who was initially booked for simulation in the box, but had it overturned by VAR, won a penalty. Alvaro Morata stood up to convert the ball, and he did so with absolute ease. A second goal was added in the 33rd minute when Kulusevski, who dribbled Ranieri twice, pulled back to the edge of the area where Frabotta ran onto the end of it and blazed it into the back of the net. One of Spal’s only chances of the half saw Floccari fire wide of goal, as the Bianconeri carried a 2-0 lead into the break. KULUGOAL & CHIESA STRIKE! Di Pardo came on in place of Bernardeschi at the start of the half, as it kicked off to a slower rhythm than that of the first half. Spal started to gain confidence with each passing minute and they pressed around the box, seeing Valoti’s shot sail into the arms of Buffon. But it was Andrea Pirlo’s men who would land up getting their name on the scoresheet in the second half after Kulusevski got onto the end of Chiesa’s ball to slot it past Berisha 12 minutes from time. Not much goalmouth action followed in the remaining minutes, but Chiesa did manage to get a fourth and final goal with his effort in the 94th minute which saw him literally walk the ball into the back of the net after the Spal backline seemingly gave up on their duties. Juventus: Buffon; Demiral (Da Graca 83’), De Ligt, Dragusin, Frabotta; Bernardeschi (Di Pardo 46’), Rabiot, Fagioli (McKennie 86’), Ramsey; Kulusevski, Morata. Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Cuadrado, Bonucci, Chiellini, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Di Pardo, Arthur, McKennie, Chiesa, Da Graca. Source: www.juventus.com |
Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus side scored once in each half to see off a spirited Bologna performance at Allianz Stadium on Sunday lunchtime.
Arthur set Juve on their way with a deflected goal after 15 minutes, but Bologna came back strongly and ensured the home side had to wait until halfway through the second half for their second goal, scored by the excellent Weston McKennie. Pirlo’s men could well have been out of side long before that, but what they lacked in front of goal they more than made up for in terms of freshness and fitness, with the entire side working tirelessly from start to finish. ARTHUR PUTS US AHEAD Juve started the game well, moving the ball around the pitch with ease as Bologna hunkered down in their own half, showing plenty of physicality in the tackle. Dejan Kulusevski twice found Weston McKennie in the area in the opening stages, but the American was unable to find the target on either occasion. Bologna’s gameplan was clearly to play on the break, taking advantage of the pace of Musa Barrow, who was always ready and willing to attack the space. The visitors created one good chance through Roberto Soriano just before the 15-minute mark, but Emanual Vignato failed to capitalise on the former’s ball into the box. That proved to be a costly error, as seconds later Juventus were ahead. Arthur picked up the ball around 20 yards out, took aim and unleashed an effort towards goal – it took a wicked deflection off Jerdy Scouten, leaving Lukasz Skorupski with no chance as it found the corner of the net for 1-0. JUVE COME CLOSE TO A SECOND The opener meant Bologna had to come out and attack the Bianconeri. There were a few bright moments from Riccardo Orsolini, but it was Juventus who always looked the most likely to score the second of the day. Cristiano Ronaldo worked a yard of space on the edge of the box and fired for goal, though Skorupski showed good reactions by saving first the Portuguese’s effort and then the follow-up from Federico Bernardeschi. The Juve No.33 had another shot from distance shortly afterwards, but again the Polish keeper in the Bologna goal showed safe hands. Pirlo’s men continued to push forward as Arthur produced a fine ball to release Juan Cuadrado on the break, with the Colombian driving over 50 yards only to fire over from inside the box. To their credit, Bologna looked to create chances of their own, with Soriano flashing a shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box, but the Bianconeri were by far the most dangerous side – yet they were thwarted again by Skorupski as the Pole got a touch on Cuadrado’s low cross, diverting it away from the waiting McKennie. The half-time whistle came soon after, with Bologna still in the game at 1-0 down despite a dominant first-half performance from Juventus. MCKENNIE MAKES IT TWO The second half started with a scare for Juve as Wojciech Szczesny saved Cuadrado from the ignominy of scoring an own-goal – the Colombian had got his head on a cross from Schouten only to send the ball flying towards his own net, and he had Szczesny to thank for tipping it over the bar. There was more work to come for the Polish keeper in the shape of a low Barrow shot and a curling effort from Orsolini. It was an open game – perhaps too stretched at times – but that resulted in an entertaining spectacle with chances at both ends. Nicola Sansone fired wide for the visitors after a quick move, but minutes later it was Juve on the attack as Skorupski tipped Cuadrado’s shot behind for a corner. Pirlo shuffled his pack halfway through the second half, sending on Alvaro Morata for Bernardeschi and moving Kulusevski out wide. The Spaniard was involved seconds after coming on, linking up with Cuadrado before getting a shot away from inside the box, but Skorupski’s save meant he had to settle for a corner. Cuadrado sent in a perfect cross into the centre of the area, where McKennie was waiting to head the ball into the corner to score his third league goal of the season and his fourth in all competitions. JUVE IN CONTROL McKennie nearly had a second when he got onto the end of a Cristiano Ronaldo cross minutes later, but once again Skorupski made the save. Pirlo brought on Matthijs De Ligt, Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey for the final stages, with Leonardo Bonucci, Arthur and Kulusevski making way. The fresh legs allowed Juve to manage the game comfortably and play on the break, with Ronaldo and Rabiot both having chances to add a third for the Bianconeri. Ronaldo would have one last opportunity to get onto the scoresheet as the minutes ticked away, but Skorupski made yet another stop to deny him. The final whistle confirmed a 2-0 victory for Juventus, who follow up their Italian Super Cup triumph with a return to winning ways in Serie A. This was a convincing and at times thrilling performance – just what we needed. JUVENTUS 2-0 BOLOGNA (HT: 1-0). SCORERS: Arthur 15, McKennie 71. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, (de Ligt 78) Chiellini, Danilo; Bernardeschi (Morata 68), Arthur (Rabiot 78), Bentancur, McKennie (Demiral 90+2); Kulusevski (Ramsey 78), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Frabotta, Dragusin, Di Pardo, Fagioli, Chiesa. Coach: Pirlo. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; De Silvestri (Soumaoro HT), Danilo L., Tomiyasu, Dijks (Palacio 76); Schouten, Svanberg (Dominguez 64); Orsolini (Skov Olsen 76), Soriano, Vignato (Sansone HT); Barrow. Subs not used: Da Costa, Breza, Hickey, Soumaoro, Paz, Baldursson, Poli. Coach: Mihajlovic. Referee: Sacchi. Assistants: Vivenzi, Prenna. Fourth official: Ghersini. VAR: Calvarese, De Meo. Yellow cards: Vignato 14, Kulusevski 21, Chiellini 47, Arthur 52, Dijks 62. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata’s goals lead Juventus to their ninth Italian Super Cup trophy on Wednesday evening, as they defeated Napoli at the Mapei Stadium. It was a game of few chances, but one in which the Bianconeri seized their moment and brought home the silverware.
GOALLESS AT THE BREAK Andrea Pirlo was able to welcome the return of Juan Cuadrado into the starting XI after testing negative to Covid-19. The opening 25 minutes saw both teams taking the approach of studying their adversaries, with few goalscoring chances presenting itself. The first real chance of the game came in the 28th minute when Mario Rui crossed the ball into the box for Lozano, who struck a dangerous header that saw Szczesny make an incredible reflex save to push it out. As the half progressed, the Bianconeri started pushing for an opening goal, as they saw Ronaldo blaze his effort over the bar five minutes from the break. RONALDO OPENS THE SCORING The second half saw Bernardeschi come on in place of Chiesa, and he nearly grabbed an immediate lead when he got onto the end of McKennie’s cross, which was saved by Ospina on the line. Manolas nearly scored an own goal off Ronaldo’s cross, before the Portuguese eventually grabbed the lead in the 64th minute when he sliced home the ball from six yards out, capitalising from a Napoli defensive error. NAPOLI MISS PENALTY Napoli were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute when Var judged McKennie to have made contact inside the box with Mertens. Insigne stood up to take the spot kick and he blasted wide of goal to keep the scoreline in favour of Juventus. With seven minutes to spare, Rabiot and Morata were brought on in place of Bentancur and Kulusevski, as Napoli continued to seek an equalizer to send the game into extra time. MORATA WRAPS UP THE VICTORY It nearly happened when Szczesny pulled off an excellent save to deny Napoli with his leg, that then resulted in a Bianconeri breakaway and they doubled the lead through Morata: Juan Cuadrado delivered the cross and the Spaniard slotted it home into the back of an empty net. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Chiellini, Danilo; McKennie, Bentancur (Rabiot 83’), Arthur, Chiesa (Bernardeschi 46’); Kulusevski (Morata 83’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Ramsey, Morata, Rabiot, Bernardeschi, Di Pardo, Dragusin, Frabotta, Fagioli, F Ranocchia. Napoli: Ospina; Di Lorenzo; Manolas, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Bakayoko, Demme; Lozano, Zielinski, Insigne; Petagna. Napoli bench: Meret, Contini, Elmas, Mertens, Llorente, Maksimovic, Politano, Hysaj, Ghoulam, Rrahmani, Cioffi, Lobotka. Source: www.juventus.com |
Goals from Arturo Vidal and Nicolò Barella ensured Inter claimed a 2-0 victory over Juventus in the Derby d’Italia on Sunday evening at the San Siro Stadium.
VIDAL HANDS INTER FIRST HALF LEAD Typical to Derby d’Italia fashion, the opening 15 minutes saw many interesting moments of play: first Ronaldo had a goal disallowed for offside after Chiesa was offside on Rabiot’s threatening shot, before Inter snatched the lead. It was Juventus’ former midfielder Arturo Vidal who rattled the back of the net with a glancing header from Barella’s cross. Inter threatened once again in the 24th minute with a double chance: Lukaku whacked a ferocious effort towards goal that Szczesny parried away as far as Lautaro, who connected onto it and blasted it high of the target. Ronaldo saw his shot sail into the arms of Handanovic, while Lukaku saw his effort snatched up by Szczesny. The Polish shot-stopped then made a double save within seconds, when he initially punched away Bastoni’s cross heading to Lukaku, before then getting on the end of Barella’s scuffed rebounded shot. BARELLA MAKES IT 2-0 Inter doubled the lead in the 52nd through Barella, who ran onto the end of Bastoni’s defence-splitting long-ball and blasted it into the roof of the net. Pirlo then opted to make a trio of changes, taking off Frabotta, Ramsey, and Rabiot for Bernardeschi, Kulusevski, and McKennie. Brozovic fired just wide of goal, while Lautaro saw his effort curl out at the far post. The tempo of the game suffered a decline, and neither team really threatened much in the remaining quarter of an hour, except for a great Chiesa strike from the edge of the area that saw Handanovic pull off a quick save. Inter: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Vidal, Young; R Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez. Inter bench: Padelli, Radu, Gagliardini, Alexis Sanchez, Kolarov, Sensi, A Ranocchia, Perisic, Eriksen, Darmian, Pinamonti. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Frabotta (Bernardeschi 58’); Chiesa, Rabiot (McKennie 68’), Bentancur, Ramsey (Kulusevski 58’); Morata, Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Buffon, Arthur, McKennie, Demiral, Bernardeschi, Di Pardo, Dragusin, Fagioli, Kulusevski, F Ranocchia. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus had to wait until the 105th minute to secure a 3-2 victory over Genoa in the Italian Cup and qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament, following a draw at full time at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening, after Czyborra and Melegoni cancelled out the Bianconeri’s two-goal lead courtesy of goals from Kulusevski and Morata.
KULU & MORATA STRIKE Coach Pirlo opted for a never-before-seen line-up, as he made nine changes to the starting XI that took on Sassuolo. The formation seemingly caught Genoa unaware, and Juventus took the lead as early as the second minute of play through Kulusevski, who fired home from Chiellini’s excellently placed pass. It was one-way traffic for the Bianconeri, whose main point of threat was Kulusevski, and he quickly turned assist provider when he fed a great ball to Morata, who fired it past the goalkeeper. GENOA PULL ONE BACK Genoa did pull one back in the 28th minute when Czyborra found space in the box and turned home a diving header from Goldaniga’s cross. The game had an exciting ebb and flow to it, and Arthur saw his goal ruled out after Morata, who had fired in from Kulusevski’s rebounded shot, was deemed to be offside at the start of the movement. A second offside goal was ruled out on the brink of half time after Portanova sliced an angled ball into the net, but the flag was raised. MELEGONI SENDS GAME INTO EXTRA TIME Rabiot was brought on for Bentancur at the start of the half, while Morata had his dangerous effort beaten away at the near post by Paleari. Pjaca was then denied by the crossbar after he saw his ferocious strike rattle the woodwork, while Bonucci and Danilo replaced Chiellini and Demiral respectively. Genoa drew level at 2-2 through a stunning goal by Melegoni, who received the ball on the edge of the box and curled it past Buffon. RAFIA WINS IT IN EXTRA TIME With extra-time seemingly imminent, Ronaldo was introduced into the game in the 87th minute, but he couldn’t change the outcome before the full-time whistle blew. Morata came agonizingly close to putting the Bianconeri back in front when his shot at the near post was saved, while Rabiot saw his glancing header saved on the line by Paleari. It was all Juventus in the opening half of extra time and they retook the lead in the 105th minute, when Morata teed up Rafia, whose shot took a deflection and bounced into the back of the net. Genoa’s best chance to send the game to penalties came when Radovanovic had his glancing header brilliantly cleared off the line by Arthur, while Kulusevski saw his ferocious effort palmed over the bar by Paleari. Juventus: Buffon; Demiral (Danilo 64’), Dragusin, Chiellini (Bonucci 64’), Bernardeschi; Wesley, Arthur, Bentancur (Rabiot 46’) Portanova (Rafia 77’); Kulusevski, Morata. Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Bonucci, Frabotta, Capellini, Ramsey, Rabiot, Ranocchia, Ronaldo, Rafia, Felix Correia. Genoa: Paleari; Goldaniga, Bani, Dumbravanu; Ghiglione, Lerager, Rovella, Melegoni, Czyborra; Pjaca, Scamacca. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus picked up three crucial points on Sunday evening against a Sassuolo side who, despite playing half the game with only 10 men after Pedro Obiang’s red card, made the match a competitive encounter. After a tight first 45 minutes, the game sprung into life after the interval. Danilo’s stunning opener was cancelled out by Gregoire Defrel, before Aaron Ramsey and Cristiano Ronaldo struck in the final stages to earn the Bianconeri a 3-1 win.
SASSUOLO DOWN TO TEN MEN Juventus took their time to get going, though Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluca Frabotta both went close in the early going. The former headed over the crossbar, while the latter fired just off target with his left-foot after a delightful, heeled lay-off by Weston McKennie. The American was one of two Bianconeri players to be forced off in the first period due to injury. McKennie gave way to Aaron Ramsey just before the 20-minute mark and Paulo Dybala was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski in the final minutes of the first period. Sassuolo meanwhile found themselves down to 10 men just before the break, after Pedro Obiang was red-carded for a tough challenge on Federico Chiesa. Juventus almost broke the deadlock before the break through Merih Demiral, who was thwarted by Andrea Consigli, while Kulusevski fired just over after some good link-up play with Ramsey. DANILO FIRES JUVE IN FRONT At the start of the second period, Andrea Pirlo sent Adrien Rabiot on in place of Rodrigo Bentancur and his team looked to make their numerical superiority count. Five minutes into the half, Danilo broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion. After a short clearance from the Neroverdi defence, the Brazilian ran onto the loose ball, catching it first-time with the sweetest of strikes, sending the ball like an arrow past Consigli into the corner. DEFREL EQUALISES With the game having settled into a calmer rhythm, the away side gradually ventured out of their own half and hauled themselves level with a splendid goal. Gregoire Defrel received the ball in the penalty box from Hamed Traore and produced a killer first touch to leave himself with only Wojciech Szczesny to beat, which he did with aplomb to draw the Neroverdi level. RAMSEY STRIKES Juventus went close on several occasions as they looked to get their noses back in front. Played in by Ramsey, Ronaldo looked to round Consigli before being brought down, however the referee waved play on. Chiesa saw an effort hit the outside of the post and subsequently laid on a chance for Rabiot from a corner, which the Frenchman headed over the crossbar. The Bianconeri pushed forward unremittingly while the visiting side kept on playing their football despite the numerical disadvantage, making for an entertaining contest. It was with less than 10 minutes to play however that the home team scored their second. Frabotta fired in a teasing low cross from the left, which no Sassuolo defender dealt with, leaving the on-rushing Ramsey with the simplest of tasks. The Welshman finished clinically from close range to give Juventus a vital late advantage. RONALDO PUTS THE GAME TO BED In stoppage time, with Sassuolo throwing caution to the wind in search of a leveller, Ronaldo pounced onto a long ball from Danilo, strode in the box and sent a low, powerful drive past Consigli to put the result beyond any doubt and secure all three points for Pirlo’s side. JUVENTUS 3-1 SASSUOLO (HT: 0-0). Scorers: Danilo 50, Defrel 58, Ramsey 82, Ronaldo 90+2. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Demiral, Frabotta; Chiesa (Morata 86), Bentancur (Rabiot 46), Arthur, McKennie (Ramsey 19, Bernardeschi 86); Dybala (Kulusevski 43), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Di Pardo, Chiellini, Dragusin, Portanova, Fagioli, Bernardeschi, Morata. Coach: Pirlo. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Muldur (Oddei 73), Chiriches (Ayhan 86), Ferrari, Kyriakopoulos; Locatelli, Obiang; Defrel (Boga 67), Djuricic (Maxime Lopez 46), Traore; Caputo (Toljan 46). Subs not used: Pegolo, Marlon, Peluso, Rogerio, Magnanelli, Raspadori, Schiappacasse. Coach: De Zerbi. REFEREE: Massa (Imperia). ASSISTANTS: Imperiale, Colarossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Abisso. VAR: Chiffi, Di Iorio. YELLOW CARDS: Bonucci 13, Ferrari 17, Bentancur 34, Frabotta 71, Kulusevski 79. RED CARD: Obiang 45+1. Source: www.juventus.com |
Fresh off an important victory against Milan, Juventus will be back in action tomorrow evening against Sassuolo at Allianz Stadium. In light of the fixture, Coach Andrea Pirlo chatted the media in a virtual press conference, where he covered an array of topics.
Here’s what he had to say: TOMORROW’S OPPONENT Sassuolo is an excellent team, they've been playing together for a while. The coach is very good at constructing the game. It will be a difficult match, we can't let them go without pressure from us. I have a good relationship with De Zerbi, he is from Brescia, like me. He has had a good journey; we talk often about football. There are young and good coaches also abroad, everyone follows his own path." THOUGHT ON THE TEAM We take our responsibilities: we have been winning for nine years, it is normal that there is pressure on us. I've asked the team to improve their concentration and mental strength, especially when we take the lead: that is a very important phase. We must have the same desire to achieve a result - whoever the opponent is - and then we will see where we are in April. DEPLETED BACKLINE The positive cases affect us, as they affect anyone. But let's think about moving forward, there are other problems. I have four defenders, in addition to Di Pardo who can play on the flank. I will choose between them, because we are "in the bubble" and we cannot summon other players. PLAYER UPDATES Both Chiellini and Merih Demiral are fine. Tomorrow, Merih could start from the beginning. Kulusevski is fine, last night I congratulated him on how he came on in the match. Tomorrow, we will see if he will start from the beginning. Morata is better, tomorrow morning we will consider whether to call him up or not. The other day Chiesa had a hip problem and asked to be subbed, but he has recovered. Arthur took a bad knock before Christmas and had a longer break. But now he has recovered and has regained his condition, he can play with anyone, he knows football. I'm sorry I didn't let Bernardeschi play with great continuity, but he trains well and gives 100% in games. He is important and reliable; he will have chances." WIN OVER MILAN It was an important victory in Milan, at an important moment too, but if we don't win tomorrow, it will be of little use. However, I still consider Milan the team to beat, because they are at the top of the table. CHIESA’S FORM I'm not surprised by Chiesa: I knew his qualities and I wanted him. He can still improve a lot, he is young, he is a "prototype" of a great champion. He has to improve himself match after match. The San Siro must be a starting point. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus reduced the gap on leaders Milan by claiming a 3-1 win over AC Milan at the San Siro on Wednesday evening. Federico Chiesa scored a brace and Weston McKennie came off the bench to rattle the back of the net, as Juventus claimed their third consecutive victory in Serie A.
END-TO-END ACTION Andrea Pirlo was without the services of Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro after they tested positive for Coronavirus. Juventus needed just two minutes to force a save on Donnarumma, when Frabotta skipped past Dalot to pull back for Dybala who fired in at the near post. Milan responded with two chances of their own: Leao fires wide and Castillejo forced a save on Szczesny, before Frabotta then fired high of goal, wrapping up an exciting opening 10 minutes. DYBALA – CHIESA PAIR UP FOR FAB GOAL Donnarumma was beaten in the 15th minute but had the crossbar to thank for keeping it level when Chiesa fired in a powerful effort that smacked the upright! Juve’s pressure did result in the Bianconeri taking the lead in the 18th minute in spectacular fashion: Dybala teed up Chiesa perfectly with a fantastic backheel before Chiesa stroked into the far bottom corner. CALABRIA PULLS BACK The game was thrilling in every aspect, and Milan attempted to pull one back when Leao turned on the ball and fired in at the near post, forcing a brilliant save from Szczesny. Milan found the equalizer minutes before the break when they broke through on the counter and had Leao tee up Calabria who fired it into the roof of the net. CHIESA GRABS THE LEAD The second half started with Szczesny being called into action, as he palmed away Dalot’s powerful strike on the edge of the box. Juventus snatched the lead, in the 62nd minute, once again through a Dybala-Chiesa combo: the Argentine changed play and crossed the ball to Chiesa, who fired in an angled drive into the bottom far corner. Chiesa needed to be replaced immediately after due to injury, seeing him replaced by Kulusevski. MCKENNIE WRAPS IT UP Seconds after coming on McKennie forced an excellent save from Donnarumma at the near post, before then turning the scoreline to 3-1. Kulusevski went on a great run to the byline and pulled back for the American, who fired in from point-blank range to secure all three points! Milan: G Donnarumma; Dalot, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Calabria, Kessie; Castillejo, Calhanoglu, Hauge, Leao. Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Frabotta (Demiral 87’); Chiesa (Kulusevski 63’), Bentancur (Arthur 74’), Rabiot, Ramsey (Bernardeschi 74’); Dybala (McKennie 63’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Demiral, Chiellini, Arthur, McKennie, Di Pardo, Portanova, Fagioli, Kulusevski, Bernardeschi, Da Graca. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus kick started the new year in fine fashion when they claimed a 4-1 win over Udinese at Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, while Chiesa and Dybala also got on the scoresheet in a win which saw the Bianconeri dominate.
DE PAUL GOAL RULED OUT With the first game of the New Year underway, the Bianconeri came out looking to make an immediate impression and they nearly grabbed the lead in the seventh minute: Chiesa crossed the ball towards Ramsey at the near post, and as he tried to put it in, Musso pushed it out. Udinese then thought they had taken the lead in the 10th minute when Lasagna pulled the ball back from the byline to De Paul, who finished from close range, but it was ruled out by VAR due to a hand ball in the build-up. RONALDO PUTS JUVE IN THE LEAD Juventus were dominating possession, and they did grab the lead through Ronaldo on the half hour when he flashed a powerful effort past Musso. Udinese nearly equalised immediately after, when they went on the counter, Walace had his shot charged down before seeing Lasagna shoot straight at Szczesny. Ramsey had his powerful chance palmed away, as the half ended 1-0 in favour of Juventus. CHIESA STRIKES, RAMSEY GOAL DISALLOWED Juventus started the second innings started in a brilliant manner: Ronaldo sent the ball forward towards Chiesa, who brilliantly controlled it, sprinted into the box and fired a left-footed finish into the net in the 49th minute. Three minutes later, Ramsey thought he had added a third goal when he burst into the box and fired towards goal, Musso made the initial save but he got back up and fired it in. However, upon checking with VAR, it was ruled out for a handball on the Welshman. Udinese saw Stryger-Larsen’s header rattled the woodwork, as Ronaldo went on to make it 3-0. RONALDO BRACE Samir’s pass was intercepted in midfield, Bentancur threaded it through to Ronaldo, who burst up field and into the box before putting it past Musso – he never misses those! Pirlo then opted for a double change by bringing on Bernardeschi and Kulusevski in place of Chiesa and Ramsey, while Udinese rattled the woodwork once again through Walace. TWO LATE GOALS: ZEEGELAAR & DYBALA That wouldn’t be the final goal of the game, as two more arrived: one for each side. The visitors did manage to get on the scoresheet in the 90th minute, however, as Zeegelaar pounced on an initial save made by Szczesny. Dybala would then have the final celebration of the match when he chipped a through ball over the on rushing Musso to make it 4-1 and seal the win! Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci (Chiellini 82’), De Ligt, Alex Sandro (Frabotta 82’); Chiesa (Bernardeschi 74’), Bentancur, McKennie (Arthur 64’), Ramsey (Kulusevski 74’); Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Demiral, Frabotta, Di Pardo, Fagioli, Arthur, Bernardeschi, Portanova, Kulusevski, Da Graca. Udinese: Musso; Bonifazi, De Maio, Samir; Stryger-Larsen, De Paul, Walace, Pereyra, Zeegelaar; Lasagna, Pussetto. Source: www.juventus.com |
Fiorentina claimed a 3-0 away win over 10-man Juventus at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening in what was the final game of 2020. Vlahovic opened the scoring with just three minutes on the clock, while an own goal by Alex Sandro and a strike from Caceres meant the game went in favour of the visitors.
FIORENTINA LEAD 10-MAN JUVE Fiorentina stunned the Allianz by taking an early lead with just three minutes on the clock: Ribery played the ball to Vlahovic, who burst through down the middle and into the box, before chipping the ball over the onrushing Tek into the back of the net. Juventus were then reduced to 10 men in the 16th minute after Cuadrado was shown a red card – following a consultation with VAR – for a dangerous challenge on Castrovilli. As such, Ramsey was forfeited from the game and Danilo was brought on. The visitors nearly doubled the lead: they wasted a few chances, but the real test came when Castrovilli fired at goal but Szczesny did brilliantly to fingertip the ball out at the near bottom corner. Ronaldo attempted to pull a goal back, but he struck the side netting, while Dragowski beat away his blasting effort from distance minutes later. VIOLA ADD ANOTHER TWO Bernardeschi was introduced straight away at the start of the second half in place of Morata. Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside in the 57th minute when he nodded in McKennie’s floating cross, while Danilo’s shot from range missed the target. Dragowski palmed away Chiesa’s effort, while Kulusevski was brought on for McKennie in the 72nd minute. Viola doubled the lead in the 75th minute in the most unfortunate of circumstances: Biraghi whipped in a cross, Bonucci didn’t get to it and it bounced off Alex Sandro into goal. A third and final goal was added to the scoreline five minutes later when Caceres turned in Biraghi’s cross from close range. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt (Frabotta 87’), Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Chiesa, McKennie (Kulusevski 73’), Bentancur, Ramsey (Danilo 20’); Morata (Bernardeschi 46’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Dybala, Danilo, Bernardeschi, Da Graca, Dragusin, Frabotta, Portanova, Kulusevski. Fiorentina: Dragowski; Caceres, Milenkovic, Pezzella, Igor, Biraghi; Amrabat, Borja Valero, Castrovilli; Ribery, Vlahovic. Fiorentina bench: Terracciano, Martinez Quarta, Bonaventura, Duncan, Kouame, Saponara, Lirola, Venuti, Barreca, Callejon, Pulgar, Eysseric. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace and goals from Kulusevski and Morata saw Juventus fire four past Parma at the Ennio Tardini Stadium on Saturday evening as they claimed a 4-0 win.
KULUSEVSKI AND RONALDO PUT JUVE IN FRONT The first chance fell to Juve in the 12th minute when McKennie delivered a divine chip into the box for Ramsey, who tried to acrobatic chip it but landed up scuffing it instead and Sepe gathered. Buffon then made a crucial save three minutes later when Parma’s counter saw the ball rolled across to Kucka, who fired at the near post only to see his shot blocked by Gigi’s body. Juventus then opened the floodgates and scored two goals in the space of three minutes: the first game from Kulusevski when he turned in Alex Sandro’s cross, before then seeing Ronaldo score off his trademark fleeting header from Morata’s floating ball. Morata had a shot charged down in the box, while McKennie’s flick-on off a corner hit Bonucci and it went out from three yards. RONALDO & MORATA WRAP IT UP Juventus started the second half in excellent fashion, as they nabbed a third goal through Ronaldo: Ramsey played the ball to him on the left of the box, and he fired in an angled drive into the bottom far corner. Parma nearly responded with an effort of their own, as they had a Kucka effort cleared off the line by Buffon. De Ligt had the ball in the back of the net in the 55th minute after Sepe made a save on McKennie's shot, but it was ruled out as the corner went out of play. Bentancur saw his shot from the edge of the D go wide of the target, while Buffon made a save on Bruno Alves’ strike. Gagliolo then saw his effort skim past the far post, while Sepe punched away Portanova’s fired effort. Alvaro Morata wrapped up the win with his headed goal in the 85th minute, when he turned in Bernardeschi’s cross to put the score at 4-0. Parma: Sepe; Iacoponi, Alves, Osorio, Gagliolo; Kucka, Hernani, Kurtic; Sohm, Cornelius, Gervinho. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, Bonucci (Cuadrado 76’), De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Kulusevski, McKennie (Portanova 76’), Bentancur, Ramsey (Bernardeschi 68’); Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo (Chiesa 82’). Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Cuadrado, Frabotta, Dragusin, Portanova, Bernardeschi, Rabiot, Chiesa, Da Graca. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus and Atalanta shared the spoils as they played to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday evening at Allianz Stadium. Federico Chiesa struck first with a stunning curling effort, before Frueler’s rocket and Ronaldo’s saved penalty in the second half meant that the points were shared.
CHIESA CURLS INTO TOP BIN Atalanta were pressing high from the get-go and they forced a save from Szczesny in the fourth minute with a Pessina half-volley that was smothered. That was then followed by a defensive misunderstanding from the Bergamaschi side, which resulted in Morata pouncing on a back pass that went unnoticed by Romero, he pulled back to Ronaldo, who fired over the goal. The Bianconeri rued the chance they didn’t capitalise on in the 11th minute: Morata beat the offside trap and played it across to Ronaldo in a 2 vs 1 situation. Ronaldo's shot was blocked, but the ball was still clear for Morata, who back heeled it towards goal only to see it go wide of an open goal. De Ligt then charged down Duvan Zapata’s shot, while Arthur had to be substituted by Rabiot due to an injury. Juventus claimed a 1-0 lead just before the half hour through a stunning strike by Federico Chiesa: Bentancur fed him the ball, he shimmied away from his marker and curled in a swerving strike into the top corner of the net. Szczesny was called into action moments later and he pulled off an excellent save on a one-on-one situation to deny Zapata. FRUELER EQUALISES, GOLLINI DENIES JUVE The start second half saw saw Juve come very close to doubling the lead when a Morata-McKennie give and go saw the Spaniard fire at goal, only have Gollini rush off his line and block the ball with his face. Atalanta drew level in the 57th minute through a rocket by Freuler that flew in the underside of the bar. Juve went on the hunt to regain their lead and they had two opportunities to make it 2-1 but were denied by Gollini: the first was a save on Ronaldo’s penalty after Chiesa went down in the box, and the second was a cat-like reflex save to deny Morata. Next up was Szczesny’s turn to make a save, and he went into full flight to palm away Romero’s header. Gollini denied Danilo’s angled drive with his foot, while Tek palmed away Papu Gomez’s effort, as the game ended 1-1. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo; McKennie, Arthur (Rabiot 26’), Bentancur, Chiesa (Alex Sandro 75’); Morata (Dybala 84’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Alex Sandro, Dragusin, Frabotta, Ramsey, Rabiot, Bernardeschi, Portanova, Kulusevski, Dybala, Da Graca. Atalanta: Gollini; Palomino, Romero, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Malinovskyi, Pessina; Duvan Zapata. Atalanta bench: Rossi, Sportiello, Sutalo, Lammers, Muriel, Gomez, Mojica, Depaoli, Gyabuaa, Miranchuk, Amad Diallo. Source: www.juventus.com |
A second half brace by Cristiano Ronaldo and goal from Paulo Dybala saw Juventus claim a 3-1 victory over Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday evening. After a frustrating first half, the Bianconeri finally broke the deadlock through La Joya, before Ronaldo’s two penalties meant the team return to Turin with three points.
GOALLESS FIRST HALF It was almost the perfect start for the Bianconeri after they thought they had grabbed an early lead with just two minutes on the block: a free-kick was floated into the box, Bonucci flicked it back for Rabiot, who turned it into the back of the net with a subsequent touch of his hand. The goal was subsequently ruled out and he was booked. Perin kept the scorelines level when he palmed away McKennie’s glancing header, while Bentancur blasted an effort wide of goal. The Bianconeri were the ones who were working their way around the box more than their counterparts, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough in the opening 45. DYBALA OPENS THE SCORING The first chance after the break saw Ronaldo, who was making his 100th appearance for Juventus, blast wide of goal. The goal did eventually arrive in the 57th minute when McKennie flicked the ball back for Dybala, who cut inside and fired the ball into the back of the net with his left foot. A second Juve goal was then ruled out when Ronaldo played the ball to Chiesa, who placed in a good finish only for the offside flag to be raised. STURARO EQUALISES Genoa weren’t giving up and they found the equaliser just five minutes later in the 62’ minute through Sturaro. Pellegrini played in a cross towards the back post, and he connected onto it to fire in an angled drive on the volley. Minutes later Dybala had his acrobatic goal denied for offside, while Szczesny made a solid save to deny Rovella’s snapshot. Perin denied Ronaldo on the line from point-blank range, but he couldn’t do anything to deny the Portuguese from the spot. RONALDO CONVERTS FROM THE SPOT (X2) Cuadrado was pulled down inside in the box by Rovello in the 77th minute, and it resulted in a penalty in favour of Juventus. Ronaldo stood up to take the effort, and he made no mistake in blasting it down the middle. A second penalty was awarded to Juve in the 87th minute when Perin brought down Morata: Ronaldo stood up to take it and he blasted it into the roof of the net to put the result beyond a doubt. Genoa (4-4-2): Perin; Goldaniga, Bani, Masiello, Pellegrini; Radovanovic, Sturaro, Rovella, Lerager; Pjaca, Scamacca. Genoa bench: Paleari, Zima, Behrami, Zajc, Ghiglione, Pandev, Destro, Melegoni, Caso, Shomurodov, Dumbravanu, Czyborra. Juventus (4-4-2): Szczesny; De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, McKennie, Rabiot (Morata 67’), Bentancur, Chiesa (Kulusevski 83’); Ronaldo, Dybala (Bernardeschi 83’). Juve bench: Israel, Buffon, Arthur, Ramsey, Morata, Danilo, Bernardeschi, Da Graca, Dragusin, Frabotta, Portanova, Kulusevski. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve finished their Champions League group in style on a truly unforgettable European night with a remarkable 3-0 win at the Camp Nou. Barcelona had not lost on home soil in Europe’s elite competition since 2013, but Cristiano came out on top of Lionel Messi in the latest instalment of their seemingly never-ending battle for footballing supremacy. The result clinches first place and avenges the 2-0 loss at Allianz Stadium when the two sides met in October. Such a dominant performance brimming with bravery, determination, technical quality and intelligence could well be a crucial turning point in the season.
CR7 EARLY DOORS Juve made an aggressive start to the contest at the Camp Nou and were immediately on the front foot. Cristiano had the first chance of the game when he received the ball just inside the box from Weston McKennie, but his weak shot was straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Just moments later, the Portuguese laid the ball off to Danilo, whose powerful effort fizzed just wide. In the 13th minute, Aaron Ramsey got away from two Barcelona players in his own half and released Juan Cuadrado. The Colombian picked out Ronaldo who drove into the box and was fouled by Ronald Araujo. The striker picked himself straight back up and made no mistake, as he drilled the ball down the middle for our opener. WHAT A GOAL BY MCKENNIE Taking the lead did not alter the visitors’ approach, as Juve continued to push forward, pass the ball around confidently and close Barcelona down brilliantly. Aaron Ramsey, Cuadrado and McKennie conjured up a delightful move that the hosts’ defence simply had no answer to. The Welshman broke inside from the left and passed to the American on the edge of the box. He picked out the wing-back down the right, whose first-time cross was perfectly volleyed home by McKennie. BARCA RESPOND BUT JUVE HOLD FIRM The visitors did have more opportunities to extend their lead as the half wore on, but also had to withstand some pressure. Gianluigi Buffon was called into action to deny Lionel Messi on a couple of occasions, including a low deflected shot from outside the area that the 42-year-old pushed behind for a corner. Alvaro Morata also went close to getting on the scoresheet when his header from a pinpoint Alex Sandro cross looped just over the bar as Juve looked to get a third goal. Andrea Pirlo’s troops went in 2-0 up at half-time, knowing that they needed just one more goal without reply to finish top of the group. RONALDO AGAIN Ramsey thought he had added a third when he bent a left-footed shot towards the far corner only for it to be turned behind by the goalkeeper. Juve were swiftly awarded a penalty for a handball by Clement Lenglet in the 52nd minute after a VAR check. Ronaldo stepped up to double his tally and put the Bianconeri top of the group with his fourth goal of the current Champions League campaign. SIMPLY PERFECT There was non-stop action in the second half, but there would prove to be no more goals, despite the hosts rallying, with Antoine Griezmann seeing his header come off the bar. Barca thought they had been awarded a penalty only for the linesman to raise his flag for an offside decision against the French forward. Leonardo Bonucci wheeled away to celebrate what he thought was the fourth goal of the night, but it was correctly ruled out for offside by VAR in the 75th minute. The Bianconeri saw out the result professionally and clinched first place in Group G in style. The Champions League draw for the round of 16 is set to take place on Monday 14 December in Nyon. BARCELONA 0-3 JUVENTUS: SCORERS: Ronaldo (p) 13, McKennie 21, Ronaldo (p) 52. BARCELONA Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo (Migueza 83), Lenglet (Umtiti 55), Jordi Alba (Junior 55); Pjanic, de Jong; Pedri (Puig 66), Messi, Trincao (Braithwaite 46); Griezmann. Subs not used: Neto, Pena, Alena, Busquets, Matheus, Konrad, Coutinho. Coach: Koeman. JUVENTUS Buffon; Danilo, de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado (Bernardeschi 85), McKennie, Arthur (Bentancur 71), Ramsey (Rabiot 71); Morata (Dybala 85), Ronaldo (Chiesa 90+1). Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Dragusin, Frabotta, Portanova, Kulusevski, Da Graca. Coach: Pirlo. REFEREE: Stieler (GER) ASSISTANTS: Pickel (GER), Gittelman (GER) FOURTH OFFICIAL: Gozubuyuk (NED) VAR: Dankert (GER), Rohde (GER) BOOKED: Jordi Alba 27, Ramsey 29, Lenglet 31, Morata 53, Umtiti 60, Danilo 69, Junior 78. Source: www.juventus.com |
Just over 24 hours remains until the Bianconeri take to the field of the Camp Nou against Barcelona. Ahead of the encounter, Coach Pirlo and Leonardo Bonucci spoke to the media in a press conference.
Here’s what they had to say: ANDREA PIRLO Buffon is fine and could play, he deserves this kind of stage. I don't believe in the 'crisis' of Barcelona. They are a great team. We know we will have to suffer, but we are calm and aware of our mistakes in the first game. This match is especially important for our growth and self-esteem. Coming first is important, but what we put in on the pitch is even more important. Compared to the first game, we need to improve the non-possession phase and be closer to the midfield and defensive lines. In the derby we had a completely different attitude between the first and second half, winning all the duels. This is the attitude that is part of Juve's DNA and must never be missing. Ramsey is better. He is an even smarter player than I thought and he can certainly be useful. I'm very satisfied with Rabiot. He has grown a lot and is a good guy, as well as a hard worker. You must bear in mind that he is only at 70% of his potential. Koeman is right: it would be wrong to say who is better between Messi and Cristiano. They are two phenomenons that put-on spectacles for millions of fans. We just have to thank them. It's a period where many great players struggle, it's normal. The great players have had little time to rest and were immediately busy with their national teams. Everything will be more normal after Christmas. If Cristiano is in good form it means that he is in the right place at the right time and we are good at giving him the ball. LEONARDO BONUCCI We must have the same attitude as in the second half of the derby: aggression and desire to win. It could be the beginning of a new path. The Champions League is a competition of the biggest clubs. It will be a tough game, but we know that with our qualities and our values we can hurt Barcelona. The first leg was a question of centimetres. Tomorrow evening there are all the ingredients for a great match. A positive result would greatly help the team's growth. Two of the best players in the history of football will meet. It's very nice to be part of it. How do we stop Messi? With great teamwork. We want to enhance the qualities of our alien, Cristiano. Against Torino, in the second half, the same things that made the difference at Juventus over the years were seen. RONALD KOEMAN Our goal is always to win by playing well. We intend to finish first in the group, we have a good advantage and good chances. We've made many mistakes that have cost us points, we need to keep a better balance and improve our effectiveness. I know de Ligt very well. He's a great player in spite of his young age and he is one of the best in his role. We aren't just thinking about Cristiano, who is nevertheless a great champion, who always battles and scores. We’re thinking about tomorrow's great match: we'll have to defend well and keep possession of the ball. It will be fantastic to see two great champions like Messi and Cristiano, the best of the last 15 years. It's not nice to say who is the best, I admire both, because they are incredible and have given us great evenings. PHILIPPE COUTINHO Tomorrow will be a great match, it's important for us to win to finish first in the group. Source: www.juventus.com |
Second half goals by Weston McKennie and Leonardo Bonucci meant Juventus claimed bragging rights after they defeated Torino 2-1 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. Nkoulou struck early for the visitors, but a resilient display saw the Bianconeri turn the score around to claim three points!
NKOULOU HANDS TORO FIRST HALF LEAD After having drawn to Benevento last weekend, the Bianconeri were looking to bounce back with a win. However, they found themselves experience an unwelcome start to the game when Torino grabbed an early opening goal. Meite flicked on a corner and it fell to an unmarked Nkoulou, who reacted quickly and fired in from six yards. The Granata then nearly doubled their lead minutes later when Zaza skipped the offside trap and went one-on-one with Szczesny, which saw the Polish stopper pull off a great save to deny his effort. Lyanco saw his effort from range flash wide, while the half ended with a curling Dybala effort that sailed into Sirigu’s arms and an acrobatic kick by Bellotti that sailed over the bar. MCKENNIE DRAWS LEVEL, BONUCCI WINS IT Torino started the second half as strong as they did the first, winning a series of free-kicks around the box which the Bianconeri fought off. The Bianconeri thought they had found the equaliser in the 56th minute when Juan Cuadrado fired home on the edge of the D, but after consulation with VAR the referee ruled it out for Bonucci’s block on Lyanco. The Bianconeri started to apply the pressure the Granata, as Chiesa forced a save from Sirigu. There was nothing the Italian shot-stopped could do in the 77th minute when the Bianconeri drew level through McKennie’s glancing header off a Cuadrado assist. Andrea Pirlo’s men were not giving up, and they found the match winner through Leonardo Bonucci, who scored an almost identical goal to McKennie’s when he turned in Juan Cuadrado’s floated cross to make it 2-1 in the 89th minute. Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo (Alex Sandro 71’); Kulusevski (Ramsey 56’), Bentancur, Rabiot (McKennie 76’), Chiesa; Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs: Pinsoglio, Israel, Frabotta, Alex Sandro, Dragusin, Arthur, Ramsey, Portanova, McKennie, Bernardeschi, Da Graca. Torino: Sirigu; Lyanco, Nkoulou, Rodriguez; Singo, Meité, Rincon, Linetty, Ansaldi; Zaza, Belotti. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus proved dominant against Dynamo Kyiv as they claimed a 3-0 win at the Allianz Stadium in their penultimate Champions League group stage fixture. Federico Chiesa opened the scoring in the first half, before goals from Ronaldo and Morata put the result beyond a doubt.
CHIESA OPENS THE SCORING Juventus dominated the opening proceedings of the match with their pressing play. McKennie was the first to force a save out of Bushchan, with his downward header that was turned around the post in the 17th minute. The Bianconeri got their breakthrough just four minutes late after a great move: Alex Sandro delivered in a cross into the box which Chiesa met, and he directed it into the bottom of the net with his head. The Brazilian nearly added a second assist to his name when he fed the ball to Ronaldo: the Portuguese struck a powerful effort that rattled off the crossbar. Dynamo’s first threat came five minutes from the break when Tsygankov was passed the ball and fired towards goal, but it was brilliantly saved by Szczesny, who did well to come off his line and make the save. CR750 The rhythm of the game had slowed down in the second half, and it took until the 54th minute for Juve to force a save from Bushchan, after he fingertipped Ronaldo’s effort over the bar. Juventus did get their second goal of the game though, when Ronaldo converted from close range to score his 750th goal: Chiesa crossed in the ball, Bushchan made the initial save, which rebounded off Morata’s shin and allowed for the Portuguese to tap in over the line. MORATA ADDS A THIRD There was never any doubt about the Bianconeri’s dominance in the match, and they nabbed a third goal through Morata. The Spaniard scored in the calmest of manners: he took three touches, let the defenders slip past him as he fired into the back of the net. The final chance of the game fell to Dynamo, when Lednev’s shot was brilliantly denied by Szczesny. Juventus: Szczesny; Demiral (Dragusin 68’), Bonucci (Danilo 62’), De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Chiesa (Kulusevski 75’), Bentancur, McKennie, Ramsey (Bernardeschi 62’); Morata, Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Arthur, Dybala, Danilo, Cuadrado, Rabiot, Bernardeschi, Da Graca, Dragusin, Frabotta, Portanova, Kulusevski. Dynamo Kiev: Bushchan; Kedziora, Popov, Zabarnyi, Mykolenko; Shepeliev, Sydorchuk, Shaparenko; Tsygankov, Verbic, Rodrigues. Dynamo Kiev bench: Neshcheret, Boyko, Baluta, Shabanov, De Pena, Lednev, Andriyevskiy, Garmash, Karavaev, Clayton, Syrota, Supryaha. Source: www.juventus.com |
Ahead of tomorrow’s home fixture against Dynamo Kyiv, Coach Andrea Pirlo and Alex Sandro spoke to the media. They discussed the team’s current form, the mental state going into tomorrow’s game and what can be expected of tomorrow’s opponents.
Here are their thoughts: ANDREA PIRLO After Benevento, I said that we need more concentration and desire to bring home the points, even when we are ahead in the games. We've spoken about it and we are all aware of it. I'm absolutely not worried. In Benevento it was our game to win but we weren't good at closing it out and then they managed to do that well, this can happen. We've analysed the match and we will try to improve. Kulusevski has always played in the same position, starting from the final third. All the young players who joined Juventus followed the same path and I'm happy with what he's bringing. Dybala often drops deep to play more balls and have a little more space. We always work together on the spaces that he must occupy, he must play easy and be in a position to be active in the attacking phase. I have to say that Ramsey was a great find for me, and he can still improve. For me and for the team he is very important. I don't think we'll see a trident attack tomorrow: Alvaro Morata will probably play, whilst Dybala will prepare for the Turin Derby on Saturday. We must face all the matches in the same way, both in Europe and in Italy. I would have preferred a little more consistency, but it's normal that it takes a little more time to achieve it. The players know what they must and want to do. When you win everything is fine, when you don't, problems arise that may not even exist. We are working well to improve. ALEX SANDRO Only the results are missing. We are working well, and we are improving. When you don't win at Juve, it's a problem, but we're aware of that. We are on the right path; we know where we need to improve. I'm getting better and I'm available. Our mentality, as well as mine is the same, many players have understood well what the Coach wants, and we are aware of needing to improve. Tomorrow, I'd like to see a good game, great concentration, possession but also moving well without the ball. It was a long injury that I had, and it was difficult. I feel good and we've worked well, I know I still have to recover even more but I'm ready for it. Every match is difficult in the Champions League and you must always be careful. We are sure that it will be a difficult match. It's important for the group to have experienced players. I hope to be able to help my teammates, but everyone wants to show their worth. Juve always wants to reach the final of every competition and try to win every game. We know that the road is long, and we must be prepared. VIKTOR TSYHANKOV I expect a great match, we're playing against the best. We remember the first match, Juve are an excellent team. We've worked on our mistakes, let's see how it will go tomorrow. MIRCEA LUCESCU Juventus are a great team, they can field two different equally strong teams. They have changed some things and they are perfecting some others, but I'm sure that it will enhance the talent of their players. I think that Juve can win the Champions League, they have great players. Certainly the absence of the fans also makes everything more difficult for everyone. Cristiano has charisma, he brings the whole team to life, he is one of those players who can make a difference. He is important for what he does on the pitch and for the confidence he gives to everyone. Italian football is and will continue to be one of the most important in the world. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus and Benevento played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening at the Ciro Vigorito Stadium. Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in the 21st minute, but a first half stoppage time effort by Letizia meant the points were shared.
MORATA OPENS THE SCORING Benevento started off the better of the two sides: Szczesny made a save on Barba at the near post, before Lapadula threatened with a glancing header that sailed narrowly over the bar soon after the minutes silence that took place in honour of Diego Maradona in the 10th minute. But with all the host’s pressing, they couldn’t prevent Juventus from taking the lead in the 21st minute, following a sublime effort from Morata. Chiesa played a terrific ball forward ball cross the field to Morata, who was on the left side of the box, he swivels and turns his defender to fire it into the back of the net. Dybala nearly doubled the lead minutes later when he was involved in a give-and-go with Morata on the edge of the box, only to curl his effort past the goal frame. LETIZIA NABS STOPPAGE TIME EQUALISER Benevento went in pursuit of a late equalizer just before the break, by putting pressure on the Bianconeri backline. Szczesny did well to pull off two saves in quick succession, but he couldn’t do anything about the final action of the half when Letizia fired in a diagonal effort on the volley into the bottom far corner. NO SECOND HALF BREAKTHROUGH Filippo Inzaghi’s side came out strong at the start of the second half, and they threatened through Improta’s angled drive that flashed past Szczesny at the far post. Morata rued the chance he missed when he flashed his header from Chiesa’s cross wide from two yards, before then trying from range with an effort that sailed wide. Kulusevski, Bentancur, Bernardeschi where introduced into the match in place of Ramsey, Arthur, and Chiesa, while Dybala was denied by Montipò in the 86th minute with a finger tipped save. Both teams went in search of a stoppage time winner, but neither side could break the deadlock. Benevento: Montipò; Letizia, Glik, Caldirola, Barba; Hetemaj, Schiattarella, Improta; Ionita, Caprari, Lapadula. Bench: Manfredini, Lucatelli, Abdallah, Andres Tello, Maggio, Tuia, R insigne, Di Serio, Moncini, Sau, Masella, Pastina. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Danilo, De Ligt, Frabotta; Chiesa (Bernardeschi 68’), Arthur (Bentancur 62’), Rabiot, Ramsey (Kulusevski 62’); Dybala, Morata. Subs: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Bonucci, Dragusin, Alex Sandro, Portanova, McKennie, Bentancur, Kulusevski, Bernardeschi. Source: www.juventus.com |
Alvaro Morata’s stoppage time goal meant Juventus claimed a 2-1 victory over Ferencvaros at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening, as they ensured qualification to the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
UZUNI & RONALDO MAKE IT 1-1 The visitors came out looking determined and they took the lead in the 18th minute when Tokmac beat the offside trap and fed the ball through to Uzuni, who knocked it into the back of the net. That goal sparked the Bianconeri into action and they started to put pressure on the Hungarians: Danilo saw his header sails into the arms of Dibusz, while Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside. The Portuguese did manage to draw level minutes later though, when he received a ball from Cuadrado: he cut inside and fired an unstoppable effort from outside the box. JUVE DOMINATE The start of the second half saw the Bianconeri come out eager to take an early lead, with Bernardeschi having his shot charged down by Frimpong, while Ronaldo’s free-kick struck the wall. Bernardeschi then had his volley from the inside of the D finger-tipped onto the woodwork by the opposition keeper. With the game deadlocked, Pirlo opted to make a triple change, introducing Dybala, Bernardeschi and McKennie in place of Morata, Chiesa and Kulusevski respectively. Morata pulled off a brilliant move (a tunnel and a nutmeg) to play the ball to Ronaldo inside the box, he tried to flick it over the goalkeeper, but Dibusz stood his ground to keep it at 1-1. It was Bianconeri domination in the final 15 minutes, as they created a number of chances: the Spaniard came agonisingly close to making it 2-1 when his effort was denied by the post, while Bentancur saw his volley from range finger-tipped over the bar. MORATA SCORES DECISIVE GOAL Ferencvaros finally caved under the pressure and Juventus got the lead they were so desperately in search of: Danilo sent Cuadrado down the right flank, the Colombian delivered a great cross into the box and it feel for Morata who nodded it in from six yards out. The victory meant that Juventus guaranteed their place in the Last 16 of the Champions League with two group matches remaining. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Danilo, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; McKennie (Kulusevski 62’), Bentancur (Ramsey 83’), Arthur (Rabiot 83’), Bernardeschi (Chiesa 62’); Dybala (Morata 62’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Israel, Buffon, Ramsey, Morata, Chiesa, Rabiot, Dragusin, Frabotta, Portanova, Kulusevski. Ferencvaros: Dibusz; G Lovrencsics, Blazic, Frimpong, Dvali, Heister; Siger, Somalia; Zubkov, Uzuni, Nguen. Ferencvaros bench: Szecsi, Ori, Kharatin, Kovacevic, Mak, Botka, Baturina, Csontos, Boli, Isael, Laidouni. Source: www.juventus.com |
Objective: seal qualification. This was the underlying message in today’s press conference between Coach Pirlo and Szczesny, who both spoke to the media about tomorrow’s Champions League clash at Allianz Stadium.
Here’s what they had to say: ANDREA PIRLO We have to approach the match in the best way possible. Losses of concentration are not allowed. We want to secure qualification as soon as we can. We have some absences in defence. The others are available and those in the best shape will be on the field. Dybala is finding his form, it takes time. Tomorrow, we'll see whether or not he plays from the first minute. Tomorrow will be a decisive match. The away game was good, but tomorrow only the present will count. We are thinking about different solutions in the attack. We will try to play Dybala, Cristiano and Alvaro Morata all together, but it takes time. Sealing qualification tomorrow would be very important, because it would allow breathing space to those who have played the most at the start of the season. Bernardeschi did well on Saturday. He needs to find continuity and a feeling with the pitch. WOJCIECH SZCZĘSNY We play for Juventus: it won't be difficult to find the motivation for tomorrow's match. I don't expect us to have any drops in energy. We expect a difficult match against a tough opponent. We will do everything to bring home the three points. I think our opponents are very fast and technical. We will do our best to limit them. The Coach has created a good relationship with the team. His idea of football is modern, and we really like this philosophy. ISAEL I have good feelings, this is a fantastic stadium and it's nice to be here. Juve have many champions and they are a great team, we will be playing against strong players. SERHIY REBROV Juve are a team with a great name, but we are here to play football and to do our best to represent our fans and the nation of Hungary. There is a bit of fear, but we will do our best. Juve don't just have Cristiano but also many top players. Despite their injuries, a team like Juve has substitutes at the level of the starters. We will have to believe in ourselves. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice as Juve brushed aside Cagliari 2-0 with a thoroughly convincing display to build on their solid showing against Lazio before the international break.
The Bianconeri played with purpose and pace from the off and Ronaldo's five-minute double gave them a two-goal lead they fully deserved heading into the break. The fact they were unable to add a third in the second period takes no shine off what was an utterly dominant performance. JUVE START KNOCKING Despite moving the ball around quickly and cleverly, steered by an excellent Arthur, Andrea Pirlo’s side struggled to find a way through Cagliari’s 5-4-1 formation initially as the Sardinians repeatedly cleared crosses or intercepted the final pass. The Bianconeri did manage to break through the visitors’ lines 10 minutes into the game when Federico Bernardeschi finished off Alvaro Morata’s pass but it was ruled out for a marginal offside call. Juve kept on pushing, with Adrien Rabiot, Bernardeschi and Ronaldo all taking aim and Cagliari pegged back in their own half. The Bianconeri’s high pressing was working a treat and the chances kept on coming. Dejan Kuluveski was presented with a great opportunity and tried to place his shot but instead sent it just wide. Bernardeschi’s low drive from the edge of the box was then saved by Alessio Cragno. CR7 DOUBLES All that pressure was bound to pay off sooner or later and it finally did in the 38th minute. A fine flowing move ended with Morata playing in Ronaldo, who skipped past two defenders before finishing into the corner for a fully deserved opener. Juve were in no mood for sitting on their lead and Ronaldo in particular appeared especially hungry for more. Barely a minute after teeing up Kulusevski – whose shot flew wide – the Portuguese star was in the right place at the right time to turn Merih Demiral’s header into the net and give Juve a 2-0 lead at the break. DEMIRAL HITS THE BAR Cagliari needed to shake things up and the introduction of Ruccardo Sottil during the interval gave them a bit more spark. However, it was Juve very nearly made it three when Demiral rose to meet Juan Cuadrado's corner, his header thundering off the bar. Shortly afterwards, Bernardeschi latched onto the ball after Ronaldo's dummy only to find Cragno equal to his effort. JUVE IN CRUISE CONTROL The Bianconeri were in complete control by now and could afford to sit back and wait for Cagliari before looking to exploit the space on the break. It seemed only a matter of time before they scored a third but a lack of precision was letting them down. Bernardeschi darted off down the left and picked out Morata in the box but the Spaniard's first-time effort flew just wide. Pirlo made a string of changes towards the end – bringing on Weston McKennie and Paulo Dybala, then Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Chiesa and Alex Sandro – and La Joya wasted little time in producing his trickery only to lift his finish over from a decent position. There was to be no third goal but Juve ended the game in complete control. Gianluigi Buffon's jersey barely had a speck of dirt on it come the final whistle – demonstration of an impeccable displayed by the Old Lady. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus were made to settle for a point at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday lunchtime after a late Felipe Caicedo goal for Lazio cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-half opener to ensure the spoils were shared.
It was perhaps the best performance of the season from Andrea Pirlo’s men, who looked to be assured of all three points having led since the 15th minute, when Ronaldo struck to put them in front. But there was a late sting in the tale for the Bianconeri, as Caicedo found the net in the fourth minute of stoppage time to snatch a point for Lazio. CUADRADO AND RONALDO COMBINE TO PUT JUVE AHEAD Juve moved the ball well in the early stages, waiting for the right time to attack. Gianluca Frabotta looked dangerous down the left, bursting forward and firing in a low cross that just eluded Alvaro Morata. The Bianconeri were pressing their opponents high up the pitch, yet they also showed intelligence in dropping back and playing on the break at times. Adrien Rabiot was the driving force behind one promising counter, leading to a decent shot from Cristiano Ronaldo, but there was even better to come. Juan Cuadrado started the move, beating two men to get the Bianconeri on their way. After exchanging a couple of passes on the edge of the box, Cuadrado received the ball back from Rodrigo Bentancur, reached the byline and found Ronaldo in the six-yard box. The Portuguese duly applied the finish, beating Pepe Reina in the Lazio goal to score his 27th goal of 2020. Nobody in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more. CR7 DENIED BY THE WOODWORK Lazio’s response came in the form of a Joaquin Correa shot, sent high over the bar, and a dangerous move which saw Sergej Milinkovic-Savic head Stefan Radu’s cross down for Vedat Muriqi, who was unable to convert with the goal gaping. Correa popped up again with a low shot from the edge of the area which Wojciech Szczesny dealt with comfortably, while Ronaldo reminded Lazio of Juve’s threat on the break with a shot that fizzed just past the post. Though Lazio continued to push for an equaliser, with Muriqi finding the side-netting with their next foray forward, Juve kept their composure and always looked like scoring whenever they broke forward. And the Bianconeri almost grabbed a second towards the end of the first half, only for Ronaldo to be denied by the angle of the goal after a fine curling effort, while a free-kick from the Portuguese drew an impressive save from Reina to bring the half to a close. MORATA LEADS FROM THE FRONT Juventus began the second half with an intense high press, with Ronaldo winning the ball back in Lazio’s half and teeing up Bentancur, whose shot from distance was wide of the target. Lazio threatened through Adam Marusic, who fired just over, but the home side always had to contend with the speed of Morata, seemingly auditioning for the role of constant thorn in Lazio’s side. It was from one of the Spaniard’s bursts of pace that Rabiot found himself with a sight of goal – a diving save was required from Reina to keep the deficit to one goal. Correa remained the most dangerous man in Lazio colours and almost created a promising chance down the left soon afterwards, but Leonardo Bonucci – making his 400th start for Juventus – gave the umpteenth demonstration of his impeccable timing by shutting the attack down. CAICEDO’S LAST-MINUTE EQUALISER Pirlo range the changes on the 75-minute mark, replacing Ronaldo and Dejan Kulusevski with Paulo Dybala and Weston McKennie, as Lazio continued to throw everything into finding an equaliser. Marusic had a golden opportunity when he found himself unmarked in the six-yard box, but the Montenegrin could only head straight at Szczesny, who gratefully gathered the ball. Federico Bernardeschi was the next to join the fray three minutes before the 90, replacing Morata, as Pirlo looked to see the game out. Lazio and Caicedo, however, had other ideas. With the seconds ticking away, Correa showed good feet to get himself into a dangerous position down the left before playing the ball into the box to the waiting Caicedo, who spun around and let fly with a snap shot that flew past Szczesny and into the back of the net. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Pirlo and his players, who had to settle for one point when three seemed almost in the bag. LAZIO 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1). SCORERS: Ronaldo 15, Caicedo 90+4. LAZIO: Reina; Luiz Felipe, Radu (Hoedt 53), Acerbi; Marusic, Cataldi (Pereira 76), Luis Alberto (Akpa-Akpro 76), Milinkovic-Savic, Fares (Lazzari 53); Muriqi (Caicedo 53), Correa. Subs not used: Furlanetto, Alia, Patric, Anderson, Armini, Parolo, Moro. Coach: S. Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Demiral, Danilo; Kulusevski (McKennie 75), Rabiot, Bentancur, Frabotta; Morata (Bernardeschi 87), Ronaldo (Dybala 75). Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Dragusin, Arthur, Portanova. Coach: Pirlo. Source: www.juventus.com |
A brace from Alvaro Morata, a goal from Dybala and an own goal by Ferencvaros saw Juventus claim a 4-1 away at Puskas Arena on Wednesday evening in Budapest. The Bianconeri dominated from start to finish, as their points tally in the Champions League group stage moved to six.
MORATA GRABS EARLY LEAD Juventus needed just seven minutes on the clock to take the lead when Cuadrado received a great through ball on the byline, he plays it across goal, and it sails to the feet of Morata at the back post who tapped it in from close range. Ferencvaros were doing well to work the spaces and stretch Juve, but they couldn’t muster many opportunities at goal, with Somalia and Takmac shooting high and wide respectively. Ronaldo then had a shot closed down by the host’s defenders, while Cuadrado ballooned over his chance. Zubkov, who was unmarked in the box, blasted his shot off target in the 25th minute. Chiesa and Ronaldo were involved in an interesting exchange, which saw the No.22’s effort blocked by Dibusz. Juve were creating more chances than their opponents and Morata rolled the ball across the box to Ronaldo, for him to walk it into the net, however, he was denied after Blazic made a last-ditch tackle to stop play. MORATA WITH A STUNNER Andrea Pirlo made an immediate change at the start of the half, by bringing on Bentancur in place of Arthur, while Ramsey had to be replaced by McKennie in the 53rd minute due to injury. The first chance of the second half fell to Ronaldo when he broke through on goal and fired an angled effort at goal, only to see it drill wide at the far post. Morata doubled the lead on the mark when Ronaldo crossed the ball into the center of the field, McKennie steps over it and he curled it into the back of the net. DYBALA WRAPS IT UP! Paulo Dybala was introduced into the 68th minute of action and he immediately had an impact on the game. He first saw an ambitious effort go wide of goal, before then capitalising on a badly placed back pass by Blazic to snatch it away and put it into the back of an empty net. Ferencvaros seemed to have lost the composure they displayed in the first half and they made another mistake which lead to Juve claiming a 4-0 away win. Dibusz misplaced his pass: Dybala was there again to intercept it and his effort took a deflection off Dvali and went into the back of the net. Ferencvaros got a consolation goal in the 90th minute when Boli saw his initial shot saved by Szczesny, but he knocked in the rebound as the game came to an end. Ferencvaros: Dibusz; G Lovrencsics, Blazic, Dvali, Botka; Kharatin, Siger, Somalia; Zubkov, Isael, Nguen. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado (Frabotta 76’), Bonucci, Chiellini, Danilo; Ramsey (McKennie 53’), Arthur (Bentancur 46’), Rabiot, Chiesa (Bernardeschi 76’); Morata (Dybala 68’), Ronaldo. Juve subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Frabotta, McKennie, Bentancur, Bernardeschi, Portanova, Riccio, Dybala, Kulusevski. Source: www.juventus.com |
With just over 24 hours to go until Juventus take on Ferencvaros at the Puskas Arena tomorrow evening, Coach Andrea Pirlo and Juan Cuadrado spoke to the media about the forthcoming fixture.
ANDREA PIRLO "Budapest is a beautiful city but we are here to play football, to have a great match and to win. The match against Barcelona made us understand that we need to improve. Facing a great team so early on may have also done us good. We have studied Ferencvaros. They are a quality team and they have had two good games in the Champions League, in which they deserved more. They have a good game plan and excellent attacking players. Having fans here tomorrow will also be a positive factor for us, because it helps us to raise our focus.” JUAN CUADRADO “This is a splendid stadium in a beautiful city and it certainly makes us want to do well. Against Spezia we were good at being compact, playing short and moving the ball. We have the players to play great football and slowly we will succeed." Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to score a brace as Juventus swept aside Spezia 4-1 at Dino Manuzzi Stadium in Cesena on Sunday afternoon. Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in the first half, by Ronaldo and Rabiot put the result beyond a doubt.
Having not won a game since Matchday Two, the Bianconeri knew they had to return to Turin with three points, and they did that! Andrea Pirlo welcomed the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, after a 19-day absence due to Covid-19, and he started from the bench while Morata and Dybala lead the attacking line. MORATA OPENS ACCOUNT Juventus were the first to threaten the opposition’s goal when Morata struck an angled drive that smacked the side netting, while Dybala saw his curling left-footed effort sail around the post by inches. The Spaniard striker did make it 1-0 in the 15th minute when Danilo fed McKennie into the box, the American unselfishly played the ball across the face goal to an open Morata who tapped it into the back of the net. Chiesa nearly doubled the lead seconds later with a strike that sailed just past the bottom of the upright. POBEGA RESPONDS Morata had the ball in the back of the net again, but it was flagged for offside. Spezia found themselves equal at 1-1 in the 32nd minute when a quick counterattack saw Pobega’s shot take a deflection and go into the back of the net. The half wrapped up with an excellent chance to Juventus when Morata received a looping ball: he ran up field and into the box, and played the ball across goal to McKennie – looking to return the favour from before – but Chabot slid across goal and pushed it out the far post just as Weston was approaching. RONALDO COMES ON & SCORES Ronaldo came on in the 56th minute of play and needed just three minutes to have an impact on the game. Morata played the ball to him between two defenders, he rounded it past the onrushing Provedel and blasted it into the back of the net to hand the Bianconeri the lead. Spezia had a goal of their disallowed for offside: Buffon pulled off a great save to deny Chabot’s header, but the rebound fell to Agudelo who fired it over the line only for the flag to be raised. RABIOT SCORES, RONALDO CONVERTS A PENALTY Pirlo then introduced Ramsey and Rabiot just after the hour mark, and the Frenchman was the second substitute to change the face of the game when he blasted the ball past the Spezia goalkeeper after having rounded his marker. Juventus were then awarded a penalty in the 75th minute after Chiesa was brought down in the box. Cristiano Ronaldo stood up to take the spot kick and he converted with a cheeky chip over the goalkeeper to make it 4-1. That wrapped up the match in Cesena, with the Bianconeri claiming all three points. Spezia: Provedel; Ferrer, Chabot, Terzi, S Bastoni; Bartolomei, Ricci, Pobega; Verde, Nzola, Farias. Juventus: Buffon; Demiral, Bonucci (Kulusevski 78’), Danilo; Cuadrado (Frabotta 78’), Bentancur (Rabiot 62’), Arthur, McKennie (Ramsey 62’), Chiesa; Morata, Dybala (Ronaldo 56’). Subs: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Frabotta, Ramsey, Rabiot, Bernardeschi, Portanova, Ronaldo, Kulusevski. Source: www.juventus.com |
For the very first time in Serie A, Juventus will face Spezia tomorrow in Cesena. This afternoon, Andrea Pirlo, from the press room of the Allianz Stadium, answered the questions of the journalists invited to the classic meeting on the eve of the match.
"Tomorrow is a game we must win. It will be difficult, as it was in Crotone, Spezia are a newly promoted side who are doing well. I know their coach (Vincenzo Italiano) well, we were on the same coaching course together. We will have to have a good match and take home an important three points for the continuation of our path." CRISTIANO RONALDO "The negative result of the second swab has also arrived, so today Cristiano Ronaldo will be called up to the team. He is fine and has been training individually this morning. I don't think he will start from the beginning, we will see how it goes tomorrow." THE DEFENCE "For Matthijs de Ligt, we have to wait another week, as said by the orthopedist. Leonardo Bonucci trained separately yesterday, but today with the team. He will be available against Spezia, whilst Giorgio Chiellini will not be called up in order to continue his recovery work. He is better, but not yet available." THE BIANCONERI'S PLAY "At this moment there is still a lack of reactivity in recovering the ball. In the defensive phase we are one of the teams that has conceded the fewest goals. We want to impose an offensive game, it's normal that there may be a few more opportunities in the game for the others. In midfield we need an amalgamation between players who have played little together up to now, it takes time to understand each other in the movements on the pitch, we are working on the re-aggression phase, it must be more immediate. I'm not surprised about the pressure, I've always been in the spotlight and I'm used to having responsibilities. In the attack, Paulo Dybala is still not 100%, he needs to train and find the pace. Aaron Ramsey is also not at his best but we will take him to Cesena, one of our forwards should rest but now they have to play." Source: www.juventus.com |
Alvaro Morata had three goals ruled out for offside, as Ousmane Dembélé’s first half goal and Lionel Messi’s second half penalty meant they secured a 0-2 away victory over 10-man Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening in the UEFA Champions League.
After having both won in their opening group stage matches, the sides were looking to go in search of top spot by securing a win in this fixture. The Bianconeri were, of course, without Cristiano Ronaldo, Giorgio Chiellini and de Ligt, while Bonucci managed to return in time after picking up a knock on the weekend. DEMBELE STRIKES FIRST Barcelona took the lead in the 14th minute when Messi played the ball across field to Dembele on the opposite flank. He ran towards the box, fired at goal, which took a deflection, and it sailed into the back of the net. MORATA’S OFFSIDE HAT-TRICK Juve nearly responded almost immediately when Morata burst into the box and tapped home his initial rebounded save across the line, only for VAR to rule it offside. Morata had a second goal ruled out for offside on the stroke of the half hour mark, when he turned in Cuadrado’s cross. Szczesny then came to the rescue when he pulled off a double save to deny Messi first and then Dembele, while Griezmann fumbled his shot to allow for the Juve backline to clear. The Bianconeri went full attacking mode in the 55th minute and the Spanish striker found the back of the net for a third time after he converted Cuadrado’s cross, however to his dismay, it was ruled out for offside once again. MESSI FROM THE SPOT Pirlo’s men started to apply the pressure and they saw an effort by Rabiot flash wide of goal, before Danilo was called into action to make a decisive tackle to deny Messi from eight yards out. The game started to open up and Griezmann flashed his snapshot wide and out across the goal, while McKennie, Arthur and Bernardeschi came on for Kulusevski, Bentancur and Rabiot respectively. The Bianconeri were then reduced to 10 men after Demiral was shown a second yellow card with five minutes remaining. It would be Barca who wrapped up the victory with a late Messi penalty. Bernardeschi collided with Ansu Fati in the box to hand the Catalans a penalty in the 90th minute: the Argentine converted from the spot to secure a 2-0 away win. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Demiral, Bonucci, Danilo; Kulusevski (McKennie 75’), Bentancur (83’), Rabiot (Bernardeschi 83’), Chiesa; Dybala, Morata. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Arthur, Ramsey, McKennie, Bernardeschi, De Winter, Frabotta, Portanova, Riccio. Barcelona: Neto; Sergi Roberto, Araujo, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Pjanic, De Jong; Pedri, Messi, Dembelé; Griezmann. Barcelona bench: Inaki Pena, Tenas, Dest, Busquets, Alena, Braithwaite, Ricard Puig, Trincao, Ansu Fati, Junior Firpo. Source: www.juventus.com |
Just over 24 hours remains until Juventus return to hosting duties at the Allianz Stadium in the UEFA Champions League, and up next, they will take on Barcelona. And previewing the match, Coach Andrea Pirlo and Danilo addressed invited media to discuss the forthcoming fixture.
Here’s what they had to say: ANDREA PIRLO This evening we will have the definitive result from Cristiano's swab test. Chiellini and de Ligt are definitely out of tomorrow's game, however we'll evaluate Bonucci’s condition. Dybala is a bit tired, but that's normal after his first match as a starter, but he still has some time to recover. Tomorrow, we'll see the players that we have available, Barcelona will force us to play a great match. McKennie is recovering but I don't think he will play in defence tomorrow. I hope that we will soon have the whole squad available to find the right set-up. We have a great opportunity to take on a top club. We'll face the match with the respect that it deserves, even if it won't be decisive. We really want to test our and their strength. There are great players in Barça, despite some absences. The keys for us will be desire and determination. It will be difficult, but beautiful. For 15 years, Messi and Cristiano have done great things. For the first time, I'll be taking on Messi as a coach, I'll treat him with the enormous respect that he deserves. Kulusevski and Fati are two players with great prospects, they play with the greatest players of their time and can learn a lot. They are however different in their characteristics. We'll play with four in defence, it's the only viable solution at this time. In midfield it will be a challenge between two very technical departments. Koeman and I hit free-kicks very differently: he had a powerful shot, whereas I kicked balls in another way. DANILO I feel good playing in this formation, we often have possession of the ball. I'm ready to give my best tomorrow and help the team win! We have to move fast and be focused. We are on the right track and we really want to learn and improve. These are the best games to play in, we want to win and do well. It would have been better with the fans there, but we must be equally focused. Logically, not having Cristiano would be a blow to any team, but we have great confidence in ourselves, in our work and in our desire to play a great game. Source: www.juventus.com |
Dejan Kulusevski’s goal wasn’t enough to secure a victory in Serie A for Juventus against Hellas Verona, as they played to a 1-1 draw at Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening. Both teams had goals ruled out, but at the end of the evening, nothing could separate them.
COLLEY GOAL DISALLOWED Verona were the team doing most of the attacking play in the opening quarter of an hour. After winning two consecutive free-kicks, Ceccherini forced a save from Tek from a shot from range, before then seeing Colley slot the ball into the back of the net in what he thought was the opening goal. However, it was ruled out for offside. JUAN CROSSBAR & MORATA CHIP RULED OUT Juventus’ first chance of the match saw Bernardeschi’s effort turned around the post by Silvestri, while Ramsey’s cross into the box went beyond both Berna and Morata at the far post. The half wrapped up with two close calls for the hosts: Cuadrado came agonizingly close when he connected to a rolling ball in the box and fired it towards goal only to see his effort rattle off the crossbar. Alvaro Morata then thought he had handed the Bianconeri the lead on the stroke of half time when he chipped a delightful ball over the onrushing goalkeeper into the net only to see it ruled out for offside by VAR. FAVILLI HANDS VERONA THE LEAD The visitors proved very aggressive when going on the attack, and they threatened in the 55th minute with a snapshot from Zaccagni, who saw his save palmed over the goal frame by Szczesny. The Scaligeri grabbed a 1-0 lead on the stroke of the hour mark when substitute Favilli, who would then go off due to injury minutes later after having come on as a sub, got onto the end of Zaccagni’s pass and fired a ferocious left-footed ball past Szczesny. Pirlo lost Bonucci to injury in the 74th minute of action, seeing Frabotta come on in place of the center-back. SOLO KULU EFFORT MAKES IT 1-1 The Bianconeri were getting closer and closer to an equalising goal and they were once again denied by the woodwork when Dybala’s effort, which took a deflection, turned into the inside of the crossbar. But they did get their goal when Kulusevski, who came on in the 60th minute, went on an excellent solo run that saw him cut into the box, pull off a series of stepovers and feints before firing an angled effort into the back of the net. The final minutes of the match saw Juventus laying on the pressure, and they forced Silvestri into making saves on Dybala, Morata and Cuadrado, but they couldn’t find that late match win. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci (Frabotta 74’), Demiral; Cuadrado, Arthur, Rabiot, Bernardeschi (Kulusevski 60’); Ramsey (Vrioni 89’); Dybala, Morata. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, McKennie, Bentancur, Frabotta, Portanova, Vrioni, Kulusevski, Rafia, Peeters. Verona: Silvestri; Lovato, Ceccherini, Empereur; Faraoni, Vieira, Tameze, Lazovic; Colley, Zaccagni; Kalinic. Verona bench: Berardi, Pandur, Dimarco, Barak, Favilli, Ilić, Terracciano, Cancellieri, Rüegg, Magnani, Dawidowicz, Amione. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will be back on the field tomorrow evening, where they will play host to Hellas Verona. Ahead of the encounter, as per usual, Andrea Pirlo spoke to the media where he provided an update on his players, that Dybala will start tomorrow, and how it was to play in front of the fans again.
Here’s what he had to say: PLAYER UPDATE We are well. Apart from Chiellini, all the players are available. We still await Cristiano's swab test results. For now, there's no news. Alex Sandro is recovering; he is working calmly. Physically and mentally de Ligt is ready to play. We are only waiting for the ok from the orthopedist. Bernardeschi is also recovering from an injury: my idea is to have him on the wing. He will be a good resource. Today, we are waiting for the eligibility of McKennie, so that he can be with us tomorrow. DYBALA & MORATA Tomorrow, Paulo Dybala will play. He didn't need to be prodded, he just had to recover and train. He will play from the start. I expected Alvaro Morata to have this impact, he knows Paulo well, together they can coexist and do great things. I'm asking Morata to play less on the counterattack but to be available for the play, to understand where the pressure comes from and maybe free the man for one on one. PLAYING IN FRONT OF THE FANS It's a surreal situation. On Tuesday, we played in front of 20 000 people and it felt like another world. Playing like this is not easy for anyone; however, having not done a pre-season camp, the quarantine is a great opportunity to be together. ATTACKING DEPARTMENT We have many offensive solutions available: Dybala is fine, but we have many multipurpose players who can fill more positions. In midfield, all four players are compatible and interchangeable: they will rotate. Source: www.juventus.com |
Alvaro Morata scored a brace against Dynamo Kiev to seal a 2-0 victory in the opening match of the UEFA Champions League group stage against Dynamo Kyiv. After a goalless first half, the Spanish striker scored on either end of the second half to stun the Ukrainians at the NSC Olimpiyskiy stadium.
FEW FIRST HALF CHANCES The first chance of the game fell to the Bianconeri in the 12th minute, when Chiesa lead an attack down the left-hand side. He burst into the box, did a step over and fired towards goal, only to see Bushchan parry it away. Minutes later, a good chance fell to Chiellini at the near post when he headed a corner kick just wide of the target. That would be the last of the Skipper’s contribution as he had to be replaced by Demiral due to an injury. Cuadrado forced a save from the Dynamo goalkeeper, while a Ramsey-Kulusevski combination saw the Swede flick a backheel towards goal only for it to be pushed around the post. MORATA BREAKS THE DEADLOCK Juventus needed just 50 seconds into the second half to find the opening goal. Chiesa cut back, Ramsey backheeled to Kulusevski who was on the edge of the box. It was parried by Bushchan, but only as far as Morata who was poking around in front of goal and he directed the ball across the line. MORE MORATA Paulo Dybala made his first appearance of the season when he came on for Kulusevski in the 55th minute, but the game fell subject once again to a quiet rhythm with neither side creating chances. Sydorchuk’s effort from distance in the 75th minute sailed into the arms of Szczesny, while Arthur and Bernardeschi were introduced into the match with 11 minutes remaining. Four minutes later, Juventus wrapped up the victory after a swift attack down the right-hand side. Juan Cuadrado crossed in an excellent effort into the box, which met the onrushing Morata who made no mistake in nodding it into the back of the net. Dynamo Kiev: Bushchan; Kedziora, Zabarnyi, Karavaev, Mykolenko; Sydorchuk, Shaparenko; Tsygankov, Buyalskiy, De Pena; Supryaha. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini (Demiral 18’); Chiesa, Bentancur (Arthur 79’), Rabiot, Cuadrado; Ramsey (Bernardeschi 79’); Kulusevski (Dybala 55’), Morata. Source: www.juventus.com |
Coach Andrea Pirlo and Captain Giorgio Chiellini took to the stage this evening in Kiev, where they discussed tomorrow’s Champions League opener against Dynamo Kiev.
Here is what they had to say! ANDREA PIRLO Lucescu was my first coach, he put me in the first team at the age of 15. I have a wonderful memory of him, I will forever be thankful to him. It will be a good challenge between us tomorrow. He is an experienced coach. I know him well. Each of us will look to play our cards in the best way. We don't have Cristiano available to us, but we have other players who can play in his position, as Alvaro Morata did in Crotone. We will decide the rest of the attack tomorrow. I am calm and serene. I'm looking forward to my first match as a coach in the Champions League. In this competition it is essential to start with a win, and we know what we have to do. Dybala is coming back from 10 days of inactivity with Argentina. I took him to Crotone for him to get some minutes in his legs but then we went down to 10 men. I spoke to him and he is available. He is a fundamental player for us, but unfortunately, he wasn't physically fit. I'll have no problems choosing tomorrow's line-up, as we have the players suitable to play in a big match. Ramsey has been training the last couple of days. We hope to have him available for the match. Playing a midfield with two holding midfielders is the best solution for our four midfielders, who can express themselves very well. GIORGIO CHIELLINI We haven't had the chance to work well together yet. The important thing is to keep improving, adapting to each other and winning. Tomorrow evening will already be very important. We begin every season trying to win. There is a great will and conviction that we can aspire to great goals. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve came away with just a point from a clash with a brave and determined Crotone side, but there was a feeling of regret after getting back into the game and not clinching all three points. Federico Chiesa was harshly sent off and the visitors spurned at least two fine chances to get the win. Alvaro Morata was denied by the post and then by VAR, with the 1-1 scoreline rewarding the hosts for their endeavour, but it is arguably less than the Bianconeri deserved on the night.
SIMY GIVES CROTONE THE LEAD FROM THE SPOT In terms of team news, Chiesa made his debut for the Bianconeri, Manolo Portanova and Gianluca Frabotta lined up down the left, and Arthur and Rodrigo Bentancur started together for the first time. Andrea Pirlo’s selection for the clash at the Stadio Ezio Scida was certainly interesting, but there was little chance to analyse it before the hosts got on the front foot and Simy’s effort went just wide. With ten minutes on the clock, the newly promoted side was awarded a penalty when Arkadiusz Reca was brought down in the box by Leonardo Bonucci. Simy sent Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way to score his second goal against Juventus. CHIESA AND MORATA LINK UP TO RESPOND IMMEDIATELY Juve managed to keep their shape and although Crotone did generate some openings on the counter, the visitors got into their groove and upped the pace as the half wore on. Chiesa was instrumental in the equaliser after running on to a pinpoint through ball by Dejan Kulusevski that he was able to lay off for Morata, who diverted it into the gaping net for the equaliser. CORDAZ AND BUFFON CALLED INTO ACTION With the scoreline level, the Bianconeri looked to push on and build on their equaliser, but Crotone’s commitment and bravery made it a challenging contest. Chiesa and Morata caused the Rossoblu problems and just a few minutes before the break, the Spaniard released Portanova, but Cordaz was equal to his effort. Reca’s pace down the left wing was a constant threat, with the Pole whipping in a fine cross that Pedro Pereira met, but his shot was parried by Buffon. JUVE DOWN TO TEN MEN Crotone came out aggressively at the start of the second half, pinning Juve back and going close to a second goal when Luca Cigarini took aim from just inside the box, but his effort flew off target. Pirlo responded by bringing on Juan Cuadrado for Portanova, but just five minutes later, Chiesa fouled Cigarini in the middle of the park. While it didn’t seem to be a particularly dangerous challenge, referee Francesco Fourneau deemed it worthy of a red card, leaving the Bianconeri down to ten men. MORATA DENIED BY POST AND VAR Having ended up a man light away to Roma before the international break, it was a similar story here as the team managed to play on the front foot despite the numerical disadvantage. Morata’s fine header from Kulusevski’s free-kick hit the inside of the post and a relieved Cordaz was able to gather the ball on the goal-line just after Chiesa’s dismissal. Pirlo then brought on Adrien Rabiot and Federico Bernardeschi for Arthur and Kulusevski in search of the winner, with the Uruguayan picking out Cuadrado in space down the right wing just moments after coming on. The Colombian dribbled into the area and crossed the ball towards Morata, who managed to direct it into the goal, but after a long VAR check, it was chalked off because the Spaniard’s foot was in an offside position. Just a matter of centimetres cost Juventus all three points and although the visitors continued to press for a winner during the seven minutes of stoppage time, in the end the spoils were shared in Calabria. CROTONE 1-1 JUVENTUS SCORERS: Simy (pen) 12, Morata 21. CROTONE: Cordaz; Pedro Pereira (Rispoli 28), Magallan, Marrone, Luperto, Reca; Molina (Petriccione 87), Cigarini, Vulic (Siligardi 73); Messias, Simy. Subs not used: Festa, Crespi, Cuomo, Golemic, Crociata, Rojas, Eduardo. Coach: Stroppa. JUVENTUS: Buffon; Danilo, Bonucci, Demiral; Chiesa, Arthur (Rabiot 69), Bentancur, Frabotta; Kulusevski (Bernardeschi 69), Portanova (Cuadrado 56); Morata. Subs not used: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Peeters, Dybala, Vrioni, Rafia. Coach: Pirlo. REFEREE: Fourneau. ASSISTANTS: Lo Cicero, Cecconi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Pezzuto. VAR: Abisso, Longo. BOOKED: Bonucci 11, Cigarini 14, Portanova 37, Kulusevski 45, Rezza 66, Magallan 83. SENT OFF: Chiesa 60. Source: www.juventus.com |
At the end of September, the Juventus Museum launched a path dedicated to those hard of hearing: an initiative that saw Juventus closely collaborate with the Italian National Deaf Organisation - Piedmont Regional Committee and the "Segni di Integrazione" cooperative, to translate the content of the museum into Italian Sign Language.
Thanks to the involvement of some deaf university students, 11 QR-Codes were produced positioned along the walls of the museum, which accompany visitors throughout the visit with videos made in Sign Language, visible using a smartphone. Today, the visit took place at Juventus Museum and throughout the day, numerous groups of those hard of hearing trialled the new path, making Juventus Museum unique in both Italy and in Europe, for having such an initiative. In the morning, the President of the Juventus Museum, Paolo Garimberti received the ENS National President, Giuseppe Petrucci, and the President of the ENS Piedmont Regional Committee Antonio Iozzo. "Visiting the Juventus Museum and knowing that I can do it using my language makes me feel at home: today I am in a place where I feel free and autonomous in communication, where everything is also made to measure for those hard of hearing - said Petrucci - I am very satisfied with the work that has been done here. the shirt I received as a gift has a value that goes beyond the sporting symbol. Having received it today, on the occasion of this great event of breaking down the barriers to communication, makes me very happy and proud. This is the only sports museum in Italy and Europe to have a path of this type and here Football will also speak the Italian Sign Language: it is called linguistic accessibility and I can firmly declare that this initiative is exactly what is foreseen by the UN Convention: of a person's right to use their mother tongue, the language they love and identify with. The language of football and sports has in general, always united all languages; this project was created from a national initiative, known as: Accessible Museums for Deaf People. I thank the Juventus Museum for having accepted the challenge and for having given the opportunity to a team of hard of hearing youngsters to be its protagonists. The development of those that are young and hard of hearing, their preparation and their experiences are a guarantee for our future and this is a great opportunity." Source: www.juventus.com |
As per usual on the eve of a match, Andrea Pirlo took to the stage in the Allianz Stadium media room, where he spoke about tomorrow night’s outing and chatted about his players.
Here is what he had to say: THE MATCH I don't think there are any problems with regards to playing tomorrow. We will be ready as always. We tried one type of game against Roma and maybe we'll try another one tomorrow against Napoli. There is a possibility that Arthur will play from the beginning. Cuadrado and Frabotta are potential starters. Napoli has shown a change of mentality, with the arrival of Gattuso. They are a strong and cohesive team. We know what we have to do. THE PLAYERS Paulo Dybala needed to undergo a recovery period. We will understand if he can start from the beginning of the match or come on during it. Ronaldo is the first to arrive and the last to leave for training. His spirit is fundamental to us. He started the season well. Morata is a functional player, we signed him on purpose. I don't think he played badly. He didn't have a lot of time to get involved. He is a strong player THE MARKET If someone arrives, we will only see him on Monday evening. Fabio Paratici is working on it. Sami Khedira, Mattia de Sciglio and Douglas Costa are training like everyone else and are available to play. Source: www.juventus.com |
Cristiano Ronaldo’s two goals were not enough as Juventus and Roma played out to a 2-2 draw at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. Veretout scored twice for the Giallorossi, while the Portuguese attacker’s two equalisers, one which was scored with Juve down to 10 men, meant that points had to be shared.
VERETOUT CONVERTS PENALTY The opening 20 minutes saw both teams going in search of their rhythm, and it was Roma who had the first effort at goal when Mkhitaryan worked his way past the backline and let rip at goal, only for Szczesny to pull off a great save to deny him. Roma took the lead just after the half hour, after a Rabiot handball saw the referee signal to the spot. Veretout stood up to take the spot kick, and his ball went under Tek and off the inside of the post. Ramsey nearly equalised moments later when he directed Ronaldo’s excellent cross just inches wide of the post. RONALDO TOO, BUT VERETOUT RESPONDS The scoreline turned to 1-1 just before the stroke of half time when Juventus were awarded a penalty too, this time from a hand ball by Pellegrini. Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot and fired in a powerful effort. But that wasn’t to be the last goal of the half, as Roma quickly found themselves working a counterattack. Mkhitaryan played the ball across to Veretout, who found himself open at goal and he fired in a strong effort to make it 2-1 in favour of Roma going into the break. CR7 NODS HOME Roma nearly started the second half in the same way they ended the first half, when Dzeko capaitalised on a defensive error to fire at goal, but he was denied by the upright. Pirlo then opted for a double change by bringing on Douglas Costa and Arthur in place of McKennie and Arthur, before then being reduced to 10 men after Rabiot was shown a second yellow. Despite the man disadvantage, the Bianconeri were pushing for that equaliser and they got it in the 69th minute through a towering leap by Ronaldo that saw him effortlessly nod home the equalizing goal. Frabotta was brought on with five minutes to go in place of Kulusevski, but that wasn’t enough to grab a late winner as the points were shared. Roma: Mirante; Mancini, Ibanez, Kumbulla; Santon, Veretout, Pellegrini, Spinazzola; Mkhitaryan, Pedro; Dzeko. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini; Kulusevski (Frabotta 85’), McKennie (Arthur 58’), Rabiot, Ramsey (Bentancur 68’), Cuadrado; Cristiano Ronaldo, Morata (Douglas Costa 58’). Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, Demiral, Frabotta, Arthur, Bentancur, Portanova, Dybala, Douglas Costa, Vrioni. Source: www.juventus.com |
Andrea Pirlo addressed invited media today at the Allianz Stadium, where he spoke about his team’s progress in training, how he is progressing as a coach, and provided updates on his players along with Alvaro Morata.
Here’s what he had to say: THE TEAM We are increasing the workload, and the team has responded well: we worked even better than last week. The boys are hungry and motivated, despite having won a lot. This enthusiasm and this desire to improve reassures me a lot. ON COACHING Coaching is a different emotion, because I don't decide, but I depend on the players who take to the field. In my head, I've been trying to figure out for a while how to make the boys perform at their best. MORE MORATA We waited for a forward and he arrived. Alvaro Morata knows us well, I was lucky enough to play with him: he was one of our priorities, on a technical and tactical level he is the player we were looking for. PLAYER UPDATE We have worked with Dybala, who has gradually returned to the group. Let's see how he is today and then we will decide if he comes to Rome. Pellegrini went to Genoa to play more, due to next year’s European Championship. De Sciglio is available, just like last week. We had a talk with Sami Khedira to understand the best solution, for him and for us. Arthur comes from a period of inactivity but has worked well. He is settling in, on a tactical and physical level. Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa are two forward and wing players. There they will have to give their best. THE LEAGUE & ROTATION The opponents have strengthened a lot, it will be a thrilling league. Nobody has an advantage; we will have to fight until the last day. Turnover? After one match day it is difficult to implement. I will try to field the best team according to our tactical needs and the characteristics of Roma. Source: www.juventus.com |
A welcome return to the Juventus management staff has been made official for Marco Storari, who returns to the Bianconeri set-up, in the Sporting Area, as 'Professional's Talent Development'.
The former goalkeeper played for Juventus for five seasons, between 2010 and 2015, winning four Scudetti, two Italian Super Cups and an Italian Cup. Now, he is returning to Juve with a new role and an important task: to develop new Juventus talents. All the best, Marco! And welcome back! Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus started their Serie A campaign with a win 3-0 win over Sampdoria at Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening. Kulusevski opened the scoring in the first, before second half goals from Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo ensured the result.
KULU STRIKES ON DEBUT It was Andrea Pirlo’s first ever official match on the Juventus bench, and his first formation saw the Bianconeri line-up in a 5-4-1 formation. The home side dominated possession from the get-go, and they nearly went a goal up in the sixth minute when Danilo struck a fierce effort that flew over the left corner by inches. Ronaldo was denied by an Audero save from close range, but just minutes later they were 1-0 up after Kulusevski fired in an angled left-footed drive that rattled the back of the net to give himself a great to his debut. The Portuguese then smacked the crossbar after a promising breakaway, before firing an effort inches wide after Ramsey played him in. BONUCCI DOUBLES THE LEAD The opening minute of the second stanza saw equal play between both sides, with neither team testing the opposition’s goalkeeper. De Sciglio, who had replaced Frabotta, saw his effort skim just wide of the far post. The Bianconeri were finding their rhythm against and they doubled the lead after a goalmouth scramble. McKennie had initially prodded it straight at Audero, but the rebound fell in the path of Bonucci, who then poked it over the line from close range. The American was find himself in good positions inside the box and he came close to getting a third but Audero pulled off an impressive save off the line to somehow block his effort with his foot! AND RONALDO WRAPS IT UP Sampdoria threatened with an effort from Quagliarella, but it would be Ronaldo who would have the final say when he made it 3-0. Ramsey played a smart through ball for the CR7, who struck an angled drive into the far bottom corner to wrap up all three points. Juventus: Szczęsny; Bonucci, Chiellini (Demiral 85’), Danilo; Cuadrado (Bentancur 78’), Rabiot, McKennie, Frabotta (De Sciglio 67’); Kulusevski (Douglas Costa 82’), Cristiano Ronaldo, Ramsey. Sampdoria: Audero; Bereszynski, Tonelli, Colley, Augello; Depaoli, Thorsby, Ekdal, Leris, Jankto; Bonazzoli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Andrea Pirlo spoke to invited journalists where he previewed his first ever Serie A match as head coach of the Bianconeri, touched on aspects of his players and what he hopes to see.
Here is what he had to say: A NEW SEASON The pre-season was short for everyone; we weren't able to play much. We needed the minutes that the internationals got in their legs. We have a lot of games with little time to prepare. A new season begins, we start from scratch and we have to face it with desire and ferocity. I'm going to tell the guys tomorrow that we have to get off to a good start. SAMPDORIA Ranieri is a great coach, tomorrow will be a difficult match. Samp will play with very tight lines and will look for restarts: we are prepared. Tomorrow I would like to see what we have prepared from the beginning: the search for the ball, mastery of the field and a proactive attitude. We're doing it well, the inputs are coming into our heads PIRLO AS A COACH Doubts? I don't have any. Certainties? I'm at Juve, I coach a team of champions, it was easy for me to fit in and I'm fine. I don't have to show the differences with Sarri's Juve: we have the same goals. I carry on my idea of football, which must be aggressive and based on mastery of the game. This period has not changed me; like I was a footballer, I'll be a coach. There are those who speak well of me and those who have doubts, but for me nothing changes: I am sure of what I am doing. The formation depends on the players you have available, in order to get the best out of them. THE PLAYERS Higuain communicated his desire to change leagues, we managed to find a mutual agreement. Arthur comes from La Liga and he must know our league; let's give everyone time to settle down. Douglas Costa is a strong player. He's had some physical difficulties, we're working to get him to the top, he'll give us a big hand. Chiellini, Bonucci and they are Buffon are behaving in a very professional way, they call me Mister, out of respect also to the companions. Kulusevski is intelligent, he finds his position alone. He is showing great openness to playing in different roles. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri’s first friendly ahead of the new campaign saw them win convincingly against Novara, with Cristiano Ronaldo putting Juve a goal up in the first half, as Aaron Ramsey, Marko Pjaca and a late brace from Manolo Portanova completing the rout in the second.
ANALYSING THE TEAM Juve-Novara proved to be a very useful test, with one week to go until the new Serie A season kicks off, especially to see how well the newcomers are bedding in. In the opening 11 minutes, two new Bianconeri are heavily involved in the attack, namely Dejan Kulusevski (in the forward line alongside Ronaldo) and Weston McKennie in midfield. The first blast of the match arrives from McKennie, a left-footed shot from the edge of the area on five minutes, with an identical effort coming from Juan Cuadrado at the stroke of a quarter-of-an-hour. In both cases, the intervention of the opposing goalkeeper, Ivan Lanni is fundamental in keeping out the strikes. The best link-up play comes on 20 minutes, as Ronaldo opens the scoring with a sharp right foot of his own, which slips unstoppably into the far corner, at the end of a fine passing passage of play involving Kulusevski. Novara, who play in Serie C, set up as expected, playing a stand-off game, trying to limit the damage without risking too much and attempting to strike on the counter-attack. Juve therefore maintains a great deal of possession, whilst testing out formations and going for goal as much as possible. With further strikes in the first half to come from Ramsey and Ronaldo but the goal is left untroubled. SECOND HALF DOMINATION Just 11 minutes after the restart and Douglas Costa, one of the many substitutes after the interval, crosses deep to the far post for the on-rushing Ramsey to tap home, beating Lanni with a great touch. 10 minutes later and another second half sub makes their mark, with Pjaca stabbing home after his first attempt on goal is blocked to make it 3-0. During the second half two other "new" players are on the field, namely: Arthur and Luca Pellegrini. Their impact on the game is good, with Pellegrini pushing to the left and Arthur sweeping the opposing half, carrying the ball and often dictating the tempo. Right at the death Portanova pounces, scoring twice in two minutes, for a brilliant personal brace. The match finishes 5-0, with the team therefore, getting off to a good start, in view of the official start of the season. COACH PIRLO'S THOUGHTS "I am satisfied because it's the first match and we only had two days to prepare for it after the return of the players from international duty. The guys worked hard, they've had good training sessions and this was the most important thing. We are trying many different formations, in the first half we played with a four-man defence that in the attacking phase became three, whilst in the second half we remained with the three fixed at the back and with three up top. Now we are preparing for our season debut on Sunday, we have one week to get ready." WATCH JUVE-NOVARA IN FULL ON JUVENTUS TV! Source: www.juventus.com |
From Verona, where last championship ended, to the beginning of the new Serie A season for Juventus Women. Coach Rita Guarino couldn't have hoped for a better start to the 2020/21 campaign, as her girls won 2-0 at the Sinergy Stadium with goals from Cristiana Girelli and Arianna Caruso decisive. The same goal scorers from last season's winning debut (on that occasion in Vinovo against Empoli).
GOALLESS AT THE HALF Despite the convincing finish to the game, the Bianconere were made to work for the win, with Verona showing their resilience in what was a goalless first half. Juve dominated the play from the off and had two chances immediately in both the fourth and fifth minute, but neither Aurora Galli nor Girelli could find the target. However, Lisa Boattin stepped up with a great free-kick from a tight angle that agonisingly struck the post on 15 minutes. The woodwork would again play a pivotal part in denying Barbara Bonansea's header just before the end of the half. CARUSO & GIRELLI DECISIVE The Bianconere emerged from the locker room in the second half with the same determination that they showed in the first and it didn't take long to finally break down the stubborn Verona defence. Girelli opened Juve's account for the season in classic Girelli fashion, heading home from a corner kick. It was to be two, just three minutes later when some great combination play between Girelli and Bonansea led the ball into the path of Caruso who's left-footed strike gave Francesca Durante no chance in the Verona goal. Despite the Bianconere's dominance, Verona found themselves with a way back into the match 10 minutes from time. Laura Giuliani was adjudged to have brought down on-loan forward Asia Bragonzi and a penalty was awarded to the hosts. However, Rossella Sardu failed to convert kicking high and wide. In the closing stages the frame of the goal would once again deny Bonansea who hit the crossbar. In the dying embers, Alice Berti replaced Caruso to make her Bianconere debut, a big moment for the 16-year old born in 2003. GUARINO'S COMMENTS "It was important to start off on the right foot by winning the three points on a difficult pitch like that of Verona's and in a period in which the high temperatures are felt especially now that we are at the beginning of the season and our conditions are not yet at 100%. I'm happy with the result and having given Alice Berti the chance to make her Serie A debut. We'll keep these three points tight and start thinking about the next one." Source: www.juventus.com |
On Saturday 22nd August at 17:45 CEST, Juventus Women play away to Hellas Verona in the Bianconere's first game of the season.
The match will be shown LIVE on Juventus TV. Here are the players in full selected by Rita Guarino: 42 Bacic 99 Berti 13 Boattin 11 Bonansea 25 Carrer 21 Caruso 7 Cernoia 4 Galli 3 Gama 33 Giordano 10 Girelli 1 Giuliani 2 Hyyrynen 14 Pedersen 8 Rosucci 24 Sciberras 32 Sembrant 12 Lundorf 20 Souza Alves 9 Staskova 46 Tasselli 19 Zamanian Source: www.juventus.com |
Yesterday morning, Matthijs de Ligt underwent stabilisation surgery on his right shoulder, at the UPMC Salvator Mundi clinic in Rome. The operation, performed by Dr. Volker Musahl, assisted by doctors, Bryson Lesniak and Fabrizio Margheritini and in the presence of Juventus Head of Medical Department, Luca Stefanini, was a complete success.
The estimated recovery time is approximately three months. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus claimed a 2-1 win over Lyon at Allianz Stadium on Friday evening, but were unfortunately eliminated from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 due to the away goal rule. The overall scoreline finished 2-2.
TALE OF TWO PENALTIES: DEPAY FIRST The start of the game saw two of Juventus’ attacking chances blown for offside, before then seeing Lyon lay on the attack. Szczesny was forced into making a fingertip save on Aouar with nine minutes on the clock, before then being awarded a penalty kick after Bentancur was judged to have made a late challenge in the box a minute later. Depay stood up to take the penalty and he chipped it into the back of the net to hand Lyon a 1-0 lead at Allianz Stadium. Bernardeschi had a shot blocked from point blank range, while Ronaldo directed his header from nine yards out off target. RONALDO SECOND Anthony Lopes was only really called into action in the 37th minute when he was forced to make a free-kick off Higuain’s glancing header. The Lyon shot-stopper was tested just minutes later when Ronaldo struck a free-kick, and he pulled off a one-handed save to push it away from the goal frame. Juventus were laying on the attack and they were awarded a penalty in the 43rd minute after a handball on Depay in the box. Ronaldo stood up to take it, and he made no error in slicing it past Lopes to put the teams level at the break. RONALDO BULLET BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH The second half saw both teams on edge as they knew what was at stake, and scrappy play took place by both teams. However, it was Juventus who managed to get a crucial second goal when Ronaldo picked up the ball on the edge of the box and struck it into the top right corner to put the scoreline at 2-1 (2-3 on aggregate). Ramsey, Dybala and Danilo were all introduced into the game, as Ronaldo saw his glancing header skim just over the crossbar by inches. Lyon were itching to get the equalising goal and they had several half chances in the box, but each time the Bianconeri defence persevered. Dybala couldn’t last the remainder of the game and he limped off in the 84th minute due to injury. Juventus tried with all their might to get that last-minute goal, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado (Danilo 70’), Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Ramsey 62’), Rabiot; Bernardeschi (Dybala 70’ Olivieri 84’), Higuain, Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Chiellini, Ramsey, Dybala, Danilo, Matuidi, Rugani, Demiral, Olivieri, Muratore. Lyon: Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marçal; Dubois, Caqueret, Bruno Guimarães, Aouar, Cornet; Ekambi, Depay. Lyon bench: Tatarusanu, Diomande, Andersen, Rafael, Dembele, Traore, Mendes, Reine-Adelaide, Jean Lucas, Tete, Bard, Cherki. Source: www.juventus.com |
Focus, determination and hunger are the key ingredients that were underlined in today’s press conference when Maurizio Sarri and Leonardo Bonucci took the stage. Both Coach and player spoke about what was needed from the team in order to overturn the 1-0 deficit, all while previewing tomorrow’s fixture set to take place at Allianz Stadium.
Here is what they had to say. SARRI: “A GREAT PERFORMANCE IS NEEDED” “Tomorrow will be a game that we will need play with a clear head. A great performance is needed, Lyon has grown a lot and become solid defensively. Higuain and Pjanic? They are two players on the rise. Ronaldo is training in the right manner, yesterday he scored an excellent goal in training. He played many games in a short time, he rested a little and now he has trained with intensity and strength. “We will try to recover Dybala up until tomorrow morning, at the moment he's still training with the medical staff. Cuadrado will most likely start from the first minute, let's see whether it is from the defensive line or in a more attacking position. “Playing without fans, even tomorrow, will not be pleasant. The most important competition in the world, the Champions League, would need it even more. Let's hope that the right conditions will soon be in place in order for fans to return. “Lyon defends with intensity and efficiency and counter-attacks really well. The result of the first-leg allows them to set the game according to their characteristics. It will be a very difficult game, but not an impossible one. “We are happy to have won possibly the most difficult Serie A in history. Now it would be great to go to Portugal and play the Final 8 as it would mean entering the world's élite.” BONUCCI: “WE MUST GIVE 100%” “All of us, with a word, a gesture, an injection of positive energy, can determine how the game unfolds. The focus is on this game, and on the desire to overturn the result; we must only look at ourselves. The Juve seen after the lockdown has shown good things. This week we were fortunate enough to train really well. Tomorrow we must play as a team and give 110%. To play without our fans is not nice, and we will need to be even more focused in order to go to Lisbon.” GARCIA & MEMPHIS’ WORLDS Memphis: “Tomorrow will be a very special game." Garcia: "It's all in our own hands, the qualification to the quarter-finals will depend on us. Juventus won the league beforehand; I don't think they'll be tired. The players will be prepared and have the right game tempo. For us it will be a disadvantage, but the game in the French League Cup showed that our physical form is good. It's a shame that fans won't be present tomorrow: we look forward to having them back soon, as football is made to be played in front of fans. Juve is a great team and it is demonstrated by the fact that even this year they won the Scudetto. But tomorrow we won't only want to defend, we will also want to score a goal. Juve have many great players, many stars. Everyone can move the needle; we are humble, but very ambitious: we want to qualify. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus ended off their Serie A season as champions but fell to Roma in their final game of league, as the Giallorossi claimed a 3-1 win at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. Higuain opened the scoring, but a goal from Kalinic and a brace from Perotti saw them take the three points.
PIPITA OPENS SCORING Having secured the Scudetto title with two matches to spare, the Bianconeri could enjoy the fixture and the night, as Captain Chiellini was able to swing aloft the Scudetto trophy. Juventus needed just five minutes to snatch the lead in the game when a corner kick directed into the box saw Rabiot flick it towards the back post. Higuain was ready and he fired it into the back of the net. ROMA RESPOND THROUGH KALINIC & PEROTTI Little goalmouth action followed as the sweltering heat impacted the tempo of the game. Roma, however, did score an equalizer in the 23rd minute when Kalinic got onto the end of ball and turned it into the back of the net with his head. The young Frabotta then threatened after he turned a quick give-and-go into a ferocious angled drive that flashed wide of goal. Roma were enjoying the majority of the possession and they had a goal disallowed in the 37th minute when a Calafiori effort on the volley was flagged after the ball had gone out on the initial play. The Giallorossi did take the lead just before the break when they were awarded a penalty in the 43rd minute for a foul on Calafiori. Diego Perotti stood up to take the effort, and he sliced the ball under Szczesny to make it 1-2 PEROTTI SECURES THREE POINTS FOR ROMA Demiral marked his return to action against the exact same team he sustained his knee injury against, as he replaced Bonucci, while Ramsey came on in place of Rabiot. Straight after the changes, Roma added to their scoreline when Zaniolo went on a good run up field to feed Perotti, who then sliced it into the back of the net to make it 3-1. In an attempt to pull one back, Ramsey combined well with Higuain but turned his effort onto the upright. Szczesny then pulled off a great one-handed save to turn Perotti’s effort around the post, while Olivieri came on for Bernardeschi and Vrioni for Higuain. The remaining minutes of the game saw no change to the scoreline as the visitors claimed an away win. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Rugani, Bonucci (Demiral 50’), Frabotta; Rabiot (Ramsey 50’), Muratore, Matuidi; Zanimacchia, Higuain (Vrioni 79’), Bernardeschi (Olivieri 72’). Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Cuadrado, Demiral, Wesley, Ramsey, Bentancur, Peeters, Olivieri, Vrioni. Roma: Fuzato; Smalling, Ibanez, Fazio; Zappacosta, Villar, Veretout, Calafiori; Zaniolo, Perotti; Kalinic. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Italian Champions will return home tomorrow evening (20:45 CEST) as they will host Roma at the Allianz Stadium in the last Serie A match of the season. It will be an occasion to celebrate at home and raise the Scudetto to the night sky.
TOMORROW’S GAME “Who will play tomorrow? We'll assess it today and tomorrow morning, depending on who needs to rest and who is fit to play. Between tomorrow and Friday there will be a big difference in terms of mentality. We'll need to be good at recovering all energies possible. Tomorrow will play who is fit and we'll try to make it a day of celebration. I can see two light-hearted teams tomorrow evening, with clear heads: a beautiful game can come out of it.” THE BIANCONERI’S FORM “Let's see how Cristiano feels for tomorrow, he's one of the players that played the most in the entire season. With regards to Aaron Ramsey, might be back with the team today and there are good possibilities that he plays in the #UCL. Dybala is with the medical staff, everything is proceeding well, but I don't know when he'll be back with the group.” CURRENT MOMENT “We're playing much higher on the pitch, with a better level of ball possession, and for it being my first year at the club, I'm very happy, and I know we have margins for improvement. It was a peculiar season, very difficult and devastating for everyone, something we've never seen before; teams are tired both mentally and physically. In a profession like ours, to be able to take a break for twenty days is vital: I hope that the league restarts in the appropriate time frame in order to allow players and staff to recharge." Source: www.juventus.com |
First half goals from Gagliano and Simeone saw Cagliari stun the Italian Champions by claiming a 2-0 Serie A win at the Sardegna Arena on Wednesday evening.
Having secured the Scudetto on the weekend against Sampdoria, the Italian Champions were looking to claim another win in the penultimate match of the season. However, it didn’t go to plan… GAGLIANO & SIMEONE HAND CAGLIARI LEAD Muratore had the first effort of the game with an effort that was saved by Cragno, but it was Cagliari who took the lead with eight minutes on the clock when the young Gagliano got onto the end of a cross to tap it over the line. Ronaldo thought he had found the equalizer when he got onto the end of Bernardeschi’s ball, but it was disallowed due to offside. Bonucci threatened with a powerful effort from range just after the half hour, which sailed out by inches at the far post. Cuadrado then had an attempt of his own when his angled drive flashed wide of the far post, while Bentancur struck a strong hit inside the box that was blocked by Cragno’s legs. The Rossoblu were looking threatening when on the attack and they doubled the lead in stoppage time when Simeone controlled the ball, pulled off a feint and then fired straight past Buffon. BATTLE OF GOALKEEPERS The Sardinians started the second half showing their determination to add a third goal, and they immediately threatened with an effort from Paloschi that sailed wide of the target. Buffon then proved why he is still playing at the age of 42 when he pulled off an excellent one-handed save to deny Simeone’s acrobatic volley with a one-handed save, but it was then flagged for offside. Cragno was next to be called into action when he palmed away Alex Sandro’s effort over the bar, before beating away Ronaldo’s snapshot. Bernardeschi saw his shot from Matuidi’s cross go wide of goal, before Cragno had the last important save of the game with an acrobatic effort on Zanimacchia’s looping strike. Despite Juve’s attempt to turn the scoreline around, the game ended in favour of the Rossoblu. Cagliari: Cragno; Walukiewicz, Ceppitelli, Klavan; Faragò, Rog, Ionita, Mattiello; Joao Pedro, Simeone, Gagliano. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (Peeters 75’), Pjanic (Matuidi 61’), Muratore (Zanimacchia 61’); Bernardeschi, Higuain (Olivieri 88’), Ronaldo. Subs: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Demiral, Coccolo, Wesley, Frabotta, Matuidi, Peeters, Olivieri, Vrioni, Zanimacchia. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus claimed an unprecedented ninth successive Serie A title when they defeated Sampdoria 2-0 on Sunday evening at Allianz Stadium. Ronaldo scored at the end of the first half to hand the Bianconeri the lead, while Bernardeschi wrapped up the victory as Ranieri’s side finished the game with 10 men.
JUVE LOSE DANILO & DYBALA The game didn’t see many chances occur in the opening 20 minutes, and it was the home side to threaten first at goal when Bonucci played a long ball up field, Matuidi then crossed it into the box for Ronaldo, who jumped up to nod it towards goal only to be blown for a foul on Chabot. Danilo was forced into being substituted at the half hour mark, after a clash of heads with Ramirez left him dizzy, and it meant that he was taken off in place of Bernardeschi, with Cuadrado moving to right-back. Sampdoria were starting to put on the pressure, and Quagliarella had two efforts at goal in quick succession which Tek was equal to. Five minutes before the break, Sarri was forced into making a second change as Dybala came off for Higuain. RONALDO BREAKS THE DEADLOCK Ronaldo unleashed a flying effort that sailed just high of the target, before a Bernardeschi effort stung the palms of Audero. Six minutes of stoppage time where added at the end of the half, and Juve took advantage of the extra time as they went into the break with the lead after Ronaldo got onto the end of a Pjanic cross and fired it home into the bottom of the corner. BERNA SEALS SCUDETTO The start of the second half saw both teams threaten at goal: Higuain and Ronaldo couldn’t turn Pjanic’s long free-kick into the back of the net, while Leris prodded Ramirez’s cross just inches wide of the upright. Szczesny was then called into making a fingertip save on Yoshida’s free-kick, while Audero did the exact same when he parried away Ronaldo’s effort from close range. Juventus made it 2-0 and moved one step closer to securing the Scudetto when Audero spilled Ronaldo’s effort: Bernardeschi pounced on the loose ball and it poked it into the back of the net. RONALDO MISSES PENALTY Quagliarella nearly responded with a goal of his own, when he sent in a glancing header off Leris cross and saw his effort palmed away by Szczesny. Samp were then reduced to 10 men when Thorsby, who was already on a yellow, was shown a second for a late challenge on Pjanic. De Ligt and Pjanic were then replaced by Rugani and Bentancur, while Juventus were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute after Alex Sandro was brought down inside the box. Ronaldo stood up to take the penalty, but he, unusually, didn’t convert it, as he blasted it against the crossbar. It didn’t end there though, as the Bianconeri were denied from making it 3-0, this time with a dramatic goal line clearance by Yoshida on Bonucci inside stoppages. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo (Bernardeschi 29’), De Ligt (Rugani 78’), Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Rabiot, Pjanic (Bentancur 78’), Matuidi; Cuadrado, Dybala (Higuain 39’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Demiral, Ramsey, Bentancur, Muratore, Higuain, Bernardeschi, Olivieri, Zanimacchia. Sampdoria: Audero; Tonelli, Yoshida, Chabot, Augello; Depaoli, Linetty, Thorsby, Jankto; Ramirez, Quagliarella. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus will host Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium tomorrow evening, on Matchday 36 in the Serie A calendar. Today, Maurizio Sarri presented the game in his briefing to invited journalists at Allianz Stadium.
"Tomorrow, we want to bring home the three points and reach our goal. We must be clear-headed and enter the pitch with great determination. In Udine in the last game we lost our organisation after we gave too much. We broke up and stretched out too much because of our desire to attack." RANIERI'S SAMP "Sampdoria are a team that have found their way of playing and their width, they are able to keep organised for long periods of the game. They have five our of their last nine matches, so they won't be an easy side to face. They may give the impression of not having much motivation because of their league standing, but that will not be the case, because they have just lost a derby. Right now, nobody can overcome us in terms of motivation, we have a clear goal in mind." THE BIANCONERI'S SEASON "I give the team a good mark, as this is the most difficult season in the history of Italian football. In the results of the last games there have been enormous difficulties for all of the teams. In such a complicated season, the team have done well, despite having room for improvement." MIRALEM PJANIC "He has played 46 games this season. I didn't play him in the last two because I made different choices against physical teams. Miralem Pjanic has played a lot and at the moment he has a small fixable ache, Today, he is back in the group and we'll see tomorrow if he will play or not." Source: www.juventus.com |
A stoppage time Fofana goal met Udinese claimed a 2-1 victory over Juventus at Dacia Arena on Thursday evening. Matthijs de Ligt broke the deadlock with a first half strike, but goals from Nestorovski and Fofana saw them snatch the three points.
DE LIGT BREAKS THE DEADLOCK The Bianconeri first attempt came with four minutes on the clock when Ronaldo received the ball on the edge of the box, he then turned and fired the ball straight into Musso’s arms. The post saved Juventus from suffering an early goal when a cross, which took a touch off Danilo, rattled the upright. The Bianconeri then threatened at goal when Ramsey’s shot was blocked, the ball then fell to Dybala whose shot a powerful effort that was palmed away by the host’s shot-stopper. Ronaldo then struck an effort from 25 yards that looked destined for the top corner, but it sailed out by inches. Juventus took the lead with three minutes remaining in the first half, when a clearance fell to the feet of the Matthijs de Ligt. He gets a quick touch before smashing it into the bottom corner to give the Bianconeri a lead! UDINESE TAKE HOME THE POINTS Udinese started the half by testing Szczesny when Nestorovski got behind de Ligt and fired straight into the arms of Tek from a tight angle. The hosts drew level at 1-1 through Nestorovski, who got into the end of a cross and nodded in a power header. Matuidi and Douglas Costa were brought on with half an hour remaining, as they replaced Ramsey and Bernardeschi. Dybala attempted an effort from 25 meters but was denied by Musso, while Cuadrado came on for Danilo. Alex Sandro attempted an effort from range with eight minutes to go, but it failed to hit the target. The Bianconeri were pushing for that late winner that would secure the Scudetto, but it was the opposition in black and white who took home the victory after Fofana beat his challengers, nutmegged de Ligt and slotted the ball under Szczesny deep inside stoppage time. UDINESE (3-5-2): Musso; Becao, Nuytinck, Ekong; Ter Avest, Fofana, De Paul, Sema, Zeegelaar; Okaka, Nestorovski. JUVENTUS (4-3-3): Szczęsny; Danilo (Cuadrado 74’), Rugani, de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Matuidi 59’), Bentancur, Rabiot; Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 59’), Dybala, Ronaldo. SUBS: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Cuadrado, Coccolo, Demiral, Pjanic, Matuidi, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Olivieri, Vrioni, Zanimacchia. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will take to the field against Udinese tomorrow night in what will be a vital result for the outcome of the Scudetto. Speaking ahead of the game, Mister Sarri addressed journalists on the eve of the fixture where he spoke about what is at stake.
Here is what he had to say: UDINESE & THE SCUDETTO RACE We need four points, although in this moment, winning is difficult for everyone. We need to remain focused on the single matches and now we must think solely on Udinese. Udinese are a physical team and in this moment they're in a good phase. It will be a difficult match, we'll need to be attentive in preparing for it. RONALDO – DYBALA PARTNERSHIP We're a strong team with further margins for improvement. I struggle to see the difficulty in in making two players like Cristiano and Dybala coexist: they're two incredible players. Cristiano feels really good, he has the great ability to focus immediately on the next objective. It's a rare ability, he has a champion mindset. PLAYER UPDATES Higuain and Chiellini were at work with the doctors yesterday. Merih Demiral is feeling better, we're working on bringing him back to top physical form. At certain times of the season Rugani deserved to play more and sometimes he was criticized too much. Pjanic is fine, in the last few matches we have made different choices only for issues of characteristics RABIOT’S FORM Rabiot is a player with rare qualities, after some big changes he's finally finding his rhythm, but it's a normal path that many foreigners take when they arrive in Italy. Now I see him playing with a good level of personality. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus bounced back to claim a 2-1 Serie A win against Lazio at Allianz Stadium on Monday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty and scored a second after the break to ensure a victory for the Lady.
After having failed to win in their last three matches, the Bianconeri were looking to bounce back against a Lazio side that had seemingly lost the form they had before lockdown occurred. Douglas Costa was handed a starting birth as he marked his 100th appearance in the Bianconeri colours. Higuain was initially scheduled to start from the first minute, but an injury during the warm-up meant Dybala took his place. GOALLESS FIRST HALF It wasn’t a game of many opportunities in the opening minutes, but Alex Sandro did threaten with a glancing header that rattled off the outside of the post with 11 minutes on the clock. Lazio then attacked minutes later, and they saw their effort by Cataldi deflected wide. Juve were working the ball and remaining patient in their build-up, while Lazio were defending valiantly. In the 35th minute, Rabiot went on a good run with the ball at his feet: he worked his way into the box and fired at goal from a tight angle which saw Strakosha parry it out of play. Lazio came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock when Immobile struck from just outside the box: it looked to have beaten Szczesny but bounced off the upright. RONALDO DOUBLE Juventus nearly went 1-0 up straight at the start of the season half when Dybala’s slalomed his way into the box, let rip, saw it saved by Strakosha, but then saw Ronaldo’s follow-up cleared off the line by Lazzari. But things quickly turned on its head and the Bianconeri took the lead with two Ronaldo goals in three minutes: the first saw Ronaldo put home a penalty kick after Bastos was deemed to have handled the ball in the box, while the second saw Dybala do most of the work when he and Ronaldo broke the offside trap, ran side by side up towards goal. The Argentine then passed it through to Ronaldo, who finished it off in a calm manner to make it 2-0. IMMOBILE PULLS ONE BACK Ronaldo and Dybala then linked up after the hour mark when the Portuguese turned his header onto the crossbar. Anderson then threatened with an effort from range that sailed high off the target with the aid of Tek’s touch. Lazio did land up pulling a goal back when they were awarded a penalty after Bonucci was judged to have brought down Immobile. The Italian striker made no error from the spot and he fired the ball under Szczesny to make the scoreline 2-1 with eight minutes left to play. Sarri made a defensive change in the final minutes by bringing on Rugani in place of Dybala in order to ensure the three points stayed in Turin, and it worked out as the Lady claimed the victory. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Matuidi 57’), Bentancur, Rabiot; Douglas Costa (Danilo 57’), Dybala (Rugani 87’), Ronaldo. Juve bench: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Rugani, Demiral, Wesley, Pjanic, Matuidi, Muratore, Higuain, Olivieri, Zanimacchia. Lazio: Strakosha; Bastos, Luiz Felipe, Acerbi; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Parolo, D Anderson; Caicedo, Immobile. Lazio bench: Proto, Guerrieri, Vavro, Armini, A Anderson, Falbo, Lukaku, Adekanye, Moro. Source: www.juventus.com |
In the words Maurizio Sarri, the importance of tomorrow night's game "speaks for itself." That's what the coach told invited journalists today on the eve of the game against the Biancocelesti.
"Lazio have had a great season, proving to be an excellent team. They are able to regroup, even if they are going through a difficult spell at the moment. We have suffered against them this year." Of course Sarri understands that the focus needs to be on his team: "We must worry about being solid and playing with continuity, this is what we are thinking about. It's not important who plays, but rather the work that can be done as a team." CURRENT PROGRESS "We've come up against teams that are in great form, that are capable of maintaining a very high level of organisation and their results reflect that. It must also be said that many teams right now also struggle to hold onto the game for 90 minutes. We are witnessing many strange matches, which run incomprehensibly, not only in Serie A. It's a difficulty for everyone, this period is an anomaly." FIGHTING FOR THE TARGETS The tactician added: "Bentancur, de Ligt and Bonucci are back in the group today after a bit of personalised training. Chiellini has to rest for a few days, but regardless of who takes the field, the importance is on the tasks that need to be done and carrying them out in the best possible way, so that the defensive line is less exposed." "We don't need to be afraid as the team is used to fighting for these targets, and from this point of view it gives ample guarantees, during the extraordinary nature of this moment." Source: www.juventus.com |
A six-goal thriller saw Juventus and Sassuolo secure a point each as the Serie A fixture ended 3-3 at the Mapei Stadium on Wednesday evening. The Bianconeri went two goals clear through goals from Danilo and Higuain, but the Neroverdi found a way to comeback and make it 3-2. Alex Sandro was the last to get on the scoresheet, salvaging a point for the Bianconeri.
SOUTH AMERICAN INFLUENCE Sarri surprised many by calling Chiellini up to the starting XI, as he replaced Bonucci who had a foot problem. Higuain was also included in the line-up, with Dybala starting from the bench. Juventus needed only five minutes to take control of the game and they went 1-0 up when Pjanic played a corner to Danilo, who was on the edge of the box. The Brazilian struck it first time and it sailed past Consigli. Five minutes later and Juventus doubled the lead: Pjanic was again the assist man when he sent a vertical ball over the top to Higuain who then fired it past onrushing goalkeeper. SASSUOLO PULL ONE BACK The Bianconeri threatened with a chipped ball from Ronaldo that hit the side-netting, before Sassuolo threatened with their own effort from Muldur that forced Szczesny into making a reflex save. The hosts did pull a goal back just before the half hour mark when a defensive error allowed for Djuricic to fire at goal. NEROVERDI COMEBACK & TAKE THE LEAD Daniele Rugani was brought on at the start of the second half, as Giorgio Chiellini could only last 45 minutes. Sassuolo drew level in the 50th minute through an unstoppable Berardi free-kick that sailed into the top corner. De Zerbi’s men then turned the result on its head and claimed a 3-2 lead just four minutes later after the ball was tucked into the back post by Caputo. ALEX SANDRO MAKES IT 3-3 Sarri then brought on Douglas Costa in place of Bernardeschi, and soon afterwards, Juventus drew level in the 64th minute. Alex Sandro was positioned at the near post as a corner was crossed into the box by Bentancur, and he rose up and nodded it into the back of the net. Consigli denied Ronaldo with an excellent save, while Ramsey was brought on in place of Matuidi with 10 minutes to go. As the game drew to a close, chances followed on each end of the field and the hosts were denied with a double save: Szczesny came to the rescue again when he blocked Traore’s effort, before Boga's follow-up was cleared off the line by Alex Sandro. Tek ensured that the scoreline remained level when he pulled off a fingertip save on Bourabia to send it over the bar. Sassuolo: Consigli; Muldur, Chiriches, Peluso, Kyriakopoulos; Magnanelli, Locatelli; Berardi, Djuricic, Boga; Caputo. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini (Rugani 46’), Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Rabiot 57’), Matuidi (Ramsey 81’); Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 62’), Higuain (Dybala 57’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Demiral, Ramsey, Rabiot, Muratore, Dybala, Douglas Costa, Olivieri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Ahead of tomorrow evening’s clash against Sassuolo, Bianconeri head coach Sarri sat down with invited journalists, where he spoke about the clash, the race for the Scudetto title, and provided an update on some of his players.
OUR OPPONENTS Sassuolo is a team that is on the same path as Atalanta. They are giving continuity to a project, they are organised, and with a smart coach. They are in excellent form and are a dangerous team. The team has scored 17 goals in 6 games, so we don't have a problem when it comes to scoring. De Zerbi always manages to make an impression on his teams. He is the most interesting of the young coaches. We will be at least equal on the level of enthusiasm and determination, because we are in a moment where we are playing for the Scudetto. THE SCUDETTO RACE This Scudetto is not taken for granted, and it is still to be battled and fought for. In sport, there is no obvious result. At this moment of the season we have to do a few calculations, we will think about the rest later. I hope that soon we will be able to make more rotations. PLAYER UPDATES Merih Demiral is fine, but he needs time to get back into physical form. The player who has the most goals in his feet is Aaron Ramsey, then we have growing players who can give their offensive contribution, such as Bentancur and Rabiot. Miralem Pjanic's exclusion was only precautionary. Bonucci has a problem with his foot that we need to evaluate today. Chiellini's absence is one of the great regrets of this season. He is a player who knows how to be enthralling. He has been training with the team for 5 days: I see him growing, and, in the future, he will be a great contribution for us. Source: www.juventus.com |
Two Cristiano Ronaldo penalties saw Juventus comeback twice to ensure a 2-2 draw against Atalanta at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. The Bergamo outfit took the lead first through Zapata and then through Malinovskyi, but a determined Bianconeri display ensured a point was earned.
ZAPATA GIVES ATALANTA FIRST-HALF LEAD The Bianconeri were looking to bounce back from their midweek disappointment against Milan, and they welcomed back de Ligt and Dybala following their suspensions against the Rossoneri. Atalanta threatened with just six minutes on the clock when Castagne sent in a dangerous cross that saw Zapata head it over from close range. Atalanta took hold of the advantage in the 16th minute when an excellent give and go between Papu Gomez and Duvan Zapata saw the Colombian fire the ball under Szczesny. The visitors dominated possession for the remainder of the half, but Dybala tried to pull a goal back with a tight-angled drive that got pushed out for a corner. The half was wrapped up with the Argentine delivering in a dangerous cross into the box, in which Ronaldo’s diving header went wide of the target. RONALDO FROM THE SPOT Juventus were handed a lifeline 10 minutes after the break, when they were handed a penalty after De Roon was judged to have handled the ball. Ronaldo stood up to take the spot kick and he made no mistake by firing it past Gollini. Sarri then opted to make changes to his set-up with Danilo, Bernardeschi and Dybala making way for Alex Sandro, Douglas Costa and Higuain respectively. Atalanta, who had taken off Zapata and Papu Gomez, threatened with 15 minutes to go, with an effort by Malinovskyi that sailed just wide of the post. The game was ebbing and flowing with great pace, and Juventus were denied of taking the lead by Gollini when he brilliantly saved Ronaldo’s effort: the Portuguese flicked the ball over his marker and shot on the volley, only to have his effort palmed away. IT ENDS 2-2 The Bergamaschi continued to look dangerous on the break, and they took the lead in the 80th minute when Muriel crossed the ball across the face of goal for Malinovskyi. And with no hesitation, he fired at goal and beat Szczesny at the near post. The Lady went pushing for a late goal and a second penalty was awarded to Juventus on the stroke of the 90 for a hand ball: Ronaldo stood up to take the spot kick and he fired it low into the bottom left corner as the game ended in a draw. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci (Rugani 82’), De Ligt, Danilo (Alex Sandro 59’); Rabiot, Bentancur, Matuidi (Ramsey 82’); Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 59’), Dybala (Higuain 67’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Pjanic, Ramsey, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Higuain, Olivieri. Atalanta: Gollini; Toloi, Palomino, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Castagne; Gomez, Ilicic; Duvan Zapata. Atalanta bench: Rossi, Sportiello, Caldara, Sutalo, Tameze, Czyborra, Muriel, Malinovskyi, Gosens, Bellanova, Pasalic, Colley. Source: www.juventus.com |
Ahead of tomorrow's clash against Atalanta, Maurizio Sarri addressed invited media at Allianz Stadium, where he previewed the game and provided an update on his team:
THE OPPONENT "This is an important phase of the season. Atalanta are the real deal and are doing really well and their stats reflect that, especially away from home. They're a very difficult opponent and have been for some time. Right now we have to think about the target of the league, then Lyon. Whatever comes next we can't think about. The Nerazzurri are an aggressive team that know how to counter well. From a physical point of view they have important accelerations and it will be a difficult game from all points of view. Right now almost all teams struggle to have continuity for 90 minutes and what I would like to see is organisation, which in certain moments is decisive. In the away match Atalanta held a very intense rhythm for 55 minutes but then they likely couldn't hold it for the final stages. I think we'll see a different type of match this time around." THE BIANCONERI "Paulo Dybala is unquestionably an absolute talent, but given the blackout we had in Milan I still think it would have gone the same way [with him available]. Douglas Costa is an important player for us, and after going through a period without Higuain, having someone like him ready to come off the bench and change the games was crucial. Alex Sandro was out for 10 days, whilst Giorgio Chiellini has taken a different, longer path, where in the last 11 months has trained very little with the group." THE CURRENT MOMENT "If the match against Milan had happened earlier on, the priority would be to go in search of the causes. Given that we are in the final stages, the priority becomes ensuring that it doesn't have a negative impact. We have to look forward immediately. We'll see today after training whether or not there will be a few changes for the match." Source: www.juventus.com |
Milan completed a comeback to claim a 4-2 victory over Juventus at San Siro on Tuesday evening. The Bianconeri took a two-goal lead in the second half, but three goals in five minutes meant the scoreline turned in favour of the hosts.
GOALLESS FIRST HALF The Bianconeri came into the game without the services of the suspended de Ligt and Dybala but were able to welcome back the return of Alex Sandro from injury. After a slow start, Juventus started to take command of the game and they came close to scoring when Bernardeschi free-kick grazed over Bonucci’s head to go out of play, while Ronaldo struck an angled drive from distance that went out at the far post. Ibrahimovic had two efforts denied by Szczesny, with goal scoring chances were few and far between for the remainder of the half. Each side did, however, have an effort at goal before the break, with Donnarumma pulling off a save on Higuain’s effort, while Milan had an Ibrahimovic goal ruled out for offside inside stoppage time. RABIOT, SIMPLY MAGNIFIQUE Juventus couldn’t have asked for a better start to the second half, as they made it 0-1 through Rabiot. The Frenchman hit a sublime effort from range: after first nutmegging Theo Hernandez, he ran through the midfield, beat his markers and let rip to rattle the back of the net. RONALDO ADDS A SECOND Six minutes later, the scoreline doubled in favour of the Bianconeri. A long ball was sent up the field towards Ronaldo, but a defensive error by Milan allowed for the Portuguese to strike it first time on his left foot, as it sailed past Donnarumma into the back of the net. MILAN THREE GOALS IN FIVE MINUTES Milan managed to turn the game on its head with three goals in five minutes. The Rossoneri were awarded a penalty just after the hour mark when VAR deemed Bonucci to have handled the ball: Ibrahimovic stood up to take it and he slotted it past Szczesny into the bottom left corner. Milan then drew level following a great team move, which saw Kessie fire the ball into the back, before a third goal meant the hosts took the lead when Leao ran into the box, beat his marker and fired the ball past Szczesny. ROSSONERI TAKE HOME THE POINTS Sarri then opted to make three changes straight away, taking off Pjanic, Higuain and Rabiot and replacing them with Ramsey, Douglas Costa and Matuidi. Rugani came agonisingly close to making it 3-3 with a header that forced Donnarumma to pluck it off the line, but it was Milan who would take home the win when they added a fourth and final goal. Bonaventura burst into the box, fed it through to Rebic, who fired it home to make the scoreline 4-2. Milan: G Donnarumma; Conti, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Paqueta, Rebic; Ibrahimovic. Milan bench: Begovic, A Donnarumma, Calabria, Bonaventura, Calhanoglu, Leao, Biglia, Colombo, Krunic, Gabbia, Laxalt, Maldini. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Rugani, Danilo; Bentancur, Pjanic (Ramsey 69’, Rabiot (Matuidi 69’); Bernardeschi, Higuain (Douglas Costa 69’), Cristiano Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Chiellini, Ramsey, Douglas Costa, Alex Sandro, Matuidi, Olivieri, Muratore, Coccolo, Vrioni. Source: www.juventus.com |
Tomorrow night the Bianconeri will be back on the field when they take on Milan in a Serie A league match at San Siro. It is a match in which Sarri isn’t expecting plain sailing.
“Tomorrow is a difficult game,” he said upon meeting journalists. “AC Milan, who created problems for us this season, are in great physical and mental form and are expressing themselves at a high level. “The mental aspect is very delicate in this period and an error can be just around the corner. The guys know it's going to be a difficult month, and so they mustn't lose focus.” The coach then provided an update on his players: “Our squad, according to the First Team only, has 15 outfield players. Chiellini and Alex Sandro are recovering, but we need to see in the next training session. Aaron Ramsey? For us, he is always an option, even if he is coming off a complicated period. Higuain is better, he is training continuously, and he is mentally ready.” Before then concluding: “As a team, we still have room for improvement, even if I'm happy with what I've seen the team do, from all points of view." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus claimed Derby della Mole bragging rights as they defeated cross-city rivals Torino 4-1 in the Serie A match at Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Dybala opened the scoring with just two minutes on the clock; Juan Cuadrado and Cristiano Ronaldo also got onto the scoresheet, while a Torino own goal meant they recorded a resounding win.
STRAIGHT AWAY LA JOYA The Bianconeri took to the field with three players setting personal milestones: Bonucci made his 400th appearance for Juventus, Bernardeschi his 100th and Buffon turning out for a record 648th Serie A appearance. But there was little time to stake stock of the occasion, as Juventus found themselves on the scoresheet with little over two minutes on the clock: Cuadrado fed the ball through to Dybala, who then dribbled past two defenders and fired it into the back of Sirigu net. Ronaldo then had an effort denied in the 18th minute, when he fired a fierce effort that was parried away by the Torino shot-stopper. JUAN SCORES, BELOTTI PENALTY Juventus made it 2-0 on the half hour mark when the hosts went on the counter, Ronaldo then played the ball to Cuadrado, who smashed home an angled drive. The remainder of the half had a good ebb and flow to it, but it was Torino who got on the scoresheet deep inside stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty due to a de Ligt hand ball. Belotti stood up to take the effort and he slotted it past Buffon, who initially got a hand to it, but couldn’t stop it from going past him. TORINO THREATEN, RONALDO SCORES Torino almost found themselves having completed a comeback when they had a goal disallowed in the 50th minute. Buffon made a save on Verdi’s shot, Belotti, who was in an offside position, hit on the rebound and struck the woodwork. Berenguer then prodded the ball over the line, only for it to be disallowed. Douglas Costa, who was brought on for Bernardeschi, almost scored within seconds of being on the field, with an effort that curled over the target. Danilo then saw his effort take a massive deflection and skimmed just over. Juventus did make it 3-1 in their favour when they were handed a free-kick on the edge of the D. Ronaldo stood over it and he delightfully curled it into the top left corner. Several other chances fell to the Bianconeri, and they grabbed a fourth goal, albeit in strange circumstances, when a Douglas Costa’s cross was turned into the back of the net by Djidji with just minutes remaining on the clock. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo; Bentancur, Pjanic (Matuidi 49’), Rabiot; Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 55’), Dybala (Higuain 80’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Wesley, Ramsey, Matuidi, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Higuain, Olivieri. Torino: Sirigu; De Silvestri, Izzo, Lyanco, Bremer; Aina, Meite, Lukic, Berenguer; Verdi, Belotti. Torino bench: Ujkani, Rosati, Zaza, Ansaldi, Singo, Edera, Millico, Ghazoini, Djidji, Nkoulou, Adopo, Rincon. Source: www.juventus.com |
Ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s Derby Della Mole meeting against Torino, Mister Sarri addressed invited media at Allianz Stadium, where he previewed the game and provided an update on his team.
TEAM’S CURRENT STATUS The team are capable of playing good football, whilst there's individuals who can decide a game at any moment and we can rightly rely on those factors. However, the derby is a particular game that doesn't follow trends, they will be very motivated. The fixture list matters little now because every game is tough. After such a long time without playing there is more need to play than rest, at the moment we haven't detected any signs of fatigue within the group." CLOSED DOORS Without the fans, home advantage counts for less, especially in difficult moments of the game. However, being able to play in your own stadium counts for something. THE PLAYERS Bernardeschi is doing well both physically and mentally. Douglas Costa is someone who deserves to play from the start, and could do so, but right now he is a vital weapon for us for a game in progress. Cristiano & Dybala often try to look for each other, play at speed and go closer together, it is something that they also do in training. Alex Sandro is moving with ease in training, so I hope that he will be back with us soon, it seems like he's recovering from the injury well. Meanwhile, we have to thank both Danilo and Blaise for being available to fill in. COULD GIGI BREAK THE RECORD? We'll make a decision on whether or not Gianluigi Buffon plays tomorrow after today's training. He's someone that we always take into consideration, he's an extremely strong goalkeeper, he's vital and even in training does unthinkable things. Source: www.juventus.com |
Three fantastic strikes saw a dominant Juventus claim a 3-1 Serie A victory over Genoa at the Marassi on Tuesday evening. Once again, all the goals came in the second half, where Dybala, Ronaldo and Douglas Costa all found the back of the net in spectacular style.
JUVE DOMINANT, PERIN STRONG The first efforts of the game came through a series of long rangers, where Bernardeschi and Ronaldo both attempted efforts from range, which saw Perin push away the Portuguese’s effort. A penalty appeal was also waved away de Ligt went down in the box, before a big chance fell to Rabiot just after the half hour mark. Cuadrado delivered in a cross into the box: the Frenchman got onto the end of it and headed it towards goal, but it went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands. Ronaldo then threatened again with a powerful effort from a tight angle, that saw Perin parry it away from the goal to keep the scoreline level as the teams went into the break. LA JOYA & RONALDO STUNNERS! Juventus needed just five minutes to break the deadlock in the second half: Cuadrado fed the ball through to Dybala, who was on the edge of the box. He burst in, dribbled past two defenders and fired in on his left foot to leave Perin rooted to the spot. Six minutes later, Ronaldo turned the scoreline to 2-0 with a sublime solo effort. Juventus worked the ball forward on a break, he charged forward and fired in a missile that rattled the back of the next from 20-yards out. DOUGLAS COSTA WORLDIE Douglas Costa was brought on in place of Bernardeschi in the 65th minute, and he needed less than 10 minutes to make an impact. The Brazilian received the ball on the edge of the box, dragged it wide and fired in a curling effort into the top right corner. Genoa pulled one back shortly after when Pinamonti smashed it past Szczesny from a tight angle. Higuain and Ramsey came on for Ronaldo and Pjanic respectively, while Dybala and Rabiot made way for Matuidi and Olivieri. Juventus continued to conduct play, and one of their final attempts fell to Higuain, whose shot was denied by Perin. Genoa: Perin; Romero, Soumaoro, Masiello; Ghiglione, Behrami, Cassata, Schone, Sturaro; Favilli, Pinamonti. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo; Bentancur, Pjanic (Ramset 74’), Rabiot (Matuidi 83’); Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 65’), Dybala (Olivieri 83’), Ronaldo (Higuain 74’). Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Wesley, Ramsey, Matuidi, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Higuain, Olivieri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus will be back on the pitch at Genoa's Marassi Stadium tomorrow evening for Matchday 29 in the Serie A calendar. An important match, which was today previewed by Maurizio Sarri at Allianz Stadium in his briefing to invited journalists. "Playing away at Genoa is difficult for everyone, in home games in recent years they have always done well.
The game is a complicated one, as are the games against teams that are fighting against relegation. We have to be aware of this difficulty, the players know that." MATCH PREP "Now we are still in the phase where we are still looking for our best physical condition, and that is valid for all of the teams. As the days go by, the reverse problem will arise with the accumulation of matches. We are changing the management of the post-game routine, we don't have the opportunity to do intense workouts, it is all about recharging and preparing for the next game. The five substitutions is something to be handled with care, but it is also a new and stimulating experience." PLAYERS' CONDITIONS "Right now we cannot afford to alternate more than two-three players, in the last game we had three Under 23 players and three goalkeepers, we don't have many variables. I hope to have some players back within the next week or so in order to give me some more options. Higuain is better, I only have an uncertainty about his playing time. Bentancur is growing really fast and is even stronger than what I expected. He has acquired personality and conviction, is gaining more experience and still has room for improvement. Ramsey is also better, I saw him more lively in the match against Lecce than against Bologna. I haven't yet decided if Buffon will play tomorrow, but the day of the record will arrive sooner or later this season." THE EMPTY STADIUM FACTOR "The empty stadiums continue to be a small factor, whilst it's true that there are no fans, those who play at home can rely on small certainties, there are usual habits that reassure the players." Source: www.juventus.com |
There are players who need no introduction.
Champions whose story speaks for itself, and whose connection with the shirt they wear is indissoluble. Examples on the pitch and in the locker room, leaders, driving forces, bearers of the Bianconeri DNA, who wear it as a second skin. Gianluigi Buffon. Giorgio Chiellini. Captains, legends. Bianconeri since the beginning. Bianconeri forever. And to confirm it, in case there is a need, today their contract renewals have become official, for another: 2021! GIGI, AN INFINITE RETURN A LEGEND NAMED BUFFON “Probably each of us hoped, and basically knew, that the thread that united us for so many years was not destined to break.” Little less than a year ago we announced Gianluigi Buffon's return to Juventus, following his one-year stint in France. A few months have passed and today we can confirm that not only has the thread not broken, but it’s possible that it has strengthened even more. 2021: is date that takes effect, because upon that deadline, 20 full years will have passed since his arrival in Black and White. Moreover, this season, the presence of Super Gigi has been fundamental both on and off the field. Keeping within the limits of the field, we are talking about 13 appearances between Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia, always playing at a high level. And then, of course, he still managed to set new records: Gigi became the player with the most Serie A appearances in the history of Juventus (479) and he equaled Paolo Maldini as record holder in the history of Serie A (647). In Europe: with his appearance against Bayer Leverkusen, Gianluigi Buffon (41 years and 317 days) became the second eldest player in Champions League history after Marco Ballotta (43 years and 252 days). Super Gigi is in fact proof that age is only a number. With today's renewal, if it is even possible, he is even more Bianconero. And we can only be happy with it! A legend. A player, who is simply, infinite. CHIELLO, SIXTEEN YEARS OF BLACK AND WHITE LOVE CAPTAIN CHIELLINI, THE IMPENETRABLE WALL Another year. Another story to write together. Giorgio Chiellini and the Old Lady is a love that continues: Juventus announces the extension of the captain's contract, which will see him continue to represent the Juventus colours until 2021. It is 15 October 2005: Giorgio replaces what is now his and our Vice President, Pavel Nedved, during a league match at the Stadio Delle Alpi against Messina. Delle Alpi, Olimpico, Allianz Stadium: Giorgio's epic tenure covers 15 seasons and three different stadiums – it is a story that is destined to become legendary. These are the numbers, to speak: with the Juventus jersey, so far, he has played 509 games in all competitions, winning eight Scudetti, four Italian Cups, four Italian Super Cups and personally contributing to one of the Club’s most successful cycles in history. In 16 years at Juve, he has written indelible pages; from the return to victory in 2012, to the vintage from #Hi5tory, to the continuation of a solid backline that led him to become - together with Andrea Barzagli - the only player in the history of Serie A to win eight league titles in a row. Chiellini’s attachment to the shirt, is determination and humanity, it is professionalism, passion and leadership. It is a leadership that is testified by the captain's armband he sports on his arm. He is Chiello, our Captain. And the story is not over, far from it. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus proved too strong for 10-man Lecce when they claimed an impressive 4-0 Serie A win at Allianz Stadium on Friday evening. After a goalless first-half display, the Bianconeri proved unstoppable with goals from Dybala, Ronaldo, Higuain and de Ligt.
CHANCES, BUT NO GOALS It took 16 minutes before someone to fire at goal and it was Lecce, when Mancosu forced Szczesny into making a save from close range. Four minute later, Rabiot fired in an effort that left watches on the edge of their seat, with a long-range effort that saw Gabriel pull off a fully stretched flying save. Lecce were then reduced to 10-men on the half hour when Lucioni was shown an immediate red for a last-man challenge on Bentancur. Despite this, they showed positive spirit and attempted a shot at goal by Tachtsidis, whose effort went just over the goal frame. The final effort of the opening half fell to the Bianconeri, when Ronaldo sent in a dangerous cross into the box: Bernardeschi got onto the end of it, unmarked, but he blasted it over goal. LA JOYA TOP BIN! After the break, Juve immediately went in search of an opening goal: Bonucci saw his threatening effort denied by Gabriel, before Dybala handed Juventus the lead with yet another sublime goal. Ronaldo fed the ball to him on the edge of the box, and he struck it with his left foot to see it curl into the top right corner. RONALDO DOUBLES IT! The Bianconeri were pilling on the pressure, and they soon doubled the lead just over the hour mark when Ronaldo was brought down in the box by Rossettini! The Portuguese stood up to take the spot-kick, and he made no mistake, for the second game in a row, by slicing home right down the middle to double Juventus’ lead. Ronaldo nearly got his second goal minutes later with a powerful downward header that was denied by Gabriel. PIPITA & MATTHIJS! Higuain was introduced into the game with just over 10 minutes to go, and he made an immediate impact with a right-footed effort that blasted just wide of goal. He didn’t have to wait long, though, before getting on the scoresheet when he blasted an excellent left-footed effort past Gabriel. It was one-way traffic and de Ligt then made it 4-0 when he got onto the end of a Douglas Costa cross at the back post to nod it into the back of the net and wrap up an impressive second-half display! Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Matuidi; Bentancur (Ramsey 68’), Pjanic, Rabiot (Douglas Costa 52’); Bernardeschi (Muratore 77’), Dybala (Higuain 77’), Ronaldo. Subs: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Wesley, Ramsey, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Higuain, Olivieri. Lecce: Gabriel; Donati, Lucioni, Paz; Rispoli, Tachtsidis, Shakhov, Mancosu, Vera; Falco, Petriccione. Subs: Vigorito, Chironi, Radicchio, Rossettini, Monterisi, Meccariello, Saponara, Calderoni, Colella, Maselli, Rimoli, Barak. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will be back playing Serie A football at Allianz Stadium tomorrow evening, and in the wake up of the encounter, Mister Sarri addressed invited journalists to talk about the fixture.
Here is what he had to say: THE FIXTURES The games, in this moment, are all difficult as physical conditions aren't optimal. We'll need to be ready and play without superficiality. We shouldn't be looking at the other games, but, instead, at our performances, which in the end will bring us the results. The league advantage isn't substantial as there are still 33 points up for grabs. We need to have the right mentality, always. STATUS OF THE PLAYERS Pjanic is growing and Higuain has trained with the team, he can be part of the game. The same goes for Aaron Ramsey, who isn't in top form yet but is improving. Bernardeschi can play in different positions, he's a strong player with great technical and physical skills. He needs to find consistency in his performances. The mental and motivational aspects are fundamental, and they'll be even more important once the high temperatures will kick in - at the end of July, for example. ON HIGUAIN Higuain is a very sensible person, he's been touched in a particular way from the events of the world and from his personal ones. Moreover, he's had this small injury in the past few weeks. However, now I see him differently: his return is important." WOMEN’S SCUDETTO A great congratulations to the girls of Juventus Women, Stefano Braghin and Rita Guarino for the great path that led them to be awarded the Scudetto. Source: www.juventus.com |
A penalty from Ronaldo and a stunner by Dybala secured a victory, despite Danilo sending off.
A penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo and sublime strike by Paulo Dybala saw 10-man Juventus mark their return to Serie A with a win, as they defeated Bologna 2-0 at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on Monday evening. FIRST CR7, AND THEN LA JOYA The opening 20 minutes saw both teams eagerly searching to find their footing, with neither team able to really threaten at goal. Juventus did eventually break the deadlock in the 23rd minute when they were handed a penalty – after a VAR review – when de Ligt was brought down to ground. Cristiano Ronaldo stood up to take the effort and made no mistake in converting past Skorupski. That goal gave Juventus that extra spring of energy and Paulo Dybala doubled the lead with a lovely left-footed effort that curled into the top of the next following a stunning Bernardeschi back-heeled assist. Bologna did try to fight back moments later, when Sansone’s swerving strike went just wide of the post. RONALDO-BERNA COMBO The Bianconeri came out hunting for a third goal after the break. Ronaldo and Bernardeschi were teaming up nicely and Berna fed the ball through to the Portuguese, who was open on the left flank. He ran into the box and tried to round the ball past the goalkeeper, but nothing came of it. Seconds later, Bernardeschi came agonizingly close, with a powerful effort that smacked the far post. Sarri was forced into making a substitution in the 65th minute when De Sciglio pulled his hamstring, as he made way for Danilo. Five minutes later, Matuidi and Ramsey were introduced into the mix, replacing Pjanic and Rabiot. Ronaldo then saw his effort go wide of goal, while Douglas Costa came on with ten minutes to spare. The final minutes of the game saw a hard-fought battle ensue between the two sides: Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside, before Danilo’s second yellow meant that Juventus ended the game with 10 men. It didn’t impact the final result, as the Bianconeri claimed all three points. Bologna: Skorupski; Tomiyasu, Danilo, Denswil, Dijks; Svanberg, Medel, Soriano; Orsolini, Barrow, Sansone. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, De Sciglio (Danilo 64’); Bentancur, Pjanic (Ramsey 70’), Rabiot (Matuidi 70’); Bernardeschi, Dybala (Douglas Costa 80’), Ronaldo. Subs: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Danilo, Rugani, Ramsey, Matuidi, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Olivieri, Vrioni, Zanimacchia. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Coach, speaking to SKY, previewed tomorrow’s match against Bologna.
Serie A will restart for Juventus tomorrow, where they will take on Bologna at Dall'Ara. The league resumes after two Italian Cup matches, as Mister Maurizio Sarri points out to Sky Sport: “Currently we are, in fact, in a post-preparation phase, with all the difficulties that follow. Important matches have already taken place, but we must not forget that we have arrived after being inactive for 60 days and the physical brilliance cannot be at the highest levels. I told the boys to turn the page and think about the next games, we hope to improve quickly in terms of physical and mental condition to return to performance that is normal for us.” BOLOGNA “Bologna is doing very well, they play good football. They are a dangerous team both when they attack and when they counter, we must take this into great consideration and play a game where we look to go up in level, but also with caution.” THE CHOICES “At this moment it is important to see the reactions from the physical point of view, because in this phase the matches involve a greater expenditure of energy. Up front, we have different solutions on the wings, with lesser pure attackers, but after evaluating the quality of the recoveries, we will evaluate. I spoke with Cristiano for a long time because he must not lose confidence, as soon as he regains his brilliance he will return to being the fantastic player of all time. Alex Sandro has suffered a traumatic injury which fortunately does not seem very serious, we have both De Sciglio and Danilo who can adapt very well to the left. Pjanic? The story of my quarrel with him is a hoax, he is one of the guys I talk to the most and, like the whole team in the last two games, he has played well in the opening minutes, dropping a bit during the game.” THE GROWTH “As I said before, our problem is that we lack a little brilliance in general, because we produce a good amount possession, but we are not able to be dangerous. I think it's part of the moment and, by improving the quality of the game, we will also improve in the implementation phase as a logical consequence. It will be important to give a signal of growth and return to the full result.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Gennaro Gattuso’s men won on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
It was not Juventus’ night in Rome as Napoli walked away with the Coppa Italia trophy at Stadio Olimpico after a goalless 90 minutes saw the Partenopei win 4-2 via a penalty shoot-out. GOALLESS FIRST HALF The first chance of the game fell to Juventus in the fifth minute when Dybala pulled back for Ronaldo, who then fired straight at goal only for it to be saved by Meret. The game was lacking a bit of rhythm and Napoli’s first real effort came in the 22nd minute: Insigne fired in a dangerous free-kick at goal that was both Buffon and the poll beat the ball away at the near post. Pjanic fed in a long ball off a set-piece in the 38th minute, only for Alex Sandro to send it out for a goal-kick. Napoli concluded the half by laying on the pressure: Insigne’s effort was nodded off the line by Alex Sandro, before Buffon pulled off two saves in quick succession to deny Demme first and then Insigne, whose curling effort was sailing towards goal. AND SECOND… SUPERGIGI! Napoli started the half as they finished it, by shooting at goal, but it sailed wide of the target without troubling Buffon. Dybala had a similar effort fall to him on the opposite end of the field, and he too shoot wide from the edge of the D. Danilo was then introduced into the game in the 65th minute in place of Douglas Costa, seeing Cuadrado move further up the field. Dybala filtered in a left-footed cross into the box towards the onrushing Bonucci, only for Meret to pushed it out the way. Pjanic made way for Bernardeschi, while Buffon easily plucked Politano’s header out of danger. Aaron Ramsey was brought on five minutes before the full-time whistle in hope of inspiring a last-gasp winner, but it was Buffon who pulled off a last-minute crucial save to send the game to penalties by his excellent clearance off the line on Maksimovic. PENALTY SHOOT-OUT Dybala and Danilo’s efforts failed to go into the back of the net, while Napoli had all four of their efforts beat Buffon in goal through Insigne, Politano, Maksimovic and Milik. The Neapolitans won 4-2 on penalties. Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Demme, Zielinski; Callejon, Mertens, Insigne. Napoli bench: Karnezis, Luperto, Hysaj, Ghoulam, Manolas, Allan, Elmas, Llorente, Lozano, Politano, Younes, Milik. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado (Ramsey 85’), De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Bernardeschi 74’), Matuidi; Douglas Costa (Danilo 65’), Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Ramsey, Danilo, Rugani, Rabiot, Bernardeschi, Olivieri, Muratore, Vrioni, Zanimacchia. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Bianconeri coach on the eve of the Coppa Italia Coca Cola final.
After eliminating Milan and Inter in the semi-finals respectively, Juventus and Napoli will face off in tomorrow's Coppa Italia Coca Cola Final at Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Today, ahead of the big match, Bianconeri boss, Maurizio Sarri answered questions from invited journalists at Allianz Stadium. Here is the recap in full: THE FINAL "Winning is never a foregone conclusion, tomorrow it will be important to do it for the players, for the club and for the fans. We have worked hard to get to this position to play games like this, it's time to give everything we have. We have been on a good path throughout the season to get to this phase to still be in the running for everything and having succeeded is already a merit. Now, we need to give that little bit more to win as many trophies as possible and transform this long road we have taken into something concrete." NAPOLI "Against Inter I saw a team that initially tried to press their opponents high and then, I don't know if for physical or result-related issues, they sat lower, we will see what attitude they will have tomorrow. They are clearly a difficult team to deal with, because when they close down they are solid, they know how to dribble out well and when they c counter they know how to be very dangerous. In recent times they have been able to express themselves at high levels. Compared to the last game we played against them, we have to avoid a series of small errors, which in that match made us lose compactness." TEAM SELECTION "From a tactical point of view, there is no room for major changes. Our trident doesn't make things clear for the opposing defences, rather I mainly assign them defensive positions, leaving freedom of movement in the offensive phase. We'll see whether Dybala or Ronaldo plays in the centre and how we will start, it's not a given that the formation we begin the match with will be the same as we end with. Against Milan, Cristiano did well on a quantitative level, making himself available with a great energy expenditure even in the defensive phase. As for Higuain and Ramsey, Gonzalo didn't take part in the group session, whilst Aaron trained for 20 minutes with his teammates. Let's see if it will be available for a part of the game. "From the point of view of intensity, I don't expect any changes, your condition doesn't change completely after a few days. It will be a difficult game, as they are all after this period of long and atypical inactivity. Against Milan we approached the game with great aggression, taking the game in hand, before physical condition, result and on-pitch sensations led us to manage our energies." THE RESTART "From a mental point of view it's been a difficult period for everyone but I've seen the guys at their best: open, smiling and ready to play. Maybe I've also improved too, I'm more patient and less uncompromising." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus booked their place in the Coppa Italia Final in Rome next Wednesday after they played to goalless draw at Allianz Stadium against Milan. The Bianconeri ensured passage to the final courtesy of the away goal rule, following a 1-1 first leg result.
CR7 MISSES, MILAN DOWN TO 10 MEN After three months of no football, the Bianconeri found themselves back on home soil, and against none other than long-time rivals AC Milan. Douglas Costa was the first to fire at goal, as his effort with just 69 seconds on the clock whisked just wide of the post. An action pack few minutes followed when Juventus were handed a penalty in the 15th minute following an Andrea Conti hand ball. Ronaldo stood up to take the spot-kick and he rattled it against the post, keeping the scoreline deadlocked. Seconds later, Danilo went down to ground and Milan were reduced to 10-men when Rebic was handed a straight red for a foul on the Brazilian. Juve were enjoying the majority of the possession and a great chance fell to Matuidi on the half hour mark when his volley from eight yards was parried away by Donnarumma, however, the scoreline remained deadlocked as the two teams went into the break. IT REMAINS GOALLESS The first chance after the break fell to the visitors when Calhanoglu got onto the end of Bonaventura’s shot and nodded it just wide of goal. Maurizio Sarri introduced three changes in the 63rd minute of play, introducing Khedira, Rabiot and Bernardeschi in place of Pjanic, Matuidi and Douglas Costa. The Rossoneri came back stronger, and they commanded more possession than they did in the first half. One of their best chances of the game came when Kjaer attempted to turn in Bennacer’s corner, only to see his glancing header flicker just wide of the goal. Dybala then tried his luck from range, forcing Donnarumma to push the ball out of play. Cuadrado had the final shot of the game, but nothing came of it as he fired high of goal. Despite the draw, Juventus progressed through to the final in Rome due to the away goal rule. Juventus XI: Buffon; Danilo (Cuadrado 82’), Bonucci, de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Pjanic (Khedira 63’), Bentancur, Matuidi (Rabiot 63’); Douglas Costa (Bernardeschi 63’), Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, Khedira, Rabiot, Muratore, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Olivieri, Vrioni, Zanimacchia. AC Milan XI: G Donnarumma: Conti (Saelamaekers 88’), Kjaer, Romagnoli, Calabria (Laxalt 87’); Kessie (Krunic 82’), Bennacer; Paqueta (Colombo 82’), Calhanoglu, Bonaventura (Leao 52’); Rebic. Subs: Begovic, Donnarumma A., Gabbia, Duarte, Krunic, Laxalt, Biglia, Brescianini, Saelamaekers, Leao, Colombo, Olzer. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach, a few days before returning to the pitch, talks about how Juve is approaching their return to the field.
Back on the field. Three months later. How has Juventus been experiencing these past few weeks during this unique period? Mister Sarri tells it how it is. WE ARE READY? “No staff at this moment knows where the preparation is because we come off an abnormal interruption, longer than normal. Usually the players remain active even on vacation, while this time, for sixty days, apart from small activities carried out at home, they have stopped. This is a unique situation, which does not give us any certainty, also because we have obviously not played friendlies. I am satisfied with what I have seen during these days in training, but the response of the game is different.” HOW WE WORK IN THIS PERIOD "The risk of injury is very high, since there has been muscle decline for everyone. We have opted for a system of increasing loads, but lower than what we usually do in the summer. The next unknown will be next season, given that we could not make big preparatory calls." MILAN, AN OPEN CHALLENGE “We are lucky to be playing towards three objectives, which will be played separately: it can be advantageous in order to help us concentrate better. The Italian Cup? AC Milan has always created problems for us this year, the result of the first leg does not guarantee us anything, so it will be a very open game.” THIS UNIQUE PERIOD “Each player has experienced this period in a different way, however they have not been days of rest but rather of stress, given what has happened. Now the point will be to understand what motivations everyone has within themselves.” CLOSED DOORS “Playing behind closed doors is not a wonderful feeling, but the strength of a team lies in knowing how to get away from environmental conditions. Even at the rhythmic level something could change, the absence of the public can change things.” CRISTIANO & PAULO “Physically, Ronaldo is fine, he logically lacks the sensations of the pitch, but his responses in training are good, and it's a nice thing, because our goals for the next three months pass by with him. Dybala? He’s a phenomenal player. The point is to make him, and Cristiano coexist on the field, because it is not easy to make them play together. But when two players have such qualities, and they can make a difference at any moment, the rest of the team has to adapt. It's nice to have this type of difficulty.” A LOOK AT THE MIDFIELD “I found Pjanic much better than I left him. He must be convinced that he is a great player, that he can make a mistake in a game or two, but then he raises his head and does not lose confidence and conviction. He has made a good journey and in these training sessions I have seen him in form. Khedira is a footballer of extraordinary reliability and intelligence, both as a human and in football. Obviously, he cannot be at the top, although he has grown a lot, but a coach cannot do without him. The five substitutions, for me, is the a right decision at the moment – and it will help us to grow.” THE SCUDETTO? “In this situation we cannot speak of favourites for the Scudetto, losing points is a risk for everyone. As for plan B or plan C: the important thing is to end the season, and if the health situation permits, we will have to review the protocols, avoiding quarantines, to get to the end of the championship.” AND AGAINST LYON... “Is it better to play a game after five months of inactivity or at the end of a long close cycle? From experience, I say that playing after a long period of inactivity does not have any immediate consequences.” Source: www.juventus.com |
35 years after the tragedy in Brussels, the many commemoration ceremonies.
The long day dedicated to the memory of Heysel victims began at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Juventus took part in the "35-year commemoration of the Heysel tragedy". The club participated with a remembrance letter from President Andrea Agnelli addressed to the mayor of the city, Philippe Close, and with a floral arrangement. Also present were the Italian Ambassador for Belgium, Elena Basile, the Councilor of Sport for Brussels, Benoit Hellings, and the UK ambassador for Belgium, Martin Shearman. The commemoration in Brussels will not be the only one which will remember the victims. In Reggio Emilia, the President Iuliana Bodnari and the Executive of the "To not forget Heysel" Committee will meet in a moving recollection in front of the Monument of the Victims to read Juventus’ message of participation of the pain of the families and deposit the club’s floral tribute. The club will also participate in the tribute that will be held in Grugliasco - at the "Garden of the victims of Heysel" - and Cherasco - at the monument dedicated to the fallen, inaugurated in 2016 and located in the gardens of the Madonna delle Grazie sanctuary. Alessandro Siano, Juventus U23 goalkeeper, will be in attendance, depositing flowers at both occasions. The Juventus Official Fan Club Doc Grugliasco "Alessio and Riccardo", will also honour the victims of Heysel, meeting in a celebration together with the mayor of Grugliasco, Roberto Montà, and the Councilor of Sport, Gabriella Borio. This evening, as per tradition, the Mole of Turin will be illuminated with the words: "+39 RISPETTO" to honour and celebrate the memory of the victims of that tragic evening, a memory that remains strong and alive in all of our hearts. Source: www.juventus.com |
Leonardo Bonucci turns 33 today, we share our best wishes with our defender.
Simply one of our pillars. A defensive column for the team. This season more often than not, Bonucci has worn one of the biggest Bianconeri honours there is, the captain's armband. An strong defender, as well as a leader from the back, Bonucci gives 110% in training and out on the pitch, a player who helps guide the group and it's no coincidence that he's also one of the most successful players amongst the Juventus roster. We're looking forward to more exciting victories together with you at our side, and we wish Leonardo Bonucci the happiest of days today! Source: www.juventus.com |
Maurizio Sarri’s men outsmarted the Nerazzurri to move on top of the standings.
Juventus claimed Derby d’Italia bragging rights when they defeated Inter 2-0 on Sunday evening at Allianz Stadium. Second half goals from Aaron Ramsey and a stunning finish from substitute Paulo Dybala ensured the three points remained in Turin. GOALLESS FIRST HALF It was unusual seeing the Bianconeri take to the field in an empty stadium, especially against rivals Inter, but that didn’t deter the two teams from going for the jugular. In the opening minutes of the game, Juve were denied of a goal when Handanovic brilliantly parried away Matthijs de Ligt’s glancing header at the near post. The Inter shot-stopper proved decisive again when he pushed away Matuidi’s strong effort, while Antonio Candreva’s effort from range flew narrowly over the crossbar. Szczesny’s only save of the half came in the 35th minute when he dropped down low to beat away Brozovic’s effort. RAMSEY SNATCHES THE LEAD Into the second half and the hosts needed just 10 minutes to take a hold of a precious lead: Matuidi worked his way to the byline and pulled back for Ronaldo. Ramsey snatched the ball from the feet of Ronaldo, as he fired into the back of the net with a strike that wrongfooted Handanovic. DYBALA SHINES AGAIN! Douglas Costa made way for Paulo Dybala on the hour mark, and the Argentine made an immediate impact with his presence by doubling the scoreline to 2-0. The 26-year-old sensationally controlled a long ball with the outside of his foot, he then combined with Ramsey who fed him the ball side the box. Dybala then left Young stranded as he cut inside and prodded the ball across the line with the outside of his left foot: sensational. Mattia de Sciglio came on for the injured Alex Sandro, while Higuain made way for Bernardeschi. The game finished off in an exciting manner when Ronaldo came agonizingly close to breaking the record of scoring in 12 consecutive Serie A matches: the Portuguese striker first shot from range and then fired an angled drive deep inside stoppage time, as both his efforts went wide of the target. Nonetheless, the hosts claimed the victory to move nine points clear of Inter (third place) in the standings. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro (De Sciglio 78’); Ramsey, Bentancur, Matuidi; Douglas Costa (59’ Dybala), Higuain (Bernardeschi 79’), Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Buffon, De Sciglio, Chiellini, Pjanic, Khedira, Dybala, Danilo, Rugani, Rabiot, Bernardeschi. Inter: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Candreva, Vecino, Brozovic, Barella, Young; R Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez. Substitutes: Padelli, Berni, Godin, Gagliardini, Alexis Sanchez, Ranocchia, Asamoah, Borja Valero, Eriksen, Esposito, D’Ambrosio, Biraghi Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Juventus coach on the eve of the match against the Nerazzurri.
Tomorrow night Juventus will take on Inter in the Derby d'Italia fixture, which will be played behind closed doors. It is a match that Mister Sarri has doubed as "the most prestigious match in Serie A", and he is well aware of what is at stake. "It will be a beautiful match. It is clear that Juventus-Inter is the most prestigious match in Serie A; for the history, and this year, for the standings. After two important transfer windows, I think Inter has become one of the favourites for the league title, like us. Therefore, it is important for the rankings. I hope it will be a beautiful game, and I hope we enjoy it. It will surely be a difficult game but also beautiful to play." THE KEY TACTIC FOR THE MATCH? "It is a difficult match tactically. Given their way of playing, a problem, for us, may be the size of the opponents, however, both teams have the characteristics which can put the opponent in danger. And so, it will be a difficult game for us, and one which preparation is needed. But, of course, it will also be difficult for our opponents." LEVEL OF TRAINING HIS RISEN "Recovering all the players during this period is fortunate because, it is clear that in the last few days, with the recovery of the players, the quality of training has risen. The improved level of training is something very important. We have strikers with different characteristics from each other, so sometimes, even in the same formation, we are a different team without having to change the interpreters." MATCH NUMBER 1000 FOR CRISTIANO "He is an active player, and so not much thinking is needed. This is a great achievement, but he must immediately chase after new goals. But we know Cristiano and we know that he will be like that. It is a cue for his teammates to give him a gift." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Rossoneri, player updates, lessons from Lyon: the topics Maurizio Sarri covered into today’s press conference.
Maurizio Sarri spoke to the media today where he previewed tomorrow’s Coppa Italia clash against Milan at Allianz Stadium. “Tomorrow we have to think that a spot for the final is up for grabs, otherwise we will have problems. AC Milan is a compact team, willing to sacrifice and help each other: they are not an easy team to face. Everyone expects results, we have a chance to do better. We can't make great predictions in this period, we have to take everything as it comes, moment by moment." Sarri then provided an update on his players: “We don't have any big problems with regards to injuries but only small ailments: Chiellini went through a personal programme today and Gianluigi Buffon trained as normal.” He added: “Sami Khedira is progressing and if he is to take to the field, it will be for a small portion of the game. Douglas Costa could also play a part tomorrow night as his condition is improving. It's not important who will be out for Milan tomorrow as they're a team that is growing." Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t take part in training due to personal reasons, and Sarri addressed the subject of his availability: “Cristiano is experiencing a personal problem and his availability tomorrow depends on this. It is clear that the possible absence of Cristiano can change the tactical plans: there is no substitute in the world for him.” Before concluding, the Coach touched on last week’s match in the Champions League against Lyon: “I reviewed the match against Lyon: the first half was poor, after the break we did not turn the supremacy into goal scoring opportunities. We have to move the ball much faster; we are working on it and we have to press with conviction. I find it hard to believe that by moving a player five meters behind changes the face of the game: in Lyon what changed was the attitude of the team. Source: www.juventus.com |
The decision, taken in compliance with the urgent measures regarding the containment and management of the epidemiological emergency from COVID-19, concerns the Derby d’Italia and four other matches on Matchday 26 of the Serie A schedule.
The Derby d'Italia will take place on Wednesday 13th May 2020. That was the decision just announced by Lega Serie A for the following reasons: With regards to article 1. co. 1 letter A) of the Decree from the President of the Council of Ministers on 25 February 2020 on “Further provisions for the implementation of the Decree Law no. 6 of 23 February 2020, taking urgent measures for the containment and management of the epidemiological emergency caused by COVID-19,”; considering the numerous urgent regulatory interventions from the Government to protect public health and safety in response to this extraordinary emergency. The provision does not only concern Juventus-Inter, but also the following matches of Week 26 in the Serie A calendar: Milan-Genoa Parma-SPAL Sassuolo-Brescia Udinese-Fiorentina The decision also involves the postponement of the Coppa Italia final, initially scheduled for 13th May, to the following week, Wednesday 20th May. Further guidance regarding tickets for the match will be announced on Monday 2nd March. Source: www.juventus.com |
All to be decided in the return leg in Turin in three weeks time.
Lyon claimed first leg advantage in the Champions League Round of 16 as they recorded 1-0 win on home soil against Juventus at Groupama Stadium. Lucas Tousart scored the only goal of the game, leaving it all to play for in the return leg at Allianz Stadium on 17 March. LYON STUN JUVE The kicked-off to an electric atmosphere and Juventus nearly silenced the home fans early on when Cristiano Ronaldo curled in a delightful ball into the far post in which Cuadrado couldn’t get onto the other end of. Lyon’s first chance came in the 21st minute of action when their corner was whipped into the box and turned onto the crossbar by Toko Ekambi. Lyon laid on a series of attacks, and Juve needed the interception of Matthijs de Ligt as he beat Dembele to a dangerous ball and headed it away. Juventus were then temporarily reduced to 10-men when de Ligt required medical care after sustaining a terrible head wound. Lyon took advantage of the numerical superiority and they grabbed the lead through Tousart in the 32nd minute when he got onto the end of Aouar ball and prodded it home from six yards out. The goal spurred extra life into the hosts, and they threatened at Tek’s goal when Ekambi beat Bonucci and fired at the near post, only to see it kiss the side netting. JUVE PUSH BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH Into the second half and the Bianconeri came out looking for an early equalizer through the delivery of crosses inside the box and through set-pieces. Maurizio Sarri opted for a change just after the hour mark as he introduced Ramsey into the mix, replacing Pjanic. Juventus then started to up build-up play in a patient manner, but the final touch was missing as Dybala blasted wide of goal from just eight yards out. That then allowed for Higuain to come on in place of Cuadrado for the final 20 minutes of play, while Bernardeschi took the place of Rabiot seven minutes later. Dybala’s volley from range was fired high of goal, while Higuain turned his header wide of goal. The Bianconeri pushed for a late equaliser and that crucial away goal, but it didn’t come even after Dybala had put the ball in the back of the net, only for it to be blown offside. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Alex Sandro, de Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo; Rabiot (Bernardeschi 77’), Pjanic (Ramset 61’), Bentancur; Ronaldo, Dybala, Cuadrado (Higuain 69’). Substitutes: Buffon, De Sciglio, Ramsey, Matuidi, Higuain, Rugani, Bernardeschi. Lyon XI: Lopes; Marcal (Tete 77’’), Marceo, Denayer; Comet (Andersen 81’), Aouar, Tousart, Gomez Soares; Dembele, Ekambi (Terrier 66’) Substitutes: Tatarusanu, Andersen, Terrier, Traore, Mendes, Tete, Caqueret. Source: www.juventus.com |
The coach and player spoke to the media head of tomorrow evening’s Champions League clash against Lyon.
Ahead of tomorrow evening’s clash at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, Mister Sarri and Leonardo Bonucci previewed the Round of 16 fixture. SARRI: “LYON A DANGEROUS TEAM” “In Italy, we have the obligation and responsibility to win. In Europe, we are among the 10 teams with this objective. It isn’t easy to get into Italian football. Rabiot is growing a lot. He leaves us with the feeling that he still has something more to offer. His journey is improving, and we are very proud. Lyon is a technical team with elements of acceleration and physicality. They are dangerous team; therefore, we need to play well. We have a varied midfield in terms of the level of characteristics. Tomorrow’s game is difficult to interpret dynamism is needed from one of our three midfielders. Cristiano Ronaldo is a player who is admired everywhere in the world. His numbers speak for themselves. He is a player who goes above and beyond and he is in a good physical and mental condition. It is very important that Sami Khedira and Douglas Costa are back in the group. It's nice to know you can rely on them at this stage of the season." BONUCCI: “MOTIVATED AND ENTHUSIASTIC” “Juve come into this game motivated and enthusiastic. We are ready for a great game against a great team. To have Chiellini back is great news for the whole of Juve. He is a great symbol and a great leader. He is a great symbol and great leader from whom we all learn so much. This city has great memories for us as Juve and with the Azzurri. It is the right place to demonstrate that, when the right moment arrives, we are here. We are ready for this part of the season with great hunger to get to the end of each competition. I am very positive. The trainings are helping us to improve and it is becoming easier to mirror what we do there on the field. Even today’s training left me eager for tomorrow. I have the responsibility to help the youngsters. With De Ligt we are improving a lot in our communication.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri maintained first place on the log with a win in Ferrara.
Juventus will return to Turin with three points after they claimed a 1-2 away win against SPAL at Stadio Paolo Mazza on Saturday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for the Bianconeri, while Aaron Ramsey nabbed the second with a delightful finish. DYBALA DENIED BY WOODWORK Giorgio Chiellini was granted his first start since sustaining his knee injury last August, and he was partnered alongside Rugani at the back. It was almost the perfect start for Juventus when Ronaldo put the ball into the back of the net with just four minutes on the clock. Dybala looped over into the box, it met the Portuguese striker whose ball struck the post and crossed the line, only for it to be blown for offside. Szczesny was called into action in the 21st minute to deny a powerful Missiroli cross-cum-shot at the near post: the ball squirms under his legs but he stops the ball from going anywhere by basically sitting on it. It was Juve who were doing the attacking and Dybala was cruelly denied by the woodwork after having brilliantly turned on the ball and firing in an unstoppable effort that looked destined for the bottom left corner; however, it struck the upright and bounced back. 11 CONSECUTIVE SERIE A MATCHES Cristiano Ronaldo then made history by becoming one of three players to score in 11 consecutive Serie A matches, when he broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. Juan Cuadrado was instrumental in the build-up, having swept in an excellent cross that left Ronaldo having to knock it into the back of the net, and he did so with pace and precision. RAMSEY CHIP FOR 2-0 The Portuguese attacker nearly started off the second half in the same manner in which he finished the first; with a goal. He struck an angled drive towards goal that looked destined to be going in if it wasn’t for the foot of Berisha, who directed it around the far post. After 54 minutes on the clock, Chiellini made way for de Ligt, while Berisha made a save on Cuadrado. It was soon 0-2 to the visitors: Dybala went on an excellent run and played a delightful ball to Ramsey, who brilliantly chipped the ball over Berisha to complete a sublime finish. PETAGNA PULLS BACK FROM THE SPOT SPAL were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty, following a consultation with VAR, following a foul by Rugani inside the box on Missiroli. Petagna stood up to the spot to take the penalty and made no mistake in sending Szczesny the wrong way. Rabiot was put on for Ramsey, while Bernardeschi took to the field in place of Matuidi. Ronaldo came agonizingly close to restoring Juve’s two-goal lead with a free-kick that sailed over the wall and straight onto the crossbar. Six additional minutes were added to the clock, but neither team added to the scoreline as the Old Lady claimed all three points. SPAL: Berisha; Cionek, Bonifazi, Zukanovic, Reca; Missiroli, Valdifiori, Castro; Valoti, Petagna, Strefezza. Substitutes: Thiam, Letica, Floccari, Murgia, Dabo, Vicari, Sala, Felipe, Di Francesco, Tomovic, Fares, Tunjov. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Rugani, Chiellini (de Ligt 54’), Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Rabiot 73’), Bentancur, Matuidi (Bernardeschi 78’); Cuadrado, Dybala, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, De Ligt, Coccolo, Wesley, Rabiot, Peeters, Bernardeschi, Olivieri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Two goals, three points and the return of Chiellini. A good day overall for the Bianconeri!
Juventus bounced back with a Serie A win by defeating Brescia 2-0 at Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Paulo Dybala scored a stunning free-kick to open the scoring, while Juan Cuadrado doubled the result with a goal of his own after the break. NOT MUCH SEPARATING THE TEAMS Juventus had the first chance at goal when Ramsey brilliantly worked himself into the box, he crossed it in for Higuain, who had the ball nipped from his feet. Alfonso denied the hosts from grabbing an early goal when another dangerous ball was delivered into the box towards Higuain, but the goalkeeper punched it out of play. Incidentally, that would be his final involvement of the game as he was replaced by Andrenacci due to a head injury with just 10 minutes on the clock. Dybala then delivered in a long cross to Cuadrado at the far post, he connected onto the end it, but he couldn’t direct it across the line as his ball kissed the side-netting. A perfect chance then fell to Dybala in the 31st minute: he was in the front and centre of the box and all he needed to do was shoot straight at goal, but somehow, he skewed his effort. Szczesny was then called into action for the first time when he made a save off Bjarnason’s effort. DYBALA STUNNER Brescia were reduced to 10 men in the 37th minute when Aye was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Ramsey on the edge of the box, which resulted in a free-kick to the hosts and the eventual lead. Paulo Dybala took charge of the set-piece and he curled in an unstoppable ball that left the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. The Brescia shot-stopper denied Dybala shortly after when he fired in a ferocious volley that was pushed away from goal. The half was closed off with the Bianconeri coming agonizingly close to doubling the lead when Rugani’s effort hit the woodwork. CUADRADO WRAPS IT UP The second half started with Higuain knocking on Brescia’s door: he burst in on the right and fired an angled drive that was cleared off the line by Sabelli. Miralem Pjanic came on for Ramsey in the 66th minute, while Dybala’s shot was blocked by Bjarnason. Pjanic was then forced into being substituted off the field just six minutes later due to injury, and he was replaced by Matuidi. The Frenchman proved immediately impactful as he grabbed an assist on Cuadrado’s goal: the two were involved in a give-and-go, before the Colombian toe-poked the ball across the line to make it 2-0. The two-goal advantage allowed Maurizio Sarri to hand Chiellini his first minutes of game time after recovering from his long-term knee injury. Gonzalo Higuain thought he had added the third and final goal of the game when he found the back of the net from a free-kick, but it didn’t stand as he was in an offside position. Dybala nearly snatched a goal inside stoppage time when his daisy-cutter smacked the woodwork just seconds before the full-time whistle blew. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Rugani, Bonucci (Chiellini 78’), Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Pjanic 66’, Matuidi 73’), Bentancur, Rabiot; Cuadrado, Higuain, Dybala. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Chiellini, de Ligt, Wesley, Pjanic, Matuidi, Olivieri. Brescia: Alfonso; Sabelli, Mateju, Chancellor, Martella; Bisoli, Dessena, Bjarnason; Zmrhal; Aye, Balotelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Head Coach previewed tomorrow’s fixture at Allianz Stadium against Brescia.
“It was clear from the start that this was going to be a different title race,” these were the opening remarks of Maurizio Sarri in today’s press conference. Following the defeat to Hellas Verona last weekend, the Bianconeri will have a chance to bounce back against Brescia on Sunday. And in order to do so, the Head Coach has a clear vision of what his team need to do: “We have to stimulate ourselves to play for the title until the end, this brings great motivation. “We also have to increase our aggression: we have had some moments in games where we have to raise the level of our defensive intensity. Brescia has done better away than at home: they are not easy to face, and it will not be a simple game. This half of the season is become increasingly complicated. Sarri then touched on the status of some of his players: “I have to evaluate the condition of the players today; yesterday they were a little tired. With Miralem Pjanic, I see a player who is always growing in his performances. “Bernardeschi is not yet in the group, he could be back next week. Gianluigi Buffon is doing well. He has performed well, and he is training well. The alternation of goalkeepers is not a problem at the moment.” Finally, he concluded by commenting on what the outcome of Lazio-Inter would mean for Juve: “It’s important, but not decisive, we're thinking about ourselves.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The second leg will be played at Allianz Stadium on 4 March.
Juventus scored a crucial away goal as they drew 1-1 with Milan at San Siro in the first leg of the Coppa Italia on Thursday evening. Ante Rebic opened the scoring, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty ensured that it’s all to play for in the second leg. STRONG FIRST HALF MILAN DISPLAY The game got underway to an electric atmosphere, and it was Milan who had the first whip at goal through a kick from range by Kessie that sailed just wide of Buffon’s frame. The Rossoneri enjoyed a bright start to the game and they came dangerously close to taking the lead in the 10th minute when Theo Hernandez delivered the ball to Ibrahimovic inside the box, he backheeled it towards goal and it rounded the post by inches. Gianluigi Buffon was then called into making a one-handed save as he tipped Calabria’s shot over the crossbar. The Bianconeri first real effort at goal came in the 35th minute when Cuadrado fired an angled drive that saw Donnarumma drop down to pull off a reflex save. REBIC HANDS ROSSONERI LEAD The second half started off with Buffon denying Rebic, while Cuadrado attempted a shot which flew over Donnarumma goal frame. Chances fell on either end of the field in quick succession when Donnarumma plucked Dybala’s effort out the air, before Buffon pulled off two saves to deny Ibrahimovic and then Theo’s host which took a deflection off Ramsey. The home side did eventually take the lead through Ante Rebic, when he got onto the end of Castillejo’s chip to volley home the opener. Bentancur was then brought on in place of Ramsey, while Milan were reduced to 10-men after Theo Hernandez received a second yellow card. Higuain and Rabiot were also brought on, as they replaced De Sciglio and Matuidi respectively. RONALDO DRAWS LEVEL Juventus went looking to take advantage of their numeral superiority and they forced Donnarumma into making a save through de Ligt’s downward header at the near post. They did eventually get the equalizer and away goal after a penalty was awarded to the Bianconeri after the referee consulted VAR and judged Calabria to have handled the ball. Cristiano Ronaldo stood up to take the penalty and he made no mistake in slotting it past Donnarumma on the stroke of 90-minute mark to end the game at 1-1. Milan: G Donnarumma; Calabria, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Castillejo, Calhanoglu, Rebic; Ibrahimovic. Substitutes: Begovic, A Donnarumma, Bonaventura, Leao, Musacchio, Paqueta, Gabbia, Saelemaekers, Laxalt, Brescianini, Maldini. Juventus: Buffon; De Sciglio (Higuain 69’), De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Bentancur 63’), Pjanic, Matuidi (Rabiot 73’); Cuadrado, Dybala, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Higuain, Rugani, Rabiot, Bentancur, Olivieri, Coccolo. Source: www.juventus.com |
The head coach spoke of tomorrow's Coppa clash against Milan.
Mister Sarri spoke to the media today to discuss tomorrow evening’s Italian Cup fixture against Milan. The 61-year-old covered an array of topics, including the fixture, his team’s form and his meeting with the President. MEETING MILAN “Milan have improved a lot in this period. They come into the game off the back of the derby in which they played well. It will be a difficult game.” ON THE TEAM “This team is training well, with intensity and application. The level of training has been elevated and the group has made themselves available. One works well at Juve: from the structures, to interpersonal rapports and the environment. There is depth in the team which allowed for multiple formations that can be selected when needed.” MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT “I see the President often and every now and then we go out for dinner. It was something that was already planned. It is normal that my work is always under scrutiny. We are in February and we are fighting for every competition, which is in line with the initial goals. It is clear that we come from a bad game, but with external rather than internal repercussions.” THE PLAYERS “Miralem Pjanic had a great start to the season, and I am convinced that he will return to being decisive again. Cristiano Ronaldo said to me that he is doing well right now. With him, we evaluate game by game. Chiellini’s road to recovery looks good. He needs to do a few more tests like he did this morning. Aaron Ramsey is growing both in his physical condition and with his confidence. It was not easy for him to adapt, coming from the Premier League and from a bad injury. Source: www.juventus.com |
Goals by Borini and Pazzini seal comeback victory for the hosts and inflict a third league defeat on Juve. Maurizio Sarri had said he was expecting a tough test at the Stadio Bentegodi but perhaps even he wasn't expecting quite such a vehement performance by the home side. After an excellent first-half display, Hellas fell behind to Cristiano Ronaldo's opener following the break, before Fabio Borini's opportunistic strike and a Giampaolo Pazzini penalty saw them turn it around at the death. VERONA GO FLAT OUT, JUVE HIT WOODWORK TWICE Verona's game plan was to press hard, pack numbers into the middle and get the ball forward quickly and it worked as Juve found it hard to play out from the back. Wojciech Szczesny had to take to the air to turn Marco Faraoni's cross-shot behind and though Douglas Costa rattled the bar after surging forward it's fair to say the hosts were on top. Marash Kumbulla thought he'd headed them in front midway through the first half, but it was ruled out for offside. The game was being played at breakneck pace as the Gialloblu chased every ball. Faraoni had another chance but was unable to hit the target from a good position. Ivan Juric's side were making good use of the width and Sarri had to bring Douglas Costa back into midfield in an attempt to find better balance. After a good half hour going flat out, Verona's tempo inevitably dropped and Juve came into it more. Ronaldo was denied by the woodwork then failed to find the target with two further chances before the interval. UNSTOPPABLE CR7, ANOTHER RECORD After the restart it was Juve who took the reins. The tempo was slower now and the Bianconeri looked to assert themselves by bossing possession. Sarri made his first change on the hour mark when he replaced Gonzalo Higuain with Paulo Dybala and soon after La Joya began the move that led to Ronaldo's goal. Cristiano played a one-two with Rodrigo Bentancur, bamboozled Amir Rrahmani with a stepover and angled a calm, collected finish beyond the reach of Marco Silvestri. In doing so CR7 set another record by becoming the first player in Juventus history to score in 10 back-to-back Serie A matches. BORINI EQUALISES Verona looked to bounce straight back and substitute Pazzini wasted no time as he immediately called Szczesny into action with a header Douglas Costa was then forced off with a muscle problem and Aaron Ramsey came on in his place. Juve seemed to be in control but with 15 minutes left a rare poor touch by Miralem Pjanic inadvertently played in Borini. The Verona man latched onto the ball and placed his finish into the far corner beyond the reach of Szczesny to level the scores. PAZZINI SETTLES IT FROM THE SPOT Sarri took off Bentancur and brought on De Sciglio, with Juan Cuadrado pushing up into attack alongside Dybala and Ronaldo, and Ramsey dropping into midfield. Moments later Borini caused another scare with a shot that was deflected behind and from the resulting corner Kumballa rose to head the ball and Leo Bonucci caught it with his arm. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Pazzini duly converted, thereby handing Juve their third Serie A defeat of the campaign. VERONA 2-1 JUVENTUS: GOALS: Ronaldo 65, Borini 76, Pazzini 90+1 (pen). VERONA: Silvestri; Rrahmani, Gunter, Kumbulla; Faraoni, Veloso (Verre 58), Amrabat, Lazovic (Dimarco 80); Pessina; Borini, Zaccagni (Pazzini 80). Subs not used: Berardi, Radunovic, Empereur, Dawidowicz, Bocchetti, Adjapong, Eysseric, Di Carmine, Stepinski Coach: Juric. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (De Sciglio 82), Pjanic, Rabiot; Douglas Costa (Ramsey 72), Higuain (Dybala 59), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Matuidi, Coccolo, Bernardeschi, Olivieri. Coach: Sarri. REFEREE: Massa. ASSISTANTS: Tegoni, Colaroni. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marinelli. VAR: Fabbri, Alassio. BOOKED: Alex Sandro 20, Lazovic 39, Pessina 41, Dybala 75, Bonucci 90. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Juventus coach on the eve of the game against Verona.
In the latest edition of Maurizio Sarri press conference, the manager had a lot to say about our upcoming opponents this Saturday as we prepare to play tomorrow at 20:45 CET. IT WON'T BE EASY Praising Verona, Sarri explained that “they have been very consistent and are having a great season, going unbeaten for several games. They are a dangerous team and are well trained, it's going to be a difficult game." With Verona sitting comfortably in the top half of the table, it will certainly be a testing contest that we find ourselves in tomorrow. CRISTIANO RONALDO With direction turned onto our squad. All eyes were on the birthday boy two days ago as Cristiano Ronaldo turned 35. Other than celebrating turning another year older, the Portuguese star was doing what he does best on his special day… training hard! Like Wednesday and Thursday, Sarri confirmed that today “Cristiano was in excellent condition in during training and has been ever since he got over his knee trouble.” Certainly, a big positive going into this match as Ronaldo is coming off scoring nine goals in seven Serie A matches. OUR SQUAD Mentioning other players now… "Rabiot is improving and is in good form and having continuity is important to enable him to improve even further. However, we can't forget the characteristics of Matuidi who is useful to have over the long haul of the season. “Chiellini is proceeding as scheduled. The progress that he is making is very important. The most important thing right now is to listen to his sensations, as he is clinically healed. “Danilo is training alone but is out on the field. I don't think it will be a long time until his return. “Buffon will certainly play this month.” TOMORROW'S TEST Talking specifically on the match, the manager knows that we have to be in tip top form tomorrow evening. "We are ready to play whatever formation gives us the biggest guarantees and we are prepared for different set-ups.” In what looks like a match that could see our midfield and defence thrive, Mr Sarri made a point of mentioning our abilities in these areas. “We haven't scored much from midfield and this can be improved upon, we have on the other hand, scored a lot from defence.” That’s it from our Juve-Verona press conference. Tomorrow, we’re back in action on the pitch! Source: www.juventus.com |
A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a header from Matthijs de Ligt secured the victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo converted two penalties and scored his 50th goal for the club, as Juventus beat Fiorentina 3-0 at Allianz Stadium in what was an early Serie A kick-off on Sunday afternoon. Matthijs de Ligt bagged the third and final goal on the stroke of the 90 with a powerful header! GOALKEEPERS KEEP THE SCORES LEVEL The first chance of the game fell to Fiorentina in the eighth minute: Pulgar received ball on the edge of the box, he to swing from distance only for Szczesny to smother his curler away. The Bianconeri pulled off an excellent move when Dougla Costa played Cuadrado, who then crossed the ball in for Pjanic. He went down to ground after going for the ball alongside Cutrone, no penalty was given upon VAR review as the Fiorentina didn’t make any contact with him. Tek was called into action in the 22nds minute and he did not disappoint as he finger tipped away Chiesa’s backheel. Next up it was Dragowski turn to make a save, as he beat away Bentancur rocket from distance to keep the scoreline goalless. RONALDO FROM THE PENALTY SPOT Juventus took the lead in the 39th minute after a penalty was awarded to the hosts following a consultation with VAR on Pezzella’s handball inside the box from Pjanic’s shot. Cristiano Ronaldo stood up and converted with precision, despite Dragowski having gone the right way. His goal makes it nine games in a row in which he has found the back of the net. CR50 & DE LIGT HEADER The start of the second half was a rather slow one, with both teams not managing to really test the opposition’s goal by the hour mark. Benassi was the first to have a real chance at goal through his right-footed effort that went out by inches at the far post. That sparked a Juventus attack and they came so close to doubling their lead if it wasn’t for a fingertip save by Dragowski to deny Pipa’s effort from three yards out. Dybala was brought on in place of of his fellow countryman, while Rabiot’s shot from distance was smothered away by the Viola goalkeeper. Juventus made it 2-0 with ten minutes remaining after the referee awarded a second penalty for the Bianconeri following a foul on Bentancur: Cristiano Ronaldo stood up to take the effort and he slotted it low into the bottom left-hand corner to score his 50th goal for the club. The result was put beyond a doubt when Matthijs de Ligt made it 3-0 with a powerful header that rattled the back of the net in the 90th minute. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Rabiot (Matuidi 87’), Pjanic, Bentancur; Douglas Costa (Bernardeschi 83’), Higuain (Dybala 67’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, Coccolo, Ramsey, Matuidi, Bernardeschi, Dybala. Fiorentina: Dragowski; Ceccherini, Pezzella, Igor; Lirola, Pulgar, Benassi, Ghezzal (Vlahovic 60’), Dalbert; Chiesa, Cutrone (Sottil 73’). Substitutes: Terracciano, Brancolini, Badelj, Sottil, Agudelo, Venuti, Vlahovic, Terzic, Dalle Mura. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Juventus coach on the eve of the game against the Viola.
Tomorrow, at 12:30 CET Juventus will host Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium and today saw the match previewed by coach, Maurizio Sarri at today's pre-game press conference. THE THREAT OF FIORENTINA Fiorentina are a team that defends with an uncommon density and intensity. They're a dangerous squad, with good pacey players on the counter. We will have to move the ball quickly in attack, while in defence we have to keep our shape to try to limit our opponents' attempts on goal. "Our path in terms of results is good and we all have the feeling that in terms of continuity we can do better." THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUGLAS COSTA "Douglas is an important player and can make a difference. The goal is to have him in great condition for two months, he is able to shift the balance of the games. We are trying to help him improve on a physical level." KHEDIRA & PJANIC “Khedira had 3-4 days of flu and was not present at training. He is progressing in his recovery but is not yet training with the team. It's not easy to have a precise timescale on his return. "Pjanic only suffered a big bruise and is available for tomorrow." THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW "I didn't ask the club for anything during the summer and not even in this transfer window. The squad is strong and has certain characteristics, which I must be good at adapting to." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will be back in action against Fiorentina next Sunday, kick-off at 12:30.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal wasn’t enough to help Juventus secure a point against Napoli, as they claimed a 2-1 Serie A victory over Juventus at San Paolo on Sunday evening. QUIET FIRST HALF Due to Napoli’s defensive troubles, Maurizio Sarri opted for the iconic attacking trio of Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo in order to expose their weaknesses. However, the first opening 20 minutes of the game saw both teams try and create their own rhythm, and chances were few and far between for both sides. Bonucci had charged down an effort by Milik, while Dybala was closed down by Mario Rui on the edge of the box after he ran down the middle. ZIELINSKI BREAKS THE DEADLOCK The second half started in disappointment for Pjanic, as he was forced into an early substitution due to injury, seeing him replaced by Rabiot with 49th minutes on the clock. The Bianconeri had the ball in the back of the net in the 54th minute, when Dybala hit the post: the rebound fell for Ronaldo who fired at goal, but it was ruled out for offside. Zielinski then tested his luck moments later with a powerful effort that he curled just over the face of goal. Higuain got onto the receiving end of Ronaldo’s long pass and fired an angled drive at Meret, who dropped and made the save. That then sparked a counter-attack by Napoli and they took the lead just after the hour mark. Insigne fired in a scorcher at goal which Szczesny punched away, but the rebound fell to the feet of Zielinski, who slotted it past Tek. INSIGNE DOUBLES; RONALDO PULLS ONE BACK Sarri then opted to utilize his final two changes by bringing on Douglas Costa and Bernardeschi in place of Matuidi and Dybala in the 72nd minute. Juventus continued to go in search of an equalizing goal, but Gattuso’s Napoli frustrated the Bianconeri, and they doubled their lead in the 86th minute through Insigne, who smacked home a volley from Milik’s cross. Ronaldo managed to pull a goal back when he got onto the end of a long ball and flick it in at the bottom of the near post to see the game end 2-1 in favour of the hosts. Napoli: Meret; Hysaj, Manolas, Di Lorenzo, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Demme, Zielinski; Callejon, Milik, Insigne. Substitutes: Karnezis, Daniele, Luperto, Maksimovic, Elmas, Lobotka, Llorente, Lozano, Leandrinho. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Rabiot 49’), Matuidi (Douglas Costa 72’); Dybala (Bernardeschi 72’), Higuain, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Ramsey, Douglas Costa, Rugani, Rabiot, Bernardeschi, Coccolo. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Juventus coach on the eve of the game away at Napoli.
With semi-final progress in the Coppa Italia sealed, the Bianconeri turn their attentions back to the league and with a big game awaiting at the San Paolo on Sunday night against Napoli. At today's press conference, the Juventus coach, Maurizio Sarri said of the game: "It's going to be a special match for me, but what matters most is the collective goal: To bring home the three points in a difficult match." GATTUSO'S NAPOLI "Napoli with the addition of Demme now returns to having a point of reference in midfield through the middle. I expect a difficult game, they are a strong team that even if they're going through a difficult moment, remain very dangerous in a one-off match. "Their position in the table is strange, because if you then look at the statistics tables in Serie A, you'll notice that they are in first for ball possession, average time of keeping the ball in midfield, successful long-balls and attempted shots. Their ranking doesn't match the quality that they are expressing. They are a side that are destined to recover. "The technical qualities of their players are very high, and they'll be coming into the game from an important victory that can revive them, they will be very motivated. Napoli from Ancelotti to Gattuso is changing: The arrivals of the central midfielders say that they want to play in a different way, from the point of view of the formation and their positioning. Gattuso is a coach who manages to give great solidarity to his teams." THE GROWTH OF BENTANCUR "Rodrigo has ample room for improvement in the build-up phase, but he gives us balance with his extraordinary dynamism and is present in the two phases of the game. He is a young man who is improving dramatically and for us he's extremely important." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri put out a strong display to claim victory and progress into the next round of the tournament.
Juventus qualified for the semi-finals for the Coppa Italia after claiming a 3-1 win over Roma on Wednesday evening at Allianz Stadium. All three goals were scored in the first half with Cristiano Ronaldo, Rodrigo Bentancur and Leonardo Bonucci getting on the scoresheet. These two teams found themselves battling off against each other less than two weeks after the win at Olimpico and it was a match which saw both sides determined to advance further in the tournament. RONALDO STRIKES Both teams were showing off some promising movements when pressing further up the field, and it was Roma who the first promising chance at goal from a Florenzi cross that was Kluivert blast it over the goal mouth from close range. It was the visitors who were enjoying the better part of the play, but their wasted chance saw the Bianconeri take the lead in the 26th minute: Maurizio Sarri’s side produced a good counter-attack which saw Higuain play a diagonal ball for Ronaldo. He then ran up the left flank, burst into the box and slotted it past Pau Lopez with an angled drive. BENTANCUR DOUBLES IT, BONUCCI TRIPLES It took just four minutes for Juventus to make it 2-0 through Rodrigo Bentancur. The midfielder started and finished off the move by gathering the ball in midfield, he then played it wide to Douglas Costa, who returned the ball back to the Uruguayan and his effort kissed the bottom of the far post as it rolled over the line. Danilo was then forced to make an immediate substitution due to injury, seeing Cuadrado come on in his place. A third goal was added at the stroke of half-time through Bonucci, who nodded home the a short-corner with great precision. The goal was reviewed by VAR, but there was no cancelling out of the goal as he was in the right position. UNDER SCORES, ROMA THREATEN The second half started with eventful moments on each side of the park: first Kalinic’s got onto the end of Buffon’s save and hit it against the post from close range, while Higuain’s header was nodded against the woodwork. Roma pulled one back to make the scoreline 3-1 with a shot from range by Cengiz Under that smacked underneath the bar, bounced behind Buffon and crossed over the line. Roma so nearly found themselves having pulled back a second goal when Florenzi went one-on-one with Buffon, but the keeper held out strong to deny the youngster with a left-footed save. THE FINAL PUSH When attacking, both teams were looking dangerous and Higuain came close to adding a fourth goal when Pau Lopez denied the Argentinian’s volley from point-blank range. With over 20 minutes remaining, Douglas Costa made way from Aaron Ramsey, while Matuidi took the place of Rabiot. Ronaldo then saw his effort whisk wide of goal with five minutes remaining on the clock, as the Old Lady went on to claim victory. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo (Cuadrado 40’), Rugani, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Rabiot (Matuidi 76’); Douglas Costa (Ramsey 67’), Higuain, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Ligt, Coccolo, Ramsey, Matuidi, Emre Can, Dybala, Cuadrado, Pjaca, Bernardeschi. Roma: Pau Lopez; Florenzi, Mancini, Smalling, Kolarov; Diawara, Cristante; Under, Pellegrini, Kluivert; Kalinic. Substitutes: Cardinali, Fuzato, Juan Jesus, Cetin, Santon, Fazio, Veretout, Peres, Spinazzola, Estrella. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri coach spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow's knockout fixture in the Italian Cup.
“I'm expecting a difficult game tomorrow night. Roma score a lot away from home and concede little, they are a top team,” revealed Mister Sarri at the start of his press conference. "It will be important for us to keep our shape and balance, also with different players in attack. However, I haven't decided anything yet, not even the formation.” The tactician then touched on the status of some of his players: “Cuadrado trained in the gym as a precaution today. Alex Sandro has a problem with the transverse muscle but it's nothing serious. Both are to be evaluated. “We'll evaluate Cristiano tomorrow morning. It depends on whether he is in the right condition to play the three games and if he is completely recovered. Rabiot came out of the last games with a couple of serious knocks. He'll also be evaluated tomorrow, he's a player with important physical quality, even during the recovery between games. “Danilo is a reliable player who reads the game well. He is a big personality and is important inside the locker room. Higuain seems to be doing well and today in training he was very active. He's having a great season and has greatly improved as a team-player. Douglas Costa isn't yet at peak condition but he's doing well and is regaining training continuity.” The Bianconeri came up against the Giallorossi a few weeks ago, running out 1-2 winners at Olimpico, and the coach is still aware that they should not be underestimated: “Roma are a strong team, therefore it's normal that against them you'll have periods of the game in which you'll suffer. Source: www.juventus.com |
Three points and a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Juventus extended their lead at the top of the Serie A table to four points after they claimed a 2-1 win over Parma at Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace to ensure the Bianconeri would take all three points against the Ducali. The teams paid homage to Pietro Anastasi who passed away on Friday evening, by observing a minute of silence before kick-off. RONALDO PROVIDES FIRST-HALF LEAD The Bianconeri were controlling play from the first whistle and they threatened at goal in the eighth minute when Alex Sandro’s header off a corner narrowly looped over the bar. Kucka then tried an effort of his own from range, but it failed to test Szczesny in goal. Alex Sandro was forced into an early substitution in the 21st minute and he was replaced by Danilo. Cristiano Ronaldo came close to breaking the lead twice in successive occasions with a shot at the near post that was beaten away for a corner, before then directing his header narrowly over the bar. The half lost its rhythm and tempo and the two teams looked set to go into the break goalless, but Cristiano Ronaldo ensured that wasn’t the case when he cut inside the box and took a shot which wrong-footed Sepe to score in his seventh successive Serie A game with 43 minutes on the clock. PARMA DRAW LEVEL Juventus came out strong after the break, showing a fresh burst of energy and they nearly broke the deadlock when Danilo launched a shot from ranger that tested Sepe into palming the ball round the post. However Parma, who hadn’t had much action in front of goal throughout the game, turned the scoreline to 1-1 through a glancing header by Cornelius in the 55th minute. SIIII! CR7 DELIVERS AGAIN! Nonetheless, that goal didn’t seem to dampen the Bianconeri’s spirit as Ronaldo responded with his second goal of the night three minutes later: Dybala burst forward up the field and played the ball across the box. It met the feet of Ronaldo, who sliced home a delightful ball to restore the host’s lead. Gonzalo Higuain was then brought on in place of Ramsey, and he immediately fired at goal with an effort that didn’t go out by much. Parma pushed for another equalizer through a daisy-cutter by Hernani, which sailed went into the arms of Szczesny. Douglas Costa then replaced Dybala with ten minutes to spare, as Juventus would go on to claim the victory. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro (Danilo 21’); Rabiot, Pjanic, Matuidi; Ramsey (Higuain 60’); Dybala (Douglas Costa 80’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Rugani, Coccolo, Emre Can, Douglas Costa, Pjaca, Higuain, Bernardeschi. Parma: Sepe; Darmian, Iacoponi, Bruno Alves, Gagliolo; Scozzarella, Hernani, Kurtic; Kucka, Inglese, Kulusevski. Substitutes: Colombi, Alastra, Dermaku, Cornelius, Brugman, Laurini, Barillà, Siligardi, Sprocati, Pezzella. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Juventus coach at the pre-match press conference on the eve of the first day of the second round of fixtures.
The second round of the Serie A season begins. Juventus host Parma at the Allianz Stadium tomorrow night, who they defeated 1-0 in the first game of the season at the Stadio Tardini. At today's press conference, Maurizio Sarri previewed the game against the Emilian outfit, but before doing so, the coach paid tribute to Pietro Anastasi with these kind words: "I'd like to remember Anastasi. A very important player in Juventus' history and Italian football. I remember him as a leading man in the 1968 European Championships, a great footballer and a great man." THE STRONG POINTS OF THE EMILIANS "Parma are doing well in the table, they are only one point away from Europe. On Thursday in the Coppa Italia, they practically rested all but two starts, so they will be in good condition. They are a resilient team that knows how to regroup and to counter well. "They have done very well on the road and we will have to be careful not to play into their hands. They have no weaknesses, even on a defensive level Parma are solid, having physical players like Kucka and Kurtic who give a great physicality and substance to the midfield. They have excellent attackers like Inglese, Kulusevski and Gervinho." THE BIANCONERI ATTACK "Dybala is doing very well in all formations. With regards to the trident, we must find the right balance. Higuain has a very specific role, Ronaldo and Dybala are two instinctive players, who do not have a precise location. But I prefer to have three strong forwards with difficulties in choosing the lineup than the other way round." DE LIGT, DOUGLAS COSTA & RABIOT "De Ligt played a lot of consecutive matches two months ago so he'll be ready to do it again now, after coming back from a period of recovery. Bonucci was rested in the last game and Rugani has shown that he is ready, there are no defensive problems. "Douglas Costa took part in only some yesterday's training session, just like everyone else who started the match on Wednesday. He has never had great continuity in training this season, so today we will realise how strong his ability is to recover. Rabiot has found continuity, form and more confidence, his performances are improving and he is becoming a different player, more present in the defensive phase and more tactical than before. If he continues like this, I wouldn't be surprised if he got a call-up to the French national team." THINKING ONLY ABOUT PARMA "A team turnover happens as a logical consequence when there are so many matches played close together, it's difficult to plan it, as everything is decided in relation to previous games. Right now, I'm only thinking about the match against Parma, we must concentrate on the match at hand without thinking ahead." Source: www.juventus.com |
It was a display dominated by the Bianconeri, with Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain putting in special performances.
Juventus progressed into the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia after they claimed an impressive 4-0 victory over Udinese at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening. Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring as Paulo Dybala grabbed a brace, while Douglas Costa added the fourth goal through a penalty. THE PIPA – LA JOYA SHOW! From the offset the Bianconeri were knocking on Udinese door, and they needed just 16 minutes on the clock to break the deadlock and they did so in a beautiful manger. The move involved Dybala and Higuain, who interchanged in a duet of passes to see Pipa break through the offside trap and knock home La Joya’s looping ball. The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Bernardeschi was brought down in the box by Nicolas. The referee pointed to the spot and it allowed for Dybala to stand up and slot home the penalty to make it 2-0 in favour of the hosts. The chemistry between the two Argentine’s was undeniable and they combined again in the 35th minute when Dybala crossed the ball over to Higuain on the other side of the goal frame: the striker controlled the ball with his chest before firing on the volley, only to see his effort go wide. DYBALA & DOUGLAS COSTA BAG THE POKER Higuain thought he started the second half in the same manner in which he did the first: by grabbing a goal. Nicolas made the save off Matthijs de Ligt shot and the rebound fell into the path of Higuain who slotted it into the back of the net, however it was later ruled out by VAR for offside on the Dutchman. But that didn’t stop the Bianconeri from continuing their attacking play, and they did make it 3-0 when Higuain played the ball through to Dybala, the Argentine burst into the box and cheekily curled in an effortless past Nicolas into the far post. It was one-way traffic and Douglas Costa soon added a fourth goal on the stroke of the hour when he converted a penalty following a handball in the box by Nuytinck. Cuadrado, Ramsey and Pjaca were then brought on in place of Douglas Costa, Rabiot and Dybala, with Pjaca making his seasonal debut for the Bianconeri. Daniele Rugani came agonizingly close to adding a fifth goal for the hosts, with a header that clipped the woodwork. Udinese had one last hope on the stroke of full-time to pull a goal back, but their free-kick by Jajalo flew over the target. Juventus XI: Buffon; Danilo, de Ligt, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Rabiot (Ramsey 71’), Bernardeschi; Douglas Costa (Cuadrado 63’); Higuain, Dybala (Pjaca 73’). Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Pjanic, Ramsey, Matuidi, Cuadrado, Bonucci, Pjaca, Emre Can, Coccolo. Udinese XI: Nicolas; Opoku, De Maio, Nuytinck; Ter-Avest, Barak, Jajalo, Walace, Sema; Nestorovski, Teodorczyk. Substitutes: Musso, Perisan, Troost-Ekong, Fofana, Okaka, De Paul, Lasagna, Stryger-Larsen, Mandragora, Becao. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri head coach addressed the media on the eve of the match against Udinese.
Juventus will be in action again tomorrow might against Udinese, and in light of the clash at Allianz Stadium, Mister Sarri previewed the fixture. Naturally one of the first points of discussion was that of the backline, following the injury of Merih Demiral and Matthijs de Ligt’s return to fitness: “de Ligt is in great shape and the game against Roma confirmed that. I'm very sorry for Merih Demiral. It happened in a particular moment in which he was growing a lot, demonstrating that he's a Juventus player and having scored his first goal for the club. “Daniele Rugani is an important player for us, and we consider him very highly. Emre Can can play in a three-man defence, as he does so for German National team. In a four-man defence it takes a bit longer to adjust.” He went on to add: “We'll be coming into the game after having played a match three days ago, in which we used up a lot of energy. Our goal is to go all the way in the Coppa Italia, so we'll find the right motivations to regroup. “Our three forwards are all in good shape. Cristiano is fine and in great form and I want to speak to him tomorrow to find out whether or not to play him. Pjaca is a great player who has been very unlucky. If there's a chance for him, I'll be more than happy." Sarri then touched on who could start in goal: “I think that Gianluigi Buffon will play. He is a fundamental resource for us both on and off the pitch. I will make the final evaluations of who else will take to the pitch tomorrow morning.” The coach then concluded by touching on the status of some of his players: “I speak with Paulo Dybala every day, also because I like him. I spoke with him also today to find out how he is. We are fortunate to have so many strong forwards and this is a great asset for us. Bernardeschi has all the attributes to play box-to-box and he's trying out this role with the right enthusiasm. “Rabiot is improving all in terms of his condition, his interpretation of his role, defensive aggression and intensity." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri struck early in Rome to leave the hosts chasing a result. Next up, Udinese in the Coppa Italia.
Early goals from Merih Demiral and Cristiano Ronaldo saw Juventus claim a 1-2 win over Roma at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. The Bianconeri victory meant they returned to the top of the Serie A table at the midway point of the season. TWO GOALS IN TEN MINUTES Maurizio Sarri's men needed just three minutes to grab a hold of the lead: Dybala delivered in a set-piece into the box and it met Merih Demiral at the far post, who tapped home his effort from close range to make it 0-1. The scoreline then doubled in the 10th minute after the referee awarded a penalty for a foul on Dybala inside the box: Cristiano Ronaldo stood up to take the spot kick and he made no mistake in sending Pau Lopez in the wrong direction to convert his effort. Roma came very close to pulling a goal back in the 19th minute when Szczesny couldn’t get the perfect save off Florenzi’s cross, Pellegrini then struck the rebound and it was blocked by Rabiot’s torso on the line. Demiral was then forced into making an early change due to a knee injury, which saw Matthijs de Ligt brought on. Roma were pressing in attack and they won a free-kick on the edge of the box in the 35th minute, but they were reduced to taking shots from set-pieces. PENALTY PEROTTI, ROMA PULL BACK The first real chance of the second half came in the 65th minute when Edin Dzeko struck the upright: the ball then moved into the path of Under, who was brilliantly denied by Szczesny on two occasions from close range. However, the referee then awarded a penalty to Roma upon consulting with VAR, as Alex Sandro was judged to have handled the ball prior to Szczesny saves. Perotti stood up to take the effort and converted it with ease to make it 1-2. Maurizio Sarri then implemented two changes straight away by taking off Dybala and Ramsey and putting on Higuain and Danilo. The Argentine had the ball in the back of the net in the 78th minute, only for it to be ruled out for offside by VAR. Both teams went looking for a late goal: Roma in search of an equalizer and Juventus another goal to put the result beyond a doubt, but the scoreline remained intact and was enough for the Old Lady to take home all three points. Roma XI: Pau Lopez; Florenzi, Smalling, Mancini, Kolarov; Diawara, Veretout; Zaniolo, Pellegrini, Perotti; Dzeko. Substitutes: Fuzato, Mirante, Juan Jesus, Bruno Peres, Spinazzola, Cetin, Cristante, Under, Kalinic. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Demiral (de Ligt 19’), Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Rabiot, Pjanic, Matuidi; Ramsey (Danilo 69’); Dybala (Higuain 69’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Ligt, Rugani, De Sciglio, Danilo, Emre Can, Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa, Higuain, Pjaca. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Sarri spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s match against Roma.
“It's a difficult match,” declared Mister Sarri. “We have to find continuity in this current period and continue on with the good we did against Cagliari. “I expect Fonseca’s team to make a good impression. He's working well. He's a great coach. He has a lot of technical players and he knows how to snatch the game when Roma regains the ball, but they also know how to recapture the ball after lost possession. They can be very dangerous.” Sarri then went on to add before issuing an update on Matthijs: “Our offensive potential is very high, and we can continuously improve it. De Ligt is starting to improve. He still has a shoulder injury, but we hope he will return as soon as possible." The coach then concluded by saying: “Given the quality of the players I have at my disposal; the rotations don't change the philosophy of the game much. We can be better at exploiting the spaces created by Ronaldo and Dybala; Ramsey, Khedira and Rabiot all have the characteristics to be able to do it.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Four goal-haul ensures a victory over the Isolani.
The Bianconeri couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to the new year as they claimed a 4-0 victory over Cagliari on Monday afternoon at Allianz Stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second-half hat-trick and grabbed an assist on Gonzalo Higuain’s goal as Juventus showed claimed all three points. JUVE PUSH, CAGLIARI RESIST The Bianconeri commanded play in the opening minutes of the game, and their first attack saw Juan Cuadrado lay on an attack in from the right flank, it skipped across the face of goal and met the foot of Alex Sandro, who connected on the volley and fired his shot wide and high. Ramsey then saw his effort fly over the bar. Cagliari’s defence proved to be resilient as they frustrated the Bianconeri every time they went on the attack. However, the best chance of the half came on the stroke of the half hour when Cristiano Ronaldo flung in a powerful header towards goal which saw Olsen brilliantly palm it away, only for the offside flag to be raised. Merih Demiral came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 35th minute with a header that had beaten Olsen but was denied by the crossbar. RONALDO BREAKS THE DEADLOCK Juventus grabbed a hold of the lead with a minute on the clock in the second half: Cagliari’s defence played the ball across the goal, Ronaldo intercepted and burst into the box before firing straight past Olsen at the near post. The scoreline nearly doubled in favour of the Dybala shot towards goal, it ricocheted a number of times which resulted in Olsen flapping the ball off the line with a one-handed save. Cagliari came close to pulling a goal back when Giovanni Simeone’s header was turned onto the crossbar, while Dybala was denied by an outstretched Olsen off his free-kick in the 63rd minute. RONALDO AGAIN… THIS TIME FROM THE SPOT! Juventus went knocking on Cagliari’s door and as the game went on, Cagliari’s defence grew tired of the threat the Bianconeri strike force imposed. Paulo Dybala was proving particularly tricky to contain and he was brought down in the box in the 67th minute. The referee pointed to the post and Cristiano Ronaldo converted with power and precision to make it 2-0. Higuain was then brought on in place of Dybala, while Douglas Costa replaced Ramsey. PIPA STRIKES; CRISTIANO BAGS HIS HAT-TRICK Higuain’s impact was immediate, as he turned the scoreline to 3-0: Ronaldo played in a long ball from the left flank, he ran onto it and fired past Olsen at the far post. That wasn’t to be the final goal of the game though, as Ronaldo got his hat-trick when Douglas Costa played the ball wide to Ronaldo on the edge of the box: the Portuguese striker burst into the box and put it into the back of the next. The Bianconeri kept pressing for a fifth and final goal but they would settle for their impressive scoreline and three points. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Demiral, Alex Sandro; Rabiot, Pjanic, Matuidi (Can 85'); Ramsey; Dybala (Higuain 70’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Danilo, Rugani, Emre Can, Douglas Costa, Pjaca, Higuain, Bernardeschi. Cagliari: Olsen; Cacciatore (Farago 61’), Walukiewicz, Klavan, Pellegrini; Nandez, Cigarini, Rog; Nainggolan, Joao Pedro; Simeone. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Sarri previews the match against Cagliari.
“We have worked on the mistakes we made. We first focused on ourselves, then on Cagliari. We got it wrong mentally before we tactically got it wrong.” These were the opening remarks by Maurizio Sarri as he addressed the media today in his press conference ahead of Juve-Cagliari. Here are some of the topics he covered: DE LIGT & DEMIRAL “Matthijs de Ligt went through a complicated period between the problems he had with his shoulder and his adductors. During this time, Merih Demiral was in great condition which allowed for de Ligt to have a break. He is improving, tomorrow we will decide who starts.” THE MIDFIELD “We are trying Rabiot as center right, Emre Can both in the center and center right and, in the last few days, we have also started working with Federico Bernardeschi in that role. When a team concedes a few goals it's not always the fault of the defenders. I don't think we protect the defence well. We've done a lot of work on the midfield's movements. Rabiot from a physical point of view now looks good. He's got good feedback in both training and his matches lately. He leaves us with a feeling that he has even greater potential, and that he has started on that path. ATTACKING TRIO "Regarding the trident, we see tomorrow. There is also Aaron Ramsey who is improving a lot. It will need consideration because the two Cagliari playmakers are dangerous on the break. A lot of attention will be needed." INJURY UPDATE “It’s too early to talk about Chiellini. He is progressing well, but with his individual work. We will have to assess Chiellini's situation and at the end of the month Sami Khedira. Paulo Dybala has no problems. He did a differentiated workout because he was tired after two or three high intensity workouts. Today he will train regularly with the group." NEW SIGNING KULUSEVSKI “Kulusevski is a prospect of great interest. Having him here right away or not, is not part of what I have to judge. The important thing is that the club is attentive to these young players who are great prospects.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Dejan Kulusevski visited J|Medical as the Swedish midfielder undertook his medical check.
This morning, Dejan Kulusevski visited J|Medical. The Swedish midfielder arrived at the medical center located at the Allianz Stadium and began his tests. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will return to action against Cagliari on January 6, 2020.
Juventus were denied a ninth Italian Super Cup title after falling 1-3 to Lazio at King Saud University Stadium on Sunday evening in Riyadh. Paulo Dybala’s goal wasn’t enough for Juventus, as Lazio scored two second half goals to claim the trophy. LUIS ALBERTO STINGS THE BACK OF THE NET The first chance of the game fell to Lazio when a promising attacking move saw Luis Alberto fire towards goal, and he saw his effort curl just over the crossbar. The Roman club were looking very dangerous on the attack and they took the lead in the 16th minute when Lulic cut back and passed to Milinkovic-Savic, he knocked it back for Luis Alberto who fired it into the back of the net. Juventus tried to respond with an equalizer minutes later when Higuain received the ball on the edge of the box, he laid it off to Ronaldo, whose shot whisked just wide of goal. DYBALA PULLS LEVEL! Juventus went pushing for their equalizer, and a great opportunity fell to them on the half hour when Cristiano Ronaldo was brought down in the box: Paulo Dybala stood over to take it and he curled in a powerful strike that went out by not much. Lazio then forced Szczesny into making another save when Milinkovic-Savic flicked the ball onto Correa, who fired a low drive at goal which saw the keeper palm it away. The Bianconeri did make it 1-1 on the stroke of half-time when Ronaldo pulled off some fancy footwork to fire at goal, Straskova made the initial save but he couldn’t deny Dybala’s rebounded shot. JUVE PUSH It was the defending champions who started off well in the second half, when Ronaldo slalomed his way and fed the ball to Dybala: the No.10 struck just wide. Juan Cuadrado was then brought on in place of De Sciglio, and he was followed by Ramsey’s introduction to the game in place of Higuain. Ronaldo came agonizingly close to handing Juventus the lead: Ramsey set him up and he whacked in an effort that skimmed just over the target. LULIC SECURES VICTORY Juve’s missed chances was Lazio’s gain as they took the lead again in the 73rd minute: Milinkovic-Savic flicked the ball with his head, it fell to the feet of Lulic, who fired home an unstoppable volley. Douglas Costa was then brought on in place of Matuidi in order to help turn around the result, while Strakosha saved Dybala’s header from seven yards out. The final minutes were very entertaining as Juventus went in search of a late equalizer, while Lazio were looking to wrap up the victory. Juventus came agonizingly close to sending the game into extra time when Bonucci directed his header inches wide of the goal, but it was Lazio who would go on to lift the trophy. Bentancur was shown an immediate red card for a last-man challenge, and it resulted in Lazio scoring a stoppage time goal through Cataldi free-kick that sailed under the bar. Juventus: Szczęsny; De Sciglio (Cuadrado 56’), Bonucci, Demiral, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi (Douglas Costa 73’); Dybala, Higuain (Ramsey 67’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, de Ligt, Danilo, Rugani, Ramsey, Emre Can, Rabiot, Douglas Costa, Cuadrado, Pjaca, Bernardeschi. Lazio: Strakosha; Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto, Lulic; Immobile, Correa. Substitutes: Proto, Guerrieri, Bastos, Patric, Parolo, Cataldi, Berisha, Marusic, Jony, André Anderson, Adekanye, Caicedo. Source: www.juventus.com |
The captain and coach previewed tomorrow’s Super Cup final against Lazio in Riyadh.
Mister Sarri and Leonardo Bonucci addressed the media, where they covered an array of topics regarding Lazio, tomorrow’s Super Cup final, the objectives and the type of game it will be. Here is what they had to say: MAURIZIO SARRI: “I FEEL THE RIGHT THINGS ABOUT TOMORROW” Lately, I have been enjoying our games and training a lot. I have good feelings, we have flaws, but we can work on it. We have continuity in the results and in the last games we've shown good things in the first half. Mistakes are part of the path. Today I will see how the players are, yesterday there were a few tired after Sampdoria. I feel the right things about tomorrow's game going into a final, as it should be. Chiellini comes from an injury that will take time to recover, he won’t be back until February. Only he and Sami Khedira are not available, Szczesny is available, while the others have returned and are improving. We have moved our defensive line higher, but strangely we concede goals when are deep: it’s something with which we are working on. Lazio are strong, both physically and technically. It's amazing that they didn't get into the Champions League last year. Tomorrow, in a one-off game they can be even more dangerous. BONUCCI: “WE WILL NEED A PERFECT JUVE” “The game against Lazio a few weeks ago taught us that in certain competitions the details make a difference: every game is a story unto itself, we know we face a very good team, but we are also fine. We know Immobile: he is in a positive moment, he works hard for the team and scores, he attacks the depth. We will still have to be careful of everyone, they are a strong group and they have a good coach. We will need a perfect Juve. I'm happy to wear the armband, but there's Chiellini that he's been following the team and he's with us. After the game with Lazio we realized that we had to regain the enthusiasm, and we did. We're going to have a big game. We know Ciro Immobile well. He's in good form, he works hard for the team and scores goals. However, we have to be aware of everyone, they are a strong group and have a good coach. The game will need a perfect Juve. We have watched Lazio: Inzaghi has given a very precise idea of the game. We will have to move well as a unit, to absorb their insertions, and confirm our growth. We are not at our best, but at a good point. There is a lot of enthusiasm, Giovinco who plays here has confirmed it to me. We hope to give our fans a joy tomorrow. We have conceded a lot of goals and that frustrates us; but it also makes us grow and improve.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Two stunning goals decided the fixture in Genova.
Both Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo scored fantastic goals, as Juventus claimed all three points in their final Serie A fixture for 2019 by defeating Sampdoria 1-2 at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on Wednesday evening. WHAT A STRIKE, PAULINO! After last week’s success against Udinese, Maurizio Sarri once again opted to play the attacking trio of Higuain, Dybala and Ronaldo and his decision paid off. The Bianconeri took the lead in the 19th minute when Alex Sandro delivered in a cross from the left flank to the right side of the park. It met Dybala on the edge of the box, who crushed home a beautiful volley that curled past Audero in goal. That goal seemed to spark a surge of beautiful passages of play by the Bianconeri, and they saw a few chances fall to Higuain, but he couldn’t convert them. CAPRARI DRAWS IT LEVEL After winning a string of set-pieces, Sampdoria turned the scoreline to 1-1 in the 35th minute when they pounced on a defensive error inside the box that landed at the feet of Caprari, who fired straight at goal from 15 yards. Cristiano Ronaldo then provided the perfect opportunity for Juventus to retake the lead, when he delivered in an excellent that both Higuain and Dybala failed to get onto the end of at the near post. SLAM DUNK RONALDO! The scoreline would turn 1-2 in favour of the Bianconeri, when Alex Sandro once again delivered in a perfect cross: it met Ronaldo at the far post, who jumped into the air and excellently nodded home the ball across the line on the stroke of half-time. It would later be revealed that Ronaldo had jumped an incredible 71cm off the ground. ALL SQUARE SECOND HALF Sampdoria started strong in the second half, and they by the hour mark, they were more confident in their approach. Ramsey was then introduced in place of Higuain, while Douglas Costa replaced Dybala. Gaston Ramirez then attempted a half-hearted overhead kick, but it came to nothing, meanwhile an injury to Alex Sandro 10 minutes from time meant Mattia de Sciglio took his place. The remainder of the game saw out subdued action, despite a Ronaldo goal being ruled out for offside, as Juventus commanded play in order to ensure their victory. They will be back in domestic action on 6 January against Cagliari. Sampdoria: Audero; Murillo, Ferrari, Colley, Murru (Augello 76’); Depaoli, Thorsby, Jankto (Gabbiadini 62’), Linetty; Ramirez; Caprari. Substitutes: Seculin, Falcone, Augello, Chabot, Rigoni, Regini, Maroni, Gabbiadini, Leris, Quagliarella, Pompetti. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, Demiral, Bonucci, Alex Sandro (de Sciglio 80’); Rabiot, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala (Douglas Costa 77’), Ronaldo, Higuain (Ramsey 70’). Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Rugani, Ramsey, Emre Can, Portanova, Douglas Costa, Cuadrado, Pjaca, Bernardeschi. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Head Coach spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Sampdoria.
“Juve conveys the impression of a strong club with a winning mentality. We have to push to give our best,” said Mister Sarri ahead in his press conference. “I need to evaluate the conditions to understand how to play tomorrow. It is essential to defend high and regain the ball in the high areas of the field.” Here is what he had to say: ON THE TEAM “Szczesny will probably not play as he is still not ready. We are evaluating him day by day. Rabiot is someone who is improving and who needs to play. At this stage of the season, we are asking Blaise Matuidi to sacrifice. He spends a lot of time on the pitch for us. Regardless of the this, this module is draining for midfielders. It's hard to sustain this for 90 minutes.” VS SAMPDORIA “It will be a difficult match. They are recovering and have the enthusiasm resulting from the derby win. Ranieri’s team are always hard to deal with. A high-level performance is what is needed.” DRAW AGAINST LYON “At this moment, it makes no sense to analyse it because there is still a lot time left until the matches and situations will change.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Three goals and three points to secure the final win of 2019 on home soil.
Juventus sealed off their last home game of the decade with a bang, as they claimed a 3-1 win over Udinese at Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, while Leonardo Bonucci nodded in the third in what was a dominant display by the Bianconeri. Maurizio Sarri introduced the attacking trio that the fans had long been waiting for, by playing Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo together from the first minute. Szczesny had to be withdrawn from the last match day squad after picking up an injury, meaning Gianluigi Buffon started for the team. His appearance met that he equaled Alessandro del Piero’s record of 478 appearances in Serie A for Juventus. STRAIGHTAWAY RONALDO All it took was nine minutes before the Bianconeri took through Cristiano Ronaldo. Dybala latched onto a looping ball, his miss shot rebounded off the opposition defender and fell into the path of CR7, who drilled it straight into the back of the net. Play was flowing through the attacking trio’s boots, and they nearly doubled the lead when Ronaldo back heel the ball to Higuain, he then played it for Dybala, whose shot took a deflection and went into the side netting. ATTACKING TRIO Dybala thought he had doubled the lead in the 20th minute when he received a cross on the edge of the box, he chested it down and lobbed it over the goalkeeper into the back of the net. However, it didn’t stand as VAR adjudged him to have handled the ball. Juventus were looking dominant and confident went going forward, and once again it was trio who were in the thick of all the action: Ronaldo’s shot from Dybala’s assist was blocked, with the rebound falling to Higuain, whose shot was pushed round the post by Musso. CR7 AT THE DOUBLE, THEN BONUCCI Another excellent chance fell to Higuain: Dybala fed the ball to him as he ran up the field and fired straight at goal, but he was denied by Musso’s outstretched arm. The scoreline changed to 2-0 when Ronaldo grabbed his second of the day, following a cheeky no-look pass by Higuain down the middle, which saw the Portuguese fire away at goal. A third goal was added in the brink of half-time when Bonucci put in a sneaky header that hit the woodwork and bounced over the line. SECOND HALF: UDINESE PULL ONE BACK The start of the break saw chances on each end, with Mandragora seeing his shot go wide of goal, while Dybala’s effort sailed over the Udinese crossbar by just inches. Udinese were gaining momentum and they tested Buffon when Lasagna beat the offside trap and fired a shot in which Gigi beat away with one hand. Higuain then saw his shot on the hour mark blasted over the bar, before Buffon was called in action again to deny a shot from Lasagna. Maurizio Sarri then made a double change when he introduced Bernardeschi and de Ligt in place of Dybala and Bonucci, with 15 minutes remaining. Douglas Costa’s return from injury saw him put on as the final change of the game, while Cristiano Ronaldo was denied one last time by Musso when he turned on the ball and shot at goal. Udinese pulled a goal back in stoppage time through Pussetto, but it was too little too late, as it didn’t change much. The Bianconeri will play their final game of the year on Wednesday against Sampdoria at Luigi Ferraris. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, Bonucci (de Ligt 75’), Demiral, De Sciglio; Rabiot, Bentancur, Matuidi; Dybala (Bernardeschi 75’), Higuain (Douglas Costa 80’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Perin, de Ligt, Alex Sandro, Rugani, Ramsey, Emre Can, Muratore, Douglas Costa, Pjaca, Bernardeschi. Udinese: Musso; De Maio, Troost-Ekong, Nuytinck; Ter-Avest, Fofana, Mandragora, De Paul, Stryger-Larsen; Okaka, Lasagna. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Head Coach spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Udinese.
"Tomorrow, we will have to be good,” this was Mister Sarri’s underlying message ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s outing against Udinese at Allianz Stadium. "Clearly, the Champions League matches take energy from the team.” Here is what he had to say during his press conference: FAMILIAR FACES “Last year, I was lucky enough to work with Gotti: he is a person who gave me so much and I'm glad that he has this great opportunity. He has great intelligence.” THE ATTACKING TRIO “An offensive mentality does not mean playing with an extra striker. Certain conditions are required for Cristiano, Dybala and Higuain to play together.” STATUS OF HIS PLAYERS “Douglas Costa and Bentancur are doing well. But Douglas has been out for 20 days, while Rodrigo for only three. Therefore, I have reservations on Costa's condition. Ramsey is not available. His recovery is progressing well. Today, he will do a small part of the training with the group and then personalised training. We'll wait to see if we can use him on the bench. Right now, Cristiano is recovering well from all the matches that he's played in. His physical condition is getting better. Rabiot needs time. He had an injury, but he has a remarkable physical structure.” TOMORROW’S GAME Tomorrow, either Emre Can or Rabiot will start the game and there will certainly be room for both during the match. Udinese are a dangerous team, which knows how to close out games well. They have strikers who work well and can be dangerous in different circumstances.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Five wins, one draw and top of Group D in the Champions League.
Juventus ended their Champions League Group Stage campaign with a 0-2 away win over Bayer Leverkusen at BayArena on Wednesday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain got onto the scoresheet, as the Bianconeri ended the round with five wins a draw. With qualification and top spot in the group already secured, Maurizio Sarri opted to change up his usual starting formation at the back, by introducing Buffon in goal, and having Demiral and Rugani take to the centre of defence. TAME FIRST HALF There was a great ebb and flow to the start of the game, with the first real chance coming when Higuain beat the offside trap and unselfishly crossed through to Ronaldo instead of shooting; however, the Portuguese couldn’t get onto the end of it. That sparked a counterattack by Bayer, who then saw Diaby unleash a powerful effort that smacked the upright and bounced out of play. The game quickly settled down and it saw both Ronaldo and Cuadrado create half chances of their own, with both their efforts following a similar pattern of going wide. Higuain then turned well into the box and blasted his effort over with 35 minutes on the clock, but neither team provided much more entertainment for the remainder of the half, outside of Havertz’s last ditch effort that was blocked by Demiral on the stroke of half-time. DYBALA ASSISTS FOR RONALDO GOAL Ronaldo thought he had opened the scoring when he had the ball in the back of the net in the 51st minute of the game. He got onto the end of Bernardeschi’s ball and shot an angled drive that rebounded off the far post and into the back of the net, but the goal didn’t stand as the flag was raised. The tempo of the game dropped even further as the game progressed, and Sarri hoped to change things up by introducing Dybala in place of Bernardeschi. His entrance onto the field made an immediate impact as he provided the assist for Ronaldo’s goal in the 75th minute. Dybala received the ball on the edge of the box, and he fed it across to CR7, who made no mistake in directing the ball across the line from close range. HIGUAIN WRAPS IT UP Rabiot was then replaced by Matuidi with ten minutes to spare, while Aranguiz came close to pulling back the equalizer when his turn and hit went just wide of the goal post. The result was put beyond a doubt when Dybala got onto the end of a looping ball; he then passed it to Higuain, who smacked it into the bottom corner of the net. The Bianconeri will find out who their Last 16 opponents will be on Monday. Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky; L Bender, Dragovic, S Bender, Sinkgraven; Bellarabi, Demirbay, Aranguiz, Diaby; Havertz, Alario. Substitutes: Ozcan, Retsos, Tah, Bailey, Baumgartlinger, Wendell, Volland. Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, Demiral, Rugani, De Sciglio; Cuadrado, Pjanic, Rabiot (Matuidi 85’); Bernardeschi (Dybala 65’); Higuain, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczęsny, Dybala, Alex Sandro, Matuidi, Bonucci, Muratore, Portanova. Source: www.juventus.com |
Maurizio Sarri and Miralem Pjanic spoke about tomorrow’s fixture against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Head Coach and midfielder addressed the media ahead of tomorrow evening’s fixture against Bayer Leverkusen, and with top spot already secured in the group, they spoke about the need to still claim three points in the ultimate group stage outing. Here is what they had to say: SARRI: “THERE ARE NO GAMES THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE” “The boys are professional, and they give full cooperation. Sometimes you can do everything you want and sometimes it can turn out not as we would like. Tomorrow, we will see how we set up on the pitch. We have two midfielders. Rabiot can be at ease on the right and we have to see how he does after a long period of inactivity. We are calm, we know where we need to improve. And we are doing it: triggering a 'spark' depends on many factors, such as dribbling at the right times and keeping possession at the right speed. Otherwise, it is sterile. For tomorrow's game, I ask of the team that their motivation and mentality must never fall, especially in this type of challenge. There are no games that don't make sense: I want to see high levels of motivation and good performances. Playing in the Champions League is a privilege. Rabiot is coming back from an injury. We rely heavily on him. He has a high-level of potential. He just needs to regain his physical condition. Tomorrow he will play a part of the match. The game that I remember most from the European competitions? Winning the Europa League. I hope there are other good memories. The trident in attack? It is only partly an experiment. We have already tried it. We can only play this squad in certain situations and we'll see tomorrow. Blaise Matuidi’s booking does not have that much of an affect.” PJANIC: “WE HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL TO EXPRESS” “We prepare match after match; we want to win tomorrow to prepare for the league better. Bayer Leverkusen is a good team and it won't be easy, but we are prepared. We always want to win, but it happens at times where we can’t secure the three points, even if it shouldn't. We have had a good journey up until now. We cannot be negative; we need to find balance. It is not easy to always be brilliant. We have spoken as a team and hopefully, we will see the results on the pitch. We trust Sarri. We are a united team. The results were good, but the manager requires more: we still have a lot of potential to express. We want to win the League and we have to do more.” Source: www.juventus.com |
It wasn’t Juventus’ night in Rome, despite Szczesny double save off a penalty.
Juventus failed to bring home all three points for the first time this season when they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Lazio at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring, but Simone Inzaghi side fought back from behind to ensure the victory. RONALDO BREAKS THE DEADLOCK Lazio were oozing confidence with every touch of the ball, and they had a good chance fall to them in the fourth minute of action when Milinkovic-Savic who picked up Cuadrado’s cross in the midfield and played it up towards Immobile. He connected with it inside the box and took a shot at goal, only for de Ligt to deflect it out of play. Paulo Dybala almost mimicked the goal he scored against Atletico Madrid when he stood over the ball at the corner flag and delivered in a cross that smacked the woodwork. The Bianconeri were also setting their intentions from early on, and they created another good scoring chance when Ronaldo’s cross found Bernardeschi at the back post, but he nodded it inches wide of the goal. The scoreline went 0-1 in favour of the Bianconeri with 25 minutes on the clock when Bentancur played in an excellent cross across the face of goal, it fell to the feet of Ronaldo, who made no mistake and tapped it home from a yard out. LUIZ FELIPE MAKES IT 1-1 Emre Can was brought on in place of the injured Bentancur five minutes before the half time whistle, while Ronaldo came close to double the lead. Bernardeschi sprung the offside trap and fed the ball to Ronaldo, who sent in a diving header, but it was saved on the line by Strakosha. Lazio capitalized on that opportunity by changing the scoring to 1-1 at the stroke of half time through a glancing header by Luiz Felipe, following a well-played short corner move. JUVE DOWN TO 10, LAZIO CAPITALIZE The second half commenced with a frenetic pace to it. Dybala then got onto the end on a misplaced pass by Strakosha, to fire straight at him, while Cuadrado was then sent off after being shown an instant red (via VAR consultation) in the 68th minute after bringing down Lazzari as the last man. That meant Bernardeschi was called on to make way for Danilo, while Lazio took full benefit of the man advantage and they took the lead in the 75th minute when Milinkovic-Savic brilliantly controlled a long-ball with his right foot and blasted it past Szczesny from a couple of yards out with his left. TEK DOUBLE SAVE OFF PENALTY, CAICEDO SCORES LATE A few minutes later, Immobile was lining up a penalty after Correa was brought down in the box by Szczesny. The Juve goalkeeper went from zero to hero in a matter of seconds as he brilliantly denied Ciro not once but twice, by saving the initial effort and then the rebound, to keep the scoreline at 2-1. Maurizio Sarri then introduced Higuain in place of Dybala with 13 minutes to go, but he couldn’t make the desired impact as Lazio snatched a stoppage time goal through Caicedo to put the result beyond reach. Lazio: Strakosha; Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Luis Alberto, Lulic; Correa, Immobile. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (Can 40’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Danilo 70’); Dybala, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Danilo, Rugani, Demiral, Emre Can, Rabiot, Muratore, Portanova, Pjaca, Higuain. Source: www.juventus.com |
Maurizio Sarri previews tomorrow’s fixture against Lazio at Stadio Olimpico.
“It will be an important Matchday for the teams high up in the table, I hope that our motivations are high,” these were the opening remarks of Mister Sarri ahead of tomorrow’s Serie A outing against Lazio. “They are a strong team with great quality. They are the best in Italy and amongst the best in Europe for getting into the last 25 meters. We need to keep them away from our area because they are very dangerous,” he added. “Tomorrow, I expect a strong approach from Lazio, who will be very determined. We will have to resist it, come out and dictate the game how we want to. Based on the average amount of points that they are picking up, Lazio have to be in the conversation for the fight for top." Speaking ahead of the fixture, he went on to add: STATUS OF THE TEAM It's normal that after Champions League games there's a drop in energy, mentality and confidence, but from what I've seen in training I'm confident. As always, we have to respond on the pitch, getting three points is always important regardless of the game. Injuries happen during a season. Rabiot is better and seems to be recovering, even if he has been slowed down and yet to find peak condition. BERNARDESCHI’S FORM Bernardeschi is an extremely sensitive lad and the differences in his performances on the road prove this. He mustn't be influenced by anything or anyone because he's an important player. I don't need to let him rest; I need to encourage him. ON CAN & KHEDIRA The exclusion from the Champions League squad was hard to take for Emre Can, but he knows that he will be very useful in Serie A. The loss of Sami Khedira is heavy, but his knee had deteriorated in a non-normal way. TO FRONT THREE OR NOT? Right now playing three forwards is difficult due to the characteristics of the players. The stats say that right now all that Bentancur is missing is goals. He is a player of quantity and quality, with good technique and still room to improve. You can't prohibit Dybala from dropping deep, and at the same time Cristiano's characteristics are not to play too central. We must take some precautions to fill the penalty area more. Source: www.juventus.com |
It sends all equal on a wet and rainy day in Turin.
Juventus and Sassuolo played to a 2-2 draw at Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon in what was a lunchtime kick-off match. Leonardo Bonucci opened the scoring, before Boga responded almost immediately. Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty then cancelled out Caputo’s second half goal to ensure all spoils were shared. Having played in the midweek, Sarri opted for a different looking XI by introducing Gianluigi Buffon in goal and Emre Can in the midfield. Federico Bernardeschi was introduced as a playmaker behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain, while Alex Sandro made his return to the starting XI following an injury sustained with the national team. CHANCES, CHANCES, CHANCES The Bianconeri first attack came in the sixth minute of the fixture, when Bernardeschi broke down the middle of the park, he then played it wide to Higuain, who directed a cross into the box, but Can scuffed a freshie and couldn’t turn it into the back of the net. Two minutes later the German then struck an effort from range, which forced Turati to drop down and push it around his post. The visitors then responded with a dangerous effort of their own when Kyriakopoulos hit a free-kick over the wall and into the path of Buffon, who punched it out of play. Juve’s attacking play was fluid and entertaining, and they were left bewildered as to how they didn’t take the lead in the 16th minute of play. Pjanic chipped it into the path of Higuaín, who hit it on the turn, but Ronaldo couldn’t reach to direct it home at the far post. LEO STRIKES, BOGA RESPONDS The deadlock was broken for each team in the space of two minutes: Bonucci handed the hosts the lead with 20 minutes on the clock when he sliced an excellent daisy-cutter into the bottom far corner. Juventus’ lead would last just two minutes before Sassuolo found the equalizer through a cheeky chip by Boga, who started and ended the move after breaking through the offside trap. Few chances fell to either side for the remainder of the half, but the start of the second half would see Juve left to chase the result. SASSUOLO TAKES THE LEAD Sassuolo made it 1-2 in their favour with just a minute on the clock after the break. Matthijs de Ligt made the initial clearance from Cuadrado’s cross, but it fell into the path of Caputo, who struck at goal. Buffon fumbled the effort and it squirmed under his body and into the back of the net. That goal certainly sparked a string of fiery attacks by Juventus, who then saw Ronaldo’s free-kick turned over the crossbar by the young goalkeeper. The 18-year-old then dropped down and denied Higuain’s scuffed shot from five-yards out. Maurizio Sarri then introduced to changes to the game, bringing on Dybala and Matuidi in place of Bernardeschi and Can respectively. RONALDO CONVERTS, 2-2 Juventus were on the hunt to grab an equalizer, and it arrived through Cristiano Ronaldo, who made the scoreline 2-2 in the 67th minute of play. Dybala was brought down in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Ronaldo stood up to take the penalty, and he converted with precision down the left-hand side of the goal. Moments later an excellent chance fell to Dybala, when he turned on Higuain’s assist but he connected it poorly and it hits the shin of Ronaldo. The final change of the game saw Ramsey come on in place of Higuain with 11 minutes to go, and he nearly nabbed the match winner three minutes from time. The Welshman struck straight at Turati, who made the save but it bumbled over him and he managed to grab it before seeing it cross the line. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Emre Can (Matuidi 54’), Pjanic, Bentancur; Bernardeschi (Dybala 53’); Higuain (Ramsey 79’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Danilo, Rugani, Demiral, Ramsey, Matuidi, Dybala. Sassuolo: Turati; Toljan, Marlon, Romagna, Kyriakopoulos; Magnanelli, Traore (Duncan 62’), Locatelli; Djuricic (Muldur 72’), Caputo, Boga (Peluso 89’). Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Sarri addressed the media ahead of tomorrow’s home fixture.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s outing against Sassuolo at Allianz Stadium, Maurizio Sarri spoke about several topics related to Sunday’s lunch-time game. Here is what he had to say: JUVE- SASSUOLO “Tomorrow's game is very dangerous. We come into this fixture after two games that took away a lot of our mental energy. In addition, Sassuolo is a team that has done well, even on the road, and they have a young and strong coach who I respect a lot." WHO WILL PLAY? “Do I get a headache choosing who to play in front of? If anything... the others get the headache. Emre Can may be an option for tomorrow. Alex Sandro took part in the full training session with the team yesterday. We need to see if he can play 90 minutes. Bernardeschi is doing well, he is a useful player to the team, who has great technical qualities, so we ask him to give more.” RONALDO’S STATUS “Cristiano did well in the last game, even at the resistance level. Now he just has to grow in terms of brilliance. The rotation in the front line is a normal thing. They are all three world-class players and they are doing well." BARZA IMPACT “Andrea Barzagli is a good resource and he can teach a lot in terms of individual defence. This has had a positive impact on Matthijs de Ligt. He has also adapted to our football and our league.” SARRI’S WISH “I hope that Cristiano wins the Ballon d’Or, de Ligt the Kopa Trophy and that Dybala will one day be a future Ballon d’Or contender.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will now finish off their Group Stage fixtures in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen.
Juventus claimed first place in Group D after claiming a 1-0 home win against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening in the Champions League. Paulo Dybala scored the only goal of the game, as the Bianconeri ensured that they reached their objective with one game to spare. ALL SQUARE The Bianconeri started off with some good attacking play in the opening 10 minutes of the game, with Dybala forcing Oblak into making a save with an angled after a quick give and go with Ramsey. Szczesny was first called into action in the 24th minute of the game when he quickly dropped down to smother Saul’s daisy-cutter. DYBALA FROM AN IMPOSSIBLE ANGLE The build-up play was patient by the home side, with Dybala truly showing flashes of brilliance and beauty. The Argentine won a free-kick on the left flank in the 34th minute; Ronaldo played the set-piece short to Pjanic, who then fired it low and wide of goal. Bentancur won a free-kick where the box meets the byline inside stoppage time and this time it was Dybala who stood over to take it. He struck an unstoppable effort from the tightest of angles to send the Bianconeri into the break at half-time. DECISIVE DE LIGT Saul had the first chance of the second half fall to his feet whist standing just inside the box. He struck away a powerful effort on the half-volley that was brilliantly dealt with by Tek. Diego Simeone introduced Joao Felix up front in hope of causing trouble to the Bianconeri defensively strong backline. It was still Juventus who were commanding play and great opportunity fell to them in the 60th minute. Ronaldo found himself breaking through the offside trap in the center-circle, he ran up towards goal, feigned past two markers before unleashing an effort at goal that flew high and wide of the target. Bernardeschi came painstakingly close to doubling the lead six minutes later when he cut in from the flank and unleashed an effort that struck the upright. Higuain was then put on in place of Dybala in the 74th minute, who exited the field to a standing ovation. Atletico came so close to pulling back an equalizer when Correa was clean on goal following a Felix through-ball, but de Ligt came charging in to steal the ball away from his feet. The Bianconeri finished off the match with all three points and secured top spot in the Group D standings with one game to spare. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio; Bentancur (Khedira 86’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Ramsey (Bernardeschi 63’); Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala (Higuain 74’). Substitutes: Buffon, Rugani, Demiral, Khedira, Cuadrado, Higuain, Bernardeschi. Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Hermoso, Renan Lodi (Lemar 64’); Saul Niguez, Herrera (Correa 60’), Thomas, Koke; Morata, Vitolo (Joao Felix 54’). Substitutes: Adan, Arias, Joao Felix, Correa, Lemar, Llorente, Saponjic. Ref: Taylor (ENG). Source: www.juventus.com |
The Head Coach and striker previewed tomorrow evening’s clash at Allianz Stadium.
It’s a game that many have been waiting for: Juventus versus Atletico Madrid in Turin. It is the final home game of the UEFA Champions League group stage, and one which will undoubtedly be a battle for the top spot in the group. Speaking ahead of the fixture, here is what they had to say: SARRI: “NO CALCULATIONS VS ATLETICO” “Now I see some great flashes and I would like to see the team more continuous in some respects, but you have to take into account the characteristics of the players. We certainly have room for improvement. Against Atletico we need to have a game without making calculations. They are a difficult team to face and we need to think about how fundamental first place in the group is. What Simeone has done at Atletico is worth the praise. “My rapport with Cristiano Ronaldo is good. If a player has won everything and he gets upset over a substitution means that he still has a lot of motivation: and that is positive. Yesterday Cristiano trained with his teammates. He seems to be improving but we still need to evaluate between today and tomorrow. Matthijs de Ligt and Bernardeschi need to be evaluated. It depends a lot on how they feel. To see Dybala, Higuain and Cristiano together is difficult because of their characteristics. All three know how to play football very well and they get along very well.” HIGUAIN: “NEED TO RESPECT ATLETICO” "I'm happy to be here where I have already experienced many great years. It was my intention to show everyone that I wanted to remain. We're in a good moment but there's still lots to do. Rotation is normal in a big team. Every time Paulo Dybala and I took the field, we tried to give our best, taking advantage of our opportunities. With the coach I've experienced some of my best seasons. I know what he wants and I'm happy to work with him. “We need to respect Atletico. Tomorrow will be a difficult game, they prepare in every way to win, but we want to finish on top of this group. Everyone knows that Cristiano Ronaldo is a big player of us. We are all important and fundamental, and every one of us plays a part in winning. “My decision to remain here, and it was clear from the beginning, but the coach had his reasons: something needed to change in my head. The season is still long, and I need to continue to demonstrate my value. The season is going well, we are at the top in the league and in the Champions League group. We only need to get closer to what the coach asks of us.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Pipita and La Joya inspire comeback against the Bergamaschi.
A late brace by Gonzalo Higuain and a stoppage time goal by Paulo Dybala ensured a Bianconeri victory in Bergamo as Juventus claimed a 1-3 win over Atalanta at Gewiss Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Robin Gosens opened the scoring in the second half, before Pipita and Dybala responded with goals of their own. After the international break, the Bianconeri found themselves back on the field but without the services of Cristiano Ronaldo, Adrien Rabiot, and Alex Sandro due to injuries. BARROW MISSES PENALTY A good chance fell to the Bianconeri in the seventh minute of action when Juan Cuadrado played a good ball to Gonzalo Higuain. He burst through the backline and chased down the ball but couldn’t get onto the end of it as Gollini rushed off the line. The Argentine was then shown a yellow card after making contact with the stopper. Atalanta were handed a penalty in the 16th minute after Sami Khedira was adjudged to have made contact with the ball in the box. Musa Barrow then stood up to take the kick, but he struck his penalty onto the crossbar to keep the scoreline level. The Bergamaschi were coming up with some dangerous plays, and they threatened at goal once again in the 23rd minute when Pasalic nodded a header towards goal which saw Szczesny make a great fingertip save at the near post. Moments later, de Sciglio made a crucial clearance on Hateboer effort inside the box, while in the 26th minute, Maurizio Sarri was forced to make an early change. He introduced Ramsey into the game following an injury to Bernardeschi. ATALANTA STRIKE There were fears that Sarri would be forced into making a second change due to injury after Matthijs de Ligt went down after hurting his shoulder, but after being seen to by the medics, he quickly got back up. Atalanta then took the lead in the 56th minute through Robin Gosens. Barrow did all the hard work by beating his marker and filtering in a cross that saw Gosens nod it home. After going a goal down, Douglas Costa was immediately thrown into the mix when he replaced Bentancur, while Emre Can took the place of Khedira in the 69th minute. PIPITA BRACE WINS IT Higuain drew the game level at 1-1 when he received the ball just inside the box in the 74th minute. He brilliantly turned on the ball and struck it at goal, seeing it skip into the back of the net after taking a slight deflection. Muriel attempted to respond with a goal of his own when he shot from range down the centre of the goal, which saw Szczesny push it away from goal. The Argentine then handed the Bianconeri the lead in the 82nd minute. Cuadrado received the ball on the right side of the box; he crossed it into the path of Higuain who made no mistake in converting it past Gollini. DYBALA STOPPAGE TIME GOAL The scoreline was put beyond a doubt when Paulo Dybala turned the ball into the back of the net inside stoppage time. Higuain went from goalscorer to assist-maker when he played a long across the face of goal for his fellow countryman. Dybala then dribbled the ball inside the box before unleashing an effort that beat the goalkeeper at the near post to secure all three points. Atalanta XI: Gollini; Toloi, Palomino, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Gomez, Pasalic; Barrow. Substitutes: Rossi, Sportiello, Kjaer, Masiello, Muriel, Arana, Piccoli, Da Riva, Castagne, Ibanez, Traore, Colley. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio; Khedira (Emre Can 69’), Pjanic, Bentancur (Douglas Costa 58’); Bernardeschi (Ramsey 26’); Dybala, Higuain. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Rugani, Demiral, Emre Can, Matuidi, Ramsey, Douglas Costa. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Tuscan coach previewed tomorrow’s outing against the Bergamaschi.
Tomorrow afternoon Juventus will take on an in-form Atalanta side, a side that has frustrated most of their opponents in recent times. Head Coach Maurizio Sarri is well aware of how tricky the fixture in Bergamo may be. “To call Atalanta "frustrating" is reductive,” he declared. “Guardiola's description about them was the best: ‘Dealing with them is like going to the dentist’. They're technically good, as well as aggressive. It won't be easy, especially away from home.” He then provided an update on Cristiano Ronaldo’s condition, along with the rest of the team: “There is no need for clarification regarding Cristiano. At certain times the players have to be left to boil. The problem is that on Tuesday, he told us that he is still not well. The goal is to get him back in for the Champions League. “I have some players with ailments. Alex Sandro’s problem is less serious than it had initially seemed, while we have an adductor problem Adrien Rabiot and Juan Cuadrado. Miralem Pjanic will be available. Blaise Matuidi still feels a little pain, but he does more than that. Yesterday he played the whole training session with us, he's available.” He then concluded by saying: “Growth is always the result of moments, and there is no constant line. We want to play a certain kind of football, but we can't go against the characteristics of the players. We need the right compromise.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Paulo Dybala came on as a substitute to decide the fixture between the two teams.
Juventus continued with their unbeaten run in Serie A by claiming a 1-0 win over Milan at Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening. Dybala scored the only goal of the game as he bagged his seventh goal against the Rossoneri and secured all three points for the Old Lady. After the victory in the Derby della Mole last weekend, the Bianconeri were looking to go into the international break with one final win under their belt, and what better way to do it against their long-time rivals, Milan? QUIET AND GOALLESS FIRST HALF The first chance of the game fell to the Bianconeri with 14 minutes on the clock when Ronaldo delivered the ball into the box, Higuain then tried to shoot at the near post, but Donnarumma fumbled it out for a corner with his feet. Milan then responded with a threat of their own two minutes later when Bennacer sent forward a long ball into the cross, which saw Piatek nod it just of the goal frame. Szczesny was called into action in the 24th minute when Conti knocked the ball back into the box for Paqueta, who sent a looping header towards goal, but it was brilliantly denied at the top right corner by a fingertip save. Bernardeschi worked his way from the flank and cut into the centre, before unleashing a shot from the inside of the D that went high of the goal. The half concluded with a shot on each end of the park: Ronaldo struck from distance, but it flew straight at Donnarumma, while Theo Hernandez smacked a low drive which saw Szczesny drop down and push it out of danger. DYBALA TAKES IT! Juventus threatened at goal first after the break and it was through Matuidi, who struck a curling effort that glanced past the far post. Maurizio Sarri then introduced Paulo Dybala into the game in the 55th minute in place of Ronaldo, while Higuain connected onto the end of Bentancur effort and turned it into the side netting. As the game drew on, tensions rose, and some scrappy challenges were being put in. On the stroke of the hour mark, Douglas Costa was then brought on and he was immediately a threat when he laid the ball off for Matuidi, who saw his powerful shot skim over the face of goal. Matuidi needed to be replaced in the 70th minute due to an injury, seeing Rabiot take his place. The Rossoneri’s first real chance of the second half came when Calhanoglu’s free-kick forced Szczesny to palm away his effort, but it would be the Bianconeri who would take the lead in the 77th minute of the game and it was through none other than Dybala. The Argentine scored his seventh goal against Milan when he got onto the end of Higuain’s assist, cut through Romagnoli and sliced it into the back of the net to make it 1-0. Calhanoglu tried to respond with an equalizer of his own when he struck from 20-yards, but Szczesny did well to round it past his post. In the final seconds of the game Dybala came close to doubling the lead but was denied by the hand of Donnarumma. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi (Rabiot 70’); Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 61’); Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo (Dybala 55’). Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Buffon, De Sciglio, Khedira, Ramsey, Dybala, Douglas Costa, Danilo, Emre Can, Rugani, Rabiot, Demiral. Milan: G Donnarumma; Conti, Duarte, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Paqueta (Rebic 85’), Bennacer, Krunic (Bonaventura 61); Suso, Piatek (Leao 66’), Calhanoglu. Substitutes: Reina, A Donnarumma, Calabria, Bonaventura, Leao, Rebic, Biglia, Caldara, Gabbia, Rodriguez. Source: www.juventus.com |
Maurizio Sarri addressed the media today at Allianz Stadium.
Just over 24 hours remain until Juventus come up against long-time rivals Milan at Allianz Stadium, and it is a game in which the stadium is expected to be at maximum capacity. Talking ahead of the tie, Mister Sarri had this to say on tomorrow’s fixture: “Milan has not started the season well, but they are a good team. It will not be easy; we will have to play with a different intensity compared to Wednesday. “In football there are cycles; rebuilding to get back to a very high level is not easy. Milan have many young players and they are laying the foundations for an important future. We have areas of growth - individually, collectively and tactically. We are still not able to close out our games. However, this also highlights our strength in character which leads us to seek the victory until the end. “Aaron Ramsey can set up many scoring opportunities to score. He has the ability to play as an attacking player in a solid midfield,” added the coach before speaking of Leonardo Bonucci’s influence in the team and that of Gonzalo Higuain’s. “We are asking a lot of Bonucci because the team needs him for experience and quality. In this first phase of the season he has been crucial. I hope that sooner or later I will be able to rest him. Higuain has strong motivation to do his best. Now, he is well. Both physically and mentally. He is giving us so much from a game development perspective. He then touched on the condition of Ronaldo, who was substituted during the midweek game against Lokomotiv Moscow and Matthijs de Ligt, who didn’t make the trip to Russia: “Let's see what he can do. He feels a little pain in his knee, but it is nothing serious. De Ligt will try to train today but we will see his reaction.” The press conference then concluded with Sarri sharing his thoughts on Douglas Costa and Adrien Rabiot: “On Wednesday, Douglas Costa wisely started to decentralise his position to find space. Thus, he was able to play the role of a playmaker well. Rabiot? In the future, I see him more in front of the defence.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus have qualified for the Last 16 of the Champions League.
Juventus qualified for the Last 16 of the Champions League after snatching a 1-2 win over Lokomotiv Moscow to claim three points and see the team progress into the next round of competition. Douglas Costa snatched the winner deep inside stoppage time, after Aaron Ramsey grabbed the opener in the opening minutes of the first half. Maurizio Sarri opted for a different looking line-up to his usual tried and tested, with Rugani stepping in for de Ligt, who stayed at home due to an injury, while Danilo took the place of the suspended Cuadrado. Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot were also handed starts. RAMSEY SCORES, MIRANCHUK RESPONDS The Bianconeri took just three minutes to get onto the scoresheet when they were awarded a free-kick from a foul on Rabiot. Cristiano Ronaldo stood up to take the spot kick, and he fired in an angled drive that went straight for Guilherme in goal, the shot-stopper fumbled it and it fell between his legs allowing for Ramsey to tap it over the line for certainty. It took just nine minutes for the hosts to respond with an equalizer of their own. A cross was delivered in from the left and it was Miranchuk who first saw his header rattle the upright before then being quickest to tap it home on the rebound. PIPA CHANCE That equalizer gave Lokomotiv an extra spring in their step and they were testing the Juventus backline with their high-pressure plays. Juventus started finding their rhythm again around about the half hour mark of the game, and they went very close to regaining the lead when Khedira sent a looping ball into the box, Higuain beat the offside trap perfectly and tried to tap it past the goalkeeper from two-yards out, but this time he made no mistake and pushed it out for a corner. There were only two minutes on the clock in the second half when Ronaldo threatened off a free-kick that he bulleted straight down the middle, but Guilherme palmed it away. The goalkeeper then denied CR7 in the 56th minute when he shot a powerful drive at goal, which saw Guilherme brilliantly finger tipped the attacker’s ball away from danger. BONUCCI SAVE OFF THE LINE Miranchuk managed to break through down the middle and he fired at goal, only for Szczesny to make the save. Rodrigo Bentancur was introduced into the game in the 64th minute in place of Ramsey, while Douglas Costa was brought on in place of Khedira. Juventus tried to slow the tempo down in order to gain control, but they lost possession in the 77th minute which saw Szczesny rush off his line. He made the same, but Joao Mario connected onto the end of the rebound, which saw Bonucci make an important clearance off the line! Sarri then made the decision to substitute Ronaldo in place of Dybala with 10 minutes to go, and he nearly made an immediate impact as he toe-poked Rabiot’s cross just wide of the near post. WHAT A SAMBA-GOAL! The game almost looked destined to end in a draw, but it was Douglas Costa who snatched the victory in the most beautiful of manners. The move started when he got involved in a give-and-go with Higuain, before then taking over everything by dribbling past three defenders to slot the ball between Guilherme’s legs for a 92nd minute match-winner, that would ensure qualification into the Last 16 of the Champions League. Lokomotiv Moscow: Guilherme; Ignatyev, Höwedes, Corluka, Rybus; Zhemaletdinov, Krychowiak, Barinov, Joao Mario; Al Miranchuk, Eder. Substitutes: Kochenkov, Zhivoglyadov, Idowu, Kolomeytsev, Murilo, Magkeev, Tugarev. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Douglas Costa 70’), Pjanic, Rabiot; Ramsey (Bentancur 64’); Higuain, Ronaldo (Dybala 80’). Substitutes: Buffon, De Sciglio, Dybala, Douglas Costa, Matuidi, Demiral, Bentancur. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Head Coach and goalkeeper spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash at Lokomotiv Stadium.
The status of the team, the main objective for tomorrow, and Lokomotiv Moscow, these were all the topics covered in tonight’s press conference at RZD Arena, Lokomotiv Stadium, ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League match. Here are the words of Mister Sarri and Szczesny: SARRI: “THE GOAL IS TO QUALIFY” "It will be a difficult match because it's the Champions League and because we already saw in the first game that they made it difficult for us, but the goal is to qualify. Let's focus on our performance. From a results perspective, the season is going really well, both in Serie A and in the Champions League. “I have the feeling that we still have room to improve, but the stats are different compared to the previous year, for example: possession. When our opponents defend in a way that is tight and compact, the game is often resolved by great play from an individual. However, at home Lokomotiv Moscow don't play defensive, but are proactive and use their quality. “Both Higuain and Dybala really wanted to stay here, even knowing that they would not always play. If I can succeed in having them out on the field together, I will be the first to be happy. Higuain has improved a lot and is willing to make himself available to the team. He contributes a lot defensively and provides assists, and although maybe less of a threat in the box, he is still very important for the team. Last year, Higuain suffered being away from Juve, he saw it as a personal defeat. Here he has rediscovered a lot of motivation “Matthijs de Ligt’s ankle is not in the right condition for him to be able to play tomorrow, but it doesn't seem to be anything serious, rather a small injury that can be resolved in a few days. Tomorrow, we will decide between Daniele Rugani and Merih Demiral. Douglas Costa could play tomorrow. “The first few months always bring new sensations and it's normal for players to feel involved. The difficulties arise when you think you know how to play a certain type of game and you are not at full capacity.” SZCZĘSNY: “WE FEEL STRONG” “Gianluigi Buffon is a great goalkeeper and a great man and when he plays, he's still in great form. We are all happy that he came back and it's great for me to have another year with him. "I've been friends with Grzeg Krychowiak for years and we grew up together playing on terrible pitches, but now we're playing each other in the Champions League which is a great story. We've gone too long without keeping a clean sheet and now we hope that we can begin a run, having kept a clean sheet in the last game. I'm part of one of the best teams that there are, right now we feel strong and now I just think of giving my best." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri claimed bragging rights in the Derby della Mole.
Juventus claimed all three points and bragging rights over rivals Torino after claiming a 0-1 win at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening. Matthijs de Ligt scored the only goal of the game as the Bianconeri claimed three crucial points in the Derby della Mole. From the very first minute there was an electric atmosphere in the stadium, and the importance of the derby could be felt from kick-off with both teams having taken a while to settle into the game. GOALLESS FIRST HALF It was Torino who started off well, winning 50-50 chances and being aggressive in their attacks. The Bianconeri first chance of the game fell to Cristiano Ronaldo on the 19th minute when he received a cross and opted to turn it towards goal with a diving header, but it sailed over the bar. He then attempted another shot just before the half hour after brilliantly chesting it, controlling it and then striking on the half-volley, but it too, failed to hit the target. Paulo Dybala was looking very inspired when on the ball, and he made a good run down the right flank, before cutting inside and unleashing a curling effort which stung the palms of Sirigu. Torino went pushing for an opening goal before the break, and they attempted a shot at goal through Meite, whose effort flew slightly over Szczesny’s goal. Matthijs de Ligt came agonizingly close to handing Juventus the lead on the stroke of half-time when de Lift tried to direct the ball into the back of the net from Ronaldo’s cross, but Sirigu brilliantly palmed it away. A DE LIGT-FUL DECIDER Both teams were anxious to get a goal, and it showed after the break, as tensions rose on either end of the field. Ronaldo had the first chance at opening the scoring when Dybala slipped him ball on the edge of the box down the right side, he then burst in and fired at goal, but Sirigu palmed it away. Ramsey was then introduced into the game in the 67th minute in place of Bernardeschi, and both changes seemed to have made an impact as the Bianconeri took the lead. Sirigu was first brilliant to deny a save off Higuain’s powerful volley, but he couldn’t much to deny de Ligt’s 70th minute opener. The move started off from a corner, Higuain knocked it down towards the back post where de Ligt was, the Dutch then fired home from close range to instill silence across the Olimpico. The Bianconeri dominated possession for the remainder of the game, and they nearly doubled the lead when some misplaced defending allowed for Ramsey to chase down a stray ball and as he attempted to slide into it, Sirigu printed off his line to block it. That would be all for the two teams, as the Juventus would hold out for the win. Torino: Sirigu; Izzo, Bremer, Lyanco; Aina, Baselli (Milico 85’), Rincon (Zaza 74’), Meite, Ansaldi; Verdi (Lukic 80’), Belotti. Substitutes: Ujkani, Rosati, Lukic, Zaza, Berenguer, Millico, De Silvestri, Djidji, Laxalt. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio; Bentancur (Khedira 76’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Ramsey 67’); Dybala (Higuain 60’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Khedira, Ramsey, Douglas Costa, Alex Sandro, Danilo, Higuain, Emre Can, Rugani, Demiral. Source: www.juventus.com |
Head coach Maurizio Sarri previewed tomorrow's Derby della Mole.
“The derby is not like any other game. It has a significant meaning for both teams.” This is what Mister Sarri had to say ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Torino. “I will pass the eve of the derby with serenity and awareness that it will be a special game. “I am expected a highly motivated Torino, one that will fight,” he added. “It will be important for us, tomorrow, that we keep the game on track and to one that suits our characteristics. “We have to give the utmost respect to Mazzarri for the great experience he has. I have great respect for him and for what he is has done with Torino during his cycle.” The coach then touched on his players: “When both Ronaldo and Dybala are on the field, the most ideal solution is to play with a playmaker. Gonzalo Higuain is a great player and, after the difficult year he had, I saw him have great motivation over the summer. He is demonstrating his quality. I took a good look at Aaron Ramsey during training, but I am not sure when he will be ready for 90 minutes,” he said before touching on who could be rested and won’t be available. “I am not sure if Miralem Pjanic will be available tomorrow. Who can help Alex Sandro rest? It depends on the game… In training, we have been working more with Mattia de Sciglio and Danilo on the left.” If he had been to Superga: “In the past I have gone to visit Superga. It seemed obligatory to me to commemorate a legendary team of Italian sport.” Source: www.juventus.com |
A stoppage time penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo decided the outcome of the match.
Juventus claimed a 2-1 victory over Genoa after a stoppage time penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo ensured another Serie A victory for the Bianconeri at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening. Leonardo Bonucci opened the scoring in the first half, as Kouame snatched an equalizer just minutes later. The Old Lady took to the field in a special kit, a collaboration created with adidas and Palace. They started the game well by moving the ball fluidly and dominantly in and around the final third. DYBALA BRINGS THE HEAT It was Paulo Dybala, who had just been awarded the MVP for the month of September, who created the first chance on goal when he excellently chested down Juan Cuadrado’s cross and connected onto the volley to fire a powerful effort at goal, which saw Radu fingertip his effort over the bar. Genoa didn’t get forward often in the opening half an hour, but when they did, they had some promising moves, with Pandev coming close when he flicked the ball over the bar from three yards out. Juventus came agonizingly close to going a goal up in the 34th minute of the game when Dybala brilliantly dribbled a couple of players before seeing his effort brilliantly pushed away by Radu. BONUCCI HEADER, KOUAME RESPONDS Two minutes later, the Bianconeri found themselves celebrating going a goal up when Leonardo Bonucci connected onto the end of a corner and nodded the ball into the back of the Griffon’s net. However, Juventus’ lead would only last four minutes as Genoa made it 1-1 through Kouame. He received the ball unmarked on the edge of the box, and took a swing at goal, but his miskick saw it strike his other leg, seeing it loop past a routed Buffon. LOTS OF GOALMOUTH ACTION Genoa were reduced to 10 men five minutes into the second half after Cassata was shown his second yellow card of the night. By the hour mark Maurizio Sarri had made two changes to his side with Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot coming on for Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira. The Bianconeri were turning on the heat and they came close to snatching the lead when a great give-and-go between Bentancur and Dybala saw the Argentine take a shot at goal that narrowly flew over the crossbar. That was followed up by an excellent attempt on goal by Bernardeschi, which was saved by Radu. Two headed chances then fell to Cristiano Ronaldo, with his one effort being saved off the line by the visiting goalkeeper. Douglas Costa was then introduced into the game with 11 minutes remaining, and he immediately had an impact when he unleashed a powerful swerving effort that flew over the corner of the goal frame. RONALDO SECURES THE WIN Juventus were then reduced to 10-men in the 87th minute when Rabiot was shown a second yellow. Ronaldo thought he had secured the match-winner when he tapped home a cross inside the box, only for VAR to rule out his strike offside. But seconds later he would then ensure all three points for his side when a penalty was awarded to Juventus after he was brought down in the box. The Portuguese stood up to take the spot-kick and made no mistake in converting the penalty with a low hit into the bottom left corner. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Rabiot 61’), Bentancur, Matuidi (Ramsey 59’); Bernardeschi (Douglas Costa 79’); Dybala, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, de Ligt, Danilo, Demiral, Ramsey, Emre Can, Rabiot, Douglas Costa, Olivieri. Genoa: Radu; Ghiglione, Romero, C Zapata, Ankersen; Schone, Cassata; Agudelo; Pandev, Pinamonti, Kouame. Substitutes: Marchetti, Jandrei, Barreca, Goldaniga, Sanabria, Gumus, El Yamiq, Biraschi, Jagiello, Radovanic, Saponara. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the Juventus coach during his press conference on the eve of the match against Genoa.
The doors of the Allianz Stadium will reopen tomorrow evening to host the second mid-week round of the league fixtures: Juventus-Genoa. Today, in a press conference, Maurizio Sarri talked about the match: "It will be a difficult game, they are all difficult when you play every three days. Genoa position on the log at the moment is not reflective of their potential, they are a team that is worth much more, and they have dangerous attackers. Thiago Motta secured a great victory in his first game, in a few days he managed to make an impact finding fertile ground from his previous job. We analyzed Genoa's last match and also saw something of when he coached the Paris Saint-Germain U19 side." JUVE'S MOMENT "The team is doing quite well, adapting to the new way of playing. We have many situations to perfect but that is normal. We are on the right path. In the last few games we have been creating a lot, but we have a low conversion rate. It's more a mental thing, we have to work on this. Cuadrado tomorrow in the attacking trident? I have to see the general situation today, if Higuain does not play it is difficult to think of 4-3-3. The goals conceded? We are the best defence in the league. This is a different Serie A. The average goal-rate of all the teams is superior to the past." TOUCHING ON THE INJURIES "Pjanic has no injuries but he has fatigue in hip adductors: he was not in a position to play yesterday, like Higuain. I will evaluate them today. Douglas Costa is back in the group, he has been inactive for 45 days, I'll see if he can put him on the field for a short bit of the game." Source: www.juventus.com |
It was a tale of two penalties in Puglia as the Bianconeri were held to a draw despite dominating the match.
Juve had to settle for a point in Lecce as the home side held on to claim a 1-1 draw. The Bianconeri bossed the game for long spells and fashioned numerous chances but couldn't break the deadlock until the second half, when Paulo Dybala converted from the spot. Shortly afterwards Marco Mancosu levelled matters from 12 yards to inflict a second draw of the season on Maurizio Sarri men. JUVE MISFIRING Maurizio Sarri brought Danilo into the starting line-up at right-back while Emre Can and Rodrigo Bentancur began either side of Miralem Pjanic in midfield. Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain formed the front two with Federico Bernardeschi in the hole behind them. Lecce made a lively start to the encounter and theirs was the first shot on goal as Jacopo Petriccione struck a powerful effort down the middle, which Wojciech Szczęsny beat away. The hosts maintained a high tempo while Juve seemed slightly distracted initially but the game was enjoyable to watch and Juve were afforded space to attack. Bernardeschi and Dybala were denied by a series of ricochets then Higuain turned in from close range, only for VAR to spot an offside position. Once Sarri's side got into their rhythm, it was all one-way traffic. Dybala picked out Higuain but El Pipita couldn't get the right angle on his shot. Dybala then lifted an effort of his own over the bar and when he did get one on target Gabriel turned it behind for a corner. After 30 minutes of fast-paced attacking play, the tempo inevitably dropped and the teams headed in for the break with the game still goalless. TIT FOR TAT FROM 12 YARDS When play resumed, Juve upped the pace and took the lead after just five minutes. Petriccione slid in hard on Pjanic on the edge of the box and Paolo Valeri awarded a penalty after checking with VAR. La Joya stepped up and placed the ball just inside the post. Lecce responded with a fierce effort by Mancosu which forced Szczesny into a save at the near post and moments later the Lecce skipper was handed a golden opportunity to tie the scores when a cross deflected off Fabio Lucioni onto Matthijs de Ligt arm. Valeri pointed to the spot and Mancosu made no mistake. JUVE GO FOR IT, LECCE HOLD ON Sarri brought on Juan Cuadrado for Danilo and soon after Juve had a great chance to restore their lead. Alex Sandro picked out Bernardeschi run, the Italian showed a superb first touch to bring the ball under control, then rounded the keeper only to rattle the outside of the post with his finish. Pjanic was forced off with a muscle injury and Sami Khedira came on in his place, while Adrien Rabiot took over from Emre Can. By this point Juve were the only side attacking but it just wasn't going for them. Leonardo Bonucci lifted his shot high over the bar from a few yards out, Dybala curled a delightful finish just wide and De Ligt was unable to direct his header properly from Bernardeschi cross. Juve thus left Puglia with a single point knowing that with a touch more accuracy it could have been all three. LECCE 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-0): SCORERS: Dybala 50 (pen), Mancosu 56 (pen). LECCE: Gabriel; Meccariello (Rispoli 71), Lucioni, Rossettini, Calderoni; Majer (Tabanelli 59), Petriccione, Tachtsidis; Mancosu; Farias, Babacar. Subs not used: Vigorito, Benzar, Riccardi, Dell'Orco, Vera, Shakhov, Lo Faso, La Mantia, Falco, Lapadula. Coach: Liverani. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Danilo (Cuadrado 59), Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Emre Can (Rabiot 66), Pjanic (Khedira 67), Bentancur; Bernardeschi; Dybala, Higuain. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Buffon, De Sciglio, Rugani, Demiral, Matuidi, Olivieri, Han. Coach: Sarri. REFEREE: Valeri ASSISTANTS: Alassio, Paganessi FOURTH OFFICIAL: Massimi VAR: Pasqua, Di Volo BOOKED: Calderoni 13, Rossettini 18, Mancosu 73, Bernardeschi 79, Lapadula 87. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri now have seven points in three Champions League group stage matches.
Two late strikes by Paulo Dybala ensured a late 2-1 home win for Juventus at Allianz Stadium against Lokomotiv Moscow. It was the visiting side that opened the scoring through Miranchuk in the first half, but a determined Bianconeri display saw them come back to secure their second win in Group D of the UEFA Champions League. Maurizio Sarri went for a different looking line-up, with Rodrigo Bentancur slotting in behind Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo in the ‘trequartista’ role. The very first chance of the game fell to the Bianconeri inside the second minute of the game, when Paulo Dybala received the ball on the edge of the box. He fired in an angled daisy-cutter, but his effort struck an opposition player to see the ball go out and kiss the side netting. LOKOMOTIV TAKE HALF TIME LEAD Despite Juventus taking major stock of the ball possession in the opening 20 minutes of the game, Lokomotiv defence remained strong as they managed to block the attempts of Sami Khedira and Ronaldo. The Portuguese then had an excellent chance fall to him when Juan Cuadrado delivered in an excellent cross that met him at the far post, but he couldn’t direct it down towards goal as it flew over the open goal frame. The offside flag was then raised. Juventus came agonizingly close to taking the lead in the 28th minute when Miralem Pjanic delivered a free-kick into the box, Leonardo Bonucci came millimeters away from nodding it in, but it sailed across the goal. That in turn sparked a counterattack by Lokomotiv, as they then took the lead a minute later through Miranchuk, who connected onto the rebound of Szczesny’s initial save off Joao Mario. Dybala sent the ball into the back of Moscow’s net in the 40th minute, but the referee deemed it a no-goal after Guilherme had collided with Ronaldo just seconds prior. JUVE PERSIST After the break, Sarri introduced the services of Gonzalo Higuain up front in place of Khedira. The Bianconeri were dominating possession, but it was Lokomotiv who were holding out strong with their versatile backline doing everything they can to deny Juventus. Cuadrado, who was one of the most active and threatening players on the field, created an excellent goalscoring opportunity in the 62nd minute when he crossed in a low ball that skipped across the face of goal, disappointingly, no one got onto the end of it. Ten minutes later Higuain pulled off a beautiful move, where he turned, flicked the ball over Howedes and shot on the half-volley, only to see his conclusion go just wide of goal. LA JOYA TURNS IT AROUND! But through all the persistence, the Bianconeri did turn the scoreline around and it was through Dybala, who scored two goals in quick succession. The first came in the 77th minute when he struck an unstoppable curling effort that swerved into the top corner of the goal. Three minutes later, La Joya followed up with his second goal when he got onto the end of Guilherme save from Alex Sandro’s strike from distance to make it 2-1 and secure the win. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Higuain 48’), Pjanic, Matuidi (Rabiot 64’); Bentancur; Dybala (Bernardeschi 82’), Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Danilo, Higuain, Rugani, Rabiot, Demiral, Bernardeschi. Lokomotiv Moscow: Guilherme; Ignatyev, Howedes, Corluka, Idowu; Murilo; Al Miranchuk, Barinov, Krychowiak, Joao Mario; Eder. Substitutes: Kochenkov, Zhivoglyadov, Kolomiytsev, Kverkvelia, Magkeev, Tugarev, Kulikov. Source: www.juventus.com |
The player and coach addressed the media ahead of tomorrow evening’s Champions League clash.
After Saturday’s league win, Juventus are now directing all their focus on their third Group D match in the Champions League. With Allianz Stadium set to play host to Lokomotiv Moscow, Head Coach Maurizio Sarri and Cristiano Ronaldo previewed Tuesday evening’s fixture and the status of the team. MAURIZIO SARRI: “LOKOMOTIV A STRONG TEAM” “We are playing against a strong team. They are having a good season and are better than everyone expected them to be. Lokomotiv know how to close games well, they are dangerous when they steal possession in the middle of the pitch. “We have the good fortune of having both Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain in great condition. I am content regardless of who will play. “At this stage of the season, we are creating more than what we did at the beginning, but we aren’t being clinical. I think we’re on the right path, we just need to improve the conversion percentages. “I think don’t think Aaron Ramsey will play. He is working hard to get over the muscular fatigue. Danilo is doing well but I don't believe that he has 90 minutes in his legs yet. I am happy with Adrien Rabiot’s improvement. He deserves the merit for the work he has put into training. “Cristiano Ronaldo has an extraordinary mentality. He manages to set personal goals and those for the whole team in a phenomenal and contagious way. CRISTIANO RONALDO: “WE ARE CONFIDENT” “I think the team is much better and we are more confident. We play, in my opinion, a different type of football, in attack with more possession. My role is similar, maybe a bit freer in the way I feel comfortable and the way I feel good. Step by step we should be Juventus. We have a different coach, a new system, new players and I think we have changed for the better. We are happy. “Football every year is a challenge, not for me but for Juve, we want to win of course Serie A, the Champions League and Coppa Italia. I think Juventus should think big, they are a big club and we need to think in a big way. We want to win the league and Champions League. “We know if we win tomorrow, we are 50% qualified. We should carry on like that. “I like the way Sarri wants the team to play. I think the team is more confident, we create more chances and you can see that by the way we move the ball. I am happy. We play more forward and with more confidence. “I am not thinking about the 700 goals, it is past. I want to help the team and that is more important. I want to be on the pitch and help the team win the trophies. I am, of course, proud to score 700 goals but the priority is to win with Juve. The individual records will come in a natural way. “To win games and enjoy myself is what makes me happy, and coming home and seeing my kids. That's what motivates me to come to the training ground and to play at the stadium and entertain the fans. “Age is just a number; I can show that through my performances. Both Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain are great players as are Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi and they can all make the difference.” LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW COMMENTS Yuri Semin: “Sarri's words are a sign of the good work we've been doing. I thank him for the compliments. Two days ago we came to watch Juventus. They put in a good performance and we got a lot of useful information from watching them. Nobody has been able to stop Cristiano Ronaldo yet, but we have to focus on stopping the whole team, not just one player. Doing that would be a mistake, as they have great players in every position. I spoke to Hoewedes about Juventus, he knows the environment well here. Just like the last time these two teams faced each other in 1993, Juve had a star-studded squad. They have always had great players. Juventus are certainly one of the favourites to win the Champions League because they have some of the strongest players in the world." Vedran Corluka: “Juve and Atletico are two exceptional teams but are both different from each other.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Bianconeri march on with three points against the Rossoblu.
A second half goal by Miralem Pjanic ensured Juventus claimed all three points on home soil by claiming a 2-1 victory against Bologna on Saturday evening. It was Cristiano Ronaldo who broke the deadlock at Allianz Stadium, while Bologna quickly responded through Danilo. Before kick-off, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded a specialized jersey to mark the occasion of his 700th career for club and country, while Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was also given a round of applause by the fans inside the stadium. CR701 The opening 15 minutes showed a Bologna side full of tenacity and determination, but it was the Bianconeri who had created the chances, with Gonzalo Higuain striking on the volley with the outside of his foot to force Skorupski into making a quick save. Ronaldo then scored his 701st goal when he handed the Bianconeri the lead. The attack started from the back through Alex Sandro and Adrien Rabiot, before Ronaldo then rounded his marker to strike home a low effort into the near post. BOLOGNA DRAW LEVEL The scoreline then changed to 1-1 in the 26th minute when Danilo received the ball unmarked inside the box. He chested it down and with no hesitation struck on the half-volley with an excellent and powerful drive into the top of Buffon’s goal frame. Juventus tried to respond back through Danilo, who struck the ball with power and potency only to see Skorupski beat it away. Matthijs de Ligt then made a good block to deny Orsolini shot, while on the other end of the field, the visiting goalkeeper was made to rush off his line and beat away Federico Bernardeschi threatening cross. PJANIC HANDS JUVE LEAD The second half started with Juventus dominating the action around the visitor’s goalmouth, and it was Rabiot who created an excellent chance when he won the ball, burst into the box and beat his defender on the byline. He then pulled the ball back for his teammates, only to see Krejci beat it out of play. Maurizio Sarri's men were laying on the pressure and it was Skorupski who again kept the scoreline clear, albeit not for long, when he finger tipped Ronaldo’s bullet header. The scoreline then changed 2-1 in favour of the hosts when Pjanic capitalized on a misplaced back pass by Danilo to strike home a low effort past the Bologna stopper. POWERFUL SKORUPSKI Sarri’s first change on the stroke of the hour when he introduced Rodrigo Bentancur in place of Sami Khedira. Despite the lead, Juventus were itching for more goals and they kept testing Skorupski, seeing him make yet another save that denied Pipita. A third goal could have very well arrived in the 75th minute when Higuain’s chance saw him collide with Skorupski on the goalline as he chased onto the end of Ronaldo’s excellent ball, while Bernardeschi had a good opportunity to strike on the follow-up but he was blocked by Danilo. Ronaldo was the latest player to be denied by the opposition goalkeeper in the 80th minute, with a move that saw him start and complete it. He ran up the field and laid off wide to Higuain, who then fed him back the ball just inside the box… Ronaldo then turned on the ball and fired straight down the middle only to see his effort beaten away. The crossbar and Buffon then denied Bologna from snatching a late equalizer inside stoppage time after Santander’s first effort smacked the woodwork, before the follow-up on the volley saw Buffon make a fingertip save, as Juventus claimed three more points! Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Bentancur 61’), Pjanic, Rabiot (Matuidi 72’); Bernardeschi; Higuain (Dybala 82’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Danilo, Rugani, Demiral, Matuidi, Emre Can, Bentancur, Dybala. Bologna: Skorupski; Mbaye, Danilo, Bani, Krejci; Poli (Dzemaili 82’), Svanberg (Skov Olsen 79’); Orsolini, Soriano, Sansone (Santander 79’); Palacio. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of the coach during his press conference on the eve of Juve v Bologna.
After the second international break of the season, Juventus returns on Saturday night to match up against a Bologna side looking to creep out of the bottom half of the table. INJURY UPDATE The press conference started with an injury update as Sarri revealed the Ramsey and Danilo will make a return to the squad after they both suffered minor injuries before the break. Whereas "Costa and De Sciglio are both progressing but they still haven't yet rejoined the group." MATCHING UP AGAINST BOLOGNA In terms of the line-up, we’ve come to associate Mr Sarri’s tactical formation of play to usually result in the 4-3-3 positioning. However, the manager admitted that we could see differences to the formation as the season continues. "In view of each game and the circumstances we decide whether to use 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2. The players have to be ready to adapt to both formations, just like they have done up to now." The variations of the line-up will clearly be determined on a game-by-game basis but we could even see a change for this weekend’s fixture. "Bologna are one of the sides who have impressed me the most in the first part of the season. "The rankings in the table right now are not important, we have to concentrate putting in great performances. It's always difficult starting again after the international break, it's not easy for the players and there are a lot of risks." DEVELOPMENT OF PLAYERS When speaking specifically on the game at hand and the players available, Sarri was quick to mention the development of Cuadrado and Matuidi having to adjust to somewhat new roles in the past month. “Blaise Matuidi is a player with extraordinary dynamism, with a great understanding of reading situations, as well as giving a lot to the team. He's someone who gives you balance and stability. “Juan Cuadrado is making great strides forward from a tactical point of view, but he still needs to improve individually in defence. He needs more training in that role than as an attacker." Upfront on Saturday, expect to see a double Argentinian strike-force as “Dybala and Higuain are both suitable to play against Bologna." Says the manager. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri move top of the Serie A table after securing three massive points in Milan and Derby d’Italia bragging rights.
Juventus walked away as the winners of the Derby d’Italia by claiming a 1-2 victory over rivals Inter on Sunday evening at San Siro. Paulo Dybala opened the scoring inside four minutes, before Lautaro Martinez pulled one back, but it was Gonzalo Higuain who would have the last laugh as he snatched the winner 10 minutes from time! DYBALA STRIKES STRAIGHTAWAY The last time Ronaldo was at San Siro, he scored his 600th club goal of his career, and tonight he was eager to add more to his tally of goals. He started up front alongside Paulo Dybala, with Federico Bernardeschi tucking behind him as a trequartista. Juventus needed only four minutes to get onto the scoresheet when Miralem Pjanic picked up the ball in midfield and directed a long ball up field. Dybala latched onto it, burst into the box and struck an angled drive past Handanovic. It was certainly a ferocious start by the Bianconeri, as Ronaldo threatened Inter’s goal when he smacked a powerful hit that rattled the crossbar above Handanovic head, while on the other end of the field, Bonucci made a crucial block on Romelu Lukaku’s hit all within the opening 10 minutes of the match. LAUTARO FROM THE PENALTY SPOT There was doubting that the game was going to see action, goals and emotions, and in the 17th minute of the game, Inter were awarded a penalty after Matthijs de Ligt was judged to have hand balled the ball in the box. Lautaro stood up and made no mistake in converting the effort from the spot to put the scoreline at 1-1. The Argentine came very close to handing the hosts the lead just before the half hour mark, when a great run and diagonal shot forced Szczesny into making a spectacular outstretched save. VAR SAYS OFFSIDE Antonio Conte was forced to make a change in the 33rd minute when Sensi had to be taken off in place of Vecino due to injury. The Bianconeri were dominating the chances in front of goal in the final minutes of the half, as two excellent chances fell to them. The first came when Matuidi laid off the ball for Ronaldo who was unmarked in front of goal; he then shot on the volley, only for Handanovic to push it away. CR7 then found the back of the net seconds later, following a give-and-go with Dybala, but the flag was raised as the Argentina was judged to be offside. PIPITA DOES IT AGAIN! After the break the Bianconeri came out looking for an early goal, just like they did in the first half, and they tested Handanovic through Bernardeschi who connected on the end of Pjanic’s charged down shot and fired towards goal, but the keeper was equal to it. Dybala then sprung the offside trap and went one-on-one with the Inter goalkeeper, the Argentine spun around and struck the ball, but his angled drive went out and over. On the hour mark, Maurizio Sarri opted for a double by introducing Bentancur and Higuain in place of Khedira and Bernardeschi respectively, while Handanovic then denied Ronaldo’s shot at the near post. Juve’s possession paid off when Higuain turned the scoreline 1-2 in favour of Juventus after a Pjanic and Ronaldo combo allowed for Higuain to hit an angled drive past Handanovic from 12 yards out with 10 minutes to spare on the clock! His goal carried many similarities to the match winner he scored in the 2017/18 fixture, which saw the Bianconeri run out 2-3 winners courtesy of Pipita. Szczesny kept the scoreline intact when he pulled off a brilliant save whilst rushing off his line to deny Vecino, as Juventus claimed three big points to move on top of the Serie A table! Inter: Handanovic; Godin (Bastoni 54’), De Vrij, Skriniar; D'Ambrosio, Barella, Brozovic, Sensi (Vecino 33’), Asamoah; R Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez (Politano 77’). Substitutes: Padelli, Ranocchia, Dimarco, Bastoni, Gagliardini, Vecino, Lazaro, Borja Valero, Biraghi, Candreva, Politano, Esposito. Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Bentancur 61’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Higuain 61’); Dybala (Emre Can 71’), Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Demiral, Bentancur, Emre Can, Rabiot, Higuain, Ramsey. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Head Coach addressed the media today ahead of Inter-Juve.
Tomorrow, Juventus will take on long-time rivals Inter in the historic Derby d’Italia. This fixture is one that boasts rivalry, emotions, and, of course most importantly, points at stake. Speaking ahead of the encounter, Maurizio Sarri addressed the media about the clash. “We need to decide a few things. We will see how it goes in training today,” he declared. “Tomorrow we will come up against a strong team, that is enjoying a good run. In a single game, there are no favourites; I only see two strong teams. It’s a great sensation to play such a game like this. “Inter is a complete team, who are very dangerous and who are good on the break. Tomorrow it will be a great match. It will be important to leave the San Siro having put in a great display. We need to inject our football with quality.” With two points separating first place Inter and second place Juventus on the standings, Sarri is well aware that he and his lads shouldn’t lay too much emphasis on the standings: “To look at the log table will be a big mistake. “We must confirm the progress we are making. In this, we need to remain concentrated on the game. Our average ball recovery line has improved in comparison to the first few games. We made a point to focus on this.” Sarri concluded the press conference by touching on the progress Federico Bernardeschi has made this season: “I have seen Bernardeschi growing, I also noticed it in training. In the Champions League (against Bayer Leverkusen) he did well.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri now have four points from two games in the Champions League.
Juventus claimed all three points by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening in their second Champions League fixture. Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring, while second half goals from Federico Bernardeschi and Cristiano Ronaldo added to the tally. Maurizio Sarri welcomed the return of Alex Sandro at left-back, while Bernardeschi came on in place of Aaron Ramsey to form an attack alongside Higuain and Ronaldo. HIGUAIN DECIDES FIRST HALF The Germans started off well with some high pressing, but it was the Bianconeri who would take the lead through their first shot on target. Cuadrado crossed the ball over the top, Tah couldn’t get to it and it fell for Higuain who turned on his marker and fired it straight into the back of the net with a low effort, with 17 minutes on the clock. Bayer Leverkusen reacted well after going a goal down, as they pressed harder in their approach which saw Leonardo Bonucci forced into making a clearance off Vollard’s cross-cum-shot. A second chance fell to Higuain in the 38th minute when a misplaced pass saw him unleash a powerful drive towards goal, but Hradecky denied him by palming it away with both gloves. ROCK AND GOAL BERNA After the break, Leverkusen introduced Amiri in place of Demirbay, while Juventus came out with the same 11 players. It was Leverkusen who had the first shot at goal in the second half, when Havertz struck on the volley and fired towards goal, only to see it go wide of the posts. Bernardeschi then saw his effort fly over the goal frame, while Ronaldo saw his save denied by the goalkeeper. The Bianconeri were certainly the team asserting themselves more in front of goal, as they went in search of a second goal. The hard work paid off as Juventus then doubled their lead just after the hour mark through Bernardeschi. Higuain pulled the ball back on the byline, Ronaldo stepped over it as it fell to the feet of the Tuscan attacker, who then sliced it home to make it 2-0. THREE GOALS, THREE POINTS Higuain was putting in a great performance through his movements, passes and goal scoring opportunities, and he created a great goalscoring opportunity for Ronaldo in the 75th minute. He burst down the flank and rolled the ball across to Ronaldo to chase down, but the visiting goalkeeper burst off his line and gathered the ball. Paulo Dybala was introduced into the game in place of fellow countryman Higuain in the 82nd minute of the game, and he walked off the field to a deserved standing ovation by the home crowd. It was a solid and impressive display by the Bianconeri, who were seemingly in control of the fixture from start to finish. This was only made further evident when Ronaldo got the final goal on the night: Bentancur passed to Dybala, who then threaded it through to Ronaldo as he poked it at goal to send the ball through the legs of Hradecky and into the back of the net. Three goals, three important points for the Bianconeri! Juventus: Szczęsny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Bentancur 73’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Ramsey 77’), Higuain (Dybala 82’), Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitutes: Buffon, Ramsey, Dybala, Rugani, Rabiot, Demiral, Bentancur. Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky; Weiser, Tah, S Bender, Wendell; Havertz, Aranguiz (Sinkgraven 80’), Baumgartlinger, Demirbay (Amiri 46’); Volland, Alario (Paulinho 68’). Substitutes: Ozcan, Dragovic, Paulinho, Amiri, Diaby, Sinkgraven. Source: www.juventus.com |
Maurizio Sarri and Miralem Pjanic previewed tomorrow evening’s UEFA Champions League match.
Tomorrow evening, Head Coach Maurizio Sarri will line-up his players on the field of Allianz Stadium against Bayer Leverkusen. It is a team that Juventus have only encountered just twice in the history of the Champions League, with the previous encounters coming in the group stages of the 2001/02 campaign. Speaking ahead of the game, Sarri touched on the importance of the encounter and the objective of the team, while Miralem Pjanic spoke about the progress the team has made this season. MAURIZIO SARRI: “BAYER ARE STRONG” “Tomorrow will be difficult match against a very strong opponent. Bayer Leverkusen is a team that holds the most possession throughout the Bundesliga, and they physical and they dribble with quality. We still have a lot of room for improvement. Our goal is to go all the way until the final in the Champions League, but it's a competition that can only be determined in certain moments. I am expecting a good result tomorrow. It will be a tough game and the first at home in the Champions League. Then we'll think about the next one. “Aaron Ramsey has surprised me in his recovery from injury, and he was included very quickly in the team. I believe; however, he still has a lot of room to improve. I see a great level of application during training, which gives me hope. In the last two games, the ease of dribbling has increased. Now we need to speed it up and improve our scoring. “The Champions League is the top competition. We must live it cheerfully and not with heaviness. My favourites to win? The English teams. The physical condition is growing, but it is also linked to the mental condition. Will someone rest? I don't know, it depends on this afternoon's training.” MIRALEM PJANIC: “HUNGRY TO FINISH ON TOP” "The coach has asked me from the start to keep hold of the ball more. I can see that the squad is progressing and we're becoming stronger. I'm looking at playing more long passes forward because I receive a lot of balls that can move well between the lines. I am at one of the strongest clubs in the world and my goal is always to become one of the strongest. I'm lucky to have had great coaches and great teammates. I feel like an important player. We are a beautiful group, very united and we are hungry to get to the top of all competitions.” BAYER LEVERKUSEN'S COMMENTS Peter Bosz “When I trained Matthijs de Ligt at Ajax you could already see that he was a great player at 17. He is a great talent and there are not many players that good at that young of an age. We have studied Juventus well, this team plays at a top level and Sarri loves to play good football.” Lukas Hradecky “Cristiano is a very difficult player to stop so we're going to have to be compact in defence. However, there are also other dangerous players and I'll have to be at my best as well.” Source: www.juventus.com |
A dominant display by the Bianconeri saw them secure three more points.
Juventus maintained their unbeaten record in Serie A by claiming a 2-0 win over Spal at Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Miralem Pjanic opened the scoring with the a long-range effort, before Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the lead through a powerful header. Through the absence of Alex Sandro and Mattia de Sciglio, Blaise Matuidi started at left-back, while Juan Cuadrado begun the game on the opposite flank, making for a new-look defensive line. The midfield also allowed for the introduction of Adrien Rabiot, while Aaron Ramsey was granted a starting place once again. Juventus dominated possession in the opening minutes of the game and a good chance fell to them when Cuadrado sent in a long ball into the box, Ramsey then pulled it back to Ronaldo, who shot at goal, but it was saved by Berisha. Andrea Petagna then found himself with space to shot on the edge of the box, but his effort went wide of Gianluigi Buffon’s goal. A similar effort then fell to Sala, before Ronaldo threatened when he got onto the cross that saw his sliced effort deflected out for a corner. The home side were undoubtedly controlling the proceedings, but struggled to find the break-through… INCREDIBLE BERISHA Perhaps one of the best chances of the half came in the 34th minute of the game when a counter-attack, which started with Ronaldo and Cuadrado from inside Spal’s box, saw the Colombian run up to the half-way line, he then threaded through a pass to Dybala, who ran up the flank and burst into the box before striking a powerful left-footed hit that forced Berisha into making a stretched out save that sent it out for a corner. The Spal goalkeeper then pulled off an incredible save with when he denied Ramsey from close range, before a goal-line clearance by Vicari denied Pjanic. But only for a few seconds… WHAT A GOAL, PJANIC! But it was the Bianconeri who would go into the break with a lead after a goal in the 45th minute. Berisha punched away a great effort struck by Khedira but could do nothing about the follow up shot from Pjanic. He stuck from distance on the half-volley, it took a slight deflection off the opposition, which saw his effort sail into the top right corner to net his second goal in the space of five days. RONALDO V BERISHA Juventus came out dominating possession once again in the second half and it was Berisha who made another excellent save 10 minutes into the second half to deny Khedira. The German went down low to nod in Ronaldo’s cross, but the goalkeeper dropped to the floor to push out the effort. Emre Can was then introduced into the fray on the half hour in place of Khedira, along with Bernardeschi who came on six minutes later for Ramsey. Dybala and Ronaldo were then both denied by Berisha, who stopped the Argentine’s initial shot, before then blocking CR7’s follow-up. The Ronaldo-Berisha battle continued moments later, when the Portuguese saw his angled drive palmed away by the gloves of the goalkeeper. It seemed to be the storyline of the day, as the Spal keeper denied Ronaldo again when he ran onto the end of a Pjanic pass at the near post. SIIIIIII! After all his attempts at goal, Ronaldo finally got his moment to celebrate with his iconic ‘Siiii’ celebration following a delightful headed goal in the 78th minute. Dybala crossed in the assist for CR7, who directed a downward header towards goal that went through Berisha’s legs! It would be the final goal of the game in a match where the home side dominated the play, while Berisha kept the visitors in the game with his individual performance. Juventus: Buffon; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Matuidi; Khedira (Can 60’), Pjanic, Rabiot (Bentancur 77’); Ramsey (Bernardeschi 66’); Ronaldo, Dybala. Substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Demiral, Beruatto, Emre Can, Bentancur, Higuain, Bernardeschi. SPAL: Berisha; Tomovic, Vicari, Igor; Sala (Jankovic 72’), Murgia (Strefezza 57’), Valdifiori, Missiroli, Reca; Moncini (Paloschi 76’), Petagna. Substitutes: Thiam, Letica, Cionek, Floccari, Strefezza, Felipe, Paloschi, Cannistra, Jankovic, Tunjov, Zanchetta. Source: www.juventus.com |
On the eve of Juventus vs SPAL, as always Mister Sarri spoke to the media ahead of the Saturday afternoon Serie A tie.
DEFENSIVE SET-UP First up, speaking on our defensive set-up, the manager spoke these words: “It's difficult for me to consider playing with three defenders at the back. We have tried out other solutions and tomorrow we will decide." This comes after our difficult start to the season dealing with injuries to our back line. It is no secret that captain, Chiellini will be out for the majority of the season, whilst there are injuries to Danil and De Sciglio, Alex Sandro is absent for family reasons. “Daniele Rugani is a player who can become important, it's up to him to make the most of the opportunities." ANDREA BARZAGLI La Roccia returned to Continassa this week and was announced as part of Sarri’s coaching staff. Still on the subject of defending, it was made clear by the manager that Barzagli has one particular duty to fulfil. “I had already spoken with Andrea Barzagli back in June and we are very happy to have him back amongst the staff. His first assignment will be to look after the defensive phase of some of the players.” THE ATTACK So far this season, our attack has been strong enough to earn us four Serie A wins out a potential five and Sarri can see a potential great season with three players in-particular. “Cristiano Ronaldo is world-class, and Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala have the technical qualities and can work together with him, in pairs and as a three in certain stages of the match. “Different players can play in behind, like Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi. The formation that we are using right now is born out of necessity." FULL SPEED TO SPAL SPAL will prove to provide some difficulties tomorrow afternoon and will surely frustrate both our attack and defensive and Mister Sarri is fully aware of the challenge ahead. “The game against SPAL is a difficult one. I think they will come here with a good attitude and want to put in a great performance.” And having gone down by a goal in our last two fixtures, we do not want a repeat performance on Saturday… "We will certainly improve our approach to games." says Mister Sarri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus maintained their unbeaten run in Serie A with a triumph at Rigamonti.
Juventus took home three points whilst on the road in Brescia, after they claimed a 1-2 victory over the Swallows at Stadio Mario Rigamonti on Tuesday evening. Alfredo Donnarumma opened the scoring after just four minutes on the clock, but an own goal and a strike from Miralem Pjanic saw the Bianconeri secure the victory. Following Saturday’s victory over Hellas Verona, Maurizio Sarri opted to give Aaron Ramsey his second start in a row, along with Paulo Dybala, while Adrien Rabiot was handed his first start for the Bianconeri. DONNARUMMA STRIKES There was barely a moment to breathe before Brescia stunned the Italian champions with a goal in the fourth minute through Alfredo Donnarumma, when he hit an angled drive to beat Szczesny at the near post as it struck the roof of the net. A good chance then fell to Sami Khedira in the 17th minute, when he fired an angled drive that skipped across the face of goal: Joronen was beaten but the ball went out at the far side. OWN GOAL PUTS JUVE LEVEL Sarri was forced to make his first change of the match two minutes later due to injury to Danilo, who limped off with a disappointed look on his face as Juan Cuadrado was called in to action. Paulo Dybala then followed up with some great one-touch play to feed a ball to Higuain, he then burst into the box and fired straight at the goalkeeper, only for the offside flag to be raised. Mario Balotelli, who was making his debut for Brescia after serving a four-match ban, struck a ferocious long-range free-kick on the half hour, which forced Szczesny into finger-tipping his effort over the bar. The Bianconeri turned the scoreline level just before the break when a corner kick was turned into the back of the net by Jhon Chancellor. JORONEN POWERFUL BETWEEN THE POLES Joronen made an impressive series of saves after the break. The first came after Higuain burst into the box and fired at goal, the shot-stopper rushed off his line and parried away the first effort, before returning to his feet to pluck a dangerous Chancellor clearance out of the air. Dybala was then next to threaten Joronen, with his pull-back; the ball was cleared before Rabiot struck on the rebound and an effort was dispersed off the line. PJANIC BAGS THE WINNER Juventus then turned the scoreline 1-2 in favour of them when Dybala struck his free-kick into the wall: Miralem Pjanic connected onto the rebound and struck from distance: it sailed past Joronen and into the back of the net. Federico Bernardeschi was brought on in place of Ramsey in the 70th minute, while Matuidi replaced Dybala ten minutes later. The Bianconeri dominated the final stages of the game, as they maintained their lead to claim the victory. Brescia: Joronen; Sabelli, Cistana, Chancellor, Mateju (Morosini 70’); Bisoli, Tonali, Dessena; Romulo; Balotelli, A Donnarumma (Matri 64’). Substitutions: Alfonso, Gastaldello, Spalek, Zmrhal, Aye, Matri, Morossini, Martella. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo (Danilo 19’), Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Rabiot; Ramsey (Bernardeschi 70’); Higuain, Dybala (Matuidi 80’). Substitutions: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Matuidi, Cuadrado, Emre Can, Rugani, Demiral, Bentancur, Bernardeschi. Source: www.juventus.com |
The head coach previewed tomorrow evening’s midweek outing against Brescia.
After Saturday’s victory over Hellas Verona, the Bianconeri will be back in action tomorrow evening against Brescia. Mister Sarri underlined the importance of continue and the understanding both he and his players need to have. “It's important that we have continuity in this moment, but there are also other factors to consider,” he declared. “Today, we'll have to make some evaluations. Brescia are a dangerous team. They play decent football in an enthusiastic environment and a lot of work has gone into it. The game is undoubtedly a tricky one. “With Juve it's a process of mutual learning. I have to understand what I can do, and the team must understand what I am asking for. It's an evolutionary phase and we are working on it. “‘The Juve world’ is in many ways not so different from that of other teams. Here, there's a lot of organisation and I'm finding it well. Then, technically the real adaption is to that of the team and searching for the right balance. "At the moment there is the tendency to try to play more by all of the teams, but after 10 games these attitudes can change, so let's see in a few weeks." He then touched on the condition of Gonzalo Higuain: “He didn't sustain any fractures to his nasal septum. The difficulty he had during the match was being able to breathe through the bandage. This year, many have predicted that this year’s Serie A campaign is expected to be one that will be more unpredictable than the previous seasons. “I don't have a complete picture of all of our opponents in Serie A, but the impression is that this season is more difficult than in other years." Source: www.juventus.com |
All three points were secured at Allianz Stadium against the Butei.
Aaron Ramsey scored on his debut, while Cristiano Ronaldo converted from the penalty spot to hand Juventus a 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona at Allianz Stadium. The Verona outfit drew first blood through a fantastic goal by Miguel Veloso, but the Bianconeri fought back to secure the victory. Maurizio Sarri went for a different look starting XI for this fixture by introducing Gianluigi Buffon, Merih Demiral, Aaron Ramsey and Paulo Dybala from the first minute. For Gigi he had come full circle, on May 19, 2018, he bid farewell to the Bianconeri against Hellas Verona, while today, against the same opposition, he made his second Serie A “debut” for the club. MISSED PENALTY, TWO WOODWORKS & A GOAL Both teams used the opening 15 minutes to find their feet in the match, but it was between the 18th and 21st minute where tons of action took place. Hellas Verona were granted a penalty kick after Demiral collided with Di Carmine in the box, he then stood up to take the penalty, but his effort smacked the upright. A follow up shot was then hit towards goal, but it rebounded off the crossbar, before then seeing Miguel Veloso fire in from outside the box to take the lead. An excellent volleyed strike it w RAMSEY SCORES ON DEBUT Cristiano Ronaldo then tried his luck on the stroke of the half hour with a powerful snapshot that went agonizingly wide of the goal. The Bianconeri did take the lead two minutes later when Ramsey struck from distance, it took a deflection off Gunter and flew into the back of the net to make it 1-1. RONALDO CONVERTS It took Juventus only four minutes in the second half to take the lead in the game when they were awarded a penalty after Cuadrado was brought down in the box. Ronaldo stood up to take the spot-kick and he converted with a powerful and precise effort that went down the middle of the goal. Khedira was then introduced in place of Ramsey on the hour mark, while Higuain was brought on in place of Dybala ten minutes later. Verona came dangerously close to pulling level when Veloso curled in a free-kick. Buffon made the initial save, but Di Carmine struck on the rebound and it was body blocked by the wall of Bonucci and Demiral. VERONA DOWN TO 10-MEN The remaining bit of the game didn’t see many chances fall at both ends of the field until the final minutes of the game, with Danilo attempting a long-range effort that sailed straight into the arms of Silvestri. Miguel Veloso could have snatched a point for Hellas in the 90th minute when he denied Lazovic close range effort, before Veloso’s follow-up clipped the woodwork. Verona were then reduced to ten men deep inside stoppage time after Kumbulla received a second yellow card for bringing down Matuidi inside the half circle. Ronaldo’s free-kick smacked the opposition’s wall, in what would be the last chance of the game. Juventus XI: Buffon, Danilo, Bonucci, Demiral, Alex Sandro; Ramsey (Khedira 60’), Bentancur (Pjanic 50’), Matuidi; Cuadrado, Dybala (Higuain 70’), Ronaldo. Substitutions: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, De Ligt, Rugani, Pjanic, Khedira, Emre Can, Rabiot, Higuain, Bernardeschi. Verona XI: Silvestri; Rrahmani, Kumbulla, Gunter; Faraoni, Amrabat, Veloso, Lazovic; Zaccagni, Verre; Di Carmine. Substitutions: Berardi, Radunovic, Vitale, Henderson, Pazzini, Danzi, Dawidowicz, Salcedo, Pessina, Empereur, Tutino, Adjapong. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach speaks on the eve of the match against Hellas Verona.
After the draw at the Wanda Metropolitano against Atletico Madrid, we plunge back into the league. Tomorrow, at 6 pm, Hellas Verona will arrive at the Allianz Stadium. In his press conference, Maurizio Sarri had this to say. "We only have today's training to prepare for the game and to understand who I’ll let play. We have to be strong when it comes to our organisation and at this stage, we can reach it by giving continuity to our positions on the field. I am very happy with the players I have available. THE CONDITION OF THE TEAM "Dybala is not in top condition, he arrived only in late August, but is able to play and help the team. Bernardeschi has not yet played up to the quality he has, we will try to make him grow and become better. His specialisation in the future will be more like a midfielder than an external striker. "We always expect a lot from Ronaldo: my feeling is that he can grow, just as the team can grow. For this cycle of games, there will be space for both Ramsey and Rabiot. These are two players who came from two different leagues who do not yet speak Italian. They need time to adapt to a new reality and new league. "Douglas Costa made a start to the season at the highest of levels after he returned from a very long period of inactivity. In the coming days there will be a first check to understand his physical condition, but since the injury is of a muscular nature, he will forced out for a few games. THE DRAW AGAINST MADRID "We have prepared videos to show to the team. Against Atletico there were 2-3 moments where we lost concentration and we have to fix this. On high balls, it was a lapse in attention and aggression that we can solve." Source: www.juventus.com |
It was a hard-fought and entertaining battle between two sides, as they shared the spoils in the opening Group D match.
A golazo by Cuadrado and a goal from Matuidi wasn’t enough to decide a victory for Juventus in their first Champions League match of the 2019/20 season. Atletico knocked away Juventus’ two-goal lead with a 90th minute strike by Herrera, which meant that the teams had to share a point at Wanda Metropolitano. The start of the game was nothing short of interesting, from the electric atmosphere to the ebb and flow between both teams across each end of the field. ATLETICO ATTACK It was Atletico who had the first real chance at goal when Joao Felix pulled off a majestic move from start to the finish: the youngster dribbled past his markers, and toe-poked the ball towards goal which forced Szczesny into making a last-ditch save. Atletico then forced the goalkeeper into making two more saves, through the headers of Gimenez and Felix. All of this within the opening 15 minutes of the game. SO DO THE BIANCONERI Juventus started moving the ball around more in front of Atletico’s goal, and it allowed for Cristiano Ronaldo to be fire in a powerful shot from distance, that saw Oblak equal to it. In the 34th minute of the game, Pjanic also landed up firing an attempt from range. It was a powerful and direct ball that looked almost destined to test the Atletico goalkeeper; however, it took a quick deflection off the head of Gimenez. The Bianconeri then went on a great counterattack which resulted in Ronaldo delivering in a cross into the box, but it was kicked out for a corner kick. The resulting corner by Cuadrado then saw the Portuguese get onto the end of the ball with a header, but Oblak plucked it out of the air. GOLAZO CUADRADO The Bianconeri couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to the second half when they turned an Atletico opportunity into a goal in the 47th minute. Bonucci cleared a ball from the Atleti box and sent it long upfield to Higuain, who then crossed it to Cuadrado and he fired in an unstoppable effort into the back of the net. MATUIDI SCORES, SAVIC RESPONDS As the hour mark approached, Diego Simeone’s side started to string some great passes together, and they came close to finding the equaliser when Gimenez misfired a great chance that went over the goal frame. Atletico’s wasted chance was Juve’s opportunity and they turned the scoreline to 0-2 when Matuidi got onto the end Alex Sandro’s cross and nodded it past Oblak from close range. The two-goal advantage only lasted a matter of minutes, as Atletico pulled one back through the header of Savic. That goal seemed to open things up on either end of the field, and Juventus came agonizingly close to getting a third goal if it wasn’t for a double save by the home team. Oblak blocked Higuain’s shot, but it fell to the feet of Matuidi who then fired at goal which forced Trippier into making a goal line save, with just a quarter of an hour to be played. Szczesny then made a decisive fingertip save to deny Vitolo’s effort, as he pushed it over the bar. ATLETICO SNATCH A POINT Three minutes was all that separated the Bianconeri from securing all three points, but a resilient display by Atletico meant that they pulled one back in the 90th minute, after a corner kick saw Herrera got onto it. Before the referee blew the final whistle, Ronaldo came inches close to wrapping up the victory, with an angled drive that sailed across the face of goal; seeing the game end at 2-2. Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Gimenez, Renan Lodi (Vitolo 76’); Koke, Saul, Thomas (Herrera 76’), Lemar (Correa 60’); Joao Felix, Diego Costa. Substitutions: Adan, Arias, Felipe, Correa, Llorente, Herrera, Vitolo. Coach: Simeone. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Bentancur 69’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Cuadrado, Higuain (Dybala 79’), Ronaldo. Substitutions: Buffon, Demiral, Bentancur,Rabiot, Ramsey, Bernardeschi, Dybala. Coach: Sarri. Referee: Makkelie (NED) Assistants: Diks (NED), Steegstra (NED) Fourth Official: Mulder (NED) VAR: Kamphuis (NED), Nijhuis (NED) Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Sarri and Leonardo Bonucci addressed the media at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
The player and coach previewed tomorrow evening’s outing against Atletico Madrid, with Coach Maurizio Sarri stressing the objective of winning, while Bonucci touched on the tough outing that is expected to take place. Here is what they had to say: SARRI: “WE ARE JUVENTUS” “Miralem Pjanic is available. He trained regularly with his teammates and tomorrow we will evaluate if he will start. “Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi are extraordinary players, but I am also seeing a lot of other midfielders who are improving. We have both the sword and the floret at our disposal: many weapons with different characteristics. “We are Juventus, and, for us, the objective is to win. We need to face these matches with absolute determination, but with weightlessness because we must also have fun. “Atletico is one of the teams that can win the Champions League. With their characteristics, they can take on anyone.” BONUCCI: “TOMORROW WILL BE A BATTLE” “Tomorrow will be a battle. We will look to have a great game from the very first minute. We will arrive at this game fired up and with energy. “It is not in our DNA to think about playing for a draw in our first game. We want to prove that we are on the right track and we want to bring home the result. “We want to implement the ideas of the coach and have fun. There is a splendid climate in the changing room, and we want to start off on the right foot. “Chiellini and Godin are great leaders. Both teams have lost a lot, with them not being in the team for their respective reasons. But we won’t feel their absence. “I get along well with Matthijs de Ligt. He has the quality to become one of the best in the world. We are both undergoing a course of change in the new system. “I am sorry that my friend Alvaro Morata will not be on the field, but Atletico have great players.” COMMENTS BY ATLETICO Diego Simeone: “Juventus is always a competitive team, with players of great potential. IT is difficult to prepare for a game against Cristiano Ronaldo. He is an animal in front of goal. Moreover, it will be difficult to take a cue from last season’s games. Sarri's game is different.” Gimenez: “This is an important game for us, because we want to start off on the right foot. We will look to find ways where the ball doesn’t fall at Ronaldo’s feet. Is this revenge from last season? No, it is a new season and we are a new team. However, the hunger to play this game is high.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri and Viola played to a goalless draw at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Juventus and Fiorentina shared the spoils in a goalless draw at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, with the Bianconeri having lost Douglas Costa and Pjanic in the first half due to injury. The game was the first Serie A fixture Maurizio Sarri was on the bench for, having missed the victories over Parma and Napoli, and the new-look Fiorentina side had all the makings of a top-class fixture. TWO FIRST HALF INJURY BLOWS Unfortunately, Juventus were forced into making a change in the seventh of the game, as Douglas Costa, who was celebrating his 29th birthday, was forced into an early substitution due to injury. Federico Bernardeschi came on in his place. The Bianconeri were let off the book on two occasions in the opening 15 minutes of the encounter. The first was when Szczesny cleared the ball away, but he didn’t realise the close proximity of Chiesa, and his clearance ricocheted off the Fiorentina attack and flew straight over the face of goal. The second, was when a mistake back-pass by de Ligt saw the ball sail across the face of goal. The following 15 minutes didn’t see any major stand out chances fall to either team, with Szczesny being called to make or two saves, while Dragowski also did so. Dalbert then caused the Bianconeri some trouble in the closing stages of the half, as his effort at the near post forced Szczesny into making a one-handed save at the near post. Juventus were then handed another early blow by injury when Pjanic was substituted off just before the break, with Bentancur taking his place. GOALLESS SECOND HALF Badelj and Dalbert were undoubtedly the host team’s most threatening players, and they threatened in the 53rd minute when a cross by Croatian saw the latter strike a cross-cum-shot that forced the Bianconero goalkeeper to make a save. Sarri was then forced into making his third and final change of the game just after the hour mark, when Danilo had to be replaced by Cuadrado due to cramps. A very good chance fell to Juventus in the 74th minute of the game when Khedira moved down the right flank. He then pulled the ball back and delivered it across the face of goal for Ronaldo, only for Pezzella to make an interception! Ronaldo then attempted to break the deadlock with a bicycle kick in the 85th minute of the game, but it failed to hit the target as the game ended goalless. Fiorentina: Dragowski; Milenkovic, Pezzella (Ceccherini 83’), Caceres; Lirola, Castrovilli (Zurkowski 89’), Pulgar, Badelj, Dalbert; Chiesa, Ribery (Boateng 69’). Substitutes: Terracciano, Ranieri, Boateng, Sottil, Cristoforo, Ceccherini, Ghezzal, Montiel, Venuti, Zurkowski, Vlahovic, Terzic. Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo (Cuadrado 61’), De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic (Bentancur 44’), Matuidi; Douglas Costa (Bernardeschi 7’), Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Ramsey, Dybala, Cuadrado, Can, Rugani, Rabiot, Demiral, Bentancur, Bernardeschi. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Tuscan tactician hosts a press conference today at Allianz Stadium.
Mister Sarri addressed the media for his first Serie A press conference, and he covered an array of topics starting with his return to health to the condition of the team. “It wasn't easy to stay out. I thank the doctors who treated me, and they made me realise that I had to take a small step back. But I was very calm because the technical staff did a great job,” said the coach. To return to the bench in Florence, a short distance from my home, makes me very happy. "Now I'm just thinking about the league, our focus must be on tomorrow. We are at a stage where rotating is difficult, because we are finding our identity and our structure. We have to change the way we handle certain moments of the game, making more ball possession and not waiting for opponents on the edge of the penalty area.” THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIST "It wasn't easy or rewarding to make the picks for the list, but it was a necessary thing: I'm sorry, because two very important players were left out. These difficulties, however, demonstrate the great strength of our team. It is normal that when a player undergoes a strong and impactful choice there is an emotional aspect: you have to give him the opportunity to 'throw out' what he feels. I'm old enough to understand the reactions.” WORK ETHIC “We have a lot of players who have had little time on the field in the last few months, Sami Khedira, Aaron Ramsey and Rabiot. But I have to say one thing: never in my career have I seen the team work so hard during the international break. Higuain has played because of what he's shown me in training and in games he has brought results” RAMSEY’S INJURY “I have strong feelings about Bentancur: I think he can become a really important player. Aaron Ramsey arrived here on the back of a serious injury. Up until 10 days ago he was behind in the physical aspect, then I saw huge strides forward.” ON JUVENTUS “I have always said that Juventus is the strongest team, even from a corporate point of view. In recent months I have realised that the strength of Juve: in the organization, in the mentality, and in projecting towards the next game.” THOUGHTS ON NAPOLI “Against Napoli we waited too long, and we managed some phases with superficiality. Besides, we're not at the top physically yet.” DEFENSIVE SET-UP “The loss Chiellini of has been heavy for us. Now my goal is to fully recover Daniele Rugani and get Matthijs de Ligt to adapt as quickly as possible to Italian football. In a few months, he will do important things.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri claimed all three points in a dramatic and exciting game at Allianz Stadium.
A dramatic and entertaining match at Allianz Stadium saw Juventus claim all three crucial points against Napoli, securing a 4-3 win. It was goals galore in Turin as Danilo, Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, along with an own goal from Kalidou Koulibaly, meant that the reigning Italian Champions were able to celebrate a crucial victory. The Bianconeri took to the field for the first time on home soil this evening without their skipper, Giorgio Chiellini, who suffered a knee injury on the eve of the match. In his place, Matthijs de Ligt was given his Serie A debut. Also absent from the bench was Maurizio Sarri, who is still recovering from pneumonia, but he was present at the stadium with Giovanni Martusciello standing in for him. The atmosphere was electric from the first minute of the game, and it seemed only fitting that the first chance of the game fell to the hosts. Cristiano Ronaldo made a pacey run into the box before unleashing a powerful drive which forced Meret to parry it away, after just four minutes. Napoli then had an excellent chance of their won 10 minutes later, but where denied brilliantly by the outstretched arm of Szczesny, who beat away Allan’s effort. FIRST DANILO, THEN PIPITA! Danilo was then introduced into the game in place of Mattia de Sciglio, in the 12th minute, and he immediately made an impact by finding the back of the net on his debut, following a great run and assist by Douglas Costa. Two minutes later, Juventus doubled their lead when Gonzalo Higuain was served the ball inside the box. The Argentine did brilliantly well to feint his defender, turn on the ball and direct the ball over Meret to send the stadium into joyous eruption. KHEDIRA DENIED TWICE The Bianconeri were simply firing on all cylinders with their pacey attacking movements, and they came close to going 3-0 up when Higuain pulled the ball back for the onrushing Khedira in the box. But as the German took aim, Meret rushed out and denied him! Khedira saw another effort of his denied on the stroke of the half hour, when he turned on the edge of the box and fired straight at goal. Meret was beaten but he was denied by the crossbar. DETERMINED NAPOLI AFTER THE BREAK Carlo Ancelotti introduced Mario Rui and Lozano after the interval, and they immediately looked more settled and determined in their approach. This allowed them to have two shots on goal in quick succession through Di Lorenzo and Mertens: the first was saved by Tek, the second went wide. The Bianconero shot-stopper was then called into action again in the 55th minute when he palmed Dries Mertens’ effort over the post. RONALDO MAKES IT 3-0 Emre Can was introduced into the game on the hour mark, after replacing Khedira, who came off with a standing ovation. The Bianconeri then went three goals clear when Cristiano Ronaldo added the third goal of the game. Douglas Costa pulled the ball back from the byline, and directed it to Ronaldo, who then pulled away from his marker and fired in! NAPOLI FIGHT BACK FOR 3-3 Napoli thought they had secured themselves a point when they scored three goals in the space of 20 odd minutes. Manolas nodded home an effort into the back of the net, before Lozano converted his effort after a Zielinski assist, to turn the scoreline to 3-2. Dybala was then introduced into the game in place of Higuain, but that didn’t stop Napoli from fighting their way back into the game. The scoreline then changed to 3-3 in the 81st minute of the game when Di Lorenzo got onto the end of Zielinski’s cross and pushed it over the line. KOULIBALY HANDS JUVE ALL THREE POINTS That strike looked as if it was to be the final goal of the game, but if this game had proven anything, is that it was unpredictable and that was surely the case when Kalidou Koulibaly turned the ball into the back of his own net deep into stoppage time to hand the Bianconeri a 4-3 win! Juventus: Szczęsny; De Sciglio (Danilo 12’), Bonucci, de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Emre Can 60’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Douglas Costa, Higuain (Dybala 75’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Buffon, Rugani, Demiral, Danilo, Emre Can, Rabiot, Bentancur, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Dybala, Mandzukic. Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Ghoulam (Mario Rui 46’), Allan (Elmas 73’), Zielinski, Callejon, Fabian, Insigne (Lozano 46’), Mertens. Substitutes: Ospina, Karnezis, Hysaj, Luperto, Maksimovic, Malcuit, Mario Rui, Elmas, Gaetano, Verdi, Lozano, Younes. Source: www.juventus.com |
Assistant coach Giovanni Martusciello addressed the media today ahead of Juve-Napoli.
Martusciello was the reference point on the bench when the Bianconeri took on Parma in the opening game of Serie A, and, today, he spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s home outing against Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli. One of the first things he addressed was whether or not Head Coach Maurizio Sarri will be on the bench: "Sarri has always been present at Continassa, he's good. We have the final preparation in the afternoon and then we'll see if he's able to make tomorrow. We will wait until after today’s afternoon session to see who will play." He then had a few words to say about tomorrow evening’s opponents: “Napoli are a great team, well-trained by Ancelotti. Even if it comes at the start of the season, it's a big game and we are motivated to do well, indeed, very well." “Tomorrow evenings match will be special match and there will be many particular emotions, on a personal and professional level. Our objective is to win; therefore, it is crucial that everyone is on the same page. Tomorrow is an important match for us, for them and for the world of football." Martusciello then touched on a few other topics: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW "Our Champions League group is a challenging one and we have to work on improving. However, we are Juve and we are well aware of our strengths.” ON HIGUAIN & DYBALA “Higuain is a player who knows (Sarri’s) the style of play well. He is an important player with quality. Dybala is an extraordinary player, who can play as a forward role very well. He is very motivated and a level-headed person.” RAMSEY’S CONDITION “He is improving but he is still behind in his level of fitness, but we hope to have him back in better form after the international break.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The captain’s goal was decisive for the Bianconeri in Parma, as they started their campaign with a victory.
Juventus kicked started the 2019/20 Serie A season with all three points when they claimed a 1-0 win over Parma, courtesy of a first-half goal by Giorgio Chiellini, at Tardini Stadium, while Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal ruled out by VAR. Maurizio Sarri wasn’t on the bench for the Bianconeri, due to his struggle with pneumonia, and it was Giovanni Martusciello who stood in his place. The starting XI included Szczesny in goal, with De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini and Alex Sandro safeguarding the defence. In midfield was Khedira, Matuidi and Pjanic, while Douglas Costa, Higuain and Ronaldo lead the attack. CHIELLINI SCORES FIRST SERIE A GOAL! A chance fell at both ends of the stadium, inside the opening 13 minutes, when Khedira delivered a great long ball into the box, only for Ronaldo to head it over. Parma then went on the counter-attack and it allowed Roberto Inglese to whip an effort at goal, which forced Tek to make a save. The deadlock was then broken in the 22nd minute, after a cross was delivered into the box. Sepe initially punched it away, but after two deflections, the ball worked its way back into the box, only for Chiellini to poke it over the line! That would be the first goal of the 2019/20 Serie A season. VAR SAY NO GOAL Cristiano Ronaldo then came close to doubling the lead minutes later when Higuain laid off a ball for the Portuguese. He then attempted to direct it into the back of the net, but the ball flickered past the face of goal. Ronaldo thought he had made it 2-0 in the 34th minute, when Douglas Costa brilliantly ran up the field and passed him the ball. CR7 then burst into the box, did a step over before blasting the ball into the back of the net, however, the goal didn’t stand as VAR ruled Ronaldo off for offside. NO GOAL SECOND HALF The start of the second half saw a few chances fall for Juventus, while on the stroke of the hour, Rabiot was introduced for his first official debut in place of Khedira. Ronaldo then forced Sepe into action again when he struck a bullet of an effort from the edge of the box, but the Parma goalkeeper held out made the saves. Juan Cuadrado then came on in place of Douglas Costa, before Ronaldo once again struck a powerful effort that saw Sepe palm it over the crossbar. The Bianconeri did enjoy some good movement in the 80th minute of the game, which saw Cuadrado start the move on the right edge of the box, before it worked all its way to the left. Matuidi then crossed it in, but Higuain couldn’t turn it on goal. Bernardeschi was then introduced into the game in the 83rd minute for Pepita. Hernani came close to almost snatching a late equalizer inside stoppage time when Hernani struck a powerful free-kick from distance, that sailed inches past Tek’s goal. That was the last dangerous moment of the game, as Juve went on to claim the victory. Parma: Sepe, Iacoponi, Inglese, Hernani, Brugman, Laurini, Barillà, Bruno Alves, Gervinho, Gagliolo, Kulusevski. Juventus: Szczęsny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Rabiot 60’), Pjanic, Matuidi; Douglas Costa (70’), Higuain (Bernardeschi 83’), Ronaldo. Source: www.juventus.com |
The vice president takes the floor on the eve of our match against Parma.
After a long summer of preparation, tours and new arrivals. The new Serie A season is here and we begin tomorrow in Parma. In Maurizio Sarri absence, Pavel Nedved took the stage to the stage to discuss our first challenge of this new season. First, addressing the audience, the vice president had this to say on the absence of the manager. “I bring you greetings from Maurizio Sarri, who will return after the international break. Important changes have been made but it's not a moment of transition. Juve is made up of professionalism, work, and sacrifices and we want to win again this year.” As it is now known, the Juventus manager has been diagnosed with pneumonia and we all wish him a healthy and speedy recovery. When asked about the acquisition of new talent this summer, it was made very clear that our window of opportunity is not yet finished. “Fabio Paratici has had a great transfer window and if other opportunities arise we will seize them. Juventus are historically built to win and we will try again this year. The team is responding well, we have two important players for each role and we feel strong." However, the talk was not just about the potential of new players coming in. There were also significant words said on our current crop of players and what they have to offer to the squad moving forward this season. Nedved first spoke on our French midfielder, acquired this summer. "Rabiot didn't surprise me. We had looked at him for a long time and I believe that he will be an important player. He hasn't played for a lot of months so will need some time." Rabiot, has been involved in all of our games this summer and the new signing looks increasing promising. Gonzalo Higuain was also a subject from the press and invoked the following response. “Higuain is one of the best strikers in the world. He knows Sarri well and has had a great pre-season, we are happy that he is with us." The Argentinian striker spent last season on-loan at Milan and Chelsea and is now back in the ranks at Juventus. As a final note to the press, Nedved made it very clear that we remain a team winning culture that will compete at the highest level in Europe. "Our confidence is formed because of our players. I believe that we have created one of the best teams in Europe, and with a coach that will have the necessary time to develop his game." We kick-off against Parma on Saturday August 24, 18:00 CEST. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Turkish defender addressed the media about his move to Juventus.
When a dream becomes a reality... This is the case for the Bianconeri’s new defender Merih Demiral, who finds himself at Juventus after an impressive rise in his career. After joining Sassuolo at the beginning of the year, the full-back now finds himself living his dream for Italy's most successful club and he couldn’t be more excited. “I'm very happy to be here. I know that Juventus is a very important team and for me it's an honour to be here. I hope to adapt myself to the new environment here as soon as possible. It took a lot of effort for me to get here, but it's all the result of the work I've put in. It's a dream come true to be here." The 21-year-old then covered an array of topics, during his press conference: ASPIRATIONS "I always give it my all when I step onto the pitch and the fans appreciate this. I want to reach my best form as soon as possible so that the fans can appreciate me even more. It's true that Juventus have some of the best players in the world, especially in defence. Therefore, I hope to be in my best form and fight for a starting place. HISTORY MAKER “To be the first Turkish player to play for Juventus is an absolute honour for me and I will try to be a role model here." ON JUVENTUS "I've been really impressed with the training facilities here. I hope to be at this club for as long as possible. Juventus starts every season looking to win as many trophies as possible, and because Juve are so determined to do so, I'm confident that a lot of good things can happen this season." TALKING TEAMMATES & SARRI "Chiellini and Bonucci have been helping me a lot to settle in here as well as the other players, I hope to learn a lot from them. Sarri looks over the defensive side of play personally, and this allows me to train in the best possible way and work on my weaknesses. Emre Can is helping me a lot to settle in both on and off the pitch and I'd like to thank him publicly for that.” EXPERIENCE WITH SASSUOLO "Going to Sassuolo last season allowed me to gain a lot of experience here in Italy. It's the best country in the world to be a defender in and I want to improve here both technically and tactically." MONTERO COMPARISON “To be compared to Montero is an honour for me. I hope to be able to show the fans that I'm a strong defender and live up to that expectation. My real idols are the players that I'm playing with now, like Chiellini." Source: www.juventus.com |
Khedira’s goal wasn’t enough to ensure a victory for the Bianconeri in Sweden.
The Bianconeri wrapped up their stint in the International Champions Cup 2019 against Atletico by recording a 2-1 result that ended in favour of the Spain side at the Friends Arena in Stockholm. Joao Felix bagged a stunning brace, while Sami Khedira scored a goal in the first half. Oblak made the first save of the game in the 11th minute, when Chiellini connected onto the end of a cross and directed it towards the near post, but the shot-stopper pushed it out for a corner. Douglas Costa then dribbled the ball around the box, before laying it off for Cristiano Ronaldo, who struck it on first glance and it went out for a corner kick. ATLETICO TAKE THE LEAD Juventus were let off the hook in the 21st minute, when Atletico Madrid came agonizingly close to scoring when the opposition struck an attempt at goal, that saw Alex Sandro make a last-second clearance off the line. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Simeone’s side from taking the lead just moments later, when Joao Felix struck a brilliant volley that sailed passed Szczesny in goal. KHEDIRA RESPONDS & SO DOES JOAO FELIX Sami Khedira found the equalizer in the 28th minute, when some poor defending by Atletico saw the ball fall to his feet. He then struck a low effort, which sailed straight into the back of the net. Joao Felix and his teammates were constantly exploiting space in the Bianconeri backline, when he ran on to a ball from over the top and volleyed it straight into the back of the net, just five minutes later. GOALLESS SECOND HALF Douglas Costa started the second half just like his first half display: on fire. He immediately threatened the opposing shot-stopper with an effort that smacked the upright. The Bianconeri were again denied by the woodwork in the 58th minute, when Adrien Rabiot struck a powerful effort from outside the box. Oblak got a hand to it and turned it onto the post to keep the score at 2-1. Between the 59th and the 70th minute, Maurizio Sarri opted to change up the whole team. Both teams tried their luck in front of goal, with Oblak being tested once again, but, unfortunately, Juventus couldn’t find the equalizing goal. Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak; Trippier, Giménez, Savic, Lodi, Koke, Llorente, Saúl, Lemar, João Félix, Morata. Juventus XI: Szczęsny (Buffon 59’); De Sciglio (Danilo 70’), De Ligt (Demiral 70’), Chiellini (Bonucci 46’), Alex Sandro (Cuadrado 59’); Khedira (Bentancur 59’), Pjanic (Matuidi 59’), Rabiot (Can 70’); Douglas Costa (Bernardeschi 59’), Higuain (Dybala 59’), Ronaldo (Mandzukic 70’). Source: www.juventus.com |
The future of Moise Kean will be in England. The teenager has officially joined Everton Football Club.
Moise Kean bids farewell to Juventus – a club in which he enjoyed plenty of success at, all while enjoyed a series of plenty of firsts. This not only testifies to his talent, but also his ability to amaze at such a young age (we must remember that he isn’t even 20 years old yet. He was born 28 February 2000. He was, in fact, the first player born in the 2000s to make his debut in Serie A (11/19/2016 in Juventus-Pescara), in the Champions League (11/22/2016 in Sevilla-Juventus), and in the blue shirt (20/11/2018 in Italy-USA), as well as the first millennial, born from 2000 onwards, to have scored a goal out of Europe’s five major leagues. His career, so far, has seen him participate in three Serie A campaigns, two with Juventus and a year-long spell with Hellas Verona. Kean’s first campaign with the Bianconeri came in 2016/17 (three appearances and one goal), while his second, which just ended, saw him play 13 league games and score six times. His scoring exploits saw him become the player with the best goal to minutes ratio – a goal every 89 minutes. He also scored once in the Italian Cup and took part in the Champions League on three occasions. One thing is certain; Kean’s talent is undisputed, and the future is on his side. It’s a future that we wish him all the best for and, of course, plenty of goals. Source: www.juventus.com |
The first leg of the Summer Tour has come to a close following a friendly match in Korea.
Juventus’ tour in Asia came to a close when they drew 3-3 to Team K-League in Seoul, following goals from Muratore, Matuidi and Pereira. After matches in Singapore and Nanjing against Tottenham and Inter respectively, the Bianconeri wrapped up their final match of the tour (a friendly one at that) in Seoul, Korea, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The game started almost an hour later due to the late arrival at the stadium, resulting kick-off taking place at 13:50 CEST. K-LEAGUE SCORE, JUVE RESPOND IMMEDIATELY The game started off with a bang as two goals were scored in quick succession. Team K-League took the lead after just seven minutes when Osmar struck an effort from 30 yards that hit the inside of the crossbar and dropped down into the back of the net. Juventus then responded just two minutes later when Higuain threaded a ball to Muratore, who then sent home a diagonal ball into the back of the net. CESINHA HANDS HOSTS HALF-TIME LEAD The Bianconeri then laid on a string of attacks through Bernardeschi, Higuain and Muratore, while Sarri opted for a change in goal in the 39th minute by bringing on Pinsoglio in place of Szczesny. Rugani then attempted to grab the equalizer when he got onto the end of a set-piece and shot from distance, but not before the hosts grabbed the advantage going into the breakthrough Cesinha, who converted on the stroke of half-time. TEAM K-LEAGUE ADD TO TALLY Five minutes after the break, the scoreline turned 3-1 in favour of Team K-League, where substitute Taggart struck a powerful snapshot on the edge of the box to beat Pinsoglio. Muratore attempted to add a second goal to his tally, with a low drive at goal, only for it to be stopped by the ‘keeper. At the hour mark, Sarri introduced a series of changes, with Buffon, Bonucci, Matuidi and Rabiot coming on in place of Pinsoglio, Rugani, Emre Can and Pjanic respectively. MATUIDI PULLS ONE BACK Buffon was called into action minutes later when Cesinha chested down a crossed ball and struck it on the half-volley towards goal, but the Bianconero stopper did well to handle it. Mario Mandzukic found himself in a good scoring position, but had the ball snapped away at his feet. There was a great moment of exchange between Wanderson, Taggart and Cesinha, around the box, which allowed the Brazilian to fire a powerful effort at Buffon, who handled it with class. The game was opened up again in the 78th minute when Blaise knocked the ball into the back of the net via a header, following a cross from Bernardeschi, to make it 3-2. PEREIRA MAKES IT 3-3 That goal seemed to spark an extra bit of life into Juventus, and they fought back to make it 3-3 through a beautiful piece of action by Pereira in the 81st minute. The youngster was fed through the ball on the edge of the box, he then nutmegged his opponent, before firing an unstoppable drive into the back of the net. That would be the last goal of the game in what was a thrilling encounter at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Juventus: Szczęsny (Pinsoglio 39’, Buffon 59’); Cancelo (Di Pardo 86’), de Ligt, Rugani (Bonucci 59’), Beruatto (Coccolo 65’); Muratore (Pereira 72’), Pjanic (Rabiot 60’), Emre Can (Matuidi 59’); Bernardeschi, Higuain (Mavididi 70’), Mandzukic. Source: www.juventus.com |
After the game ended 1-1 in full-time, the game had to be decided via a penalty shootout.
Juventus triumphed via a penalty shootout, after the match against Inter ended 1-1 in normal time. The Nerazzurri took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes due to an own goal, while Cristiano Ronaldo found the equalizer. After falling 3-2 to Tottenham in the opening game of the International Champions Cup on Sunday, Juventus took to the field in Nanjing looking to claim a victory against their Italian rivals, Inter. INTER GO INTO THE BREAK LEADING Inter started off with tons of energy, and they laid on a stream of attacks on the Bianconeri backline. They took the lead inside the 10th minute of the game, after a cross was delivered into the box from a corner kick and Matthijs de Ligt accidently turned the ball into the back of the net. The Nerazzurri continued to press and they came close to doubling their need through a D’Ambrosio header towards the box, only to see his effort blown for a foul. The scorching heat and humidity meant that chances in front of goal were few and far between on both ends on the field. Ronaldo tried to turn things up with his step overs and skills, while Perisic rattled the side-netting in the 38th minute of the match. Szczesny was then called into action a few minutes later when he denied Brozovic stinging effort from the edge of the box. Bernardeschi attempted to equal the scoreline going in to the break, when he struck an effort from 20-yards out, but it was smothered by Handanovic. RONALDO PULLS ONE BACK After the break, Maurizio Sarri introduced three new players into the fray, by bringing on Buffon, Demiral and Mandzukic in place of Szczesny, de Ligt and Higuain. The Bianconeri started off the half brightly, as they went on more runs in the final third and started to press Inter’s backline. Ronaldo was the first to really test Padelli in the 54th minute when he worked his way into the box, pulled off a series of step overs before firing a powerful drive towards goal, which the keeper parried away. Two minutes later, Rabiot stung the palms of Padelli when he went on a central run and unleashed a powerful effort at the shot-stopper. Demiral then made a crucial interception inside the box to deny Perisic from unleashing his shot on goal, before Juventus found the equalizer (1-1) in the 67th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take a free-kick on the edge of the box, and as he struck it, it took a deflection off Skriniar to sail into the back of the net. Ronaldo came close to taking the lead in the 75th minute of the game when Rabiot launched a long ball up the field. The Portuguese attacker burst into the box from the side, rounded Padelli but then had the ball snatched away at his feet when he tried to cut in again. Bernardeschi made a great run up the flank, before cutting in, but his cross-cum-shot in the 85th minute didn’t test the Inter goalkeeper. The game ended 1-1 inside the 90 minutes, forcing the result to be determined via a penalty shootout. JUVE TRIUMPH ON PENALTIES Juventus triumphed 4-3 on penalties, with Demiral scoring the decisive penalty, and Buffon saving three the spot-kicks of Ranocchia, Longo and Valero. INTER: Ranocchia (SAVED), Puscas (GOAL), Longo (SAVED), Joao Mario (GOAL), Barella (GOAL), Valero (SAVED). JUVENTUS: Cancelo (GOAL), Ronaldo (GOAL), Can (GOAL), Rabiot (MISS), Bernardeschi (MISS), Demiral (GOAL). Juventus: Szczęsny (Buffon 46’); Cancelo, de Ligt (Demiral 46’), Bonucci (Rugani 69’), De Sciglio; Rabiot, Pjanic (Can 65’), Matuidi; Bernardeschi, Higuain (Mandzukic 46’), Ronaldo. Inter: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, De Vrij, Skriniar; Candreva, Gagliardini, Brozovic, Sensi, Dalbert; Perisic, Esposito. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Sarri and Wojciech Szczesny both addressed the media today in a press conference in Nanjing.
The Tuscan tactician and the goalkeeper spoke about the forthcoming match against Inter, scheduled for Wednesday at 13:30 CEST. It will be a match where both teams will renew their rivalry, while Antonio Conte will come up against his former club for the first time too. Here’s what they had to say. MAURIZIO SARRI “Juventus- Inter is a game like no other, but you will see two teams facing each other that will not be able to express themselves at their best, because of the physical conditions and given the humidity rate. We'll try to carry on in the same manner as our initial comeback against Spurs. “I don’t expect a big difference to that of the first game. We haven’t been training a lot in this tour, but we are playing a lot, and thus, the decisive phase of training will happen from the end of July until 10 August. “In football you can't just attack so we'll have to work on the defensive phase too. Cristiano will be used mostly out on the left, knowing that he loves to get forward, he must make the difference." “I think the level of the Italian coaches is obvious and from this point of view we are one of the most important movements. The gap with other leagues like the Premier is not tactical, but it's economical. “Paulo Dybala could easily fit into the “false nine” role, but we could also find a different solution, like that of playing as a ‘trequartista’ on the back of two strikers.” WOJCIECH SZCZESNY “What do I think of Nanjing? It's very hot, but it's a beautiful city and there are a lot of fans. We will try to repay them tomorrow with a nice show. Playing with a high line also changes the role of the goalkeeper, because you have to help the team with the balls in depth. We have to find the right balance, but we are working on it. “I’m happy that Gianluigi Buffon is back, we know that he has an important role here. I have had a great rapport with him since two years ago. Now he's back and in my opinion it's a great move by the club. “De Ligt is a young lad and we will look to help him. He is a great defender and I'm sure he has a great future here at Juventus.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The team was at work for an evening session in the Chinese city.
It was the first training in China for Juventus who, after landing in Nanjing in the afternoon, took to the pitch in the evening at the neighbouring field of the Olympic Sports Center, a facility where the match against Inter, scheduled for Wednesday, will be played. After the first warm-up phase, Mister Sarri did numerous exercises – both athletic and with the ball – where he divided the team into small groups. A part of the team, consisting of those who played more minutes against Tottenham in Singapore, remained at the hotel to do a recovery job. A double session has been scheduled for tomorrow, on the eve of the match against the Nerazzurri. Source: www.juventus.com |
Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals in the second half as Juventus made their 2018 ICC debut in Singapore.
Tottenham Hotspur ran out 3-2 victors in the opening match the International Champions Cup tournament in Singapore, as second half goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo weren't enough to see Juventus claim a victory. Maurizio Sarri first ever starting XI as Juventus head coach saw Gianluigi Buffon make his return to the starting XI, and he was required to deny Son twice in the space of the opening eight minutes of the game. The Spurs attacker saw his first effort parried away by the 42-year-old, before picking out an aerial opportunity away from the South Korean. SPURS TAKE FIRST HALF LEAD The English side opened the scoring on the stroke of the half hour when Son made a run down the middle of the park. He held onto the ball when approaching the box, before laying it off to Parrott. He then fired at goal, which saw Buffon get a hand to it, but it fell straight into the path of Lamela, who directed the ball into the back of the net. HIGUAIN DRAWS LEVEL Szczęsny, Demiral, Rabiot and Higuain were all introduced into the match after the break, taking the place of Buffon, Rugani, Emre Can and Mandzukic respectively. The first chance of the second half came from the foot of Lucas Moura, who fired towards goal a powerful effort that sailed just wide. Higuain, who made an immediate impact following his introduction to the game, switched the scoreline to 1-1, in the 55th minute, when he got involved in a quick give-and-go with Bernardeschi on the edge of the box, where he struck the ball low and hard. RONALDO TAKES LEAD, MOURA EQUALISES That goal allowed for the game to open up more on both ends, with the Bianconeri soon taking the lead when Ronaldo came rushing into the box and connected onto the end of De Sciglio cross to make it 2-1. New signing Matthijs de Ligt was introduced into the game in the 63rd minute when he replaced Bonucci. But before he was able to settle into the fixture, Spurs found their second goal, and the equalizer, just moments later when Ndombele pulled off some silky moves to allow Moura to convert the opportunity. LAST-MINUTE STUNNER FROM KANE Pjanic and Matuidi made way in the 76th minute for Kastanos and Muratore, as both teams went in search of the winning goal. Harry Kane inches close in stealing the match-winner when he directed a low ball towards to the back post. The Englishman then wrapped up the scoreline depe into stoppage time when nipped the ball off Rabiot’s feet, saw Tek off his line and looped an effort from 45 yards out that sailed into the back of the net to end the game 2-3. Juventus: Buffon (Szczęsny 46’); Cancelo, Rugani (Demiral 46’), Bonucci (de Ligt 63’), De Sciglio; Pjanic (Kastanos 76’), Emre Can (Rabiot 46’), Matuidi (Muratore 76’); Bernardeschi, Mandzukic (Higuain 46’), Ronaldo (Perreira 63’). Tottenham Hotspur: Gazzaniga; Walker-Peters, Alderweireld, Tanganga, Georgiou; Winks, Skipp; Lamela, Dele, Son; Parrott. Source: www.juventus.com |
Sarri and De Sciglio speak ahead of tomorrow's match against Tottenham.
One day before the first friendly match of the season, tomorrow at the National Stadium in Singapore against Tottenham (7.30pm local time, 1.30pm Italian time), Maurizio Sarri and Mattia De Sciglio took the floor during a press conference. Many themes touched, from the challenge against Tottenham to the condition of the team after just over a week of training. SARRI SPEAKS "We want to become a team with its own identity and we want to have fun. A group of people who have fun can give more on the pitch. Here, I've found a very peaceful environment and there is commitment on everyone's part. At the Italian level we start as favorites, but in Europe there are 10 to 11 teams of the level of Juventus and the difficulties of the competition are very high." Sarri then spoke of tomorrow's match against the Spurs. "You will not be able to see a good match. The weather conditions are difficult and two tired teams will face each other as preparation for the season gets underway. I'd like to see the mental aspect of my players more than the physical ones. De Ligt will play tomorrow." The conversation then moved to Ronaldo. "Cristiano will start on the left in attack but he is so strong that he can play anywhere." DE SCIGLIO SAYS "We have changed a lot compared to the other years. The method of Mr. Sarri is totally different. Tomorrow against Tottenham, we will try to show what we have worked on in the first week of training. From my personal point of view, the stimulus of the team is very high. We have a very strong team, as we have had in recent years. The new players who have arrived are of excellent quality and are immediately ready to compete for the group.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The 19-year-old joins Juventus in a deal which will tie him to the club until 2024.
Juventus Football Club announces the official signing of Matthijs de Ligt from AFC Ajax, having penned in contact with the Italian champions until 2024. Here is the official statement: AGREEMENT WITH AJAX FOR THE DEFINITIVE ACQUISITION OF THE PLAYER MATTHIJS DE LIGT Turin, 18 July 2019 - Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that the agreement with Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV for the definitive acquisition of the registration rights of the player Matthijs de Ligt has been reached for a consideration of € 75 million, payable in five financial years, and additional costs of € 10,5 million. Juventus and the player have signed a 5-year contract of employment until 30 June 2024. It's the news all Bianconeri fans have been waiting to hear all summer: Matthijs de Ligt is officially a Juventus player! Born in Leiderdorp, Netherlands on 12 August 1999, de Ligt joined Ajax’s iconic youth academy at the age of nine. Throughout his years in the academy, he showed tremendous potential and was soon granted his first team debut in September 2017 in a cup game against Willem II. He immediately made his mark when he scored off a corner to become the second youngest goalscorer at the club after Clarence Seedorf. A month later, he was promoted to the senior squad where he quickly established himself as a natural talent, featuring on 11 occasions in his debut campaign. De Ligt then broke another record, when he became the youngest player ever (17 years and 285 days old) to play in a major European final: the Europa League final against Manchester United on 24 May 2017. In March 2018, following an injury to Joel Veltman, De Ligt was handed the captain’s armband at the club, making him the youngster ever player to pull on the armband for de Godenzonen. In that campaign, he started in all 31 league matches, and featured for Ajax on 37 occasions across all competitions, scoring three goals in the process. His ability to make clean tackles (he recovered the third most balls – 73 – in the 2018/19 Champions League campaign), his strength, speed and accuracy, were all key factors in him receiving the Golden Boy Award in 2018, along with his leadership skills, which saw him garner much respect from his fellow teammates and colleagues. Sturdy on the ground and lethal in the air, de Ligt boasts a winning combination that is necessary in that of being a modern defender. His aerial strength is not only useful when it comes to clearing chances away in the box, but one that makes him a threat to the opposition. In fact, only Cristiano Ronaldo (four) scored more headed goals than the 29-year-old in the 2018/19 Champions League campaign, while he is also the youngest defender to have ever scored in the competition. On the international stage, de Ligt made his debut for the Dutch national team against Bulgaria (2-0 away defeat) in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match, despite only having made two starts for Ajax at the time. Since then, he has gone on to represent his country on 17 occasions, scoring two goals. The centre-back will become the fifth player from the Netherlands to pull on the Juventus jersey, following Ouasim Bouy, Eljero Elia, Edwin van der Sar, and of course, the iconic Edgar Davids. De Ligt is Bianconero. Welkom, Matthijs! Source: www.juventus.com |
LIVE from at Allianz Stadium at 14:30 CEST.
Tomorrow, at 14:30 CEST, Aaron Ramsey will be officially presented. The Welshman will speak from the press conference room of the Allianz Stadium and you can follow the conference LIVE on Juventus YouTube channel and on Juventus TV and on Juventus.com. Source: www.juventus.com |
Here are the names that will work with manager, Maurizio Sarri.
This afternoon, Juventus officially begins the new season, with the first training session under Maurizio Sarri taking place. The following are the names that will make up the staff that will work with the Men's First Team: COACHING: Maurizio Sarri (Manager) Giovanni Martusciello (Assistant manager) Marco Ianni (First team coach) Gianni Picchioni (First team coach) Loris Beoni (First team coach) Claudio Filippi (Goalkeeping coach) Massimo Nenci (Goalkeeping coach) FITNESS: Daniele Tognaccini (Head of Fitness) Andrea Pertusio (Fitness coach) Davide Losi (Fitness coach) Enrico Maffei (Fitness coach) Duccio Ferrari Bravo (Fitness coach) Davide Ranzato (Fitness coach) SPORT SCIENCE: Roberto Sassi (Head of Sport Science) Antonio Gualtieri Darragh Connolly MEDICAL: Luca Stefanini (Head of Medical) Nikos Tzouroudis (Head of First Team Medical) Marco Freschi (First team medic) MATCH ANALYSIS: Riccardo Scirea (Head of Match Analysis) Domenico Vernamonte (Match analyst) Giuseppe Maiuri (Match analyst) Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus will return to training on Wednesday at the JTC.
On Wednesday 10 July, the new season of Juventus officially kicks off. New manager, Maurizio Sarri will oversee the first training session of his tenure in the afternoon, when the players who have undergone fitness examinations between today and tomorrow morning will convene at the JTC. Cristiano Ronaldo and Blaise Matuidi will join up with the group on Saturday 13 July, and in the next few weeks the players who have recently finished their international commitments with also return to the fold. In total, there will be 33 Bianconeri available for the first few days, with 20 players from the First Team and 13 from the Youth Sector: FIRST TEAM Buffon Perin Pinsoglio Szczesny Bonucci Cancelo Chiellini Demiral De Sciglio Rugani Emre Can Khedira Pjanic Rabiot Ramsey Bernardeschi Douglas Costa Higuain Mandzukic Pjaca UNDER 23 Loria Beruatto Coccolo Di Pardo Clemenza Frederiksen Kastanos Muratore Touré Mavididi Peeters Pereira Zanimacchia Source: www.juventus.com |
Gianluigi Buffon has returned to Juventus: the wonderful story continues!
After a year away from Turin, Gianluigi Buffon has returned to Juventus, after penning in a one-year contract which will tie him to the club until 30 June 2020. It was 19 May 2018. That was the day when there were tears in everyone’s eyes; when Gigi said goodbye to Juventus, it's fans and vice-versa. It was the bidding of a farewell to someone who was more than just a captain, but a legend and a symbol of the club. Probably each of us hoped, and in the end, knew that the yarn that united us for so many years was not destined to break. And that was the case. After a year with Paris Saint-Germain, where Gigi registered saves on 73,5% of his attempts, won 13 of 17 games played in Ligue 1, and added a French league title along with a Super Cup to his incredible trophy cabinet, Gigi has officially returned to Juventus. Buffon is back home! Source: www.juventus.com |
Adrien Rabiot addressed the media today in a press conference at Allianz Stadium.
The 24-year-old French midfielder spoke about his excitement to play for Juventus and how Gianluigi Buffon impacted his decision to join the club, saying: “The last few months were complicated for me on a personal and sporting level. But today, I am ready to leave it all behind to begin this new adventure.” Of course, there is one big ambition that Rabiot will be hoping to achieve in the black and white jersey, with the No.25 printed on his back: “The Champions League doesn’t arrive overnight. I am here to help the club win it and achieve other goals.” WHY JUVENTUS “Juventus had contacted me in the past, and today the right moment arrived to come here. After seven years in Paris, I am ready to play in Serie A and I will do so with the same determination that I have always had. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to Sarri yet, but everyone from Juve has left a great impression on me. “Everything was finalized a little while ago, we found an agreement a bit in a rush. Juventus has a great history of many great French players and I hope to leave my mark too. Juventus is a great and very prestigious club with a great history. From what I have seen, they are a step away from being at the top in respect to PSG." COMPETITION IN THE MIDFIELD “My preferred position on the field is in the left midfield, but I can also play in a two-man midfield. I am at the disposal of the coach. I have chosen the No. 25 jersey. There is a lot of competition here, even with Blaise Matuidi, but it doesn’t change anything regarding my relationship with him. It’s normal." BUFFON’S INFLUENCE “Gianluigi Buffon spoke very highly of Juventus to me and his opinion counted a lot. On a personal level, I had many interactions with him. He told me many interesting things. He said that Juventus is the right place to move my career forward. A season here counts more than in other places." NEW TEAMMATES “I have had the possibility to grow and play alongside world class players. Certainly, to be able to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo impacted my decision. But I know that the whole changing room here is packed with world class players and a positive spirit. Yesterday I met Aaron Ramsey and in the next few days we will be able to get to know each other better." Source: www.juventus.com |
The French midfielder will be contracted to Juventus.
Adrien Rabiot, born 3 April 1995 in Saint-Maurice, France, will be a Juventus player, following seven years at Paris Saint-Germain. HIS CAREER After spending some time in several French academies, including an experience in England with Manchester City, Rabiot turned professional back in 2012 with PSG, before going to spend time on loan with Toulouse in 2013. It was with Les Parisiens where he showed off his abilities and he slowly worked his way into becoming a first team starter with the French capital club. Throughout his time at PSG, he featured in all the competitions made available to him (Ligue 1, Champions League, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, French Super Cup), taking to the field for 240 games, scoring 25 goals, all whilst bagging 18 assists and helping to create 130 scoring opportunities. That’s not all, though, in his career, Adrien has completed 274 dribbles, recovered 1331 balls, and made 112 touches in the adversary’s area. This is all testimony to that of a midfielder who has great capability and boasts a unique technique along with having important physical attributes. TROPHY CABINET All achieved whilst playing in the colours of PSG, Rabiot boasts an impressive trophy cabinet: 5 Ligue 1 tiles, 4 Coupe de France, 5 Coupe de la Ligue, 4 Trophée des Champions. Up until now, he has also made six appearances for the French national team. FACTS AND CURIOSITIES Adrien Rabiot is one of three midfielders to have always found the net in each of the last seven Ligue 1 campaigns (from 2012/13), along with Florian Thauvin and Romain Hamouma. Since August 2012, he has made 150 appearances for PSG in Ligue 1: among the French players, only Blaise Matuidi (174) played more matches for the Parisian club in the period. Eleven of Adrien's 14 goals in Ligue 1 were scored in home games, including all the last six. Finally, he completed more passes than any other midfielder in the opposing half in Ligue 1 2017/18 (1053). RABIOT PRESS CONFERENCE Tomorrow, Adrien Rabiot will hold a press conference at Allianz Stadium at 11:00 CEST. Watch it LIVE in English on Juventus TV and also on Juventus official YouTube channel. The press conference will also be broadcast in French on Juventus global Facebook page. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Frenchman arrived at J|Medical this morning.
Adrien Rabiot has begun his medical examinations ahead of a proposed moved to Juventus. The midfielder arrived just before 9:00 CEST this morning at J|Medical to begin his tests. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach addressed the media in his first press conference as Juventus coach.
Today, Maurizio Sarri addressed the media for the first time as the new head coach of Juventus, where he talked about the importance of joining “the most important team in Italy” and admitted that his arrival in Turin is “the crowning achievement” of his career. Speaking in front of a packed audience in the Umberto and Gianni Agnelli Suite at Allianz Stadium, the 60-year-old spoke openly and passionately about the new challenge that lies ahead of him. JOINING JUVENTUS “I am happy to be here at Juventus today. At Napoli I have everything, and then I decided to have a beautiful experience in the Premier League. Juventus, the biggest club in Italy at the moment, gave me an opportunity to return to Italy. It's the crowning achievement of a very long career. I have never seen such determination from a club when it came to hiring a coach like me. They showed a great attitude which convinced me. They were strong feelings. THE CHANGES OF SERIE A COACHES "I'm happy with the uproar I'm seeing Serie A in. It's an exciting year for the coaches, there are conditions to create something interesting and fill the gap with the Premier League, but it will be a long way. WHAT HE EXPECTS AT JUVE “I expect to wake up each morning and study each possible way of winning the matches. It's not a mechanism: to win again and again is always harder than winning. Juventus have an obligation to always win straight away. There is a need to have clear ideas over two or three players who can make the difference and put them in an environment to express themselves to the maximum. Then the formation will be dictated by that. It's been a long journey for me made up of gradual steps. I'm happy to be at the most important team in Italy and this is a further step forward after the experience at Chelsea. For me, the teams that I have worked for, I have given 110% and I will do so also for this club. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CLUB “I have seen that this club is very compact, and I was impressed because the human aspect counts a lot. Juventus is a strong group in terms of mentality and determination. I arrive with skepticism as I did with all the clubs where I joined. I also understand that the same will be about me, because of my past experience. But I only know one method to remove the skepticism: win, convince, entertain and make results. DYBALA & RONALDO “At Chelsea I trained many strong players, but to coach Cristiano Ronaldo is emotional, because it a step forward. I would like to help him to break even more records. When a player has the quality like Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo, they can play in any role. The only thing that can change is the interpretation of the role. SARRISMO & PHILOSOPHY OF PLAY “The goal of entertaining on the pitch is not incompatible with winning. Often the enthusiasm generated by a team on the field having fun gives them more energy. The Napoli squad was a team of players serving the team. Chelsea has technically superior players but with different characteristics, so with less fluidity but the same effectiveness and solidity. The training sessions should be adapted to the group. The philosophy of play remains the same, but there is a need to have mental fluidity in order adapt to the characteristics of the players. In the last few years I always started the season with one formation and then ended it with another. I don't know what "Sarrismo" is. I read about it but I have always been so, changing thanks to experiences, but remaining faithful to the concepts. I am a direct person, perhaps too much, and this leads to clashes, but they are solvable. TOUCHING ON THE PLAYERS “We have to start with the talented players, the ones who make the difference, for example: Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala, Douglas Costa and other talented players, in order to build around them. I will listen to the club a lot, who know the players better than me, because it would be a lack of respect to impose my opinion. Bernardeschi is a player I like. He has great quality: coordination. He lacks a bit of continuity. He is at the time of his career when he has to specialise. ALLEGRI’S LEGACY “Allegri leaves a heavy legacy. Winning what he won is very difficult, he achieved extraordinary results and I would like to see in the team the same ability to get past the difficulties that he was able to help them do so." THE WORDS OF FABIO PARATICI “We are happy that Sarri is here with us. We had clear ideas from the very beginning, but we needed to have respect for a coach who was under contract at a club, and I thank Chelsea for their professionalism. We needed to respect the conditions. We are here to win. The choice (to let go of Allegri) was not led by style of play, we believed that the connection between the coach, fans, club and squad was starting to fade away, and so we took the decision to change. Maurizio Sarri was always the first choice. We tried from the very beginning to make him understand that we truly wanted him. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Tuscan coach has joined the Bianconeri after a year in England with Chelsea, penning in a three-year contract.
After an excellent season on the Blues bench, in which he led the club to a third-place finish in the Premier League and reach the EFL Cup final. The ultimate high during his tenure in London was when he led Chelsea to the Europa League final, before going on to being crowned champions in his final game on the Blues bench. Now, Maurizio Sarri has returned to Italy, where he has coached for the majority of his career. And from today, he will take over the reins at Juventus with a contract until June 30, 2022. Now at 60 years old, Sarri was born in Naples and spent many years living in Tuscany. In 2001, after spending several years in the world of football, Sarri began his career as a full-time coach. Thus, began an adventure that, since 2005, has taken him to the Serie B championship, leading Pescara, Arezzo and Avellino. But the road to Serie A, however, was still long: Sarri guided, Verona, Perugia, Grosseto, Alessandria and Sorrento, between the Serie B league and the lega pro. Then in 2012 the story began… with Empoli: in his initial season, Sarri almost led his team to promotion to the top flight, however, Livorno was able to win in the play-off final. A year later, that same Empoli team finished second and were able to reach a new rank in the top division. After a successful campaign with Empoli, keeping them in the top league, there were no questions to be asked about the quality of the manager. In 2015, Sarri landed in Naples, where he left his impressive mark on the Azzurri bench. The Neapolitan team reached 82, 86 and 91 points, from 2015 to 2018: Each seasonal improvement was a Serie A record for the Club. Two out of the three seasons, Napoli avoided the preliminary qualification to the Champions League and advanced straight to the group stages. Finally, in the 2018/19 season, as previously stated, with Chelsea, Sarri lifted his first European trophy. And now the adventure begins for him in Turin: welcome to Juventus! Source: www.juventus.com |
Tomorrow, 11 June, the Juventus Museum will be open for the Azzurri match.
The Allianz Stadium will open its doors tomorrow for the Azzurri – which will see many of the Bianconeri present in the game, from Captain Chiellini, to Bonucci, Bernardeschi, Kean, and De Sciglio – who will face Bosnia at 20:45 in a Euro 2020 qualifier. To favour the many fans who will be present, the Juventus Museum will not carry out the usual weekly closing times, and will stay open until 20:00 tomorrow evening. It will also be possible to visit the Juventus facility, with the Stadium Tour, which will start with these times: in the morning at 11:00 and 12:30, and in the afternoon at: 13:30, 14:45, 15:15 and ay 16:00 (last tour of the day). Source: www.juventus.com |
A total of eight Juventus Women players could take to the field against Australia in their opening group match of the Women’s World Cup.
The time is almost here! On Sunday, Italy will take to the field of Stade du Hainaut in Valenciennes in their opening group match of the Women’s World Cup, and all eyes will be on the eight Bianconere who could feature in the prestigious tournament. All of Juventus’ eight international call-ups could don the Azzurre jersey at some stage in the tournament, after they were called up to Milena Bertolini’s 23-women squad. Laura Giuliani, Lisa Boattin, Sara Gama, Barbara Bonansea, Valentina Cernoia, Aurora Galli, Martina Rosucci and Cristiana Girelli after a successful club season in black and white, the Scudetto and Coppa Italia champions will be itching to kick off their tournament in style by securing a victory over Australia, kick-off at 13:00. Italy’s remaining two games will be against Jamaica (Reims, June 14 at 18:00) and against Brazil (Valenciennes, June 18 at 21:00). Source: www.juventus.com |
The two players have both graduated from the Primavera team and will now form a part of the Juventus Women first team.
Asia Bragonzi and Melissa Bellucci will both form part of the official Juventus Women first team after they penned in their first professional contracts, following their graduation from the Primavera set-up. The two players signed a two-year contract which will see them tied to Juventus until 2022. Bragonzi (aged 19), will wear jersey No. 22, while Bellucci (aged 18) will sport the No. 31 jersey for the coming 2019/20 Serie A Femminile season. Bragonzi, who featured on six occasions for Juventus this season across the league and Coppa Italia and scored two goals, will add extra firepower upfront in Guarino’s already formidable strike force. Bellucci meanwhile, made her debut on the first home game of the season against Chievo, and turned out on three occasions in the league and once in the Coppa Italia. She will slot into a strong and dynamic Bianconera midfield. Their strong displays during the 2018/19 campaign has earned them a permanent spot in the team and their arrival will surely add an exciting splash of youth to the Scudetto champions' set-up. All the best for the coming season, ladies! Source: www.juventus.com |
After five seasons and 11 trophies later, the Tuscan coach wrapped up his incredibly successful tenure at the club.
Massimiliano Allegri’s time at Juventus came to an end at Marassi, with his side falling 2-0 to Sampdoria after Gregoire Defrel and Gianluca Caprari scored two late goals, while Moise Kean saw his goal ruled out for offside. The Italian Champions end their 2018/19 Serie A season with 28 wins, six draws and four losses. GOALLESS FIRST HALF Both teams had nothing but pride to play for when they took to the field, and it showed in the opening 20 minutes of the game, as a casual approach was taken by both teams on the field. The first real scoring chance came at the half hour when Bentancur found himself in a good scoring position when he turned on the ball and fired an effort that stung the palms of Rafael, only for the linesman to raise his flag seconds after. Fabio Quagliarella then attempted an acrobatic kick when he found himself unmarked inside the box, but he blasted it wide of goal. Juventus then came close to opening the scoring when Kean’s header was flicked towards Dybala. He then attempted to pull the trigger, but Sala got away by making a desperate clearance. KEAN GOAL RULED OFFSIDE Kean was the first to crack a whip at goal after the break when De Sciglio fed him a teasing ball, that saw the teenager fire at goal, but it went on the wrong side of the post. Pereira then fired an effort from range, which forced Rafael to scamper across the face of goal, but it went wide too. Emre Can had to be taken off just before the hour mark due to injury, and he was replaced by Manolo Portanova, who made his debut in Serie A. Meanwhile, Leonardo Bonucci replaced Chiellini in defence in the 65th minute. Allegri’s final change came 10 minutes later, when Nicolussi Caviglia took the place of Pereira. Quagliarella’s last effort of the game saw him attempt another acrobatic effort towards goal, and it was dealt with by Pinsoglio. Kean had the ball in the back of the net in the 80th minute, when he broke through Sampdoria’s backline and chipped the ball over Rafael, but it was blown for offside and the decision stood after a silent VAR check. SAMP SEAL THREE POINTS Sampdoria took the lead in the 84th minute when the substitute Gabbiadini directed a through ball at goal. Defrel got onto the end of it and scuffed the finish, to see it bounce over the line. The Genova side didn’t stop there, though, as they doubled the lead in stoppage time when Caprari struck a sublime and unstoppable free-kick past Pinsoglio in goal to secure three points in the final match of the season. Sampdoria: Rafael; Sala, Ferrari, Colley, Bereszynski; Praet, Barreto, Linetty; Ramirez; Defrel, Quagliarella. Juventus: Pinsoglio; Caceres, Rugani, Chiellini (Bonucci 65’), De Sciglio; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Emre Can (Portanova 59’); Dybala, Kean, Pereira (Nicolussi-Caviglia 75’). Source: www.juventus.com |
During his last press conference, Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media ahead of Sunday evening’s fixture against Sampdoria.
It was a brief but significant press conference in which Allegri announced the players available for tomorrow’s match and to greet journalists with a final toast. THE LINE-UP “Tomorrow, Pinsoglio will play in goal. Caceres, Rugani, Chiellini, De Sciglio, Cuadrado, Emre Can, Bentancur, Pereira, Dybala and Kean will also play. If Spinazzola recovers, he will replace Pereira.” THE ABSENCES “Szczesny has a knee problem and will probably have to undergo an assessment in the coming weeks. Ronaldo will not be there as he must rest for his national team duties.” Others absent include, Matuidi and Bernardeschi who are disqualified. Cancelo and Mandzukic who have recently been operated on. Alex Sandro and Douglas Costa will also miss the game. THE FINAL TOAST At the end of the press conference, Mister Allegri greeted the journalists for a final toast. Source: www.juventus.com |
There was plenty to celebrate at Allianz Stadium, where there were ovations for Allegri, Barzagli and Juventus Women, before yet another Scudetto trophy was hoisted aloft.
The Bianconeri were held 1-1 by Atalanta in their final home match of the season, after Mario Mandzukic cancelled out Joseph Ilicic’s first-half opener, but the evening was about so much more than the game itself. WHAT A NIGHT AT ALLIANZ STADIUM! Andrea Barzagli was given a warm send-off before kick-off. Club president Andrea Agnelli presented the retiring defender with a commemorative plaque and an additional surprise: his shirt will be put on display in the Juventus Museum, even though he did not reach the necessary 300 club appearances. Also on hand to congratulate his former team-mate was Gianluigi Buffon, while Aaron Ramsey was in the stands, getting a first look at his new home. Massimiliano Allegri was passionately applauded by the home support, in what was a lengthy and deserved tribute to the outgoing coach. During the half-time interval, Juventus Women were presented with their second consecutive Scudetto title. Amidst all the emotion and celebration there was a game to be played, and it was a roughly fought one at that. With Atalanta gunning for Champions League football next season, they proved predictably tricky opponents. ILICIC GIVES ATALANTA THE LEAD With less than one minute on the clock, Cristiano Ronaldo spurned a golden chance to give the Bianconeri a flying start. After some good work from Juan Cuadrado and a touch from Emre Can, the attacker was free in front of goal but put his first-time shot over the bar. Atalanta meanwhile threatened in the first period through Remo Freuler, who forced Wojciech Szczesny into a save with an effort from outside the box, and Duvan Zapata, who went close with an angled effort on the half-hour mark. The away side’s pressure eventually paid dividends. A corner from the right found its way through a muddle of bodies to reach an unmarked Ilicic, who had the simple task of side-footing home at the back post. STANDING OVATION FOR BARZAGLI In the second half Juventus were more aggressive in their approach and were more in control of proceedings. With Joao Cancelo moving to the left and Cuadrado dropping into the right-back role, after Federico Bernardeschi replaced Alex Sandro, the Bianconeri sent crosses into the box in their bid to draw level. Ronaldo almost converted one with a right-foot volley, which went just wide. With his side still trailing, Allegri sent on an added goal threat in the form of Mario Mandzukic, who came on in place of Barzagli, with the defender treated to a fervent ovation from the home support. MANDZUKIC NETS INCH-PERFECT LEVELLER The coach’s attacking switch saw Emre Can drop into the back-line and try to cope with the threat posed by Zapata. It was Ilicic who went closest to doubling the Dea’s lead, however, striking a free-kick that Szczesny did well to tip over the crossbar. At other end the Bianconeri eventually saw their attacking travails bear fruit. With around ten minutes left to play, Mandzukic stretched at the far post to reach a whipped cross from the right by Cuadrado, managing to squeeze an inch-perfect finish, from the tightest of angles, past Pierluigi Gollini. It was a deserved equaliser for the Bianconeri, who continued pushing forward in search of a winner. Bernardeschi forced Gollini into a save with an effort from 20 yards, before picking up a straight red card for his challenge on Musa Barrow. There was no change in the score-line and both sides had to settle for single point. For Juventus attentions then quickly turned to the long-awaited trophy presentation, with any disappointment with the evening’s draw erased as the team lifted yet another Scudetto trophy – their eighth on the bounce. JUVENTUS 1-1 ATALANTA (HT: 0-1): SCORERS: Ilicic 33, Mandzukic 80. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Cancelo, Barzagli (Mandzukic 61), Bonucci, Alex Sandro (Bernardeschi 46); Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi (Kean 85); Cuadrado, Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Del Favero, De Sciglio, Rugani, Caceres, Chiellini, Spinazzola, Bentancur, Nicolussi Caviglia. Coach: Allegri. ATALANTA: Gollini; Hateboer, Djimsiti, Masiello; Castagne, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens (Mancini 62); Gomez (Pasalic 74); Ilicic (Barrow 78), Zapata. Subs not used: Berisha, Reca, Ibanez, Pessina, Rossi. Coach: Gasperini. REFEREE: Rocchi. ASSISTANTS: Di Liberatore, Tonolini. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Sacchi. VAR: Irrati, Marrazzo. YELLOW CARDS: Alex Sandro 14, Hateboer 28, Ronaldo 46, Matuidi 70. RED CARDS: Bernardeschi 90+2. Source: www.juventus.com |
Both President Andrea Agnelli and Massimiliano Allegri addressed the media today.
The two sat down at Allianz Stadium, where they discussed the future and Allegri’s closing chapter at Juventus. The message was clear. Allegri’s five-year spell at Juventus may be coming to a close, but the relationship between coach, club and president will forever be binding, and President Andrea Agnelli made this evident with his opening line in the press conference: “We are here to celebrate Massimiliano Allegri.” Celebrate he did, as he touched on the impact the Tuscan tactician had on the club, and the success of the team, which saw the President hand Allegri a jersey with the words “History Alone” and the No.5 on the back. CELEBRATING ALLEGRI “We are here to celebrate Massimiliano Allegri. Since his arrival, we talked about the five successful years of the 30’s. He did it on his own. Already in May 2013, I felt that Allegri would be the future coach of Juventus. We had to wait 14 months, when, between the rejections, he accepted the task. To takeover Juventus on July 16 and make them win, these are the attributes that are needed. We have passed these five years with esteem, affection, sharing, defeats, but above all, many victories. I have a wonderful personal and sporting memories that bind me to him. The great comeback of the 2015/16 season, and the duel with Napoli. Above all, in Massimiliano Allegri I found a friend. This has been a decision of a lot of focus and emotions but when we deal with these decisions, we need to make sure it is the best decision for Juventus. At the end of several reflections and analysis, we identified that this was the best decision to make…However, it was also the most difficult I had to make during my time at Juventus.” FAITH IN THE FUTURE “We have many projects, sporting and others. On the future programmes, which will always have to see the avant-garde Juventus, I have maximum confidence in Pavel Nedved, Fabio Paratici, Marco Re and Giorgio Ricci. When I thought I was going forward with Allegri, I was absolute sincere. The necessary reflections were then taken to make the right decisions. This was the right time to close this extraordinary cycle. We must be able to make the right decision and make them in the right moment. Only the future will tell us if these decisions are the right ones. I do want to hear strong opinions and once those opinions have been made to me, I have a decision to make.” After the President’s beautiful words, it was then time for Allegri – who entered the press conference room to a round of applause from his players – to address the media. LEAVING JUVE “I would like to thank all the players for what they have given me. We now have a winning team that has great potential next year to compete in Italy and in the Champions League. We evaluated the future of Juventus and obviously the club decided to take a direction next year without me but that doesn’t change anything. We have grown together and it is the right moment to leave the club in the best possible way." TOMORROW’S CELEBRATIONS “Tomorrow, we have to celebrate two moments: One is the Scudetto and one is the departure of Andrea Barzagli. We have to celebrate because these last five years have been absolutely wonderful." ON HIS TEAM’S PERFORMANCES “Me as a coach, I’ve always had to analyse the performance and not the result. Nonetheless, of course, when we play football matches, it is not always possible to play well. Playing well for 30+ matches is impossible. We always have this winning mentality; it is a typical feature of Juventus. When we lose, it is something that I do not accept... At the end of the day, what really matters is the result. We need to win." Source: www.juventus.com |
Second half strikes by Alessandro Florenzi and Edin Dzeko saw Roma claim a 2-0 victory on home soil at Stadio Olimpico against Juventus, while Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal disallowed.
The Bianconeri came into the game off the back of two successive 1-1 draws to Inter and Torino respectively, and they were looking to bounce back with a win, all while eager to make a good first impression in their new kit for next season, which they debuted. MIRANTE VS DYBALA Cuadrado was the first to test Mirante in goal when he burst into the box and got onto the end of an Emre Can ball, who rolled the ball across the face of goal. He then fired at goal but the Roma shot-stopper pulled off a good save to end it out of play with six minutes on the clock. Ten minutes later, the Giallorossi keeper pulled off yet another excellent save. Ronaldo cut in from the left and dribbled his way past defenders to set up Dybala, who then curled it towards goal and forced Mirante into making a one-handed save. Roma responded with an excellent of their own when Pellegrini ran down the centre of the field before unleashing an effort that struck Szczesny’s crossbar. Dybala and Mirante continued their duel just before the half hour mark when the Argentina struck a blasting ball that was turned onto the inside of upright by Mirante before bouncing back out. However, replays later showed that Emre Can was in an offside position at the time of La Joya’s hit. RONALDO GOAL DISALLOWED, FLORENZI SCORES After the break, two chances fell to El Shaarawy: The first was hit away by the Bianconeri, the second was fired wide of the target. Ronaldo had the ball in the back of the net in the 63rd minute of play when Dybala unleashed a ball across to the Portuguese striker, who made no mistake in beating Mirante, only for it to be ruled out for offside. The game started to open up a bit and a chance fell on either end of the park when Mirante denied Emre Can from close range, while El Shaarawy was denied by Szczesny, who tipped his effort over the crossbar. Roma took the lead when he beat the offside trap to run down the ball inside the box following a give and go with Dzeko. He went one-on-one with Szczesny and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to turn the scoreline to 1-0 with 10 minutes remaining on the clock. DZEKO WRAPS IT UP Moments later, the scoreline could have very well been doubled, when Dzeko sent the ball across the face of goal but no one was there to meet it. Allegri then opted for a double change with six minutes left on the clock, by introducing Alex Sandro and Cancelo in place of Matuidi and De Sciglio respectively. The scoreline was wrapped up by Dzeko deep inside stoppage time when a counter-attack led by Under saw him roll the ball across to the Bosnian, who beat Tek from 12-yards out. Roma 2-0 Juventus. Roma: Mirante; Florenzi, Manolas, Fazio, Kolarov; Zaniolo, Nzonzi, Pellegrini (Cristante 67’); Kluivert (Under 77’), Dzeko, El Shaarawy. Juventus: Szczęsny; De Sciglio (Cancelo 84’), Caceres, Chiellini, Spinazzola; Emre Can, Pjanic (Bentancur 70’), Matuidi (Alex Sandro 84’); Cuadrado, Dybala, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Del Favero, Barzagli, Alex Sandro, Cancelo, Bentancur, Pereira da Silva, Kastanos, Nicolussi Caviglia. Source: www.juventus.com |
The coach speaks on the match against the Roma, as we enter our final three games of the season.
Tomorrow in the nation’s capital will be our penultimate away match of the season and Allegri knows just how big this game is to set the tone for next weekend's match against Atalanta. "Tomorrow will be a great game against Roma. We have to play better because then we will have the celebrations after at home to Atalanta. It will be an evening celebration, which is something different than previous years and will be nice for all to see." Allegri knows that with the trophy lift coming next week, it’s important to have the team in high spirits come that special moment. However, as for Roma there is good news as the team will see the return of some of our key players back in action. "Alex Sandro, Rodrigo Bentancur, Paulo Dybala and Emre Can are all back. "Paulo Dybala should play from the start tomorrow. His position this season has always been the same, it only depends on who he has supporting him." A few other players were also on the mind of Allegri during today’s press conference as he expressed the importance of certain players in the squad. "The team has a good understanding but we just need to figure out the tactical situations which can be improved upon. In my five years here only two players will still remain: Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, since Andrea Barzagli is retiring." And speaking on the young core, Allegri had this to say. "Cancelo has improved since he arrived here. He has great qualities, especially in possession, he is young and can improve so much still, as can Bentancur, Emre Can, Daniele Rugani and Spinazzola." Allegri’s men will travel to Rome to play AS Roma in the Serie A tomorrow at 20:30 CEST, you can follow on JuventusTV. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Derby della Mole ended in a 1-1 draw at Allianz Stadium, with both teams forced to share the points.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s late header in the second half helped secure a point for Juventus as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Torino in the Derby della Mole. Torino did well in the first half at Allianz Stadium, with the Bianconeri commanding the second. Juventus came into the game with a list of injuries, which also saw Emre Can forced to withdraw on match day morning due to a muscle problem, resulting in Massimiliano Allegri calling in the young Muratore in his place. As it is with derbies, there is always a sense of angst and emotions on the field, and it was no different in the opening stages of this encounter with some ball not always being played or cleared as planned. LUKIC POUNCES ON JUVE ERROR Torino had two good chances within the opening 17 minutes, which saw them claim a 1-0 lead. Chiellini couldn’t connect to clear De Silvestri’s cross into the box, and it unexpectedly landed up hitting Belotti into the chest and went towards goal, but Szczesny gathered it. Then, a defensive error by Pjanic saw the Granata take the lead when Lukic claimed the loose ball inside the box and fired it into the back of the net. Juventus nearly scored an equaliser a minute later when Matuidi struck a scissor kick from a couple of yards out only to see Sirigu beat it away. The Bianconeri tried to work their way back into the game by putting pressure on the visitor’s backline, but they couldn’t find the equalizing goal by the time the half-time whistle blew. The first chance of the second half fell to the home side, when Cristiano Ronaldo rose the highest and directed his header towards goal, only for it to sail high of the frame. FRUSTRATION AND THEN RONALDO REACTS Juventus started to gain more momentum as the game went on, and on the half hour, Spinazzola found himself nearly bagging the equaliser when he went on a good run from the flank and cut inside. He then unleashed a right-footed effort on the edge of the box and it’s out by wide. The stadium then erupted into applause by both sets of fans in remembrance of the Superga tragedy, with tomorrow marking the 70th anniversary of that tragic day. Action took place at both ends of the field, with Juventus coming close to putting themselves back in the game in the 76th minute when Chiellini fed the ball to Kean. The young striker then turned on the ball, rounded his defender and unleashed the ball towards goal that sailed straight into the hands of Sirigu. All of Juventus’ hard work finally paid off when the scoreline drew level to 1-1 when Spinazzola filtered in a cross into the box. Ronaldo, once again, rose the highest to nod home an unstoppable header into the back of the net. Despite Juventus’ efforts in finding a late match-winner, Torino’s backline held out strong with both sides being forced to share the spoils. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola; Cuadrado (Pereira 77’), Pjanic, Matuidi, Bernardeschi (De Sciglio 85’); Ronaldo, Kean. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Del Favero, De Sciglio, Caceres, Barzagli, Pereira, Nicolussi Caviglia, Muratore. Torino XI: Sirigu; Izzo, Nkoulou, Bremer; De Silvestri (Zaza 89’), Meite, Rincon, Lukic (Aina 78’), Ansaldi; Berenguer (Baselli 70’), Belotti. Substitutes: Ichazo, Rosati, Baselli, Zaza, Singo, Damascan, Aina, Millico. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus head coach spoke touched on tomorrow evening’s exciting Derby della Mole clash at Allianz Stadium.
Mister Allegri addressed the media today ahead of tomorrow’s match against cross-city rivals, Torino and he is well aware of the challenge that awaits. “Tomorrow will be a great Derby match against Torino, who will be looking to win and get into the Champions League places. “We must play as well as we did in the second half at the San Siro. The team is training well, so I'm convinced that tomorrow we'll give a good account of ourselves." He then touched on Torino, before moving onto an array of topics, saying: “Torino are a solid and physical side, so we will have to be technically sound and give it our all." TOMORROW’S FORMATION "Daniele Rugani isn't called up for the Derby because he already wasn't at 100% for Inter. However, Caceres is back and Andrea Barzagli is better. Tomorrow, we will play with a back four with Chiellini and Bonucci. Carlo Pinsoglio will definitely play a match this season. He deserves it and is a great professional and a strong voice in the dressing room. Cristiano will be fired up for tomorrow night. It's a Derby game and he will want to finish the season as top scorer." ON HIS FUTURE “At the end of the season I will have to sit down with the President so that we can plan for the future with a clear picture. Every year Juve must be competitive and challenge for everything. I have the right motivation to continue here." ON RAMSEY “Aaron Ramsey is a fantastic signing. He is a complete player with a lot of energy and great timing." Source: www.juventus.com |
Inter and Juventus shared the spoils in the Derby d’Italia.
Inter broke the deadlock after just seven minutes through a Radja Nainggolan strike, before Cristiano Ronaldo salvaged a point in the second half to see the Derby d’Italia end 1-1 at San Siro. The Bianconeri came into the game off the back of securing their eighth successive Scudetto after having defeated Fiorentina last weekend at Allianz Stadium. RADJA STRIKES RIGHT AWAY Inter started the game by pressing Juventus’ backline with their aggressive and dynamic attacking play, and they quickly took the lead after seven minutes when Nainggolan fired in a swerving right-footed effort off a volley. The hosts were going all-out attack and they tested Szczesny with efforts from Icardi and De Vrij in the opening quarter of an hour. Juventus’ first real shot saw Federico Bernardeschi receive the ball on the edge of the box from a Ronaldo lay-off, and he fired at goal only to see it go wide. Luciano Spaletti’s side were certainly proving eager to secure a positive result, and they unleashed a series of attacking waves on the Scudetto champions. Massimiliano Allegri’s defence held out strong, as they denied the opposition repeatedly. On the other end of the field, Ronaldo fired an effort at goal from distance, but he saw it sail over the angular of Handanovic’s goal frame. Inter went into the break carrying a 1-0 lead after a dominant first-half display. CR600 Allegri opted for a change just three minutes into the second half, by introducing Leonardo Spinazzola in place of Alex Sandro. Inter came close to doubling their lead in the 57th minute when Perisic fired a low drive from range that dipped just inches wide of goal, letting Juventus off the hook. Allegri then brought on Moise Kean in place of Matuidi on the hour mark, and it spurred some attacking life into Juventus – due to the formation change to a 4-4-2 – as they found the equaliser minutes later through Ronaldo. The Portuguese enjoyed an exchange with Pjanic on the edge of the box, before then driving home an unstoppable ball that sailed into the near post from a tight angle. His goal was his 600th of his club career. HANDS UP TEK The goal seemed to open up the game at both ends even more. Perisic thought he had almost won the game for Inter after he combined well with Icardi inside the box in the 70th minute, which saw him cut to the left of the box and blast a venomous strike at goal. ‘Tek’ pulled off the save of the game by parrying the Croatian’s effort over the goal mouth. Pjanic then forced Handanovic into making a good save minutes later when he launched an effort at goal on the half-volley. Szczesny was also called into action with ten minutes to go when he beat away substitute Joao Mario’s cross-cum-shot. Neither team could find the match-winning touch by the time the full-time whistle blew, as the game ended 1-1. Inter XI: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, De Vrij, Skriniar, Asamoah; Vecino, Brozovic; Politano (Joao Mario 79’), Nainggolan (Borja Valero 74’), Perisic; Icardi (Martinez 81). Substitutes: Padelli, Gagliardini, Lautaro Martinez, Keita, Ranocchia, Joao Mario, Borja Valero, Cedric Soares, Miranda, Dalbert, Candreva. Juventus XI: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Spinazzola 48’); Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi (Kean 60’); Cuadrado, Ronaldo, Bernardeschi (Pereira 86’). Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Del Favero, De Sciglio, Barzagli, Rugani, Spinazzola, Pereira Da Silva, Nicolussi Caviglia, Kean. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Allegri spoke ahead of tomorrow evening’s illustrious Derby d'Italia.
After last weekend’s #W8NDERFUL celebrations, we went straight back into preparation mode. The Derby d’Italia, one of football’s most illustrious fixtures is around the corner and Massimiliano Allegri had this to say in his press conference. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOMORROW "Tomorrow is still Inter-Juve. It will be a great match and we have to go there and get a result, because our goal from here until the end of the season is to continue picking up points. "Giorgio Chiellini is back and tomorrow he plays, whilst Rodrigo Bentancur has a muscle problem. The others are fine and are ready to play a good game." GETTING STRONGER For Allegri the focus remains on tomorrow’s challenge but our Scudetto winning manager knows that the other teams continue to get stronger and while they do, so do we. "At the end of the season we have to begin planning how we can continue to grow. We will analyse the season in the best way possible so we can create the prerequisites for another winning year. "I want to try two things before the season is over but not tomorrow night: 1. Playing Federico Bernardeschi and João Cancelo in the box-to-box midfielder roles and 2. Trying Emre Can there, who has already proven he can play in a midfield three." THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Of course, another goal for next season is to go as far as possible in the Champions League. Everyone will remember our great comeback against Atletico Madrid in the round-of-16. However, our quarter-final match against Ajax did not end the way we wanted. Nonetheless, the unpredictable nature of this competition is what makes it what it is. "The Champions League is as beautiful a competition as it is difficult. This is because you have to have so many players in form at the right time. We already had a lot of injuries by the time we faced Atletico, that's why I say it wasn't an easy year. "Douglas Costa has had a complicated season. He is an important player and you saw that in the minutes he played in Amsterdam. "Juventus have been established as amongst the best eight in Europe in the last few years. There is a project which will be continued in the coming years, and we are still talking about a team that won 50% of the competitions that they were in this year." Inter-Juventus kicks off at 8:30PM CEST on Saturday and you can follow the action on JuventusTV Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve went one-nil down to Fiorentina before completing the comeback on the way to securing their eighth consecutive league title.
Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. Champions of Italy. It’s almost a paragraph in itself to write it out eight times, although it’s certainly not the case of stretching anything thin. To shout it eight times in a row risks losing your voice, but it’s worth it. This is the minimum that this fantastic team deserves after yet another trophy: they’re simply #W8NDERFUL, as the celebratory hashtag superbly sums up. Faced with the task of needing just one point to secure the title, Juve went ahead and took all three, following a struggle that made the triumph even more sweet to savour. AN UPHILL STRUGGLE TO START The game got off to a bad start for Juve, after Federico Chiesa worked his way to the by-line in the sixth minute and drove a low cross into the area that Wojciech Szczesny touched on to Nikola Milenkovic. With the goal gaping, the Serb gave the Viola an early lead, which could have been doubled shortly afterwards had Kevin Mirallas not shot over following a Chiesa-led counterattack or had Leonardo Bonucci failed to intercept Giovanni Simeone’s final ball and stop another Tuscan break in its tracks. CHIESA HITS THE POST Juve weren’t prepared to let themselves be run over, although the players seemed a little frantic, almost shocked by conceding so early. Federico Bernardeschi had the first shot of note in the 20th minute, his deflected effort striking the outside netting. Miralem Pjanic and Cristiano Ronaldo followed that up with long-range shots, but Alban Lafont was well placed for both. Fiorentina still looked like the more likely side to score again, as Chiesa hit the post from the edge of the area. ALEX SANDRO EQUALISES The Bianconeri kept at it, upped the pressure and were eventually rewarded. In the 37th minute, Alex Sandro met Pjanic’s corner at the front post. At the moment of contact, the Brazilian actually had his back to goal, but his ingenious twisting diving header found a gap between post and goalkeeper, drawing the scoreline level. CHIESA HITS THE BAR It was obvious to all that more was needed, as the Viola refused to back down. Chiesa unleashed a dipping left-footed effort that cannoned down off the bar but, luckily for the Bianconeri, not over the line. The team headed in at half-time with the score at 1-1 and aware there’d be another 45 minutes’ worth of hard work. INJECTION OF PACE FROM CR7, OWN GOAL BY PEZZELLA However, it became quickly clear that the sparkle shown by the visiting side in the first half had dulled somewhat and Ronaldo was quick to take advantage. The Portuguese received a ball from Joao Cancelo on the right wing in the 53rd minute and set off, leaving his marker floundering in his wake before attempting to pick out Bernardeschi with a low cross. German Pezzella made an attempt to prevent the ball from reaching the former Fiorentina star but in doing so could only divert it into his own net. CONTROL AND TRIUMPH Fiorentina had lost their compactness and Juve looked more assured and comfortable. The Bianconeri started to play much further up the pitch, pinning the Viola back in their half. Ronaldo and Juan Cuadrado both saw efforts from decent positions saved in the space of a few seconds, before Lafont touched over a shot by Pjanic from the 18-yard line. The Bosnian was soon after replaced by Rodrigo Bentancur, while Fiorentina’s most dangerous player Chiesa made way for Luis Muriel. Half an hour into the second half, Moise Kean came on for Bernardeschi. By this point, the tempo had dropped and Juve were in control, running down the clock while in possession. When the final whistle came, it heralded another Scudetto triumph, our eighth in a row and yet another piece of silverware for this unforgettable Juventus side. JUVENTUS 2-1 FIORENTINA (HT: 1-1): SCORERS: Milenkovic 6, Alex Sandro 37, Pezzella (og) 53. JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Emre Can, Pjanic (Bentancur, 65), Matuidi; Cuadrado (De Sciglio, 87), Ronaldo, Bernardeschi (Kean, 74). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Del Favero, Barzagli, Spinazzola, Nicolussi Caviglia, Mavididi. Coach: Allegri. FIORENTINA: Lafont; Milenkovic, Pezzella, Ceccherini; Chiesa (Muriel, 65), Dabo, Veretout, Benassi (Gerson, 72) Hancko; Simeone, Mirallas (Fernandes, 80). Subs not used: Brancolini, Ghidotti, Laurini, Biraghi, Norgaard, Beloko, Graiciar, Vlahovic, Francescoli. Coach: Montella. REFEREE: Pasqua ASSISTANTS: Mondin, Lo Cicero FOURTH OFFICIAL: Aureliano VAR: Di Bello, Longo YELLOW CARD: Gerson 35. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus bowed out of the Champions League after falling 2-1 at home to an inspired Ajax side in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Ronaldo’s first half strike was not enough to see the Bianconeri qualify for the semi-finals, after goals from van de Beek and de Ligt sealed a victory for the Dutch.
The two teams came into the second leg having played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Johan Cruijff ArenA. Massimiliano Allegri had to make do without the services, once again, of Giorgio Chiellini, along with Douglas Costa and Mario Mandzukic, who both featured in the draw in Amsterdam. It was a fiery start to the game, with both teams looking to win possession at all costs and attack with pace, so much so, it resulted in a few physical challenges being made. Erik ten Hag’s side, however, were dealt a bitter blow when they had to lose Mazraoui in the 11th minute of the game after picking up an injury. Juventus were doing all the attacking in the opening stages of the game. A fortunate ball fell to Bernardeschi in the 17th minute and he tried to get it past two defenders to direct it towards Ronaldo, who was inside the box, but he slipped, and the ball was lost. RONALDO SCORES, AJAX RESPOND Ajax’s best effort came in the 20th minute, when van de Beek, who just had to cross the ball over the line, prodded it straight over the woodwork. It was Juventus who were doing the majority of the attacking, and they took the lead just before the half hour mark, when Ronaldo nodded the ball into the back of the net with a simply unstoppable hit. The referee did consult VAR, and he stood in favour of the goal. Ajax found the equaliser six minutes later when van de Beek latched onto the end of a through-ball to slot it past Szczesny in goal. MIRACULOUS TEK! Allegri opted for an immediate change after the break, by bringing on Moise Kean in place of Paulo Dybala. Szczesny pulled off a miraculous save in the 53rd minute when stuck out his one hand to palm away a Ziyech effort that looked destined to go into the back of the net. The Polish goalkeeper then pulled off another great save when he pushed van de Beek’s curling effort over the crossbar minutes later. A good effort fell to Kean on the hour mark when Ronaldo turned and sprinted forward, he then fed the ball to Moise Kean, who fired wide of goal. Three minutes later, Pjanic made an incredible clearance off a Radic shot, while Allegri then introduced Cancelo in place of De Sciglio. DE LIGT STRIKES After those two miraculous saves, Szczesny couldn’t keep out De Ligt, who headed home a crucial second away goal off a corner kick, beating two defenders in his path. The engines were turned on for Ajax and they started pushing Juventus to their limits. Ziyech had the ball in the back of the net off a curling effort, but after a silent check with VAR, it was ruled out for offside. Allegri then opted to use his third and final change to bring on Bentancur in place of Bernardeschi, however it didn’t change much for the Old Lady, as their journey in the Champions League came to an end. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; De Sciglio (Cancelo 63’), Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Can, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Bentancur 79’), Dybala (Kean 46’), Ronaldo. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Barzagli, Cancelo, Khedira, Bentancur, Spinazzola, Kean. Ajax XI: Onana; Veltman, Blind, De Ligt, Mazraoui (Sinkgraven 11’ Magallan 80’); De Jong, Van de Beek, Schöne; Neres, Tadic, Ziyech (Huntelaar 88’). Ajax bench: Varela, Sinkgraven, Huntelaar, Mahallan, Dolberg, De Wit, Ekkelenkamp. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Allegri and Emre Can addressed the media at Allianz Stadium, where they spoke about tomorrow evening’s clash.
The player and coach spoke about the importance of the match, with both reiterating that a similar display like that of the return leg against Atletico Madrid will be needed tomorrow night, with Allegri saying: “It's a one-off game and we need to play with the same attitude as we did against Atletico.” "There was already a chance that Mario Mandzukic wouldn't play tomorrow night. I still need to decide who starts in attack, it could be Paulo Dybala or Moise Kean or neither of them. If one of them plays, then one of Mattia de Sciglio and Cancelo will be left out. It depends on what I decide to go with tomorrow night. “Cristiano has extraordinary quality. In certain moments he becomes an unstoppable player and you can see it on his face. Alex Sandro will play tomorrow. Spinazzola has done well but he needs to get used to these types of games, which take away a lot of your physical and mental energy. “The result of the first leg doesn't count for anything. It's a one-off game and we need to play with the same attitude as we did against Atletico. We need to have a lot of respect for Ajax in defence and precise in our movements. "If Dybala plays then he will wear the captain's armband, otherwise it will be Bonucci. Douglas Costa isn't in perfect condition right now. Hopefully in tomorrow's final training he can show me that he has at least 30 minutes in his legs, because he can be decisive. "If De Jong plays tomorrow night then we need to put pressure on him. But we need to win tomorrow and qualify for the next round regardless whether he plays or not. It will be a physical game. To counteract their play we need to be technically sound and we'll have to play better than we did in the first game." Emre Can: "I feel good after the injury, I trained with the team today and I'm ready for tomorrow night's game. I know that this club want to win the Champions League we came very close in the last few years and we want to do it this year. Tomorrow night will be a difficult game, we have a lot of respect for Ajax but no fear. “We will play with the same attitude that we did against Atletico Madrid. We want to score goals and win, we know what we're capable of. Allegri is a fantastic coach, you can see it by what he's won here. Every game is important to him and he works hard on the fine details, that's why he's a world class coach." Source: www.juventus.com |
All focus will now shift to Tuesday evening’s Champions League tie, after Juventus were frustrated by SPAL in Ferrara.
Mister Allegri opted for a new-look team but giving full debuts to the 17-year-old Gozzi and Kastanos, while several players remained in Turin in order to be rested ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League game. CORAGEOUS SPAL There was some great energy in the opening 20 minutes of the game, with both teams moving the ball across the park. Murgia tried his hand at striking a bicycle kick inside the box, but it didn’t test Perin in goal, as he failed to strike it properly. SPAL were being very courageous in their play, and in the 24th minute, Schiattarella attempted a powerful effort at goal, but he saw it sail it high of goal. KEEN ON KEAN Just before the hour mark, Juventus broke the deadlock through none other than Moise Kean. Cancelo cut inside from the right, and filtered in a cross, which seemed as if it was going wide, but Kean stuck out a foot and redirected into the back of the net. The teenager’s strike meant that he became the third youngest player in the history of the club to score more than six goals in Serie A after Bruno Nicolè and Felice Borel. SPAL RESPOND SPAL put themselves back in the game minutes after the break when Bonifazi, who got in front of Bentancur, nodded home the equaliser from an inswinging corner kick. The hosts then started to grow confident, and they asserted themselves in the final third by winning corner kicks and set-pieces. In the 58th minute, Perin made a save off of Murgia’s header, while Massimiliano Allegri introduced Nicolussi Caviglia in place of Kastanos as his first change of the game. The youngster immediately made his presence known, when he forced Viviano into making a brilliant save off his powerful effort – taken from the edge of the box – that stung the palms of the goalkeeper. Kean was then taken off in place of Mavididi, who was handed his debut. Cuadrado then saw his effort hit the face of Bonifazi, before Dybala’s rebound was smothered by SPAL’s shot-stopper. FLOCCARI POUNCES SPAL were confident when pushing forward, and they grabbed a second goal when Murgia came charging forward and laid off the ball to Floccari, who put the ball past Perin. There was a silent check for a potential handball on Murgia, but VAR let the goal stand. Allegri then opted to bring on another attacking option, by bringing Bernardeschi in place of Barzagli, with 10 minutes to go. There was, however, no breakthrough for the Bianconeri, with the game ending 2-1 in favour of SPAL. SPAL: Viviano; Bonifazi, Cionek, Vicari, Fares; Lazzari, Missiroli, Schiattarella (Valdifiori 70’), Murgia; Petagna, Floccari (Regini 83’). SPAL substitutes: Gomis, Fulignati, Simic, Antenucci, Regini, Valdifiori, Dickmann, Felipe, Costa, Paloschi, Nikolic, Rizzo Pinna. Juventus: Perin; De Sciglio, Barzagli (Bernardeschi 80’), Gozzi, Spinazzola; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Kastanos (Nicolussi Caviglia 60’), Cancelo; Dybala, Kean (Mavididi 68’). Juventus substitutes: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Khedira, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Bernardeschi, Mavididi, Nicolussi-Caviglia. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Allegri spoke ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s potential Scudetto decider against SPAL.
With only one point needed to win the eighth Scudetto in a row, Massimiliano Allegri has admitted that a new-look team will take to the field against SPAL, as they have Tuesday's match against Ajax in Turin in view. “I have to evaluate today's training, but many will rest. There are players who need to rest. And maybe tomorrow will be an opportunity for some young players to play. TOMORROW’S FORMATION “Either one of Nicolussi and Coccolo could play tomorrow. Kean will play. Regarding the injured players, in view of the Champions League, I will make the call on Sunday morning. Risking Cristiano tomorrow makes no sense. And like him this also goes for our other players who have been playing a lot even during the breaks for their National teams. However, I will line-up a tough and fair formation for the challenge that awaits us. Bonucci is fine, but he could rest. In goal, we will use Mattia Perin. Cuadrado will also play. Andrea Barzagli will not come to Ferrara. He was in Amsterdam, because it was important that he be with us there. ON SPAL “Ferrara is a beautiful city, where you can breathe the history of SPAL. They have won their last two at home, it will not be a simple game, but we need the key three points to close the championship.” ONE POINT TO THE SCUDETTO “Tomorrow could be an extraordinary day. And it will have to be celebrated because an eighth Scudetto would be something extraordinary. Winning the Scudetto for me would fill me with great pride. It is important to work in a club that nurtures you in winning five consecutive championships.” ON MANDZUKIC’S FORM “Mario Mandzukic has a way of playing that sees him give his all. Those who played the World Cup final have a much greater load. Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi are having a very good year especially regarding this.” WEDNESDAY’S TRIP IN AMSTERDAM “In Amsterdam, we had a good match against a team that was difficult to deal with. Daniele Rugani was very good, like all the defence. I have no doubts. In Amsterdam; whether on the pitch or on the bench, we had five or six youngsters. This is a good thing in light of our future.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri grabbed a crucial away goal in Amsterdam ahead of the return leg next Tuesday, 16 April.
A first half strike by Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal immediately after the break by David Neres saw Ajax and Juventus play to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League at Johan Cruijff ArenA. Juventus were boosted by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the line-up but had to make do without the services of Giorgio Chiellini and Emre Can due to injury. Nonetheless, Massimiliano Allegri’s men made their intentions immediately clear when Bernardeschi fired a stunning ball towards goal, that sailed just high of Onana’s frame. ZIYECH VS TEK Ajax then started to dictate play, by using their pace and energy to put pressure on Juventus’ backline. Ziyech was the first to force a save from Szczesny, when he completed a triangular movement with Tadic before firing at goal, but the Polish shot-stopper held out strong. The hosts then found themselves five against three, and they soon fired at goal through Ziyech. The Moroccan curling effort in the 17th minute was almost certainly going in, but he was brilliantly denied by “Tek”, who made an incredible one-handed save. Just before the half hour mark Bentancur excellently won the ball from the midfield and ran 20 yards before sending the ball towards Bernardeschi inside the box. But before he could unleash an effort at goal, De Jong had made the interception and sent the ball for out for a corner. Ronaldo then got onto the end of the corner kick, by connecting to the ball with his shin, but nothing came of it. STEP UP RONALDO! Six minutes later, another chance fell to Bernardeschi, who was undoubtedly the biggest threat for Ajax in the first half. A cross was delivered into the box and it was knocked-down by Ronaldo towards the Tuscan attacker, whose effort went past the post. Juventus finally broke the deadlock just before the break when Cancelo delivered in a pin-point cross into the box. Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the Last 16, perfectly headered the ball into the back of the net! 0-1 to Juventus at half-time. AJAX RESPOND AFTER HT Despite trailing, the home fans were in full song with “Don’t worry, about a thing” and they seemed to inspire their side as they found themselves straight back in it straight after kick-off. A defensive error by Cancelo saw Neres make a run from the flank and curl in an effort into the top corner to level the scoreline. The Brazilian then had the ball in the back of the net just five minutes later, but it didn’t stand as he was well offside. DANGEROUS COSTA Allegri introduced Douglas Costa on the hour mark in place of Mandzukic, before then bringing on Dybala in place of the injured Matuidi 15 minutes later to go for an all-out attack. Douglas Costa then went on a brilliant run on the flank, cut in towards goal and crossed the ball towards goal, but Onana gathered with ease. Szczesny then prevented Ajax from grabbing a late when he did well to make a diving save off Tadic’s play, following a series of brilliant attacking movements by the Lancieri. The final moment of dangerous play arrived when Douglas Costa came agonizingly close to grabbing the match-winner in the 85th minute for Juventus when he beat two defenders before turning the ball towards goal, only to see it rattle the upright. The two teams will meet in Turin on Tuesday, 16 April, kick-off at 21:00 for the return leg. Ajax XI: Onana; Veltman, De Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico; Van de Beek, De Jong, Schöne (Ekkelenkamp 75’); Ziyech, Tadic, Neres. Substitutes: Varela, Kristensen, Sinkgraven, Huntelaar, Magallan, Dolberg, Ekkelenkamp. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Cancelo, Rugani, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi (Dybala 74’); Bernardeschi (Khedira 90’), Mandzukic (Douglas Costa 60’), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Perin, De Sciglio, Spinazzola, Khedira, Dybala, Douglas Costa, Kean. Source: www.juventus.com |
Mister Allegri and Daniele Rugani both provided their thoughts on tomorrow evening’s game against Ajax, stating the importance of such an outing.
The Bianconeri will soon be coming out onto the field to the tune of the Champions League anthem, when they take on Ajax Amsterdam at Johan Cruyff ArenA, kick-off at 21:00. Allegri will have to make do without Giorgio Chiellini and Emre Can due to injury, but he has welcomed back the return of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Sami Khedira to the team. Here’s what he had to say: TOMORROW’S FORMATION "Cristiano has trained well with the team. He will start tomorrow night. One of Sami Khedira or Rodrigo Bentancur will start in midfield tomorrow night. CONDITION OF THE SQUAD "Daniele Rugani is one of the best young players in Italy and in Europe. Emre Can was in good form and I hope to have him at my disposal for the return leg. Rodrigo Bentancur is also going good at the moment. Douglas Costa has recovered and he's someone who could make a big impact across both games. I'm disappointed not to have Cuadrado available. Maybe in the future we could introduce a 'wild card' for the Champions League squad list. Paulo Dybala trained very well this morning. His mental level is growing, when he's on-form he's one of the best players at Juventus and in the world. Bernardeschi played well on Saturday. He needs to not let his head drop and become even more decisive." AJAX AS OPPONENTS "Ajax are a strong team. They eliminated Real Madrid and played on a par against Bayern. As always a match like Ajax-Juve is an important game. It will be an open match and we will have to be very focused. Ajax play in a different way to Atletico Madrid. They are a very aggressive team and it's going to be a physical match, we need to score an away goal. We have prepared for Ajax-Juve by focusing on our opponent's strengths. We will have to go for their goal a lot." RUGANI: “I’LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN! Daniele Rugani, who is expected to have big boots to fill when he takes to the field in the absence of the Bianconeri skipper, is fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead, and is fully focused on the task at hand. Here’s what he had to say: "We know how important Chiellini is and I will do everything I can to step in for him. This is a wonderful occasion and I'm very excited. “I know de Ligt having played against him with the national team. He is a strong player, as are many of the youngsters who play for Ajax. To stop Ajax tomorrow night will take focus and solidarity. They are a team with great technique and ability. It will be an important game for the team and for me personally. I want to prove that I deserve to play in these big matches. "The contract renewal was an important gesture. It was what I had hoped for and it was wanted on both sides. It's a nice sign that gives me a lot of pride." “Cristiano has come back into the group well. We are all happy that he's with us for tomorrow night's game as he's a very important player. I'm in a team of champions here and I'm very happy." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri fought back from a goal down to claim all three points of rivals Milan.
A penalty by Paulo Dybala and a goal from super-sub Moise Kean saw Juventus move one step closer to the Scudetto title, as they claimed a 2-1 win over Milan to move one step closer to the Scudetto. Before kick-off, a minute of silence was held in memory of former Juventus midfielder, Gianfranco Leoncini, who sadly passed away on Friday evening, and for the 10h anniversary of the earthquake in Aquila. Gennaro Gattuso’s men were desperate for a win after having gone three games without collecting maximum points, while Juventus knew that a victory against their rivals would put them one step closer to securing their eighth consecutive Scudetto title. The Rossoneri immediately threatened the Juventus goal when Suso, who broke through the Bianconeri backline, delivered a cross into the box that met Piatek who headered it just inches wide of the goal. A good opportunity fell to the hosts in the 15th minute when Bernardeschi picked out Dybala inside the box, but he was offside. The game had a great ebb and flow to it, with both teams looking to unlock their adversary’s defence. Massimiliano Allegri was forced into making an early substitution when Emre Can, who received a knock early on in the game, had to be taken off. Sami Khedira, who had been missing for over a month, marked his return to action by taking his place in the 25th minute of play. VAR REVIEW On the stroke of the half hour, Milan threatened Szczesny’s goal when a quick one-two between Suso and Kessie saw the Ivoirian’s shot go just wide of the goal posts. Referee Fabbri had to consult VAR in the 37th minute after Hakan’s cross contacted Alex Sandro’s hand, and he deemed it unintentional and blew for a corner. PIATEK HANDS MILAN FIRST HALF LEAD Moments later, the visitors found the back of the net when Bakayoko pounced on a defensive error by Bonucci to allow Piatek to fire a powerful effort past his fellow countryman, Szczęsny. Juventus almost responded immediately when Mario Mandzukic fired in a powerful header into the back of the net, but it was commendable palmed away by Pepe Reina, to allow Milan to go into the break with a narrow lead. After the break, ‘Tek’ was immediately called into action when Suso provided Calabria with a backheeled ball. He ran along the flank before cutting in and feeding a low ball to Piatek, who then fired a shot at goal, which was well dealt with by Szczesny. LA JOYA FROM THE SPOT The score changed to 1-1 when the referee pointed to the spot on the half hour mark after Musacchio brought down Dybala. The Argentine took to the spot and slotted home the perfect penalty by sending Reina in the wrong direction. That would be Dybala’s last bit of action of the game, as Allegri took him off in place of Kean, but not before Calhanoglu struck a free-kick that sailed just inches wide of the goals. KEAN STRIKES AGAIN The Bianconeri started to pile on the pressure, and they won a series of corners, which saw Alex Sandro threaten at goal with his glancing header that went out at the far post. Bernardeschi then tried his own luck with a snapshot that sailed over the crossbar in the 80th minute. Milan’s defence was growing tired towards the end of the game and Moise Kean found himself one-on-one with Reina inside the box. He held his composure and fired a powerful effort past Reina to hand Juventus the lead. Gattuso’s men attempted to pull back an equalizer, but the Bianconeri defence held out strong to claim three crucial points and move within touching distance of the Scudetto. Juventus: Szczęsny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani; Spinazzola (Pjanic 60’), Bernardeschi, Emre Can (Khedira 25’), Bentancur, Alex Sandro; Dybala (Kean 65’), Mandzukic. Juventus bench: Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Khedira, Cancelo, Matuidi, Pjanic, Kean, Del Favero, Matuidi, Nicolussi Caviglia. Milan: Reina; Calabria (Cutrone 86’), Musacchio, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Kessie, Bakayoko, Calhanoglu; Suso (Castillejo 76’), Piatek, Borini. Milan bench: A Donnarumma, Soncin, Abate, Caldara, Laxalt, Strinic, Zapata, Bertolacci, Biglia, Mauri, Castillejo, Cutrone. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri addressed the media ahead of tomorrow evening’s clash against Milan at Allianz Stadium, kick-off at 18:00.
The Juventus coach will come up against his former team with only one thing on his mind: three points. He will be boosted by the return of Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala upfront, along with Leonardo Spinazzola. Speaking ahead of the match, Allegri believes that an interesting match awaits his team: “Milan are growing a lot and Juve - Milan is always a balanced match. It will be a difficult and exciting game and we must do well in order to prepare for the Champions League. Giorgio Chiellini will probably be rested tomorrow.” He then touched on the following topics: INJURY UPDATES “Cristiano Ronaldo seems better. There are good signs with five days to go until Ajax-Juve. Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala and Spinazzola are all available. I'm happy for Leonardo because he had a scare with his knee problem, but luckily he's ok. Sami Khedira is still to be evaluated, Douglas Costa should be available for Ajax, whilst Cuadrado will be ready for SPAL. Caceres will be out for three weeks. Mattia Perin needs to be evaluated day by day but he won't be available for tomorrow. Alex Sandro is fine.” BONUCCI COMMENTS POST CAGLIARI "Racism must always be fought against and is NEVER justifiable. With his mind still on the game, post-match, Bonucci expressed himself badly but realised this and apologised. These two things are distinct." KEAN’S FORM "I'm happy with how Kean is developing. The important thing is that he becomes a great player, by keeping his feet on the ground and continuing to work hard." IN FRONT OF GOAL "We've done well to score from a lot of set-pieces this season. It's down to both the quality of the kickers and also the timing of those who get on the end of them." ON THE IMMINENT SCUDETTO "When the Scudetto is won we should celebrate. Winning eight titles in a row isn't easy, Napoli are doing what they should be to win it, but we are doing something extraordinary. I don't think that the Scudetto will be decided this weekend. However, it will be 15 intense days ahead of us, but the team is going well and we are ready to play the final part of the season." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus moved one step closer to claiming their eighth Scudetto title by claiming a 2-0 victory over Cagliari.
Goals in each half by Leonardo Bonucci and Moise Kean was enough to hand the Bianconeri three points over Massimiliano Allegri’s former side on Tuesday evening at Sardegna Arena. With so many injuries having plagued the team, the tactician had to move away from his usual formation and line-up and opted for a three-man defence with Moise Kean leading the attack alongside Federico Bernardeschi. The first chance of the game fell to Juventus in the 10th minute, when Miralem Pjanic (who is celebrating his birthday) delivered a brilliant ball into the box from his free-kick. Martin Caceres got onto the end of it at the far post and tried to knock it past Cragno, who brilliantly pushed it out for a corner kick. A GOAL ON 250 APPEARANCES The game head a great ebb and flow to it, with both teams taking the game to the opposition. It was the Bianconeri who would have the first pickings, when they took the lead in the 22nd minute. Federico Bernardeschi delivered in a corner into the box and Leonardo Bonucci, who was left unmarked in the box, rose up and fired in an unstoppable header into the back of the net. A great goal to mark his 250th Serie A appearance for the Bianconeri! A second goal nearly followed suite a few minutes later when Mattia de Sciglio sent in a perfect cross towards goal. Blaise Matuidi was rose up to get onto the end of it, but his header sailed just high of the goal frame. When Cagliari attacked, they proved quick and versatile and their best chance half of the came in the 38th minute when Pavoletti started an attack for the Isolani. Barella then fed the ball through to Joao Pedro, who rushed into the box and saw his strike sale high of goal. The second half started in the same manner as the first, with good flowing football on either end of the field. Cagliari were the first to really threaten at goal when Srna sent in an excellent delivery into the box, only for it to be headed off target by Pavoletti. CRAGNO DENIES KEAN TWICE… Lykogiannis, who had previously been booked, was lucky to escape a second booking after he shoved Moise Kean off the ball. The teenager didn’t let that stop him, though, as he bulldozed his way into the box while chasing down a loose ball. After beating two defenders, he then tried to lob the ball over Cragno, but the keeper held strong to make what would be the first of two one-one-one saves on Kean. Massimiliano Allegri’s men looked content to sit on the ball, hold possession and await their chance for a goalscoring opportunity. Few chances took place, with Pavoletti having one of the better occasions when he connected onto the end of a cross in the 78th minute, but his header didn’t test Szczesny. On the opposite end of the field, Kean found himself once again chasing down a ball towards goal in the 82nd minute. The striker tried to chip the ball over Cragno, who was off his line and on the edge of the box, but he did well to header the effort out of danger. BUT NOT A THIRD TIME Cragno could only hold out for so long, and it was third time a charm for Kean who made the scoreline 2-0 for the visitors when he tapped the ball in from close range from Bentancur’s assist in the 85th minute. Juventus would then go on to see out the remainder of the game by keeping their scoreline intact to bring back three points to Turin. Cagliari XI: Cragno; Srna, Pisacane, Ceppitelli, Lykogiannis; Faragò (Padoin 75’), Cigarini, Ionita (Birsa 67’); Barella; Pavoletti, Joao Pedro (Cerri 75’). Substitutes: Aresti, Rafael, Pellegrini, Romagna, Birsa, Bradaric, Deiola, Oliva, Padoin, Cerri, Despodov, Thereau. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Caceres (Bentancur 60’), Bonucci, Chiellini: De Sciglio, Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi, Alex Sandro; Bernardeschi, Kean. Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Del Favero, Cancelo, Rugani, Bentancur, Kastanos, Nicolussi Caviglia, Mavididi. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the challenge that lies ahead in Cagliari, while providing an update on the injured players.
“The team is in good condition. In this period we will play every three games, therefore, it is fundamental to be able to rest.” Just two days after Saturday’s match against Empoli, Massimiliano Allegri was back on the podium addressing the media ahead of Tuesday evening’s match against Cagliari. During his press conference, the Coach provided an update on the condition of the team, the injuries, who will play and much more. Here’s what he had to say. THE INJURY LIST “Cristiano Ronaldo is working to get back, we hope to have him ready for Ajax, but it will be difficult. Douglas Costa is in good condition and should be available for that game. Sami Khedira trained yesterday and could be back for Milan. Cuadrado is working well and it's only a matter of time until he's back with the group. I'll see how Paulo Dybala is today, whilst Mario Mandzukic had a bit of a fever so will need to be evaluated. Spinazzola has a problem with his unoperated knee. I believe everything will be fine and he will be available in 15 days. Mattia Perin took a blow to the shoulder so won't be available for Cagliari, but hopefully for Ajax. Andrea Barzagli is back training." ON KEAN & CAN “Kean is well and Cagliari will be a good test for his growth. He is a 19-year-old boy with important qualities. Certainly, he needs to learn how to digest the highs and lows of football and continue to improve. Emre is an example of enthusiasm and hunger. After the problem he had at the beginning of the season, he is improving a lot and could play in defence.” TOMORROW’S FORMATION “I have to decide whether to play with a three or four-man defence. Cancelo could be deployed in the attack. He is a player of great quality but needs to continue to improve. I have a lot of defenders who are fresh such as Mattia de Sciglio, Caceres and Leonardo Bonucci. We're fine in the midfield for tomorrow.” THE OPPOSITION “Tomorrow will be a difficult game, against a side that are strong at home. Cagliari will look to make a good impression and it will be an interesting match. Juventus always has the great quality to bring the best out of players. This is fundamental for the growth of youngsters.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Moise Kean was once again decisive for the Bianconeri as they claimed all three points against Empoli.
A second half strike by Moise Kean saw Juventus claim a 1-0 win over Empoli at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening to move them one step closer to the Scudetto title. Prior to the game, Massimiliano Allegri had spoken about the importance of Paulo Dybala in the coming games, and he looked set to start for the Bianconeri but suffered an injury during the warm-up. Rodrigo Bentancur stepped up in his place to adjust the formation into a 4-3-3. EMPOLI COME OUT STRONG The opening 15 minutes saw Empoli play a positive brand of football, as they counter-attacked with precision and pace, while keeping their formation intact. Daniele Rugani was forced into making a crucial interception inside the box, while Krunic unleashed a high-flying shot from the edge of the D that sailed over Szczesny’s goal frame. One of Empoli best chances came in the 23rd minute when Krunic, again, found himself in open space. After making a run down the flank, he cut inside and fired from an almost identical position. This time, though, it went low and wide by inches, leaving the home fans gasping at his threatening play. Juventus’ best chance of the opening stanza fell on the stroke of the half hour mark when Mario Mandzukic nearly saw his glancing header turn into the back of the net from Blaise Matuidi’s cross. However, it was well dealt with by Dragowski. No further chances fell to either side as they walked into the break goalless. BERNA CHANCES Juventus came out in the second half looking to break the deadlock and they immediately tested the Empoli goalkeeper through a powerful hit by Bernardeschi that was turned around the post. Minutes later the Tuscan midfielder nearly found the back of the net again when he came rushing in and connected onto the end of a cross by Alex Sandro. The ball sailed over the goal as he collided with the opposition defender. A third chance fell to Bernardeschi on the hour mark when he struck a beautiful volley on the edge of the box, only to see it sail high of goal again. Soon after, Allegri brought in Spinazzola to replace Alex Sandro, while Moise Kean came on for Blaise Matuidi. KEAN SCORES STRAIGHTAWAY The young striker couldn’t have asked for a better introduction into the game when he handed Juventus the lead with his first effort at goal. The 19-year-old beautifully connected onto the end of Mario Mandzukic’s lay-off to volley a low and direct ball into the back of the net, beating Dragowski with the tightest of angles. The energy was flowing for the Bianconeri, and they nearly doubled the lead again through Kean when he found himself in a promising position of being one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, Dragowski held his ground and got a hand to the teenager’s shot. Juventus’ final change of the match saw Caceres replace Bernardeschi, as the Bianconeri held on to claim all three points in the game. Juventus XI: Szczęsny; Cancelo, Rugani, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Spinazzola 60’); Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi (Kean 68’) Bernardeschi (Caceres 84’), Mandzukic, Bentancur. Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Caceres, Bonucci, Spinazzola, Nicolussi Caviglia, Kean. Empoli XI: Dragowski; Veseli, Maietta (Pasqual 79’), Dell’Orco; Di Lorenzo, Traoré, Bennacer, Krunic, Pajac (Ucan 78’); Farias, Caputo. Substitutes: Provedel, Perucchini, Brighi, Antonelli, Acquah, Pasqual, Capezzi, Oberlin, Nikolaou, Ucan. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach spoke about tomorrow’s match against Empoli at his press conference.
Tomorrow night the final countdown for the end of the season officially begins for Juventus. At 6pm, at Allianz Stadium, the Bianconeri will host Empoli. Today, Massimiliano Allegri presented the match at a press conference. “Tomorrow's match is very important, a game that must be won and tackled with great aggression and concentration. Empoli for 60-65 minutes will give us a hard time, they are a team that is doing well and is yet to reach their goal. The Scudetto still has five victories to go: we have to do the first one.” THE FORMATION OF TOMORROW "Szczesny will be in the goal. In defence, two between Chiellini, Caceres and Rugani will play. Bonucci will be rested. In midfield, it is likely that Matuidi will play with Bentancur on the bench, at least at the beginning. Mandzukic, Bernardeschi and Dybala are likely to start in attack. Without Ronaldo the hierarchy of taking penalties is: Dybala, Pjanic and Emre Can. As for the set-pieces, on one side Pjanic can kick them, on the other Dybala and Bernardeschi.” RONALDO, DYBALA AND KEAN “Ronaldo is fine, but caution is needed. We are in a delicate phase: he will return when he is well and there will be no danger that he may have a relapse. We will do a check on Monday to evaluate him. Dybala? I talked to Paulo. He knows that this is an important month and Juventus needs the real Dybala. He has always been important for us this season; playing and sacrificing. He will definitely have a great season finale. As for Kean, he needs to be calm. He is growing and needs a normal path.” RUGANI'S RENEWAL "He is a very responsible boy, he has grown a lot, he is one of the eight Juventus players from Italy. He is important (to us) and the club did well to renew his contract.” TOUCHING ON THE INJURED "Douglas Costa is recovering and on Monday he will undergo a test to see if he will be available in the Champions League, or maybe even against Milan. Barzagli is working. We will have Cuadrado back in about ten days. Khedira has to be evaluated because he is a little behind and De Sciglio has been called up for tomorrow.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus’ unbeaten run came to an end in Genova after falling 2-0 to the Grifoni.
Genoa’s substitutions proved decisive as Stefano Sturaro and Goran Pandev found the back of the net in the second half, while Paulo Dybala had a goal ruled out by VAR. It was a very cagey affair from the get-go, with both teams putting in some physical challenges that saw both Romero and Alex Sandro go into the referee’s book inside the opening five minutes of the game. Mattia Perin brilliantly marked his return to Marassi by pulling off a stunning save to deny Sanabria from close-range, after he received a laid-off ball from Kouame inside the box on the 16-minute mark. VAR RULES TWICE On the stroke of the half hour mark, the referee initially pointed to the spot to hand Genoa a penalty for a handball inside the box on Cancelo, but after consulting VAR he deemed it an unintentional handball and withdrew his decision. The remainder of the half saw little action take place in front of either goal, with the game predominantly being bogged down in midfield. After the break, Mario Mandzukic called for a penalty after he was seemingly brought down in the box, but the referee waved away any form of appeals. Paulo Dybala thought he had eventually broken in the 56th minute when he slotted the ball into the net after a Cancelo cross, only for VAR to rule it out for offside. GENOA STRIKES Massimiliano Allegri then opted for a change by introducing Tuesday’s double-assist provider Federico Bernardeschi in place of Cancelo. Cesare Prandelli then opted to bring on former Juventus midfielder Sturaro in the 70th minute, and he made an immediate impact when he fired in an effort that bounced in front of Perin and into the goal to make it 1-0. Moise Kean, who scored a brace last week against Udinese, was introduced into the fold in place of Mandzukic in the 73rd minute. Kouame, who had been dictating play for Genoa throughout the match, went on a brilliant 20-yard run before feeding the ball to Goran Pandev, who was on the edge of the box. The striker had no second thoughts about it and he fired in a solid finish to double Genoa’s lead, and secure three points for the hosts with five minutes to go before the final whistle. Juventus XI: Perin; Rugani, Bonucci, Caceres; Alex Sandro, Bentancur (Spinazzola 76’), Pjanic, Emre Can, Joao Cancelo (Bernardeschi 60’); Mandzukic (Kean 73’), Dybala. Substitutions: Szczęsny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Spinazzola, Matuidi, Nicolussi Caviglia, Kean, Bernardeschi, Moreno. Genoa XI: Radu; Pereira, Romero, Zukanovic, Criscito; Lazovic (Sturaro 70’), Radovanovic, Rolon, Lerager; Sanabria (Pandev 60’), Kouame. Substitutions: Marchetto, Jandrei, Gunter, Lapadula, Pezzella, Biraschi, Mazzitelli, Pandev, Bessa, Dalmonte, Sturaro, Veloso Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach spoke about the match against Genoa at his press conference this afternoon.
Tomorrow, at lunch time, Juventus will try to continue their unstoppable march to the top of Serie A, when they meet Genoa at Marassi. Today, though, Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the forthcoming game against the Ligurian team during his press conference at the Allianz Stadium. “It will be a difficult game. Genoa at home, in 14 games, have lost only three times, conceding half of the goals they have conceded away. We left two points with them. To win the Scudetto we are missing five victories. At this moment balance must reign, as it must always reign. On Tuesday, Juventus did an extraordinary thing to overturn the situation of the first leg, in a beautiful and special evening, lived with great emotion by all. But now we have to plunge back into the league.” TOMORROW’S FORMATION The Juventus coach then spoke about the squad for tomorrow's match. “Ronaldo has played many games this year and I have left him at home, plus he will then have two commitments with his national team. It was too risky to let him play. Within a team, the coach speaks and confronts the players: yesterday I spoke with him to schedule his matches from here to the next few weeks. The same thing for Chiellini, which I do every year, as well as for other players. Right now, players like Dybala, Emre Can, Rugani, Bernardeschi, Caceres and Spinazzola will become even more important, those who have played less in recent months. Against Genoa, it is likely that Matuidi will rest, as will Chiellini. Perin will play in goal. In attack, either Mandzukic or Kean will play.” THE INJURY SITUATION “I saw Cuadrado this morning and he moved his legs better than usual: we will have him available for the end of the season. De Sciglio will return to work on Monday and he will be available for Empoli, Douglas Costa will take an exam on Thursday and, if all goes well, we will have him for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Barzagli has to be evaluated, while Khedira is doing aerobic work.” THE MATCH AGAINST ATLETICO MADRID “It was a nice evening, first of all for the enthusiasm of the fans: this will have to be repeated both in the league and in the Champions League. We must continue to work while keeping a low profile and training well. Against Atletico Madrid we had lucidity and calmness both at 1-0 and 2-0. One of the goals was not to allow them a corner kick and we succeeded. Ajax? They are a fast team with quality players.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus will face Ajax in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Today, the draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League was conducted at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, at 12:00 (CET). The Bianconeri, who qualified for the final eight through a fantastic performance on Tuesday evening in Turin against Atletico Madrid, discovered their fate for the next round of the tournament. Up next for Juventus will be Ajax, with the two-legged affair set to take place on the week of 09/10 and 16/17 April. Ajax Amsterdam qualified for the quarter-finals after eliminating defending champions Real Madrid in the Round of the Last 16, claiming a 5-3 aggregate victory. The Bianconeri have faced Ajax on 12 occasions across European competitions (6W, 4D, 2D) with the most recent outing coming in the Europa League in 2010 in the Round of 32. The two teams also met in the 1996 Champions League final, where a 1-1 draw resulted in a penalty shoot-out in which the Bianconeri triumphed 4-2 winners. The winner of this tie will play the winner of Tottenham - Manchester City in the semi-finals of the competition. Here is the Champions League quarter-final draw in full: Ajax Amsterdam v Juventus Liverpool v Porto Tottenham v Manchester City Manchester United v Barcelona Source: www.juventus.com |
An unforgettable night at the Allianz Stadium saw Juventus progress into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.
The Bianconeri knew full what needed to be done and they did exactly that. From the first minute they made their intentions clear and their 3-0 victory meant they did the “impossible” and completed the comeback! VAR SAYS NO GOAL The atmosphere was electric, with every inch of the stadium erupting in song and cheer. It was almost the perfect start for Juventus when they had the ball in the back of the net after just three minutes following a corner kick. Giorgio Chiellini – who was making his 500th appearance for the club – toe-poked it over the line after a scramble inside the box. However, after a silent check with VAR, the goal didn’t stand. While it may have been absorbing in the stands, the play was intense on the field, with the Bianconeri pressing and dominating possession by the 25th minute. However, two decent chances fell to Atletico when Koke fired from range only to see it go over goal, while Antoine Griezmann fired in a powerful effort that stung the fingertips of Wojciech Szczesny. CR7 HALVES THE DEFICIT Moments later the stalemate was eventually broken when Federico Bernardeschi delivered a delightful cross into the box, and it was headed home by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Tuscan-born midfielder nearly doubled Juventus’ lead in the 32nd minute when he attempted an acrobatic free-kick on the edge of the box that sailed just high of Jan Oblak’s goal frame. It was all Juventus in the remaining minutes of the first half, Ronaldo, Bernardeschi and Chiellini saw their efforts miss the face of goal, with Oblak pushing away the latter’s efforts. Alvaro Morata had the final crack at goal before the break, when his glancing header sailed just wide of goal. SIIIIIIIIII! A big second half was needed by Juventus and Massimiliano Allegri couldn’t have asked for a better start when Ronaldo fired in a glancing header from a Joao Cancelo cross. Oblak was there to parry it away with outstretched arms, but it had crossed the line after a check with goal line technology. 2-0 to Juventus. Game on! After the hour mark, Paulo Dybala was added into the mix when he replaced Leonardo Spinazzola. Mario Mandzukic tried to turn in a Miralem Pjanic set-piece when he headed the ball just wide of the post in the 73rd minute. In an attempt to avoid extra-time, Allegri went all out attack by introducing last week’s goalscoring hero Moise Kean into the fold in place of the Croatian. He nearly had an immediate impact when he was fed a goal that saw him beat the offside trap and charge into Atletico’s box. Oblak was the only person he had to beat, but a miss-hit saw Kean skew his effort wide of goal. COMEBACK COMPLETE The comeback was eventually completed when Juventus were awarded a penalty after Correa was judged to have brought down Bernardeschi in the box. Ronaldo stood up to the spot and struck a perfectly executed penalty to make it 3-0 and overturn the result. Cool, calm and collected. The perfect ending to a magical night! Juventus XI: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola (Dybala 67’); Can, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi, Mandzukic (Kean 80’), Cristiano Ronaldo. Substitutes: Perin, Caceres, Rugani, Bentancur, Nicolussi Caviglia, Dybala, Kean. Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak; Arias (Vitolo 77’), Gimenez, Godin, Juanfran; Koke, Rodrigo, Saul, Lemar (Correa 56’); Griezmann; Morata. Substitutes: Adan, Savic, Montero, Vitolo, Mikel Carro, Kalinic, Correa. Source: www.juventus.com |
Both Mister Allegri and Captain Giorgio Chiellini addressed the media tonight ahead of the important clash against Atletico Madrid.
The underlying message was clear – it’s a must win and Allegri and Chiellini know exactly what is needed in order to turn over the two-goal deficit from the first leg. “Tomorrow we have to be good at reading the moments of the game,” revealed Allegri before adding. “Atleti have won three Europa Leagues and have played in two Champions League finals, they are one of the strongest teams in Europe the last few years. Tomorrow, we need to be at our best. And we know how.” THE FIRST LEG RESULT “The team did well in the first half of the first leg. The only error we made was that we thought we had escaped danger after the woodwork. We need to put on display our quality and our characteristics, with aggression and through the help of the fans. We all have to give something more tomorrow by taking out our emotional level, and giving 100%, to overcome the result without regrets.” ON THE TEAM “I still need to decide who plays tomorrow. Set-pieces will be very important, who knows, Miralem Pjanic may even score as he did in Naples. Douglas Costa was almost ready, but today he had another set-back. Better today than tomorrow. The defensive module changes nothing, it’s the attitude that counts and aggression. Caceres is a great player, of absolute performance, his career has been halted by injury. Spinazzola? It’s possible that he may start tomorrow, we shall see.” Chiellini also relayed his thoughts on the forthcoming match, which will be a special night for him in more ways than one, as he will feature in his 500th match for the Bianconeri. "I know that tomorrow could be my 500th match with Juve and I hope it can be remembered,” revealed the skipper.” If I had to choose a match that represented the other 499, I would say the 0-0 we achieved at the Camp Nou. But our objectives are more important than anything else…" LOOKING TO TOMORROW “We're excited for tomorrow night's match, we want to qualify and go all the way. We are used to these types of situations and we are hoping to experience a magical Champions League night. Everyday we've all thought at least once about tomorrow's game. With full respect to our opponents, we want to continue our adventure.” ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN “In football, one moment is enough to change everything. We didn’t expect the last week's results (in the Champions League), but this is evident that few things are enough to reverse the result. The result we start from isn't disastrous but we will have to be very focused. “Atletico is a team that defends well. We know their characters and it is a team similar to ours, because it’s difficult to concede goals. They have their own weaknesses like we do. In respect to Madrid, we need to expose them.” A FAMILIAR FACE “Alvaro Morata is a great guy, we all hoped he would stay at Juventus. We love him and we will continue to, regardless. Tomorrow we have to be careful of him, Griezmann and the other opponents.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus maintained their dominance in Serie A when they strolled to a 4-1 victory over Udinese at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
A stunning brace from Moise Kean, a penalty from Emre Can and a goal from Blaise Matuidi ensured the Bianconeri claimed an impressive victory on home soil. With Atletico Madrid in sight, Massimiliano Allegri introduced a different looking line-up with Andrea Barzagli and Daniele Rugani slotting in as the centre-back pairing, while up front, Moise Kean was partnered up with Federico Bernardeschi, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala all started on the bench. KEAN FOR A GOAL Juventus were the first to launch an attack at goal when Rugani filtered in a cross from the left side of the box. The dangerous ball was chased down by Martin Caceres, but it was perfectly punched away by Juan Musso after rushing off his line. The Bianconeri broke the deadlock in the 11th minute of play when Alexa Sandro picked up the ball on the left flank. He ran a few meters before proving a low cross which Moise Kean connected onto and slotted it into the back of the net. Perfect timing on the run and a clean finish. The scoreline nearly doubled seven minutes later when a cross was played into the box from a short corner. Rugani sent in a glancing header towards goal, Musso was beaten but it sailed just wide of the far post. Bernardeschi then tried his luck in the 20th minute when he struck a left-footed shot on the edge of the box. Unfortunately for him, it sailed high of the goalmouth. Leonardo Bonucci was called into unexpected action in the 25th minute when he was asked to replace an injured Barzagli, while Udinese also made a change at the same time, taking of Nuytinck for Opoku. MOISE X2 The scoreline doubled in the 39th minute by an excellent goal scored by Kean. The young striker received the ball from the midfield and made a 30-yard run, before cutting into the box and firing past Musso. Juventus went into the break with two goals to the good and in complete control of the game. Udinese made their second change at the start of the second stanza, with Davide Nicola introducing Kevin Lasagna in place of Ben Wilmot. The Bianconeri were found immediately threatening Udinese goal when Musso was forced to rush off his line and punch the ball away – after Bentancur floated in a cross – to deny Kean and Blaise Matuidi a shot at goal. CAN COVERTS, MATUIDI SCORES After a dry spell of about 10 minutes with little action, Referee Chiffi found himself pointing to the spot after Kean was brought down inside the box. Emre Can stood up to take the penalty and with great ease, he sent the ball straight down the middle of the goal to make it 3-0. Udinese defence were leaving large gaps in their backline, and they soon conceded a fourth goal when Matuidi nodded home a low header from Bentancur cross. Two goals in two minutes. After finding the back of the net, Matuidi was then substituted off in place of Dybala. The Argentine immediately threatened Musso with a curling effort that sailed straight into his arms. Kean was on the receiving end of a celebration when he was taken off with 10 minutes to ago, allowing for Nicolussi to make his debut. LASAGNA PULLS ONE BACK Udinese did pull a goal back in the closing minutes of the game. De Paul sent in a cross across the field, Lasagna controlled it with his chest before then driving a left-footed drive past Szczesny, who had little to do throughout the game. Despite this, Juventus remained in control of the fixture, as they claimed an important win ahead of their midweek tie against Atletico. Juventus XI: Szczesny; Caceres, Barzagli (Bonucci 25’), Rugani, Spinazzola, Emre Can, Bentancur, Matuidi (Dybala 71’), Alex Sandro, Bernardeschi, Kean (Nicolussi 80’). Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Bonucci, Kastanos, Nicolussi Caviglia, Mavididi, Dybala, Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Udinese XI: Musso; De Maio, Troost-Ekong, Nuytinck (Opoku 25’); Ter Avest, Stryger-Larsen (Sandro 62’), Wilmot (Lasagna 46’), Fofana, Zeegelaar; Pussetto, De Paul. Substitutes: Andrade, Perisan, Opoku, Okaka, Ingelson, Micin, Lasagna, Guimaraes, Bocic. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach spoke at the press conference today ahead of the match against Udinese.
Tomorrow evening, against Udinese, Juventus will play their 200th match at Allianz Stadium. In today’s press conference, Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the forthcoming game against Davide Nicola’s team, who recently defeated Bologna. “It’s a game we need to win: we need to have good performance and continue to gain points.” TOMORROW’S FORMATION The Juventus coach spoke about the players he has at his disposal. “Szczesny will play in goal. In defence, Bonucci and Chiellini will not play, while there is a possibility we will see Barzagli, just like that with Kean upfront. Today Dybala and Mandzukic trained by themselves: Paulo after the hit he sustained in Madrid is doing better and also Mandzukic with his niggling tendon in his knee. Ronaldo is available but will be on the bench. Douglas Costa is much better and will be available on Tuesday.” MEETING THE PRESIDENT “Last night I saw the President. We will meet again in June to discuss the renewal of the contract and to celebrate the trophies won. One is the Super Cup, we are close to the Scudetto and we are still on course for the Champions League. The trophies need to be celebrated: every victory is the fruit of our work and the sacrifice we bring home. The club and I are in tune. In the last five years we have built something important. In football, to win is something extraordinary and we need to continue and it’s even more difficult.” THE MATCH AGAINST ATLETICO “The match in Madrid left an important mark on us. In these 20 days the time has helped: Tuesday will be a great game. We are ready. Patience, calmness and readiness is needed.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus continued their unbeaten run in Serie A when they claimed all three points at San Paolo on Sunday evening despite going down to 10-men.
Goals from Miralem Pjanic and Emre Can were enough for the Bianconeri to seal a 2-1 win over Napoli and move 16 points clear at the top of the table. From the first minute the atmosphere at San Paolo was nothing short of electric and cagey, and that was evident when Emre Can was brought down on the edge of the box in the fourth minute by Hysaj. A free-kick was awarded to Juventus, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo play it short with a back-heeled pass to Miralem Pjanic, who then saw his effort hit the wall. Zielinski came close to opening the scoring when he pounced on a defensive error. It allowed him to fire from inside the box, only to see it skip wide of Szczesny’s goal. Juventus’ first shot at goal came in the 20th minute when he was fed the ball. He turned the defender and fired high at goal, however, it was offside. SIMPLY PJANIC The game was delicately poised, and it saw both teams go at it. Napoli were sentenced to 10 men in the 24th minute when Meret was deemed to have brought down Ronaldo on the edge of the box to , with the goalkeeper being shown an immediate red card. Milik was then sacrificed to allow David Ospina to come on, and his first call to action was to defend a set-piece on the edge of the area. Pjanic stood over the ball and struck a wonderfully curling free-kick that sailed over the wall and glided into the back of Ospina’s net to make it 1-0 in favour of the Bianconeri. CAN THE MAN Carlo Ancelotti’s side almost responded immediately through Zielinski, who broke free of the defence and fired a low drive that rattled the upright. Juventus then doubled the lead in the 39th minute when Bernardeschi fed in a cross into the box after a short corner. His effort is met by Can, who headered it into the back of the net. CALLEJON RESPONDS Juventus were also reduced to 10 men when Pjanic was shown a second yellow card for what was deemed an intentional hand ball, at the start of the second half. Napoli pulled one back on the stroke of the hour when Callejon tapped in from a yard out after he connected onto the end of Insigne’s cross. Massimiliano Allegri made an immediate change by bringing on Mattia de Sciglio in place of Cancelo. Napoli started to pile on the pressure and forced Szczesny into making a crucial save off Zielinski’s shot at the near post. Mandzukic was then forced into a substitution after picking up an injury, and he was replaced by Rodrigo Bentancur. INSIGNE MISS The referee awarded Napoli a penalty in the 84th minute, after it was deemed that Alex Sandro had handled the ball in the box. Insigne stood up to take the spot-kick but couldn’t find the equaliser as his effort struck the upright. The final minutes of the game saw both teams battle it out, but Juventus held on to secure another victory and further extend their lead at the top of the table. Juventus XI: Szczesny; Cancelo (De Sciglio ‘60), Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi (Dybala ‘84), Mandzukic (Bentancur ’73), Ronaldo. Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Caceres, Barzagli, Rugani, Spinazzola, Bentancur, Dybala, Kean. Napoli XI: Meret; Malcuit, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Hysaj; Callejon (Younes ’77), Allan, Fabian, Zielinski; Milik (Ospina ‘26), Insigne. Substitutes: Ospina, Karnezis, Chiriches, Ghoulam, Luperto, Mario Rui, Diawara, Verdi, Ounas, Mertens, Younes. Source: www.juventus.com |
"In case of a positive result our chances will increase a lot. I'm sure Juve will play a great game."
“Napoli are having a great season. Tomorrow will be a beautiful evening of sport, where we need to be ready, play a great game of technique and intensity. We know that at San Paolo the matches are never over.” With just over 24 hours to go ahead of the game,Massimiliano Allegri gave his thoughts on tomorrow’s big match that could leave an important stamp in the race for the title. But the game wasn’t the only thing that was addressed during his press conference…. LEAVING SOCIAL MEDIA “This is the problem,” revealed Allegri after he was asked about his deleted social media accounts. “I have never been a big follower of social media, sometimes I would post a message after a game. I was at dinner and I decided to close my profiles, but I find it normal. This clamour has surprised me.” THE CRITICS AFTER MADRID “In the last four years we have shared a lot of satisfaction and now we are still on course for another Scudetto and we are in the Champions League. We lost the first leg 2-0, and I’m sorry for the reactions that were there: they had created expectations for which it seemed that Juventus had to win 3-0 in Madrid… During my time, Juventus have lost 11 times in the Champions League, one in Bern and Sevilla when we were already qualified, in Manchester at home, another in Monaco, and all the other times we lost against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico – three teams that are above Juventus in the rankings. When the criticisms form part of the play, I accept them as constructive criticism but not if they are born from unexpected realities. The Champions League is a competition where anything can happen, where centimetres can be decisive. Real needed 11 years to win La Decima. It’s true that they have won four more, but for 11 years they didn’t win everything. THE CONDITION OF THE TEAM “Ronaldo is doing well, he trained with the group. Tomorrow either Emre Can or Bentancur will play. Regarding the injuries, Khedira is being monitored and there isn’t a date for his return. We hope to recover Douglas Costa for Atletico. The team will be ready for the match. Bonucci and Chiellini’s conditions are improving, just like that of Pjanic. THE RUMOURS OF HIS FUTURE “After Madrid they made us for dead before we’ve been eliminated, so voices came out that I would go away for a number of reasons, which are not true. I will meet with the President and we will talk like every year and decide what to do next year. Now we have to be focused on the remaining games still to be played, a championship that needs to be won and on the game on March 12th, where everyone will be needed. What is needed is a stadium that will push the team for 95 minutes.” ON THE GAME AT SAN PAOLO “We will play for two thirds of the Scudetto, because in the case of a positive result, it will help our possibility (to win the league) a lot. It will be a great game because they want to beat us and demonstrate that they are better, it’s been a week or more that they have prepared for this game. I don’t believe that tomorrow will be a closed game, Napoli played in a different way in respect to the past, and you can find more space. I am sure Juventus will play a great game.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus takes all three points in Bologna courtesy of a Paulo Dybala strike to win the game 1-0.
The Bianconeri claimed their third successive Serie A victory after a second half substitution saw ‘La Joya’ come on and score the only goal of the game at Renato Dall’Ara. A GOALLESS FIRST HALF The first attack of the game came from the home side, where Federico Santander attempted a backheel finish towards goal, however, it wasn’t strong enough to test Mattia Perin in goal. Nicola Sansone then followed up with an effort of his own in the 10th minute of play, when he picked up the ball on the edge of the D and fired at goal. Perin was beaten, but his strike went wide. Juventus’ first real attack came in the 20th minute, when Federico Bernardeschi tried to slip the ball into the path of an onrushing Blaise Matuidi inside the box, but Lukasz Skorupski rushed off his line on time and gathered the ball easily. Bologna were looking very positive when on the attack, and their next effort came from Simone Edera, who fired a shot that went inches wide of the bottom post. The Bianconeri’s best chance of the half came from Bernardeschi just after the half hour mark. The Tuscan attacker made a surging run into the box, looked up, and fired an attempted curling effort into the top far corner, however it went over... by only millimetres. It was a first half of half chances and untaken opportunities, that left both teams heading into the break goalless. CRUCIAL SANDRO! Both teams came out knowing that the result could go either way, and Bologna showed their ambition to cause an upset. Juventus were lucky to not go a goal down when Alex Sandro pulled off a crucial and decisive interception from Mbaye’s shot, following a corner kick into the area that seemingly caused a lot of uncertainty inside the box. Massimiliano Allegri then opted to change things up in attack when he introduced Paulo Dybala up front for Alex Sandro, leaving Joao Cancelo to fall back into his usual full-back role. SUPER SUB, LA JOYA! Dybala’s introduction into the team had an immediate effect, where he started and ended a move which resulted in the goal. He passed the ball to Matuidi, who laid off a cross inside the box, but it was poorly cleared by Bologna and fell straight to the feet of the Argentine, who then struck a low side-footed effort down the middle of the goal. With less than a quarter of an hour remaining in the game, Miralem Pjanic was introduced onto the field in place of Matuidi, while the final change saw Bernardeschi come off for Giorgio Chiellini. MIGHTY PERIN In the dying moments of the game, Perin was asked to produce a decisive save which kept the scoreline in favour of the visitors. Sansone struck the ball from distance and he brilliantly tipped the effort onto the post. Despite Bologna’s relentless attitude, Juventus held on strong to ensure all three points headed back to Turin. Juventus Starting XI: Perin, De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro (Dybala ‘59); Bernardeschi, Bentancur, Matuidi (Pjanic ’78); Cancelo, Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Substitutes: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Caceres, Barzagli, Spinazzola, Pjanic, Dybala, Kean. Bologna Starting XI: Skorupski; Mbaye, Danilo, Helander, Dijks; Poli (Donsah ’79), Pulgar (Felcinelli ’79), Soriano; Edera (Orsolini ’52), Santander, Sansone. Substitutes: Da Costa, Gonzalez, Lyanco, Paz, Orsolini, Nagy, Krejci, Donash, Dzemaili, Svamberg, Calabresi, Falcinelli. Bookings: Pulgar ‘6, Bentancur ’16, Sansone ’74, Cancelo ‘90. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach previews tomorrow afternoon's game in Emilia-Romagna against Mihajlović's men.
For the second time this season, Juventus will return to the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara to take on Bologna. The last time took place on 12th January in the Coppa Italia, in what was the Bianconeri's first match of 2019, that Massimiliano Allegri's men won 2-0. Today, at midday, the coach faced the media at the pre-match press conference, and before beginning, Allegri gave his condolences to the Agnelli Family for the passing of Donna Marella. Then, he went on to preview tomorrow's tie, here's what he had to say: TOMORROW'S TEAM NEWS "Perin will play in goal tomorrow, and Cancelo will be out there from the first minute. I still have to evaluate whether to play Chiellini or let him rest, today I will make my decisions. Regarding the midfielders, Pjanic isn't well. I hope Douglas Costa will be back and when he's in good condition, he'll play." THE MATCH IN MADRID "We have 20 days to prepare for the return leg on 12th March. It will be a great evening and we will face it with great enthusiasm and full of adrenaline. I don't know if we'll qualify, but we must do everything to make it happen. "To come into the game in the best condition we have to do well in our next three league games, starting now from tomorrow. Playing the second leg now of Juve-Atletico would be a mistake, because from here until the game we need time to prepare everything a little at a time, step by step, like a bottle of water slowly filling up. Atletico Madrid are a strong team, and in the last nine years they have won three Europa Leagues and made two Champions League finals. In the return match we absolutely have to do better than in the first leg, but one thing is certain: We will be ready on 12th March." THE BIANCONERI DRESSING ROOM "The players are doing well and they are calm. They have a good training session yesterday and we need to transform what happened in Madrid into an opportunity to do something extraordinary." Source: www.juventus.com |
It was a tough day at the office for Massimiliano Allegri and his men after Atletico Madrid put two goals past the Bianconeri at Wanda Metropolitana.
Juventus will have it all to fight for in the second leg fixture at Allianz Stadium in March, after they were stunned by goals from Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin. CHANCES AT BOTH ENDS Atletico’s desire to do well was evident from the get-go and they made a promising counter-attack in the opening five minutes, where Antoine Griezmann picked up the ball in midfield, skipped past a few defenders and tried to lob it towards his teammate, but Wojciech Szczesny had it covered when rushing off his line. Cristiano Ronaldo then tested Jan Oblak in the ninth minute of the game when he fired in a powerful set-piece from range, that forced the stopper to make a save. Thomas Partey then had a good effort at goal six minutes later when he connected to the end of Giorgio Chiellini’s clearance. The Ghanaian fired in a low volley from the edge of the area, that saw Szczesny make the save. The electric atmosphere inside the stadium was certainly spurring the hosts on, and they came close again when a ball came close to falling at the feet of Koke, but it was dealt with by the Bianconeri. Szczesny was called into action just before the half hour mark when Griezmann was tasked to take a free-kick on the left corner of the box after Diego Costa went to ground. The Frenchman rounded the wall and fired towards goal, but the Polish stopped pulled off a great save in the top corner. The remaining minutes of the half was a cagey affair, with neither side breaking the deadlock. VAR SAYS NO GOAL Diego Costa threatened immediately after the break with one of his best chances of the night, when he picked the ball from above the halfway line, ran towards goal, shoved Leonardo Bonucci off the ball, and had just Szczesny to beat. However, he fired wide of goal. Atletico were then left stunned as to how they didn’t go a goal ahead when the Bianconeri shot-stopper brilliantly tipped Griezmann’s effort onto the crossbar. The ball then fell down in line with the host’s attackers, but Chiellini made a crucial interception. Ronaldo tried to respond with an effort of his. He accelerated away from Atletico’s defence before seeing his shot blocked. Atletico thought they had taken the lead in the 70th minute when Alvaro Morata had headered the ball into the back of the net. The goal was then reviewed by VAR, and it was deemed a no goal for a shove on Chiellini in the back by the Spaniard. ATLETICO SECURE FIRST LEG RESULT The Madrid outfit found the back of the net a few minutes later with a goal from Jose Gimenez, following a number of tussles inside the box, who head his effort past the goalkeeper. Moments later, Los Colchoneros found themselves celebrating again. A free kick was sent into the box, Mario Mandzukic attempted to clear it, but it fell to Diego Godin’s feet, who fired on the volley at the near post to beat his marker, leaving it all to play for in the return leg at Allianz Stadium for the Bianconeri. Atletico Starting XI: Oblak; Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Filipe Luis; Saul Niguez, Partey (Lemar ’58), Rodri, Koke (Correa 66’); Diego Costa (Morata ’57), Griezmann. Substitutions: Adan, Arias, Kalinic, Correa, Lemar, Savic, Morata Juventus Starting XI: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Can ’72), Matuidi (Cancelo ‘85); Dybala (Bernadeschi 79’), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Substitutions: Perin, Cancelo, Caceres, Rugani, Spinazzola, Emre Can, Bernardeschi. Referee: Zwayer (GER) Yellow card: Diego Costa ‘8, Partey ’45, Griezmann ‘88 Source: www.juventus.com |
The coach and the midfielder preview the Bianconeri's tie at the Wanda Metropolitano.
ALLEGRI A GAME UNLIKE OTHERS "It's not a match like any other, it's an important Last 16 match, just as it was last year, two years ago, three years ago, four years ago and five years ago. This is because for Juventus the Champions League has always been a goal. It will be a good match between two teams that have excellent organisation. Atletico has made defending its strength and makes the most of set-pieces. It's the first of two matches and we have to lay the groundwork to get through it." SQUAD CONDITION "We've had some difficulties, but the team is now growing in all aspects, but we can't stop here and have to improve further, because we are playing in the Last 16 and have more league games to go." THE IMPORTANCE OF RONALDO "To win, you have to work hard and have a little bit of luck, because the Champions League is like that. Having Ronaldo is definitely an advantage because in the last 10 years the top scorers of the tournament were him and Messi, but the team must put in a good performance. With Ronaldo - the best in the world, you have more chances to win, but it's not a guarantee." COMPLIMENTS TO SIMEONE "He's done an extraordinary job and above all he manages to make the team work the same way, giving them the right mind-set and manages well both the important games and against the medium-small sides in always the same way. They always have great humility and great respect for their adversary and they know that they have gotten their results with those characteristics. So congratulations to Simeone." HOW TO APPROACH THE GAME "Tomorrow, we will have to stay sharp and try to control the game. I wouldn't take a draw now, in fact I said to that lads that it's important to score a goal, although two would be better." TEAM NEWS "Tomorrow, Paulo plays and I think he can give us a lot. We need his technique and style of play, and if you're in good condition like he is then it's right that you play. Khedira is out and he's an important player for us with good international pedigree." PJANIC THE DIFFICULTY OF THE MATCH "I think Atletico proved over the last years that they are a very strong team that are hard to play against, so we're expecting two difficult games. Tomorrow will be an important match for us and we will try to get a good result in the first leg. From tomorrow a very important cycle begins for us, we will have to take it one step at a time, and we want to come back here to play in the final." CR7 - THE ACE UP OUR SLEEVE "He's very motivated and in this competition he's proved to be worth more than any other player, he's a great champion and he's showing it again this year. We feel strong, but there are many high-level teams. We respect our opponents but it will be important for us to take an advantage into the second leg." Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus ran out comfortable winners in front of their home crowd by defeating Frosinone 3-0 at Allianz Stadium.
Paulo Dybala, Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo all managed to get on the scoresheet in a win that will leave them feeling confident going into the midweek Champions League fixture. Ahead of the match against Atletico Madrid, Massimiliano Allegri knew that his men couldn’t afford a slip up. That was evident in the strong line-up that took to the field, with Paulo Dybala returning to the line-up alongside Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo to lead a potent attack. LA JOYA STRIKES EARLY The Bianconeri wasted no time in making their intentions clear when they took the lead in the sixth minute through a wonderful left-footed strike by Dybala. He celebrated with his usual trademark Dybala mask, with Ronaldo joining in on the occasion. CR7 then tried his luck at adding a second goal when he stood over the ball for a free-kick from distance. However, it was a comfortable save from Marco Sportiello. BONUCCI WITH THE DOUBLE The Portuguese then was at the forefront of an inspired counter-attack and he came close to fashioning a chance in front of goal, only to see their attempt closed down by Frosinone. Moments later, Leonardo Bonucci doubled the lead when a scramble of headers inside the box saw Sportiello attempt to clear the ball off his line, but the defender was on hand to pounce in with a tap-in of his own from a Mandzukic effort. Despite going down two goals, Frosinone were passing the ball well in and around the area, but produced very little to truly test Szczesny in goal. Ronaldo came agonisingly close ten minutes before the break, when he struck a beautiful free-kick that curled over the visitor’s wall but skimmed just over the crossbar. Juventus dominated proceedings and ultimately ended the half in control of the game. SIIIIII!! The Bianconeri started the second half in a promising manner. Cristiano teed up Khedira, who unleashed a shot at goal but it was held by Sportiello. A double chance presented itself to Ronaldo, who saw his tap-in stolen away by a Bartosz Salamon interception. Dybala then floated in a corner kick, to which the No.7 saw his header sail just above goal. Just after the hour mark Juventus broke free on a counter-attack. Mandzukic received the ball on the right flank by the byline, where he pulled it back with a cross into the box. The onrushing Ronaldo pounced on it to slot home a low strike with a first-time finish. When in possession, Frosinone held and moved the ball in a controlled manner, but they struggled to threaten the Bianconeri backline. Allegri then introduced Khedira and Pjanic within minutes of each other, with the Bosnian getting stuck into the thick of things by drawing a foul from Cassata. The game was then wrapped up by a good shot from Federico Bernardeschi, who was denied by Sportiello’s outstretched hand. Another three goals scored, another three points. Juventus: Starting XI: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini (Caceres ’70), Cancelo; Khedira (Pjanic ’80), Bentancur, Emre Can; Dybala, Mandzukic, Ronaldo (Bernardeschi ’63). Subs: Pinsoglio, Perin, Barzagli, Caceres, Spinazzola, Matuidi, Pjanic, Bernardeschi, Kean Coach: Allegri. Frosinone: Starting XI: Sportiello, Goldaniga, Salamon, Capuano, Zampano (Paganini ’83), Chibsah (Gori ’78), Viviani, Cassata, Molinaro, Ciofani (Pinamonti ’58), Ciano. Subs: Marciano, Iacobucci, Gori, Paganini, Maiello, Valzania, Trotta, Sammarco, Brighenti, Krajnc, Beghetto, Pinamonti Coach: Baroni. Referee: Giua Assists: Tolfo, Alassio Fourth Official: Nasca VAR: Irrati, Di Iorio Yellow Card: Can ’26, Salamon ’37, Capuano ’62, Cassata ’82, Cancelo ‘88. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach was questioned about our match against Frosinone during his regular pre-game press conference.
Filled with beautiful victory in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo, Juventus will be back tomorrow night on the field in the opening match of this weekend’s Serie A action against Frosinone at Allianz Stadium. Today, at the press conference, Massimiliano Allegri spoke on the match. "We have to think about beating Frosinone and taking home the three points. Winning means we are one less victory towards the Scudetto. Then we will think about the Champions League. Frosinone has had three away victories without conceding a goal. A victory tomorrow evening would give a further boost ahead of Wednesday’s fixture in Madrid. We have a strong and physical team right now and they are all very focused on the rest of the season, both in the League and in the Champions League. Starting tomorrow, a great series of games commence, coming thick and fast." TOMORROW'S FORMATION "Szczesny will be between the posts, with Bonucci in defence. Chiellini will be a doubt but if he has the chance he will play. Barzagli has been out for a while so he is unlikely to play. Rugani trained separately and had a little discomfort so he will be evaluated. If he does not recover, Caceres will play. The wide positions will be played between Spinazzola, De Sciglio and Cancelo. In the midfield, I still have to decide however Matuidi will most-likely be out. Dybala and Ronaldo will be in attack." DYBALA’S NUMBERS “Paulo has impressive numbers in the Juventus shirt: he has played 168 games scoring 74 goals. There may be a period where he scores fewer goals but he’s one of the best players out there. This year he has different players at his side to challenge him, but he is crucial for us." THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE "First of all we must think about tomorrow and then move on to next week. Yesterday, Real Madrid had a great match against Ajax. Tottenham has grown a lot in recent years and can aspire to reach the semi-finals. There are seven or eight teams that have the potential to reach the top four.” VAR in Europe? “I'm happy because it's useful. Ajax’s ruled out goal in a normal situation would not have been allowed and would have been at the discretion of the referee. This season, it's different.” THE JUVENTUS-MILAN FEMALE CHAMPIONSHIP "A big good luck to the women. The championship is balanced, and it is close. Sunday will be a Scudetto match!” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Welsh midfielder has put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal with the Bianconeri.
Juventus Football Club announces that Aaron Ramey will officially be a Juventus player from 1 July 2019. The Welshman will make the move from Arsenal in the summer, having signed a four-year contract with the Italian champions, tying him to the club until 2023. Here is the official statement: AARON RAMSEY Turin, 11 February 2019 - Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that a contract of employment with the player Aaron James Ramsey, effective as of 1st July 2019 and expiring on 30 June 2023, has been signed. As a result of the registration of the player, Juventus will incur additional costs of € 3.7 million, to be paid within 10th July 2019. Born on 26 December 1990 in the Welsh town of Caerphilly, Aaron Ramsey began his career at Cardiff City, graduating from the academy and going on to make his first team debut in 2007. A succession of impressive performances from the then-youngster caught the eye of Arsenal, who signed the midfielder in July 2008. Following the switch to North London, Ramsey went on to make his debut for the Gunners in their Champions League qualifier against FC Twente just over two months after signing. To date Ramsey has played in 256 Premier League games for Arsenal, more than any other teammate, whilst scoring a total of 38 top-flight goals from midfield. Aside from two loan spells at Nottingham Forest in 2010, and then back at former club, Cardiff in 2011, Ramsey has spent just over the last decade of his career at Arsenal, contributing to three FA Cup wins and two Community Shield trophies. Interestingly, in his Premier League career, his favourite opponent has been Everton, whom he has scored six goals in 13 appearances against, with his only Premier League hat-trick coming against the Toffees in February 2018. As well as being recognised as a solid Premier League player, Ramsey brings a wealth of European experience, having played in 43 matches in the Champions League, scoring eight goals and providing four assists, a figure that rises to 50 considering also the qualifying stages, in which he has also scored three times. Finally, this is rounded off with nine appearances and five goals in the Europa League. On the international stage, Aaron Ramsey has 58 caps for Wales to his name, having scored 14 goals, and was a part of the Welsh side that reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals, with Ramsey being named in the 'Team of the Tournament'. In addition, he participated for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympic Games, turning out a total of five times for Team GB (including a pre-tournament friendly), and scoring one goal from the penalty spot in their Olympic quarter-final against South Korea. Aaron Ramsey will become only the third Welshman to pull on the Black & White shirt in the history of Juventus, following the great, John Charles and former European Golden Boot winner, Ian Rush. See you, Aaron! Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus bounced back in fine fashion with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo on Sunday evening at Mapei Stadium.
Goals from Sami Khedira, Cristiano Ronaldo and Emre Can saw the Bianconeri extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table to 11 points after a dominant display in Reggio Emilia. SUPER SAMI The opening minutes of the game started off very sprightly, with Sassuolo immediately testing Juventus’ backline. Djuricic was sent to chase down the ball in the box, and it resulted in Szczesny making a crucial interception in a one-on-one challenge. The Polish goalkeeper was then called into action in the 15th minute, when Manuel Locatelli struck a powerful ball on the edge of the box, but Szczesny did well to make the save from the top corner. Juventus took the lead after 23 minutes on the clock when Sami Khedira converted the ball across the line from close range, after Consigli’s initially parried shot from Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort fell into his path. NEARLY AT THE DOUBLE As the half went on, both Juventus and Sassuolo pushed their way up and down the field. Ronaldo tried to feed a ball to Mario Mandzukic, but he couldn’t get onto the end of it, while Domenico Berardi fired an attempt at goal that sailed high above Szczesny’s posts. The Bianconeri started to pile on the pressure in stoppage time, and came agonisingly close to doubling the lead. Federico Bernardeschi started the attack and forced Consigli to make a save. Khedira then made his second attempt at goal with a header, but it sailed inches wide of goal. CHANCES AT BOTH ENDS After the break, Juventus came out with guns blazing and it was Daniele Rugani who nearly added the second goal with a header that went wide of goal. The Bianconeri burst into celebration in the 52nd minute, when Ronaldo found the back of the net after latching onto a Bernardesch ball and rounding Consigli. However, the linesman's flag was raised and the goal didn’t stand. Moments later, Sassuolo went on a dangerous counter attack that saw Szczesny rush off his line and attempt to clear the ball. However, it fell to the feet of Berardi who fired towards an open net but it sailed wide. The game started to become more stretched and open, and another good chance fell to the visitors when Mandzukic’s knockdown across goal evaded the onrushing Khedira and Bernardeschi. SIIIIIIIII! Juventus’ hard work in front of goal paid off when the scoreline turned 2-0 courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo header. The Portuguese striker turned the ball into the back of the net from an excellently delivered Miralem Pjanic cross. The game was then wrapped up when Emre Can was introduced onto the field in place of Blaise Matuidi. The midfielder made it 3-0 with his first touch of the game, by firing home from a tight angle off a Ronaldo assist, which saw him combine well with Dybala. SASSUOLO-JUVENTUS 0-3: GOALS: Khedira 24' pt, Ronaldo 25' st, Emre Can 41' st SASSUOLO: Consigli; Lirola, Magnani, Peluso, Rogerio; Bourabia (34' st Magnanelli), Sensi, Locatelli; Berardi, Babacar (14' st Boga), Djuricic (11' st Matri). Subs not used: Satalino, Adjapong, Ferrari, Lemos, Demiral, Scamacca, Di Francesco, Brignola, Odgaard Coach: De Zerbi. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Rugani, Caceres, Alex Sandro; Khedira (22' st Bentancur), Pjanic, Matuidi (40' st Emre Can); Bernardeschi (38' st Dybala), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Cancelo, Barzagli, Spinazzola, Kean Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Mazzoleni ASSISTANTS: Passeri, Galetto FOURTH OFFICIAL: Dionisi VAR: Maresca, Peretti YELLOW CARDS: 6' pt Pjanic, 27' pt Alex Sandro, 30' pt Magnani, 38' pt Bourabia, 49' st Lirola. Source: www.juventus.com |
Here are Massimiliano Allegri’s words ahead of Sunday’s clash against Sassuolo.
After the draw against Parma, Juventus will return to the field tomorrow against Sassuolo in Reggio-Emilia. Today, at Allianz Stadium, Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the game in the press conference. "Sassuolo is a team of quality and enthusiam, despite their position on the table. We have to return to winning ways. We have a championship to play and win. When the Champions League arrives, only then will we think about it. Everyone must be at their best phsyical and mental condition," he said. TOMORROW'S FORMATION "Wojciech Szczęsny will return in goal. In defence, Mattia De Sciglio along with Daniele Rugani, Martin Caceres and Alex Sandro will play. João Cancelo could be a great change during the course of the game, even further up. There is still a doubt over whether to play Paulo Dybala or Federico Bernardeschi. If Dybala plays, then he will play with Bentancuror Emre Can. If not, then Khedira will play with Bernardeschi. Regarding the injuries, we are at a good point: besides Cuadrado, Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini will return to training next week. If Barzagli isn't available for the match against Frosinone, he will be for the Champions League or just after that." THE BIANCONERO MIDFIELD The Juventus coach then spoke about the midfielders: "Khedira is a player of international standing, he came back well. He's mentally fresh. In the last game, he had good shots and in the midfield his presence was felt. I am generally happy about our physicality. From the tests we did on Wednesday, the condition of the team is good and improving. Matuidi? He's well, he had a good game last Saturday.'' CACERES AND CANCELO "Caceres is a great player: when it's needed, he can also play as a centre-back. Cancelohas grown a lot, and he must still grow in the defensive phase on the game. However, he is an extraordinary player. With the ball at his feet, he's at a high level." DYBALA'S MOMENT "Dybala has apologised to everyone and he's understood that it was not a suitable attitude," commented Allegri after the Argentine left the substitutes bench during the match against Parma. "Juventus gave him an important responsibility while wearing the No.10. When Chiellini isn't there, he's captain. He hasn't changed his way of playing, what has changed is the way people play around him. THE GAME AND DE ZERBI "Roberto De Zerbi is a young and good coach; one of the more promising coaches. His teams occupy the field well in width and they distribute the ball well. Sassuolo is the ideal environment for him. It will be a difficult game if we aren't good at remaining compact. Sassuolo has quality and enthusiasm." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Ivorian struck in stoppage time to earn an unlikely draw for the away side, rounding off an eventful second half.
Having taken a two-goal lead on two occasions against Parma on Saturday evening, Juventus will be wondering how they managed to pick up just a solitary point from the game. With the home side leading 1-0 at the start of the second half, a strike from Daniele Rugani and Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal of the game, interspersed by an Antonino Barilla header, left Juve with a 3-1 advantage going into the final 20 minutes of the contest. However, Gervinho scored twice, including an effort in added time, to secure his team a draw. JUVE IN CONTROL The hosts were in control from the off, with the majority of play taking place in Parma’s half of the pitch and leaving the away side with counter attacks as their only true weapon. That said, players with Gervinho’s pace are always a threat and an early drive forward could have earned a surprise opener, but his shot from the edge of the area was diverted out for a corner by Martin Caceres, who made the first start of his third spell with the Bianconeri. At the other end Ronaldo forced Luigi Sepe to block with a powerful drive from 20 yards. RONALDO REWARDS DOMINANCE It was the Portuguese forward who eventually gave Juventus the lead, after a dominant first half hour. With Parma having done well to repel numerous attacks from the hosts, getting plenty of bodies back behind the ball, they fell victim to some slight misfortune. Blaise Matuidi collected the ball just inside the box and quickly offloaded the ball to Ronaldo, who slipped as he got his shot away but still managed to get his effort on target, with a deflection helping the ball on its way past Sepe. It appeared Juve would get a chance to double their lead from the penalty spot, after the referee blew for a foul on Caceres; however, after a quick VAR check the decision was overturned. THREE GOALS IN FOUR MINUTES Juve started the second half with Federico Bernardeschi on in place of Douglas Costa and faced a more forward-thinking Parma, leaving space for the home side on the break as their opponents sought to draw level. The Bianconeri duly capitalised on 62 minutes. Mario Mandzukic hooked a cross in from the left which Ronaldo tried to meet at the far post. He failed to connect with the ball cleanly but inadvertently flicked the ball perfectly into the path of Rugani, who smashed home a left-foot volley from close range. It did not take long for Parma to respond, however. The Gialloblu pulled a goal back after Juraj Kucka’s swinging cross from the right found Barilla unmarked to fire an accurate header past a stationary Mattia Perin. Juventus regained their two-goal league just two minutes later, with Mandzukic playing a key role once again. This time the Croat found himself wide on the right and sent another teasing ball into the box which Ronaldo met to send a downward header into the net, making it 3-1 to the hosts. GERVINHO AT THE DOUBLE After Ronaldo almost sealed his hat-trick with another header, Parma cut the deficit with just over 15 minutes to play. Kucka provided another assist, this time a low cross for Gervinho, who produced a clever back-heeled finish to beat Perin from within the six-yard box. Massimiliano Allegri replaced Sami Khedira with Rodrigo Bentancur and was forced to send on Emre Can in place of Bernardeschi, who picked up a knock, but Juve were unable to hold on to their slender advantage. In the third minute of stoppage time, Roberto Inglese worked his way to the by-line before cutting the ball back to Gervinho, who had the space to fire side-footed into the net and condemn Juventus to a third draw of the season. JUVENTUS 3-3 PARMA (HT: 1-0): SCORERS: Ronaldo 36, 66, Rugani 62 , Barillà 64, Gervinho 74, 90+3. JUVENTUS: Perin; Cancelo, Rugani, Caceres, Spinazzola; Khedira (Bentancur 79), Pjanic, Matuidi; Douglas Costa (Bernardeschi 46, Emre Can 87), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Dybala, Kean. Coach: Allegri. PARMA: Sepe; Iacoponi, Bruno Alves, Bastoni, Gagliolo; Kucka (Sprocati 86), Scozzarella (Stulac 76), Barillà; Gervinho, Inglese, Biabiany (Siligardi 56). Subs not used: Frattali, Bagheria, Gobbi, Dimarco, Gazzola, Machin, Dezi, Davordzie, Ceravolo. Coach: D'Aversa. REFEREE: Giacomelli ASSISTANTS: Paganessi, Gori FOURTH OFFICIAL: Piscopo VAR: Chiffi, Di Iorio YELLOW CARDS: Barillà 26, Scozzarella 73, Emre Can 90+1. Source: www.juventus.com |
The boss previews Saturday's match against the Emilian outfit.
Massimiliano Allegri was full of praise for Juve's next opponents Parma as he spoke at a news conference to preview their Serie A Week 22 fixture. Roberto D’Aversa's side travel to Allianz Stadium on Saturday sitting comfortably in mid table in what has thus far been a successful first season back in the top flight. “Parma deserve plaudits for the season they've having,” Allegri began. “They're a well-drilled side who have had some great results. They've won two of their last three away games and have pacy, skilful players up front. We'll need to be on our game if we want to win and get ourselves back on track in the league.” TEAM NEWS “The lads trained well today. [Giorgio] Chiellini's injury is not serious – he should be back in 10-15 days. [Mario] Mandzukic will return up front tomorrow and I have to decide who else will play alongside him and [Cristiano] Ronaldo – it will be either [Paulo] Dybala, [Federico] Bernardeschi or Douglas Costa. “[Martin] Caceres will partner [Daniele] Rugani at centre-back, [Mattia] Perin will start in goal and [Leonardo] Spinazzola or Alex Sandro will play at left-back – Spinazzola has a good chance of starting. [Miralem] Pjanic is ready in midfield. “The main thing is we bounce straight back after losing to Atalanta. We still have lots of games to win if we want to reclaim the Scudetto and we must keep Napoli at a safe distance.” CANCELO AND DYBALA “I spoke to Joao [Cancelo] this morning. He's an extraordinary player with the potential to become the best right-back in the world. He has to work on his distribution and the defensive side of his game, and keep calm. “Dybala has played loads of matches. The position he plays in depends on the attributes of those around him. Along with Ronaldo and Mandzukic he's one of the players who has the most shots. He had a good game against Atalanta. Last year we were used to seeing him score loads of goals but we didn't have Ronaldo in the team then.” DEFEAT IN BERGAMO “It's perfectly normal to mess up a game or two over the course of a season. It happened to us in the league the last few seasons too. It's very difficult to win all the time. We were without Mandzukic in Bergamo, a centre forward who stretches the opposition. We beat Lazio in Rome with a similar performance to the one against Atalanta. We were sloppy and our movement wasn't so good.” CHAMPIONS LEAGUE “In the last four years Juventus have reached the Champions League final twice, the quarter-finals once and the last 16. When I first joined this club, people were worried whether we could beat Malmo and I already believed we could reach the final. “There are seven or eight teams in Europe who are good enough for the semi-finals but only four can get there and only two can play in the final. We have to produce good performances and win Serie A while trying to win the Champions League, just as we've done in previous years. To succeed you need to be both good and lucky. Football is not a video game – you don't win the trophy just because you've got Ronaldo. Winning is something extraordinary, not ordinary.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve made too many mistakes in Bergamo as a goal from Castagne was followed by a Zapata brace to knock the Bianconeri out at the quarter-final stage.
Juventus have been eliminated from the Coppa Italia at the quarter-final stage. The Bianconeri’s cup run came to an end in Bergamo on Wednesday night, where a determined Atalanta side deservedly advanced to the semi-finals thanks to a goal from Timothy Castagne and a Duvan Zapata brace. STRONG START FROM ATALANTA An aggressive start from Atalanta forced Juve onto the defensive in the opening exchanges, with dangerous play from Alejandro Gomez, Zapata and Berat Djimsiti causing the Bianconeri one or two problems at the back. Massimiliano Allegri’s side were struggling to contain the hosts, and it was only when they began to move the ball more quickly and with greater precision that they were able advance up the field towards the Atalanta goal. Yet the home side maintained a threat, with Gomez providing a reminder to that end with a fierce shot across goal from the edge of the box which drew a good save from Wojciech Szczesny. QUICK-FIRE GOALS FROM CASTAGNE AND ZAPATA Both sides were forced into substitutions just before the half-hour mark. Gian Piero Gasperini had to bring off Josip Ilicic and send on Mario Pasalic, while Allegri sent on Joao Cancelo in place of Giorgio Chiellini, shifting Mattia De Sciglio into the centre of defence alongside Daniele Rugani. Barely ten minutes after coming on, Cancelo committed a grave error when he lost the ball at the back, allowing Castagne to bear down on the Juve box and fire a ferocious right-footed effort past Szczesny and into the back of the net. And there was worse to come for Juve, as Atalanta instantly doubled their lead through Zapata, who picked the ball up on the edge of the box before turning on a sixpence and hitting the target to make it 2-0. In the aftermath, Allegri was sent to the stands for protesting a foul on Paulo Dybala in the build-up to the goal. ZAPATA PUTS THE TIE TO BED AGAINST LIMP JUVE A marked improvement was needed from Juventus in the second half, and there were encouraging signs early on as first Federico Bernardeschi burst forward only to be thwarted at the last by Marten De Roon, before Rugani headed just wide of the target soon afterwards. The Bianconeri kept pushing and seemed to unsettle Atalanta at times, but the home side had enough quality to ease the pressure and keep the Juve defence on their toes. With Douglas Costa brought on to replace Dybala on the hour mark, Juve worked their best chance of the game on 65 minutes as Sami Khedira popped up in a promising position only to fire straight at Besart Berisha. Khedira was in turn replaced by Miralem Pjanic, but in spite of their efforts Juventus were unable to work any clear-cut chances. There was, however, still time for another defensive mishap, when De Sciglio fluffed a pass to Szczesny to let in Zapata, who nipped round the keeper and stroked home for 3-0. As the net bulged, Juventus’ Coppa Italia adventure came to an end after a golden four years. ATALANTA 3-0 JUVENTUS (HT 2-0): Scorers: Castagne 37, Zapata 39, Zapata 86. ATALANTA: Berisha; Toloi, Djimsiti, Palomino (Masiello 89); Hateboer, De Roon (Gosens 90+1), Freuler, Pessina, Castagne; Ilicic (Pasalic 27), Gomez; Zapata. Subs not used: Gollini, Rossi, Mancini, Pessina, Reca, Kulusevski, Barrow, Piccoli Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini (Cancelo 27), Alex Sandro; Khedira (Pjanic 71), Bentancur, Matuidi; Bernardeschi, Dybala (Douglas Costa 61), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Caceres, Spinazzola, Emre Can, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Pasqua. ASSISTANTS: Tonolini, Tegoni. FOURTH OFFICIAL: La Penna. VAR: Doveri, Marrazzo. YELLOW CARDS: Djimsiti 44, Freuler 45+2, Hateboer 54, Pjanic 79, Matuidi 88. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach has been looking ahead to the Coppa Italia quarter-final with Atalanta.
For the third season in a row, Juventus and Atalanta are preparing to go head-to-head in the Coppa Italia, with the two sides set to face off in a one-legged quarter-final tie in Bergamo on Wednesday night. On Tuesday, Massimiliano Allegri appeared at his pre-match press conference to preview the game. “There will be no second chances – we need to produce a big performance,” said the Juve coach. “It won’t be easy. Atalanta have scored more goals than anyone else in Serie A this season and they fought back against Roma on Sunday, creating lots of chances. Physically, they’re one of the few sides that can match us – but they do give you chances. In these one-off games, the winner is the team that makes the fewest mistakes. We need to take advantage of their weaknesses.” CUP LINE-UP: Allegri also provided some team news ahead of the cup clash. “[Miralem] Pjanic and [Sami] Khedira are definitely available,” revealed the boss. “[Mario] Mandzukic is doing very well but I need to look at him today, while [Juan] Cuadrado, [Andrea] Barzagli and [Leonardo] Bonucci are out. Bonucci’s injury is less serious than initially thought and we hope to have him back as soon as possible. I’ll make a few changes to give some players a rest and give others a game. “[Wojciech] Szczesny will play in goal as [Mattia] Perin will start on Saturday. [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Daniele] Rugani will definitely play at the back, with [Joao] Cancelo on the right and one of Alex Sandro or [Leonardo] Spinazzola on the left. If the transfer goes smoothly, [Martin] Caceres will be available for selection. I still need to make my mind up in terms of the midfield, but [Blaise] Matuidi is one of the central midfielders in with a chance of playing.” RONALDO & DYBALA The Bianconeri coach went on to speak about Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala. Cristiano is having an excellent year in terms of his physical stats,” he said. “Looking at the number of games he has played, we’re more or less in line with where he was when he was at Madrid. I spoke to Paulo a couple of days ago. He’s had chances to score, such as the opportunity that led to Cancelo scoring against Lazio. He enjoys his football much more when he plays like that too.” LOOKING AHEAD TO ATLETICO MADRID Last but certainly not least, Allegri turned his attention to the upcoming Champions League Round of 16 tie with Atletico Madrid. “The Atletico Madrid match is a game of football,” he said. “Nowhere is it written that Juventus are the hot favourites or the best team in the Champions League. That’s crazy. The Champions League is one of our objectives, alongside the league, the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup. If we play well and get some luck, we’ll progress.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Goals from Cancelo and Ronaldo at the Stadio Olimpico ensured Juve beat an excellent Lazio, who were unable to hold onto their lead following an Emre Can own goal.
Winning matches like this evening against Lazio requires a great deal of character as well as a slice of good fortune, because Lazio played superbly and didn’t deserve to lose. However, when blessed with a squad like Massimiliano Allegri has, it’s easier to shift fate in your favour. Nevertheless, you still need to make good use of the players at your disposal and the Bianconeri coach is a master at this: his decision to send on Federico Bernardeschi and Joao Cancelo when Lazio were leading turned the game around. The Italy international provided a creative spark, while the Portuguese scored and then won the penalty that Cristiano Ronaldo converted for a massive three points. At times it was difficult to imagine Juve would end up victorious in this encounter, given the inspired display from the kick-off by the home side. LAZIO POSSESSED Lazio started the game on the front foot and pinned the Bianconeri back in their half by pressing and winning back possession high up the pitch before rapidly exchanging passes. Juve were more cautious to begin with and managed to constrain their opponents. Wojciech Szczesny was required to come off his line to claim the ball on a couple of occasions and made his first proper save after 20 minutes when Joaquin Correa drilled a low shot from outside the area. Harder saves followed to repel first Luis Alberto’s effort after Emre Can had carelessly lost the ball and then Marco Parolo’s fierce close-ranged shot. Five minutes from half-time, Massimiliano Allegri was forced into an early change, replacing Leonardo Bonucci, who had injured his right ankle, with Giorgio Chiellini. Lazio continued to press in the remaining minutes before the break and Ciro Immobile even had Szczesny beaten with a lob, which Daniele Rugani managed to clear on the line. When it came, the half-time whistle was greeted with a perceptible sense of relief. JUVE MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT FOR THEMSELVES The pace of the Biancocelesti attacks were causing more problems at the start of the second half, with Luis Alberto striking narrowly wide of the post. Juve, however, were playing with more purpose and their attacks carried more of a threat, but then from a Lazio corner Emre Can managed to head into his own net, complicating Allegri’s game plan. CANCELO ENTERS AND EQUALISES The coach made an immediate change, substituting Blaise Matuidi for Federico Bernardeschi, but even still Lazio came close to doubling their advantage through Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Twenty minutes from the final whistle, Joao Cancelo came on in place of Douglas Costa and took up position on the right wing. The two substitutes were involved in the move that led to the equaliser in the 74th minute. Bernardeschi embarked on an unstoppable run down the left wing and sent over an inviting cross for Paulo Dybala. The Argentine struck it first time and drew a save from Thomas Strakosha, but Cancelo pounced on the bound and found the bottom corner for 1-1. CR7 PENALTY WINS IT FOR JUVE The match was set up for a cracking ending, as the goal breathed new life into Juve but Lazio refused to back down. The players fought for every ball and while both sides lacked a bit of calmness, it was a tremendously competitive spectacle. For the Bianconeri, the moment of ecstasy came a minute from the end: Ronaldo found Bernardeschi whose cross would have found Cancelo had the Portuguese not been upended by Senad Lulic. Referee Marco Guida pointed to the spot and Ronaldo smashed it past Strakosha to beat an excellent Lazio side and increase our lead at the top of the table to 11 points over Napoli. LAZIO 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): SCORERS: Emre Can (og) 59, Cancelo 74, Ronaldo (p) 89. LAZIO: Strakosha; Bastos (Neto, 90), Radu, Wallace; Parolo, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Luis Alberto (Berisha, 81), Lulic; Correa; Immobile (Caicedo, 82). Subs not used: Proto, Guerrieri, Durmisi, Jorge Silva, Murgia, Cataldi, Badelj. Coach: S. Inzaghi JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci (Chiellini, 41), Rugani, Alex Sandro; Emre Can, Bentancur, Matuidi (Bernardeschi, 61); Douglas Costa (Cancelo, 70), Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Spinazzola, Fagioli, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Guida. ASSISTANTS: Carbone, Di Liberatore. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Abbattista. VAR OFFICIALS: Aureliano, Del Giovane. BOOKED: Emre Can 24, Leiva 50, Matuidi 5, De Sciglio 70, Rugani 73, Chiellini 80, Milinkovic-Savic 80. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juve coach is expecting to face a determined side in Rome but calls on his players to keep up their positive start to the year.
As Juventus gear up for their first league away trip of 2019, against Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio side at the Stadio Olimpico, Massimiliano Allegri gave his thoughts on tomorrow’s game in the pre-match press conference. “Matches against Lazio are always challenging. They will be looking to beat one of the so-called big sides for the first time this season. They get a lot of attempts on goal when they play at home and they’ll be seeking to bounce back from the defeat at Napoli,” the coach said. “This is an important game for us because we need to maintain consistency in our results. We’ll need a good performance in every aspect.” TOMORROW’S LINE-UP “The one doubt I have is whether to play with two or three in midfield. [Joao] Cancelo will start as a sub but he could have an impact coming off the bench. [Andrea] Barzagli will be available in between three and four weeks. [Mario] Mandzukic and [Sami] Khedira will be back for the Parma game and [Miralem] Pjanic will be back in training on Monday,” Allegri explained. “On [Moise] Kean, he needs to stay at Juventus. He’s 18 years old and still has everything to learn in football. He’s lucky to be here, at a club where he’s looked after in every way. If he were to leave, he’d be abandoning this path of development. “Emre Can has a lot to improve when playing in front of the defence, as does [Rodrigo] Bentancur. Pjanic is the one that’s able to play the ball quickest. It’s an issue of training. Emre’s passing instincts have improved – he’s young and has time on his side.” THE RETURN OF MARTIN CACERES While the coach was speaking at the press conference, Martin Caceres was having his medical ahead of his return to the club. “He is not a stopgap – we really wanted to bring him here. [Medhi] Benatia asked to leave, which was not what the club had hoped for, but his wish was granted. It wouldn’t have made sense to keep him against his will,” Allegri said. “Along with the club, we assessed who we could bring in and we were lucky that Martin accepted. He’s a very good defender and gives us a boost in an area where we’re already very strong. The fact I already know him was a contributing factor. “He’s ready and can give Juventus a great deal. I’ve always said he’s interchangeable with Barzagli, [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini. Having positive guys like him in the team is always good and it makes me happy. That’s all the business we’ll be doing.” On the topic of defenders, the Bianconeri coach also spoke about Daniele Rugani: “Now he’s got the opportunity to play lots of games and build on the improvements he’s made over recent years.” Source: www.juventus.com |
On their return to league action, Costa, Can and Rugani helped the Bianconeri to a 3-0 victory against Chievo.
After Bologna in the Coppa Italia and AC Milan in the Super Cup, paraded around the Allianz Stadium before kick-off, Juve made it three wins out of three since the start of 2019. Chievo Verona were the opposition this evening and two moments of magic from Douglas Costa and Paulo Dybala, finished by Emre Can, largely killed the game off before half-time. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the second half before Daniele Rugani added the gloss late on. LIGHTNING DOUGLAS COSTA! There was never any real danger of a close game, even though Chievo went on the attack first, which ended with an angled shot by Riccardo Meggiorini that Mattia Perin safely turned away. Juve responded immediately with a run from Federico Bernardeschi, playing on the right today, but the winger’s cross cut through the area without anyone getting on the end of it. The atmosphere at the Stadium took a while to get warmed up, although some flashes of skill by Douglas Costa started to quicken the pulses. It was obvious from the start that the Brazilian was on song, as shown by some nice exchanges in tight spaces with Dybala and Alex Sandro. The impression was confirmed just before the quarter-hour mark when Costa burst down the middle, pulled off a sublime stepover and crafted a left-foot finish from outside the area into the corner to give the Bianconeri the lead. EMRE CAN’S FIRST BIANCONERI FINISH The game continued at a steady pace, with Juventus managing to keep control of the game but limiting Chievo and testing Paolo Sorrentino through Dybala, Ronaldo and Bernardeschi. Just when the first half seemed that it was going to end without further drama, the Bianconeri doubled their advantage. Dybala evaded three defenders on the edge of the area and played a wonderful pass to Emre Can near the penalty spot. The German had time and a cool-enough head to precisely find the back of the net for his first goal for the club and Juventus’ second of the evening. SORRENTINO DENIES RONALDO FROM THE SPOT Juve almost extended their lead to three right at the start of the second half, but Sorrentino produced a superb reflex save to deny Alex Sandro’s close-range header, after the full-back was picked out in the six-yard box by Douglas Costa. Shortly afterwards, Costa popped up again with a shot from the 18-yard line that struck Mattia Bani full on the arm, which was away from his body, leaving Marco Piccinini no choice but to point to the spot. Ronaldo stood up to take the spot-kick but Sorrentino guessed the right way and managed to turn the Portuguese’s shot around the post for a corner. RUGANI SETTLES THE ENCOUNTER Despite missing the chance to kill the game, Juve were still very much in the driving seat, but gradually – thanks also to Domenico Di Carlo’s substitutions – Chievo managed to get themselves playing further up the pitch. After easily saving a weak header by Meggiorini, Perin was called into action again to save Luca Rossettini’s long-ranged effort. Ronaldo had another gilt-edged opportunity but wasn’t able to convert after Emre Can did fantastically to pick him out with a cross. Thirty minutes into the second half, Massimiliano Allegri made his first change, replacing Douglas Costa with Rodrigo Bentancur, which allowed Bernardeschi to play further forward. The Italian immediately drew a save from Sorrentino and then delivered an inch-perfect set piece for Daniele Rugani to head home. The result was virtually already secured, but at 3-0 the contest was dead and a fair reflection of our dominance. The win re-establishes the Bianconeri’s nine-point lead over Napoli at the top of the table. JUVENTUS 3-0 CHIEVO (HT: 2-0): SCORERS: Douglas Costa 14, Emre Can 45, Daniele Rugani 84. JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Kean, 89); Bernardeschi (Spinazzola, 86), Emre Can, Matuidi; Douglas Costa(Bentancur, 75), Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Cancelo, Bonucci, Khedira. Coach: Allegri. CHIEVO: Sorrentino; Depaoli (Jaroszynski, 66), Bani, Rossettini,Tomovic, Kiyine; Hetemaj (Vignato, 61), Radovanovic; Giaccherini; Meggiorini, Pellissier (Stepinski, 65). Subs: Semper, Caprile, Burruchaga, Tanasijevic, Cesar, Leris, Rigoni, Grubac, Djordjevic. Coach: Di Carlo. REFEREE: Piccinini. ASSISTANTS: Di Vuolo, Rocca. FOURTH OFFICAL: Pezzuto. VAR OFFICIALS: Calvarese, Posado. YELLOW CARDS: De Sciglio 80, Kiyine 83. Source: www.juventus.com |
After their the Italian Super Cup win in Jeddah, Juventus make their return to Serie A action, as they prepare to face Chievo Verona tomorrow night (20:30 CET).
It will also be the Bianconeri's first home match of 2019, and ahead of the game, Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the press in his usual pre-match conference today. THE OPPOSITION "Chievo have achieved five draws in their last seven matches, also claiming a victory and a defeat. They have rediscovered their belief for survival, so we have to be focused because they will keep believing until the end. Tomorrow, we have to play in an aggressive game and go make a strong impact immediately, we have to be ready, whilst also making sure we play with a lot of respect for our opponents. We've won our first trophy and we've entered the second stage of the season. Right now, the biggest risk is to rest on our laurels, which would risk compromising everything in a short time." THE LINE-UP "Some players will be rotated following our last game. Perin will start tomorrow, whilst in defence one between Chiellini and Bonucci will remain and Rugani will play in their place, on the right there will be De Sciglio and on the left Alex Sandro. In the midfield, we can go with either two or three, if we go with the former then Douglas Costa and Bernardeschi will both start, otherwise only one of them will feature from the off; Khedira will be like a January signing for us. "We always create chances during the games, and because of the characteristics of the players we have available to us, often our play is quicker than ever before. The players that I have at my disposal are all in good condition, we will try to have Mandzukic back for the match against Lazio, but it's difficult. Barzagli is still working and recovering, Benatia is still out for an inflammation, Cuadrado isn't available and Pjanic has suffered a calf injury, but he is suspended for tomorrow night anyway, he's improving and has a week to recover." GROWTH MARGINS "Every day, you keep your foot on the accelerator to reach all the goals. The hardest thing is to fight for the league title, whilst the Champions League is completely different. This is our strength, our ability to continue to work hard to improve and the growth of the players when they come here proves this. As for what we can improve upon on the pitch, we can do better in closing out games, otherwise we run a risk. This is true both in one-off games and in Serie A." Source: www.juventus.com |
The finishing touches of the Rossoneri, as well as the pre-match press conference held by Gennaro Gattuso and Alessio Romagnoli.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game as Juventus beat AC Milan 1-0 in Jeddah to secure their first piece of silverware in 2019. It may not have been the most spectacular of matches but it was keenly fought and enjoyed by the 62,000 crowd at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, who witnessed the Bianconeri lift the Italian Super Cup for a record eighth time. CANCELO AND COSTA LIVELY Massimiliano Allegri brought Joao Cancelo back into the starting line-up, with Douglas Costa in front of him on the right of a three-pronged attack, together with Paulo Dybala and Ronaldo. Gennaro Gattuso went with a 4-3-3 formation and picked Patrick Cutrone in attack, leaving out Gonzalo Higuain. Juve almost took the lead with their first chance as Cancelo danced his way into a shooting position and struck a curling effort just wide, while AC Milan responded with a header from Hakan Calhanoglu. The Rossoneri were playing a more direct brand of football with Juve building their play more slowly and it made for an entertaining encounter. The Bianconeri's best moves came through Douglas Costa and Cancelo and the Portuguese angled a shot wide around the 15-minute mark. SLOW BOIL The tempo slowed as the half wore on and not much happened until the 40th minute, apart from a Douglas Costa break forward, a Giorgio Chiellini effort that finished just off target and a Blaise Matuidi goal ruled out for a clear offside. Then Allegri inverted Douglas Costa and Dybala, with the Brazilian switching to the left, and Juve almost took the lead: the cross came in and Ronaldo saw his acrobatic effort bounce down in front of Gigio Donnarumma and over the bar. AC Milan had another chance before the half was out when the ball rather fortuitously found its way to Calhanoglu, but the Turk's left-footed finish was saved by Wojciech Szczesny. CR7 SETTLES IT Gattuso's side emerged from the interval fired up and within minutes had Cutrone rattled the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box. The pace of the game seemed to have picked up a notch and the teams were occasionally getting stretched. The deadlock was broken on the hour mark when Miralem Pjanic floated a delightful ball into the area for Ronaldo, who timed his run to perfection and nodded past Donnarumma. EIGHT TIMES JUVE Pjanic then made way for Emre Can while Gattuso sought to shake up his side by bringing on Higuain and Fabio Borini for Samuel Castillejo and Lucas Paqueta. However, his plans suffered a setback when Franck Kessie put his studs into Emre Can's leg and, after consulting with VAR, the referee pulled out the red card. A man light, the Rossoneri were forced to make another change as Cutrone was replaced by Andrea Conti, while Allegri threw on Federico Bernardeschi and Sami Khedira for Rodrigo Bentancur and Douglas Costa in the final minutes. But besides the substitutions and another Ronaldo effort saved by Donnarumma, there was little left in the game. Juventus thus leave Jeddah and head back to Italy with their eighth Super Cup – more than any other club. JUVENTUS 1-0 AC MILAN (HT 0-0): SCORER: Ronaldo 61. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bentancur (Bernardeschi 86), Pjanic (Emre 65 Can), Matuidi; Douglas Costa (Khedira 89), Dybala, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Del Favero, De Sciglio, Rugani, Spinazzola Bernardeschi, Kean Coach: Allegri. AC MILAN: Donnarumma G.; Calabria, Zapata, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Kessié, Bakayoko, Paqueta (Borini 82); Castillejo (Higuain 70), Cutrone (Conti 79), Calhanoglu. Subs not used: Reina, Donnarumma A., Abate, José Mauri, Bertolacci, Trinic, Laxalt, Musacchio, Montolivo. Coach: Gattuso. REFEREE: Banti. ASSISTANTS: Preti, Passeri. UFOURTH OFFICIAL: Di Bello. VAR: Guida, Vuoto. BOOKED: Calhanoglu 21, Alex Sandro 26, Pjanic 44, Castillejo 45+2, Rodriguez 87, Dybala 90+5. SENT OFF: Kessie 75. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri beat Bologna 2-0 at the Dall'Ara with a goal in each half. Next up: AC Milan in the Super Cup in Jeddah.
Goals by Federico Bernardeschi and Moise Kean helped Juve book their place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals for the 12th consecutive season – yet another record for the Bianconeri. A strong start and an early lead meant the result was never really in any doubt as Massimiliano Allegri's side hit the ground running again after the winter break, setting themselves up nicely for next week's Super Cup clash with AC Milan in Saudi Arabia. BERNARDESCHI POUNCES ON DA COSTA ERROR Moise Kean at the centre of the attack and Leonardo Spinazzola at left-back were the only two changes Allegri made to an otherwise full-strength side. Medhi Benatia was due to start but had to withdraw following a muscle complaint during the warm-up. The Bianconeri began the game at a high tempo while Bologna were happy to sit back and let the visitors come at them. The approach didn't pay off for the hosts, though, as Juve took the lead inside the first 10 minutes. Mattia De Sciglio hit a long ball into the box and Angelo Da Costa came out to the edge of his area to claim it but collided with Arturo Calabresi. The ball dropped invitingly for Bernardeschi, who was handed the simple task of firing into an unguarded net. The opener forced Bologna to rethink their plans and come out of their shell, which inevitably left Juve more space to play in and led to a more entertaining encounter. Emre Can, Sami Khedira and Kean failed to get efforts on targets while Leonardo Bonucci's header was too close to the keeper. Douglas Costa was proving to be a real handful on the right and often kept two Bologna players busy, freeing up space for De Sciglio to exploit, while Spinazzola was making hay down the opposite flank. KEAN MAKES IT TWO Juve had to wait until the restart before they could double their advantage and Kean was name on the score sheet when it came. Bernardeschi set off from a central position and spread play to Douglas Costa, who cut inside before unleashing a shot which came off Filip Helander, falling conveniently for the young Italian striker. He didn't need asking twice as he pounced and slotted beyond Da Costa. SUPER CUP NEXT The 18-year-old made way for Cristiano Ronaldo soon after the hour mark, although there was little left to play for at that point as Juve dealt comfortably with Bologna's meek attempts to find a way back into the contest. The Bianconeri thus advance to the quarter-finals, where they will meet the winner of Atalanta v Cagliari on Monday. In the meantime, thoughts can turn to Wednesday's Super Cup clash with AC Milan in Jeddah. BOLOGNA 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Bernardeschi 9, Kean 49. BOLOGNA: Da Costa; Calabresi, Danilo, Helander; Mattiello (Orsolini 69), Soriano, Pulgar, Svanberg (Donsah 62), Dijks, Destro (Palacio 77), Sansone. Subs not used: Skorupski, Pirana, Gonzalez, Corbo, De Maio, Mbaye, Krejci, Falcinelli, Okwonkwo. Coach: Inzaghi. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola (Alex Sandro 80); Khedira, Pjanic, Emre Can; Douglas Costa (Dybala 77), Kean (Ronaldo 62), Bernardeschi. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Bentancur, Matuidi. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: La Penna. ASSISTANTS: Gori, Rossi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Rapuano. VAR: Calvarese, Lo Cicero. BOOKED: Bernardeschi 30, De Sciglio 44, Emre Can 69, Soriano 82. Source: www.juventus.com |
Ahead of the Bianconeri's opening 2019 fixture against Bologna in the Coppa Italia, Massimiliano Allegri was keen to stress the importance of the competition to the team.
“The Coppa Italia is one of our targets for the season, just as the Scudetto, the Champions League and the Super Cup are,” the coach told journalists at a news conference on Friday. “The Dall'Ara will be a tough place to go because Bologna will be looking to pull off a surprise and knock us out. We must get our approach spot on as we'll get no second chances. It's important we get straight back into our stride.” TEAM NEWS “[Wojciech ] Szczesny will play in goal with a view to our game on Wednesday. [Mattia] De Sciglio will play at right-back and either Alex Sandro or [Leonardo] Spinazzola on the left. [Leonardo] Bonucci will play in central defence. [Joao] Cancelo will be back for the Super Cup. [Moise] Kean might start tomorrow. Ronaldo will play against Bologna but I have to decide when and how. He's rested and relaxed and he's trained very well.” BIANCONERI ATTACK “I expect [Paolo] Dybala to play well tomorrow, as he has been lately. He keeps going close to scoring and he's a key player for us with his link-up play. Ronaldo and [Mario] Mandzukic tend to make more runs in behind and finish off moves more than get involved in build-up play.” The coach also discussed Ronaldo's playing time. “He hasn't gone away on international duty this season so he's missed six games compared to last term. He's played more or less the same number of games. We'll see how best to use him going forward. I have to manage the other players too so that we can try and go all the way in every competition.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve sign off a memorable 2018 with success against Samp thanks to two goals by Ronaldo.
One hundred and one points in the calendar year, 100 goals scored and 42 wins in 52 games delivering the seventh consecutive Scudetto title and the fourth Coppa Italia in a row. Juve’s 2018 will go down in history and the players capped it off in perfect fashion this afternoon thanks to two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo. It was far from an easy affair and the VAR was required to step in on three occasions, but it’s fair reward for the Bianconeri’s superiority right from the start of the match. THE PERFECT START! Paulo Dybala sent a perfect ball over to Ronaldo, who controlled and bought himself a yard from Jacopo Sala then unleashed a shot that bounced in front of Emil Audero and into the net. There wasn’t even two minutes on the clock and Juve were already 1-0 up. The Bianconeri’s lightning start, however, didn’t shake Samp from their game plan, with the visitors pressing high up the pitch in an attempt to stop the moves at source. The approach rarely paid off though, as Massimiliano Allegri’s players simply had too much quality on the ball. Ronaldo looked unstoppable down the left flank, continually firing balls into the area. Miralem Pjanic and Alex Sandro twice benefitted from this, but their efforts both missed the target. QUAGLIARELLA FROM THE SPOT Sampdoria tried to find a way back into the contest through shots by Dennis Praet and Fabio Quagliarella, but without troubling Mattia Perin, who was drafted into the line-up at the last moment following an injury in the warm-up to Wojciech Szczesny. In front of him the young keeper could rely on an excellent Daniele Rugani and Giorgio Chiellini in formidable mood. The skipper was not only stamping out every forward initiative by the opposition, but even had enough energy to surge up the left wing and find Dybala, who struck narrowly wide. The only criticism so far was that Juve hadn’t converted their dominance into more goals, as one moment of misfortune can so often turn things against you, which is precisely what happened in the 30th minute. Emre Can handled a Sampdoria corner and, after reviewing the VAR, Paolo Valeri pointed to the spot, which Quagliarella duly converted. After the equaliser, the game temporarily changed track, with the Bianconeri lacking fluidity and precision and the visitors growing in confidence. But as soon as Juve settled back down, the chances started to flow again: Dybala called Audero into action from the edge of the area, Mario Mandzukic was inches from reaching Ronaldo’s cross and Chiellini nodded Pjanic’s free-kick narrowly wide. The second half continued at the same pace and after Perin cut out Quagliarella’s diagonal shot, Blaise Matuidi drew a corner out of Audero. Pockets of space were hard to find, so Ronaldo decided to take matters into his own hands, unleashing a 30-yard shot that hit the crossbar. He was similarly unlucky moments later when, lining up a Matuidi cross, Omar Colley intercepted just in front of him. Ronaldo was able to make amends in the 63rd minute after Alex Ferrari handled in the area. Valeri again confirmed the decision with the VAR before CR7 drove the ball down the middle to restore the lead, Juve’s 100thgoal of 2018. NERVE-WRACKING FINALE Allegri sent on Federico Bernardeschi for Mandzukic in the 69th minute, shifting Ronaldo into the middle. Juve had a chance to kill off the game through Dybala, who put Alex Sandro’s high cross wide. Quagliarella posed the greatest threat for Doria, shooting over from the edge of the box and then just unable to convert Praet’s centre. The Bianconeri kept pushing for a winner and Ronaldo had an effort from the 18-yard line saved by Audero before the coach sent on Douglas Costa for Matuidi, switching to a 4-4-2. The points seemed already in the bag because as much as Samp tried to work an opening they were running on empty and Juve were in full control. Just as in the first half, however, a single moment could have changed everything. Deep into additional time, Perin sliced a clearance to Gregoire Defrel, who touched in on for Riccardo Saponara to strike a curling shot into the top corner. Once again, the VAR intervened and showed that the Frenchman was in an offside position when he played the ball, so the goal was correctly disallowed. The game finished 2-1, meaning Juve end the year with a sign of relief and 53 points in the bag. JUVENTUS 2-1 SAMPDORIA (HT: 1-1): SCORERS: Ronaldo 2, 65 (p), Quagliarella 33 (p). JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Can, Pjanic, Matuidi (Douglas Costa, 82); Dybala, Mandzukic (Bernardeschi, 69), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Benatia, Spinazzola, Khedira, Kean. Coach: Allegri. SAMPDORIA: Audero; Sala, Ferrari, Colley, Murru; Praet, Ekdal (Jankto, 82), Linetty; Ramirez (Saponara, 72); Caprari (Defrel, 67), Quagliarella. Subs not used: Rafael, Belec, Tonelli, Leverbe, Rolando, Regini, Junior, Vieira, Kownacki. Coach: Giampaolo. REFEREE: Valeri. ASSISTANTS: Valeriani, Vivenzi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marinelli. VAR: Maresca, Del Giovane. YELLOW CARDS: Matuidi 36, Ferrari 37, Rugani 71, Saponara 90+3. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach previewed the Bianconeri's final match over the year against Sampdoria tomorrow.
It's the last game of the year. Tomorrow, Juventus will take to the field for the first time this season at 12:30 CET, against a Sampdoria side who have taken three consecutive victories in the league. Massimiliano Allegri gave his thoughts on the upcoming challenge at this afternoon's final pre-match press conference of 2018. ATTENTION ON SAMPDORIA "Tomorrow will be a very difficult and long match. We have to get the three points so that we can end the year well and enter the break with piece of mind. Sampdoria have only lost once in their last seven games, and have taken a positive result in their last three away trips. It is not a game to be underestimated, we will need the support of the fans. Quagliarella is an amazing player and always scores extraordinary goals." TOMORROW'S TEAM "Benatia, Matuidi and Bernardeschi are available. Szczesny, Ronaldo, Rugani and Chiellini will all start, whilst Bonucci will rest. In attack both Dybala and Mandzukic are going good, but I have a doubt on the left whether to put in Alex Sandro or Spinazzola from the first minute, whilst the latter could still play a part in the game regardless." 2018: AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR "There is pride and satisfaction for all that we have done and I'm happy with how it's going. Looking ahead we have to keep a low profile, keep quiet and just win the games, which is always the most important thing in football." A COMMENT ON RECENT MATTERS "The Federal President has taken a stand. There are preventive measures to take and we have the ability to lead the way but to do this you need to deal with the facts and not just simply chat, otherwise the problems will all be forgotten about in a couple of weeks. We hope that it's the right time to take preventive measures, however my opinion is that only the police should suspend a game. However, with that said, I do not tolerate any form of racism or insults towards tragedies and the dead." Source: www.juventus.com |
Ronaldo’s crucial equaliser snatched a point for ten-man Juve away at Atalanta.
Juventus’ first Boxing Day match did not go as their players and fans would have hoped, with the team dropping points for only the second time this season, away at Atalanta. However, the point can be viewed as a well-earned one, with the away side trailing in the second half and down to ten men following Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card. Another positive for Massimiliano Allegri’s side is that they end 2018 with no defeats away from home. ATALANTA FIND THE NET AT BOTH ENDS Juventus could not have wished for a better start, as a freakish own goal from Berat Djimsiti gave them an early advantage. With just two minutes played, the defender sliced the ball past his own keeper as he tried to clear Alex Sandro’s cross into the box. Rodrigo Bentancur was unlucky not to double Juve’s lead after 8 minutes. Teed up by Paulo Dybala, the Uruguayan’s shot was well-saved by Etrit Berisha, who tipped the ball onto the bar. The hosts grew into the contest and hauled themselves level with 24 minutes on the clock. Duvan Zapata collected the ball, showing his strength to free himself from Leonardo Bonucci before firing a left-foot shot into the corner. The first half was a toughly contested, open encounter though neither keeper was forced into too much work. JUVE DOWN TO TEN, HOSTS TAKE THE LEAD The away side were dealt a hammer blow at the start of the second period, as Bentancur picked up a second yellow card for a trip on Timothy Castagne and was given his marching orders on 53 minutes. With Juve down to ten men, Atalanta appeared buoyed by their numerical advantage and got their noses in front just minutes later. Off the back of a corner, Zapata ghosted in behind Emre Can to head past Wojciech Szczesny and put the Bergamaschi 2-1 up. ENTER RONALDO Massimiliano Allegri reacted to his side falling behind by sending on Miralem Pjanic and Cristiano Ronaldo in place of Douglas Costa and Sami Khedira. The Bianconeri pushed forward in search of an equaliser and with time their numerical disadvantage no longer showed, though they could be thankful Robin Gosens failed to hit the target on 77 minutes, having been found with time in the box after Castagne’s deflected cross. It was a miss that proved all the more significant as Juve netted an equaliser just moments later. Mario Mandzukic headed Pjanic’s corner into the path of Ronaldo, who was able to head home from within the six-yard box. In stoppage time Bonucci thought he had secured all three points for the Bianconeri, tapping Alex Sandro’s flick-on into the goal, but the effort was rightly ruled out for offside. Nonetheless, 2-2 was a fair result on the balance of play, though Juve will feel the outcome could well have been different had they not been reduced to ten men so early in the second period. ATALANTA 2-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-1): Scorers: Djimsiti (OG) 2, Zapata 24, 55, Ronaldo 78. ATALANTA: Berisha; Mancini, Djimsiti, Masiello (Barrow 85); Hateboer, Pasalic (Gosens 67), Freuler, Castagne; Gomez; Ilicic (Pessina 77), Zapata. Subs not used: Gollini, Rossi, Valzania, Del Prato, Okoli, Peli, Reca, Kulusevski, Tumminello. Coach: Gasperini. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Emre Can, Khedira (Ronaldo 65); Dybala, Mandzukic, Douglas Costa (Pjanic 57). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Rugani, Spinazzola, Kastanos. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Banti. ASSISTANTS: Carbone, Ranghetti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Aureliano. VAR: Calvarese, Vuoto. YELLOW CARDS: Bentancur 18, Zapata 29, Mancini 32, Chiellini 38, Bentancur 53, Hateboer 60, Mandzukic 63, Freuler 90. RED CARD: Bentancur 53. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri coach looks ahead to tomorrow's Boxing Day clash in Bergamo.
It's a unique Christmas for the Bianconeri, who tomorrow will contend in a Boxing Day fixture for the first time in 47 years, when they travel to play Atalanta in Bergamo. Ahead of the game Massimiliano Allegri sat down to speak to Sky Sport on Christmas Day, to give his thoughts on the upcoming match. BOXING DAY CHALLENGE "Today is a day of celebration where families and loved ones meet, whilst we get together to prepare for tomorrow's match and then depart for Bergamo. I asked my players to take tomorrow seriously and bring home the three points, because there is a particular atmosphere of celebration, so it's important we are at the right mental level, otherwise we risk giving a gift to Atalanta. "We know that we face a physical and aggressive team, who are coming into the game after a defeat in Genoa, and will be play on a difficult pitch and in a full stadium. We will try to bring home the three points we need on our journey towards the Scudetto, through a defensive and offensive performance. REST FOR RONALDO "Cristiano Ronaldo will not play tomorrow. However, he is available and will be called up, so for the first time we will watch the game together from the bench! Joking aside, I'm very happy with what he's doing. I was reading some statistics and this year is his best start to a debut season, but must have him still in top shape come March, when there will be the Champions League and he will have to be decisive, as he has always been." WHICH PRESENT FOR CHRISTMAS? "The gifts I would like to receive are at the end of the season. We will try to collect one present on January 16, the Italian Super Cup. Then we will have the opportunity to pick up more presents later, but we will have to be playing well to make it happen for ourselves." Source: www.juventus.com |
A first-half goal from the Croat proved decisive for the Bianconeri, who picked up a precious and deserved victory.
Another big match, another goal from Mario Mandzukic. The forward’s 35th-minute header was enough to seal a significant win for Juventus over Roma, who were dominated by the home side in the first half and kept at arm’s length in the second. The Bianconeri confirmed their place as winter champions with two matches still to play until the half-way stage of the season. Atalanta await on Boxing Day. APPLAUSE FOR MARCHISIO Before the game, our former midfielder Claudio Marchisio was given a warm reception by all the Juventus supporters in attendance at Allianz Stadium. With fans then focusing their attention on the evening’s contest, things almost got off to a flying start for the Bianconeri. Following Paulo Dybala’s free-kick, Mario Mandzukic’s cross into the area almost found Cristiano Ronaldo, who would have had an open goal to aim at, but Kostas Manolas made a crucial intervention. Five minutes later the home side had an even more glaring opportunity, when Rodrigo Bentancur’s shot from distance was deflected to the feet of Alex Sandro. With plenty of time and space to finish, the Brazilian’s effort was saved at the near post by Robin Olsen. Sandro then forced the Roma keeper into another reaction save with a fierce near-post shot on 17 minutes. MANDZUKIC REWARDS JUVE DOMINANCE Juventus dominated proceedings in the first period, showing both physical and technical superiority, as well as a confident and aggressive attitude. Roma had to wait until 20 minutes to get their first proper opening, but Cengiz Under’s shot on the turn was easy for Wojciech Szczesny to handle. Shortly after that, Ronaldo fired a spectacular volley over the crossbar. It took until 35 minutes for the Bianconeri’s dominance to show where it matters: on the scoreboard. After Bentancur robbed the ball high up the pitch, Mattia De Sciglio sent an in-swinging cross from the right that Mandzukic met in trademark fashion, beating Davide Santon to the ball at the far post and heading down into the goal. CHANCES TO EXTEND THE LEAD Eusebio Di Francesco tried to swing the tide in Roma’s favour, sending on Justin Kluivert for Alessandro Florenzi after the interval, but Juventus remained the more threatening side. Two of the best chances fell to Ronaldo. On 58 minutes, Dybala whipped a flat cross in for the Portuguese forward, whose close-range header looked destined for the net, only for Olsen to produce an excellent block. From the resulting corner, Ronaldo volleyed straight at the Roma goalkeeper with his left-foot and was then thwarted as he tried to slot home the rebound. WINTER CHAMPIONS With the match having become a scrappier affair in the later stages, Roma managed to exert some pressure of their own, though without troubling our man between the sticks. Massimiliano Allegri sent on Douglas Costa to provide more impetus in attack and it was a move that almost paid dividends. It looked as if the Brazilian had put the match to bed, finishing from close range after a splendid assist from Ronaldo. However, the goal was ruled out due to a foul on Nicolo Zaniolo which was spotted in the build-up by the VAR. The decision did not prove crucial as Juventus secured all three points, meaning the virtual prize of ‘winter champions’ is safely wrapped up under the Christmas tree. JUVENTUS 1-0 ROMA (HT: 1-0): SCORER: Mandzukic 35. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Emre Can 70), Matuidi; Dybala (Douglas Costa 80); Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Spinazzola, Rugani, Khedira, Bernardeschi, Kean. Coach: Allegri. ROMA: Olsen; Santon, Manolas, Fazio, Kolarov; Cristante, Nzonzi (Dzeko 79); Florenzi (Kluivert 46), Zaniolo, Under (Perotti 71); Schick. Subs not used: Fuzato, Mirante, Karsdorp, Juan Jesus, Pellegrini, Marcano, Pastore. Coach: Di Francesco. REFEREE: Massa. ASSISTANTS: Tegoni, Vuoto. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Maresca. VAR: Giacomelli, Lo Cicero. YELLOW CARDS: Nzonzi 40, Schick 81, Zaniolo 90+5. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach previewed the visit of Roma in his pre-match press conference.
Massimiliano Allegri made it clear that Saturday’s clash with Roma – the 169th meeting between the two sides in Serie A – marks the start of a hugely important week for Juventus as he appeared at his pre-match press conference on Friday. "Roma are a very good technical side – the only other Italian team left in the Champions League alongside Juventus," said the Bianconeri coach. "Nobody was expecting them to be where they are in the table, but we cannot afford to take any match lightly. The table doesn’t tell the full story – it will only give a true picture on 29 December, when we reach the halfway point of the season. "The lads have had a great week. Tomorrow we need to be resilient, technically sound and physical because it’s the start of a very important week. We need to get the three points. It will be difficult – they have players that can win the game on their own." TEAM NEWS Allegri also revealed part of his starting line-up for the visit of the Giallorossi. "[Giorgio] Chiellini, [Mattia] De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, [Miralem] Pjanic and [Cristiano] Ronaldo will play," he said. "I still need to decide on the other centre-back. "[Sami] Khedira is back available and [Rodrigo] Bentancur returns from suspension. [Joao] Cancelo is working on his rehabilitation, while [Juan] Cuadrado is in Germany today to see whether we need to opt for conservative treatment or an operation." BATTLE WITH DI FRANCESCO The Juventus coach went on to speak about the man who’ll be in the opposing dugout on Saturday night. "[Eusebio] Di Francesco is one of the youngest coaches around," he said. "He took Roma to the Champions League semi-finals last year. He’s got all the attributes needed to help the team recover and he still has time to have another great season with Roma. "In any case, it will take a much lower points tally to get into the Champions League this year in comparison with recent seasons – around 62 or 65 points. In terms of the points tally needed for the Scudetto, a lot comes down to where Napoli are at the halfway mark. I think it’ll be around 87 or 88 points, 90 at the most." CHIELLINI ON THE UP AND UP Last but not least, Allegri had words of praise for veteran centre-back Giorgio Chiellini. "Giorgio has come on a lot, both as a defender and in terms of his personality," he said. "Taking on the captain’s armband has made him become more responsible and calmer. We have a very good defence here at Juventus. Chiellini is a different kind of player to the others – he has more experience and more matches under his belt." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will play Atlético Madrid in the next round of the Champions League after today's draw in Nyon.
It's official, Juventus will play Atlético Madrid in the Champions League last 16. Having qualified in first place from Group H the Bianconeri were paired with runners-up, Atletico Madrid in today's draw in Nyon, Switzerland. Juventus will play the first match away at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday 20 February before the return leg at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday 12 March. Here is the Champions League Last 16 draw in full: Atlético Madrid vs Juventus Schalke vs Manchester City Manchester United vs Paris St. Germain Tottenham vs Borussia Dortmund Lyon vs Barcelona Roma vs Porto Ajax vs Real Madrid Liverpool vs Bayern Munich Source: www.juventus.com |
Ronaldo's penalty, the Bianconeri's 5000th goal in Serie A, earns Juve the local bragging rights.
It was an ugly, chaotic derby with not much good football on display and chances few and far between. An old-school derby if ever there was one. Yet Juve emerged victorious thanks to their greater experience and Cristiano Ronaldo's second-half penalty – the Bianconeri's 5000th goal in Serie A and their 15th win from 16 league games this term. MORE FIGHT THAN FOOTBALL In a derby void of any great spectacle, it wasn't until the 15th minute that we saw a chance of note. Ronaldo was presented with the opportunity to shoot and he struck it well, drawing a fine save out of Salvatore Sirigu. A few minutes later the goalkeeper was forced to leave the pitch after hurting his back in a collision Emre Can, with Salvador Ichazo coming on in his place. It was a gritty, scrappy contest which of course did nothing to favour the more technical side, and Torino ended up having more of the ball than might have been expected. The Bianconeri got caught up in the chaos, their play suffered as a result, mistakes were made, and the only other chance in the first half was Giorgio Chiellini's acrobatic backheel from Paulo Dybala's corner, which ended up in Ichazo's arms. RONALDO PENNER The second half began with La Joya teeing up Blaise Matuidi, whose shot finished wide, but Andrea Belotti's pace was proving to be a problem – Miralem Pjanic and Emre Can both got themselves booked – and the Torino man saw a shot of his own deflected behind for a corner. Juve responded with Alex Sandro putting in a low ball for Matuidi, which Ichazo got to first, then Ronaldo's cross was knocked down by Mario Mandzukic for Dybala, who found his path blocked. Torino's tempo began to drop off but chances were still hard to come by. However, when Mandzukic darted through the area to intercept Simone Zaza's back pass and was brought down by Ichazo, Juve were handed a gilt-edged opportunity. Ronaldo stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards: the keeper got a touch on it but could not prevent him CR7 from scoring Juve's 5000th Serie A goal. Three minutes later, Mandzukic thought he had put the game to bed when he headed in from Pjanic's free kick, but Ronaldo's offside position saw the goal chalked off. In any case, one goal was all Juve needed because they were now in charge of proceedings. They kept the ball, ran no risks and saw out the game. Claiming the local bragging rights once again. TORINO 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-0): SCORER: Ronaldo 70 (pen). TORINO: Sirigu (Ichazo 20); N'Koulou. Izzo, Djidji; Aina (Berenguer 85), Baselli, Meité, Rincon, Ansaldi (Parigini 76); Zaza, Belotti. Subs not used: Rosati, De Silvestri, Bremer, Moretti, Lukic, Soriano, Damascan, Edera, Iago Falque. Coach: Mazzarri. JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Can, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala; Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Rugani, Spinazzola, Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Guida. ASSISTANTS: Preti, Costanzo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marinelli. VAR: Mazzoleni, Paganessi. BOOKED: Zaza 27, Pjanic 48, Emre Can 51, Ronaldo 70, Ansaldi 72, Perin 90+2. Source: www.juventus.com |
The boss looks ahead to Saturday's derby clash against Walter Mazzarri's side.
Massimiliano Allegri is expecting a stern test of Juventus' credentials when they face Torino in the derby on Saturday night – a match he feels is the hardest of the Bianconeri's remaining four fixtures in 2018. “We'll be up against a team that have only lost three league games all season. They're doing really well,” the coach told reporters at a news conference on Friday. “We need to keep the results coming. Tomorrow is the start of a busy run of games before the break and it will be very difficult. We'll need to play with the right energy. We want to maintain our lead at the top when we reach the midway point of the season.” TEAM NEWS “Mattia Perin will be in goal. [Mattia] De Sciglio will play at right-back and Alex Sandro at left-back. “[Giorgio] Chiellini will come back into the team. He's improved loads and right now he's the best centre-back in the world. Alongside him it will be either [Leo] Bonucci or [Daniele] Rugani. “[Miralem] Pjanic will start in midfield but I've not made up my mind whether to go with Emre Can or one of [Federico] Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa. “[Mario] Mandzukic and [Cristiano] Ronaldo will lead the attack. Cristiano will sit out one of the next three games, against Roma, Atalanta or Sampdoria.” INJURY UPDATE “[Joao] Cancelo had a problem with his knee this morning, his medial meniscus. He'll be unavailable until after the break. “[Juan] Cuadrado also has a knee problem and he'll be assessed over the coming days to see if he can start training with the team again or if he needs to undergo a minor operation.” FACING MAZZARRI “[Walter] Mazzarri is doing a great job at Torino and they're in contention for the Europa League spots. His teams always play with great character. We learnt from two different coaches – him with [Renzo] Ulivieri and me with [Giovanni] Galeone. “We'll need to display both skill and character tomorrow. It will be the toughest game of the four we have left to play in 2018.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri lost 2-1 in Bern to Young Boys this evening but, thanks to Manchester United’s loss away to Valencia, take top spot in the group stage of the Champions League.
Juventus have clinched first place in the group stage of the Champions League, the most important headline of the evening, but it came about thanks to the result at the Mestalla, where Valencia defeated Manchester United. The 2-1 result in Spain meant the same scoreline in Bern ended up having no effect on the group standings. Despite all pre-match predictions, the Swiss side overcame Juve, through their ability on the counter and especially their familiarity with the pitch. THE SWISS TAKE THE LEAD The artificial surface, watered significantly before kick-off and thus more treacherous than usual, plus the below-zero temperatures made life hard for the Bianconeri early on in this evening’s game. Massimiliano Allegri decided not to risk injuries to Giorgio Chiellini and Joao Cancelo, who were on the bench and in the stands respectively. The coach lined his team up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Juan Cuadrado at full back and Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi on the wings. Leading the line were Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic. After the first ten minutes, Juve began to take the initiative and worked two shooting opportunities for Ronaldo, the first cleared off the line by Mohamed Camara and the second going narrowly wide. In the 23rd minute, Allegri was forced into an early change, as Cuadrado pulled up with an injury to his right leg and was replaced by Alex Sandro. Despite this, the chances were increasing for Juve. Ronaldo was unable to convert Bernardeschi’s cross from a couple of yards out, while Costa put Mandzukic’s assist wide. Young Boys nevertheless were showing character, inspired by their raucous support. The standard may not have been of the highest quality, but it was still enough to take advantage of the Bianconeri’s mistakes. In the 30th minute, Alex Sandro fouled Moumi Ngamaleu in the area, prompting the German referee Tobias Stieler to point to the spot. Guillaume Hoarau stepped up to strike the ball beyond Wojciech Szczesny into the bottom-right corner. HOARAU STRIKES AGAIN Juve tried to react and before half-time had chances through Leonardo Bonucci, whose shot was blocked by Marco Wölfli, Federico Bernardeschi, whose free-kick couldn’t beat the wall, and Ronaldo and Alex Sandro, who both shot wide. Soon after the restart, Miralem Pjanic lined up a dead ball that Hoarau accidentally deflected onto his own post. Costa then upped his work rate on the left wing and began raining crosses into the box, encouraging the rest of his team-mates to increase their level as well. Play was limited almost exclusively to the Swiss half of the pitch, but the speed of the Young Boys counter-attacks continued to cause problems. Christian Fassnacht narrowly missed the opportunity to double his side’s lead with a poorly directed header, but Hoarau made no such mistake moments later, controlling Ngamaleu’s through-ball at pace before beating Bonucci and curling a shot into the bottom-right corner. DYBALA COMES ON AND SCORES One could tell the Swiss were enjoying themselves when Hoarau nearly bagged his hat-trick with an overhead kick from the edge of the area, an effort worthy of Ronaldo himself. Allegri needed to do something and, after replacing Pjanic with Emre Can, the manager sent on Dybala in place of Mattia De Sciglio. Eight minutes after his entrance, La Joya, who had inflicted a hat-trick on Young Boys in the reverse fixture, struck once again, thrashing Ronaldo’s lay-off spectacularly into the net from outside the area. TOP SPOT SECURED DESPITE LOSS Juve went hard in search of an equaliser, coming closest when Ronaldo headed a Bernardeschi cross onto the post from a tight angle. Bonucci then pounced on a loose ball but it was saved by Wölfli. Another moment of magic by Dybala looked to have rescued a point for the Bianconeri, but his strike was disallowed after Ronaldo was adjudged to have been offside. The Swiss take away the victory and Juve pick up their second loss of the season to go with home defeat to United. Just like then, the scoreline finished 2-1, but the only damage it causes is to the club’s pride. YOUNG BOYS 2-1 JUVENTUS: SCORERS: Hoarau 30 (p), 68, Dybala 80. YOUNG BOYS: Wölfili; Mbabu, Camara, Benito, Garcia; Sow (Wüthrich, 46), Lauper, Aebischer; Moumi Ngamaleu (Schick, 85), Hoarau, Fassnacht (Bertone, 80). Subs: von Ballmos, Assalé, Nsame, Seydoux. Coach: Seoane. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado (Alex Sandro, 23), Rugani, Bonucci, De Sciglio (Dybala, 72); Douglas Costa, Bentancur, Pjanic (Emre Can, 65), Bernardeschi; Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs: Perin, Chiellini, Matuidi, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Stieler (GER) ASSISTANTS: Puckel (GER), Seidel (GER) FOURTH OFFICIAL: Stieler (GER) ADDITIONAL ASSISTANTS: Dankert (GER), Osmers (GER) YELLOW CARDS: Camara 62, Bernardeschi 64, Garcia 72, Wölfli 83. Source: www.juventus.com |
The coach and goalkeeper spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday's meeting with the Swiss outfit.
Juve may be sure of their place in the Champions League knockout stages but there's still plenty on the line against Young Boys and Massimiliano Allegri is certainly not taking the game lightly. “We're playing for first place against a team who have fared well at home,” the coach said at a news conference at the Stade de Suisse on the eve of the Matchday 6 clash. “We know we need to take this game seriously but I have a responsible group of players so I'm sure we will. We're aware of how important the game is because a bad result could have an effect on us – and we can't afford that going into the derby. “We mustn't think it's an 'easy' game because if you don't show opponents the respect they deserve you can come a cropper. "We want to top the group because we're one of the best teams in the competition now and it's important to avoid the group winners. “Over the years we've become one of the contenders to go all the way but the Champions League gets more and more difficult. Once you get to the quarter-final stage it's really tough and it's impossible to get an 'easy' quarter- or semi-final.". The boss went on to reveal some of his starting line-up. “[Daniel] Rugani will play in place of [Giorgio] Chiellini alongside [Leo] Bonucci. “[Rodrigo] Bentancur is suspended for the Torino game and he'll start in midfield tomorrow, along with [Miralem] Pjanic. [Blaise] Matuidi will be rested and I think I'll give Emre Can some playing time. “Douglas Costa and [Federico] Bernardeschi are fit and they'll be a big help, either from the start or off the bench. “[Cristiano] Ronaldo is going to play up front but I still have to decide on the others. I don't think Alex Sandro will start as he's only just come back. If we'd already been sure of first place, I'd have rested Cristiano and a few others too...” Wojciech Szczesny is under no illusions about the difficulty of the match either. “We're expecting a tough game. Young Boys create lots of chances at home so we'll need to be switched on at the back. “It's really important for us to finish top of the group. We deserve to be top at the moment and we must make sure we still are after tomorrow, then we'll wait for the draw.” “The Polish shotstopper also commented on playing on the Stade de Suisse's artificial turf. “It is a bit different because it's faster but I'd happily to play these big Champions League nights on sand...” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Croat condemns the Nerazzurri to defeat and helps Juve move onto 43 points for the season.
MARIO STEPS UP! Juventus claimed the Derby d’Italia bragging rights on Friday night as Mario Mandzukic headed home to seal a 1-0 win over Inter at Allianz Stadium. Mandzukic was the hero of the evening, scoring his seventh goal of the season to cap a display full of all the battling spirit and elegant touches we’ve come to expect from the Croatian striker. The match was a slow burner at times, bubbling into life in fits and starts, with both sides acquitting themselves fittingly. In the end though, it was the more talented, experienced team that won through. Inter’s only clear chance bounced back off the post in the first half, while the Bianconeri were clinical in the second half to dispatch their best chance and move onto 43 points for the season. CHANCES FOR BOTH SIDES Juventus were guilty of a few misplaced passes in the opening exchanges, making it difficult for the Bianconeri to build up a head of steam. Yet as soon as the passing game clicked, the team began to pose a threat in attack. Juve’s first sight of goal came after Cristiano Ronaldo’s cross found Paulo Dybala in the centre, only for the Argentine to fail to keep his header down. Dybala had another go soon afterwards, but his shot was deflected behind for a corner from a position on the left side of the box. The Bianconeri began to press Inter higher up the field, gaining more and more ground, while the visitors opted to stick to quick breaks. Though the pace was by no means electric, it was turning into an open, entertaining game. Ivan Perisic was the liveliest for the Nerazzurri, with Max Allegri swapping Mattia De Sciglio and Joao Cancelo, bringing the Portuguese over to the left, to nullify the threat. In response, Inter tried their luck down the right. Matteo Politano cut in and found Mauro Icardi, whose subtle touch allowed Roberto Gagliardini to barrel into the Juve box. Yet the Italian’s effort found only the post, bouncing kindly into the arms of Wojciech Szczesny. This was the Nerazzurri’s best spell of the game, and Perisic kept the pressure on Juve with a fierce shot deflected off target by Icardi. Juve eventually steadied the ship and succeeded in testing Samir Handanovic with headers from Mandzukic and Giorgio Chiellini, with the latter’s effort stemming from a corner forced after Marcelo Brozovic produced a decisive block to deny Rodrigo Bentancur. MARIOOO!!! There were hearts in mouths at the start of the second half, as Blaise Matuidi gave the ball away in his own box and was near to gifting a goal to Inter – the Frenchman had Leo Bonucci to thank for his stunning block. Matuidi soon set about making amends down the other end of the field, lashing a low cross into the box but failing to find a team-mate. There was a proper tempo to the contest now. A few flashes of yellow followed as the game became scrappier, but the telling blow was just around the corner. Matuidi’s 40-yard pass found Cancelo on the left flank, with the Portuguese curling in a fine cross to the far post, where Mandzukic was able to steal a march on the returning Kwadwo Asamoah and head into the back of the net. IMPERIOUS CHIELLINI With Inter wounded, Juve smelled blood. The Bianconeri streamed forward, looking to strike the fatal blow, yet the visitors hung on and tried to muster a response of their own. The Nerazzurri, however, had an imperious Chiellini to reckon with in the heart of the Juve defence: the Italian owned every cross that made its way into the box, winning tackle after tackle and limiting Icardi to fleeting glimpses of the ball. Allegri brought off Dybala for Douglas Costa for the final period, while Emre Can made his return to action when he replaced Miralem Pjanic with ten minutes remaining. The German brought stature and physicality to the Bianconeri’s midfield, helping the side to keep the visitors at arm’s length and get Juve over the line. The final whistle brought a huge cheer from the fans – and saw Allegri’s men further tighten their hold on Serie A. JUVENTUS 1-0 INTER (HT: 0-0): Scorer: Mandzukic 66. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Cancelo; Bentancur, Pjanic (Emre Can 82), Matuidi; Dybala (Douglas Costa 71), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Benatia, Spinazzola, Cuadrado, Bernardeschi Coach: Allegri. INTER: Handanovic; Vrsaljko, Skriniar, Miranda, Asamoah; Gagliardini (Keita 69), Brozovic; Politano (Borja Valero 58), Joao Mario (Lautaro Martinez 77), Perisic; Icardi. Subs not used: Padelli, D'Ambrosio, De Vrij, Ranocchia, Vecino, Candreva. Coach: Spalletti. REFEREE: Irrati. ASSISTANTS: Meli, Passeri. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Doveri. VAR: Guida, Carbone. YELLOW CARDS: Pjanic 6, Bentancur 54, Perisic 55, Brozovic 57. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juve coach shared his thoughts on the Friday-night clash in his pre-match news conference.
The Bianconeri face a tough challenge in the form of third-placed Inter in their fifteenth match of the Serie A season. Ahead of tomorrow night’s match at Allianz Stadium, Massimiliano Allegri underlined the significance of the encounter. THE DERBY D'ITALIA “It’s a great match to be involved in and an important one too – it’s the Derby d’Italia,” he said. “It will be a fascinating evening, bringing together two teams who, along with Milan, have written the history of Italian football. “We’re up against a team that have grown in confidence and are picking up improved results. They and Napoli are our main challengers, at the moment. “It’s a match that prepares itself, like big Champions League games. Luciano Spalletti is doing great things, as he did at Roma and in Russia.” The coach also said a few words about Andrea Agnelli, the club president, who turned 43 today: “The thing that struck me straight away about the president is his decision-making – it’s a great quality to have and one I admire.” JUVENTUS’ PROGRESS “We need to keep doing what we’re doing, while staying calm. Juventus want to win the league. It’s not dead and buried, the numbers are there. You can’t win it this early – there are too many games and points to play for. We still have to play our challengers. “Between the game with Inter and the one against Young Boys, I’d say the game on Wednesday is much more significant, as we’ll be playing for top spot in the group. We’ll take one step at a time, from now until 29 December. We need to maintain consistency and improve our performances.” TOMORROW’S LINE-UP Allegri gave some indications as to the players that are set to be involved tomorrow: “Emre Can will be in the squad; he may be able to play a portion of the match. I need to assess Rodrigo Bentancur because he’s got a back problem. If he can’t play, either I’ll put Can straight in or we’ll play in a different way. At the back, everyone is okay, Andrea Barzagli aside.” INTER STRENGTHS “They like to play football and try and stretch teams. They’ve got Mauro Icardi up top who is an extraordinary finisher. Plus, they’ve got Perisic, Politano, Joao Mario, Brozovic, Nainggolan, De Vrij and Asamoah, who is one of the best full backs around. Their weaknesses? It’s up to us to exploit them.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Bentancur, Chiellini and Ronaldo grab the goals to see off an excellent Fiorentina side.
Juve extended their unbeaten run to 14 games in Serie A since the start of the season with an impressive 3-0 victory over Fiorentina. The Viola put up a good fight but ultimately had to cede to the Bianconeri's superiority as Rodrigo Bentancur, Giorgio Chiellini and Cristiano Ronaldo got the goals in what was an enjoyable, hard-fought contest until the latter stages of the second half. Before the match Chiellini and the other Bianconeri players laid a bunch of flowers beneath the Curva Fiesole in memory of Davide Astori – a gesture of respect and solidarity sadly in stark contrast to the graffiti outside the stadium insulting Gaetano Scirea and the Heysel victims. RODRI-GOAL! The match itself got off to a lively start. Fiorentina came racing out of the blocks and fashioned a couple of early chances, with Marco Benassi fizzing a shot past the post and Nikola Milenkovic unable to direct his header on target. The Viola's high tempo and pressure made it hard for Juve to pass the ball around tidily and caused them a few problems too, like when Gerson blocked Chiellini's attempted clearance – the ball thankfully spinning straight into Wojciech Szczesny's arms. Once the intensity of Fiorentina's play inevitably decreased, the Bianconeri took control of proceedings and began to spend most of their time in the opposition half. It wasn't long before the goal came and it was all Rodrigo Bentancur's doing. The Uruguayan carried the ball forward, exchanged passes with Paulo Dybala and slalomed into space on the edge of the box, where he angled a low finish into the corner, leaving Alban Lafont rooted to the spot. RELENTLESS The game really kicked into gear after the opener. Giovanni Simeone was unable to turn in Milenkovic's cross from close range while down the other end Ronaldo and Cancelo almost doubled Juve's lead with a couple of rockets that flew wide. Before the half was out Dybala tested Lafont with a low drive from distance and Ronaldo slammed a free kick into the wall. 1-0 it remained at the interval. CHIELLO STRIKES! The plot remained much the same after the break. Benassi skimmed the post with a daisycutter soon after the restart and the Viola were pulling out all the stops, constantly doubling up on the Bianconeri and closing all the spaces. Federico Chiesa saw two efforts saved by Szczesny while another Ronaldo free kick drew an acrobatic save out of Lafont. Fiorentina continued to threaten and Szczesny again had to be alert to deal with Jordan Veretout's volley from the edge of the box. There was no doubt the home side were in the ascendancy but the Bianconeri withstood the pressure and scored a second against the run of play. Following a corner, the ball was played in and Chiellini hooked a shot towards goal on the turn, with the ball bouncing up off Lafont and spinning into the net. CR7 MAKES IT THREE! The goal knocked the stuffing out of Fiorentina and Juve took advantage by pressing forward. Ten minutes they got the third goal that definitively ended the contest. Mario Mandzukic's cross caught Edmilson's flailing arm and the ref pointed to the spot. Ronaldo stepped up and proceeded to smash the most violent of penalty kicks into the back of the net. CR7 made way for Federico Bernardeschi immediately after scoring, the first time he has been substituted off since joining Juventus. And so Juve claimed three big points against a tricky opponent – the perfect way to kick off a tough December. FIORENTINA 0-3 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORERS: Bentancur 31 Chiellini 69, Ronaldo 79 (pen). FIORENTINA: Lafont; Milenkovic, Pezzella, Hugo, Biraghi; Benassi (Pjaca 65), Veretout, Edmilson; Chiesa, Simeone, Gerson (Thereau 80). Subs not used: Dragowski, Sottil, Laurini, Ceccherini, Dabo, Hancko, Norgaard, Eysseric, Mirallas, Vlahovic. Coach: Pioli. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Cancelo; Cuadrado (Douglas Costa 84), Bentancur, Matuidi; Dybala, Mandzukic (Kean 88), Ronaldo (Bernardeschi 80). Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Benatia, Barzagli, Spinazzola, Pjanic. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Orsato. ASSISTANTS: Manganelli, Schenone. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Pasqua. VAR: Massa, Tegoni. BOOKED: Mandzukic 11, Edmilson 44, Bentancur 50, Hugo 51, Milenkovic 64, Pezzella 72, Ronaldo 79, Thereau 88, Veretout 90+1. Source: www.juventus.com |
The boss expects a tough test at Fiorentina: "They'll be really fired up and will do everything possible to beat us".
Massimiliano Allegri is readying his side for a testing encounter at the Stadio Franchi on what he believes could be a pivotal weekend at the top end of the league. The Bianconeri take on Fiorentina while their closest rivals Napoli and Inter travel to Atalanta and Roma, respectively. “It's going to be a tough game,” the coach told the gathered media at a news conference on Friday. “Fiorentina are a fine team with young, skilful players and they're well drilled as a unit. They haven't lost at home yet and they've scored 14 while conceding just three. Plus, this is the biggest game of the year for them so they'll be really fired up and will do everything possible to beat us. “This is an important weekend because all the teams at the top have tricky away fixtures. We'll need to be patient and remember that matches in Florence are never over until they're over. They'll have the whole city behind them. We'll must show great character and be on the ball technically.” TEAM SELECTION Allegri revealed he would make changes to the side that beat Valencia in midweek but stopped short of giving any specific details away. “Wednesday was a tough, intense match and we'll need a lot of mental and physical energy tomorrow. “[Federico] Bernardeschi is back but [Sami] Khedira isn't available. I doubt Alex Sandro will be either. We'll go with either [Mattia] De Sciglio or [Joao] Cancelo at left-back. “Emre Can trained with the squad for part of the session yesterday. We'll speak with the doctors and see if he might make the bench. “You won't see the same team as Wednesday.” JUVE FORWARDS The boss was asked about his attacking options and in particular Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic, who have scored all of Juve's goals in the last three matches. “Football is simple. When you have the right chemistry between players everything is good. The front three did well against Valencia. “It's true that [Paulo] Dybala is scoring less but he's the link between midfield and attack and he gets us out of tight spots with his technical ability. The team is benefiting as a result. “I've always said that with his skill set he should be involved in all areas of the pitch. He's had lots of opportunities since the start of the season and he may not be scoring as much as last year but he plays a key role for the team. He's playing in the same position but we have an extra player up front now now. I'm happy with what he's doing. “We have the league's best attack. We haven't won any games 4-0 yet but there's no such thing as perfection.” ALLEGRI'S TARGETS The coach also spoke about the team's short- and long-term targets. “We have to keep raising the bar and demanding more of ourselves each and every day. Everything's gone well so far but we must remain level-headed and not get carried away by the good results. We need to reach March in optimum physical and mental shape. “Our aim in the short term is to make sure we're top on 29 December – hopefully with a big points advantage.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Croatian was set up wonderfully by Ronaldo and scored the goal that takes the Bianconeri to the last 16.
Mission accomplished. The Bianconeri secured the all-important win over Valencia on Tuesday night to ensure passage to the next stage of the Champions League. Massimiliano Allegri’s team know that a win at Young Boys in the final group game will ensure they take top spot in the group. The win over the Spanish side was secured by a solitary goal, scored by Mario Mandzukic and created by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Bianconeri produced a dominant display, with the only regret being their failure to win by a more convincing margin. JUVE DOMINANCE The Bianconeri’s desire to secure qualification was instantly clear to see, as the team played at a high tempo and pressed high up the pitch from the first whistle. Ronaldo had two attempts on goal in the opening three minutes; with just 40 seconds played he fired wide from the left-hand corner of the box before shooting straight at Neto from more or less the same position two minutes later. Valencia for their part adopted a far more prudent approach, despite their quality on the ball and ability to find space between the lines, searching for the right opportunity to hit Juve on the break, though without any great joy. SZCZESNY MAKES CRUCIAL SAVE It was one-way traffic for the majority of the first half, but of Juventus’ nine attempts on goal during the period, only one truly tested Neto in the Valencia goal. Ronaldo was unlucky not to hit the target after 22 minutes, having done well to meet Alex Sandro’s low cross into the box, while Joao Cancelo fired wide with the outside of his boot after combining well with Mandzukic and Leonardo Bonucci. Despite Juve’s clear superiority, it was the visitors who went closest to taking a first-half advantage. Wojciech Szczesny, who had been a spectator since the start of the game, made a truly outstanding save to deny Mouctar Diakhaby’s thunderous header on the stroke of half time. CR7-MARIO COMBO STRIKES AGAIN Juventus continued to push their opponents back during the second period, winning the ball high up the pitch and testing the Valencia rear-guard with cross after cross. The Spanish side held out admirably for the first portion of the second half and it required a sublime piece of skill to ultimately break the deadlock. Just before the hour mark, Ronaldo dazzled Gabriel with some rapid footwork in the penalty box, beating his man from a standing start before firing across the face of goal, giving Mandzukic the easiest of finishes. ON TO THE LAST 16 The goal was the very least Juventus deserved but for a moment it appeared Valencia had managed to draw themselves level. Diakhaby was in the thick of the action again and found the back of the net before seeing an effort chalked off – and rightly so – for a handball. Down at the other end Paulo Dybala went close to doubling Juve’s lead, striking a curling left-foot shot from outside the box that Neto was forced to tip over the bar. The Valencia keeper was also needed to block a goal-bound header from Ronaldo, who rose to meet Dybala’s out-swinging corner. Having been punished for not adding to their 1-0 lead in their last Champions League outing, against Manchester United, Juve appeared to have learned their lesson, keeping a steady hand on the tiller and taking no risks. The home side saw the game out to secure three points that ensure they will be involved in the last-16 draw. Manchester United’s win over Young Boys means that Allegri’s side still need a win to be sure they finish as group winners. JUVENTUS 1-0 VALENCIA (HT: 0-0): SCORERS: Mandzukic 59. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro (Cuadrado 46); Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala (Douglas Costa 79), Ronaldo, Mandzukic. Subs not used: Perin, Benatia, Barzagli, Rugani, Kean. Coach: Allegri. VALENCIA: Neto; Wass, Gabriel Paulista, Diakhaby, Gayà; Coquelin, Parejo, Kondogbia (Soler 72), Guedes; Rodrigo (Gameiro 46), Santi Mina (Batshuayi 67). Subs not used: Doménech, Murillo, Lato, Piccini. Coach: Marcelino. REFEREE: Collum (SCO). ASSISTANTS: McGeachie (SCO), Stewart (SCO). FOURTH OFFICIAL: Connor (SCO). VAR: Dallas (SCO), Walsh (SCO). YELLOW CARDS: Bentancur 13, Gayà 31, Kondogbia 43, Cuadrado 60, Diakhaby 62, Guedes 69, Batshuayi 74, Matuidi 83. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Portuguese defender and the Juventus coach speak on the eve of the Champions League match against Valencia.
Massimiliano Allegri and Joao Cancelo faced the media in Juve's pre-match press conference before their Champions League tie against Valencia tomorrow night: MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI A difficult game "We are looking to qualify tomorrow and then finish in first place. Valencia has grown compared to the first leg, especially on a mental level. Now they have confidence because they have only lost one game out of 10 and that means that are strong and organised. They are a solid team which plays a lot on the counter. It won't be easy, because even if we're winning they still have the quality to get back into it, so we will have to be careful and not fall asleep like we did against Man Utd." Team line-up "Matuidi and Chiellini will come back in, but it won't be easy to leave someone out because everyone is playing well, on Saturday the team responded well. Cuadrado for example is also learning to play box-to-box and that will be very useful for us. The important thing is that everyone has the common goal of getting to the latter stages of every competition. De Sciglio took a knock and I will evaluate tomorrow whether to put him on the bench or not. I'm expecting a good game from Dybala, as well as the whole team. We have improved up speeding up our play but we have to keep going and we're working on it." The “organised disorder” "In front of us we have players who occupy all the spaces and I really like this 'disorder', because it takes away the strengths of the opponents. On Saturday, we got a few things wrong in the final third, but we are improving." The news on Vialli "I wish Gianluca all the very best. He has shown to be a fighter both on and off the pitch. In these 'matches' it takes a lot of character in order to beat the opponent but I'm sure that Luca will do it." JOÃO CANCELO A special match "The game against United was strange, we had a lot of chances, playing better than them, but we lost, football is like this sometimes. Tomorrow will be difficult, Valencia is a great team, they are excellent individually and is organised as a collective. Playing games like these are always special and it will be especially for me, since I played there for three years, but the emotions will have to be put aside, because we need the three points." Source: www.juventus.com |
After downing AC Milan before the break, Allegri's strike duo both find the net for the second game running to seal another victory.
Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo. Sound familiar? That's right: the same two who secured the points against AC Milan before the international break were at it again. A goal in each half once more – this time CR7 before the interval and Mandzukic after – and another 2-0 win. Juve picked up from exactly where they had left off. CR7 HITS DOUBLE FIGURES SPAL showed spunk from the off and looked to impose their game, passing the ball around accurately in the opening minutes, but it wasn't long before Juve took control. With Sami Khedira and Emre Can unavailable and Blaise Matuidi in need of a rest, Massimiliano Allegri had opted for a 4-4-2 formation, yet despite the presence of two wingers in the shape of Juan Cuadrado and Douglas Costa the Bianconeri weren't getting many balls into the box. The first chances were a couple of long-range efforts from Douglas Costa, the first of which was saved by Alfred Gomis and the second deflected behind for a corner. But when you have a player like Ronaldo in the team, one ball into the box is all you need. So when Miralem Pjanic curled in a free kick in the 29th minute, who else would get on the end of it but the Portuguese star. He side-footed home to make it ten goals in 16 games – no Juventus player has ever reached double figures so quickly. CAPTAIN MARIO MAKES IT TWO Douglas Costa came out after the break firing on all cylinders and in the space of 60 seconds rattled the post and drew a save out of Gomis with a shot from the edge of the box. The Brazilian was more than just a threat down the left flank: he would often cut inside and thread passes to team-mates from a more central position or create a numerical advantage by beating his man with devastating accelerations. He wasn't the only Bianconeri with pace to burn as Ronaldo demonstrated in the 60th minute with a blistering run to chase a ball that looked like a lost cause. He won it and laid off for the onrushing Douglas Costa, whose shot was parried by Gomis into the path of Mario Mandzukic. The Croat, appointed as captain for the day, had the simplest of tasks to turn the ball into an empty net. CHIELLINI 5TH OF ALL TIME Two goals to the good, the Bianconeri were able to manage the game calmly knowing that any extra goals were a bonus more than a necessity. Ronaldo went looking for the bonus with a low, angled drive which Gomis managed to save. Allegri brought on Matuidi for the last 20 minutes in place of Douglas Costa and the Bianconeri continued to pile on the pressure. Ronaldo almost got himself a second with an acrobatic effort and a shot which finished just wide. There would be no third goal but there was another reason to celebrate when Giorgio Chiellini replaced Alex Sandro three minutes from time: his 483rd appearance for the club sees him move above Roberto Bettega into fifth place in Juve's all-time appearance standings. JUVENTUS 2-0 SPAL (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Ronaldo 29, Mandzukic 60. JUVENTUS: Perin; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro (Chiellini 87); Cuadrado, Pjanic, Bentancur, Douglas Costa (Matuidi 73); Ronaldo, Mandzukic. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Cancelo, Barzagli, Benatia, Spinazzola, Dybala, Kean. Coach: Allegri. SPAL: Gomis; Cionek, Felipe; Bonifazi, Fares; Lazzari, Schiattarella (Valdifiori 83), Kurtic, Missiroli (Valoti 59); Antenucci, Petagna (Paloschi 85). Subs not used: Milinkovic-Savic, Thiam, Simic, Djourou, Dickmann, Everton, Costa, Floccari, Moncini. Coach: Semplici. REFEREE: La Penna. ASSISTANTS: Di Liberatore, Cecconi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Giua. VAR: Piccinini, Giallatini. BOOKED: Cionek 39, Fares 49, Bentancur 64, Schiattarella 74. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach previews tomorrow evening's game against SPAL.
TEAM FOR TOMORROW "Perin plays in goal, whilst in attack Mandzukic and Ronaldo will definitely play. Ronaldo is doing well, I haven't paid attention to the Ballon d'Or nominations but for me he would deserve to win it for what he has done. He has brought a high degree of competitiveness to training, and as a result everyone has raised their attention to detail. "Dybala arrived back on Thursday, he did a recovery session yesterday so the chances are that he'll begin the match on the bench. His first goal for Argentina was a step forward for him, Paulo is constantly improving since the first year he arrived. This season has started very well, he is in excellent physical and mental moment, his growth shouldn't stop but it depends on his will. He plays his best when he is playing deeper, as he is able to influence the game and finish chances created by his teammates. "Chiellini is getting better with age. We have to manage things as we have three games in a week so we'll see if he plays tomorrow. Otherwise one of Rugani and Benatia will start instead. Matuidi arrives back today, he needed rest so it's likely that tomorrow he'll start the game from the bench." PLAYERS OUT OF ACTION "Khedira is out but if all goes well, we'll see him again in two weeks. Bernardeschi will not be in the squad for SPAL, but he might make the one against Valencia. Emre Can should have at least 20-30 minutes in him, in a couple of weeks." THE NEXT SEVEN GAMES IN SERIE A "I'm happy with what we're doing. Now these next seven league games will be important, there is still a lot to do. To keep the six-point advantage over Napoli in the standings we have to win. It is not about a show of strength, simply to win." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Turin continue their preparations, with Mario Mandzukic linking back up with the group today after receiving awards back home in Croatia.
Juventus continue working hard at Continassa, even with a reduced group of players due to their international commitments. The team took part in a mostly in an athletic-focused session focused mainly on the athletic part, with the group reconvening tomorrow for more training. Late in the morning, Mario Mandzukic also returned to JTC and took part in a personalised training session. The striker was in attendance as a guest of honour at the Nations League match, between Croatia and Spain last night at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Mandzukic was awarded with a commemorative shirt for a fantastic World Cup campaign by the Croatian Federation. It follows the award received last Tuesday by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who awarded Mario the state honour of the Order of Duca Branimir. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Juventus coach has been awarded his fourth Panchina d'Oro.
Massimiliano Allegri has once again been named the best coach in Italy, confirming what he has already established on the field. After winning his fourth double (Scudetto and Coppa Italia) with Juventus in May, he has now recognised by his fellow coaches, as Allegri has been awarded the 2017/18 Panchina d'Oro in Coverciano. It's a success that not only rewards the extraordinary work of the Tuscan tactician, but also one that has made history, as never before has any coach won the award four times. Allegri won his first award in 2008/09 when he managed Cagliari, and then at the helm of the Bianconeri, winning in 2014/15 and 2016/17. 17 votes clinched the prize, surpassing both Maurizio Sarri and Simone Inzaghi, who came in tied in second place with eight votes each. "It's an honour and a privilege - said Allegri after the award ceremony - I thank the club, the players and my staff, which makes my job easier, as they are always the architects of these victories. What will it take to win the next one? We have to try to win the eighth title, which is the main objective. Then there's the Champions League, we've played in two finals, facing the two strongest teams at the time. We'll see if this year luck will give us a helping hand, now we have to work hard to move forward. From March, it will be a different competition." Source: www.juventus.com |
Goals in either half from Mandzukic and Ronaldo gave the Bianconeri a deserved victory, with Szczesny saving a first-half penalty from Gonzalo Higuain, who was later sent off.
Juventus maintained their six-point advantage at the top of the Serie A pile with a well-earned 2-0 win away at AC Milan. MARIO DRAWS FIRST BLOOD After a disappointing Champions League defeat on Wednesday, the Bianconeri were keen to get back to winning ways and took little time to get their noses in front at the San Siro. The goal that broke the deadlock was a straightforward one and was indicative of the away side’s superiority. Just before the eight-minute mark, Alex Sandro delivered a curling cross in from the left which Mario Mandzukic met at the back post, beating Ricardo Rodriguez to the ball and planting a header down into the net. SZCZESNY WINS BATTLE OF WITS Despite their first-half dominance, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to build on their advantage, suffering the same lack of cutting edge that cost the side against Manchester United during the week. It appeared Juve would be punished again as the home side were awarded a penalty before the break when the referee, following consultation with the VAR, penalised Medhi Benatia for a hand ball. The Bianconeri can thank Wojciech Szczesny for getting them off the hook, however, as he managed to tip Gonzalo Higuain’s penalty kick onto the post. JUVE IN CONTROL Milan came out with added aggression in the second period, fuelled by the disappointment of the missed spot kick, but Juventus were able to keep their opponents at arm’s length. Ronaldo forced Gigi Donnarumma into action, firing Alex Sandro’s cutback towards goal, while Paulo Dybala skimmed the post with a free kick from the corner of the box. The game sprang into life after 65 minutes with Milan first breaking forward through Higuain, whose ball to Patrick Cutrone was intercepted by Benatia, before Juve hit back with a counter of their own. Ronaldo burst forward from inside his own half before seeing his low left-foot shot saved by Donnarumma. RONALDO SECURES THE WIN After a couple of changes from Allegri, bringing on fresh legs in the form of Sami Khedira and Douglas Costa, Juve were able to put the game to bed. Joao Cancelo burst into the box just after 80 minutes before firing a fierce cross-shot that Donnarumma could only parry. Unfortunately for the Milan goalkeeper, Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to rifle home a merciless finish and put the result beyond doubt. Shortly after the second goal the Rossoneri’s frustration boiled over somewhat, with Higuain handed a straight red card following his furious reaction to being booked for fouling Benatia. By that stage, however, a Juventus win was all but confirmed. AC MILAN 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-1): SCORERS: Mandzukic 8, Ronaldo 81. AC MILAN: Donnarumma; Abate (Borini 74), Zapata, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Suso, Kessié, Bakayoko, Calhanoglu (Laxalt 74), Castillejo (Cutrone 62); Higuain. Subs not used: Reina, A. Donnarumma, Calabria, Bellanova, Simic, Bertolacci, Mauri, Montolivo, Halilovic. Coach: Gattuso. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Chiellini, Benatia, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Khedira 74), Matuidi; Dybala (Douglas Costa 79), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Barzagli, Bonucci, Rugani, Kean, Bernardeschi. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Mazzoleni. ASSISTANTS: Preti, Vivenzi. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Valeri. VAR: Fabbri, Giallatini. BOOKED: Benatia 34, Bakayoko 61, Higuain 83, Borini 87. SENT OFF: Higuain 83. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri previews Juve's match against Milan in the San Siro tomorrow night.
“We'll be playing in front of 70,000 people with the whole world watching on. We must perform well both technically and physically” Massimiliano Allegri is confident his team will bounce back from their defeat to Manchester United with a strong showing against AC Milan on Sunday. “I can't tell you what the result will be but I'm sure we'll produce a great performance tomorrow because we have every incentive to do so,” the boss told the gathered media ahead of the weekend's big match at the Meazza. “Games between Milan and Juventus are always evenly matched. We're going to be playing in front of 70,000 people with the whole world watching on. We must perform well both technically and physically. “AC Milan are in excellent form as they've only lost one of their last six games – in the derby and in the last minute.” MANCHESTER UNITED ANALYSIS Allegri looked back on Wednesday's match at Allianz Stadium. “We were all annoyed after the game. We'd forgotten what it feels like because we hadn't lost since April. We played well yet lost and that annoys me. People don't talk about the games you've played well in but the games you've won. “Our only mistake was not coming to terms with conceding an equaliser. We let our emotions get the better of us. A draw may have felt like an injustice then and there but we needed to keep our cool. We weren't going to win the Champions League on Wednesday – it was just a step along the way. A draw would have made sure of our place in the next round and all but secured top spot. When you can't win a match you must at least make sure you don't lose. “We have to remember that matches are never over until they're over, especially in the Champions League. Sometimes taking a step back can help you take two steps forward.” SHARPER SHOOTING Despite recording their first defeat of the season, the Bianconeri have made an excellent start to the campaign yet continue to create hatfuls of chances without seeing an adequate return in terms of goals. “The stats say that while we've won lots of matches we haven't spent many minutes with a two-goal advantage – and that means our games remain open. “Our shots-to-goals ratio is a little uneven. At the same stage last season we'd conceded two goals more and scored 31 times, compared to 24 this year, but then we had that 6-2 against Udinese. “It's only the 10th of November. There are another seven months left to play and there are lots of areas we can improve.” HIGUAIN AND GATTUSO Sunday's meeting at the San Siro will see Juve come face to face with Gonzalo Higuain for the first time since he joined AC Milan in the summer and Allegri had words of praise for the former Bianconeri striker – as well as Rossoneri boss Gennaro Gattuso. “Higuain gave Juventus so much. He was a key player for us and it will be nice to see him again tomorrow. A decision was taken and AC Milan got themselves a great player because Gonzalo is one of the best strikers in the world. “Rino is very resourceful and he's improved loads both on and off the pitch. He's a genuine guy who instils in his team values that are part of AC Milan's DNA and which he has himself. He's one of the best young coaches around.” SPOILT FOR CHOICE The boss also confirmed that he has a near full squad to choose from. “Everyone is available except Emre Can and [Leonardo] Spinazzola, who will play for the Primavera against Sassuolo. “We'll either play with three up front or with an extra winger. It's good that we have Douglas Costa and [Federico] Bernardeschi back, though [Juan] Cuadrado was excellent against Man United. We're in good shape. “[Mario] Mandzukic could play – he needed to recover mentally more than physically. Let's not forget that he played in the World Cup final. “The same goes for [Blaise] Matuidi. He could do with a week on the beach but with Emre Can unavailable I can't send him away. “Emre should be back in Turin next week. Hopefully he'll be available again soon because he has great technical and physical attributes.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri went ahead through a Ronaldo stunner but United fought back to win with a late flourish.
The lesson is clear for Juve: in the Champions League, you can’t afford to get distracted or waste too many opportunities. Because that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night as Manchester United ran out 2-1 winners over Juventus, despite the home side dominating the game for long stretches. It was a first defeat of the season for the Bianconeri, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning opening goal proving meaningless in the end. DOMINANT JUVE Juve made two changes to the side that played at Old Trafford, with Mattia De Sciglio and Sami Khedira coming in for Joao Cancelo and Blaise Matuidi, yet the Bianconeri showed the same confidence and conviction they had displayed in Manchester two weeks previously. Rodrigo Bentancur encapsulated everything that was good about Juventus in the first half. The Uruguayan had a shot early on, popped up down the left flank and won more than his fair share of balls make from the English visitors. It’s only natural that the eyes of the world focus on Cristiano Ronaldo on these big Champions League nights, and the Portuguese was in a lively mood as he fired a long-range effort wide before almost teeing up Khedira with a cute headed pass. With the Bianconeri firmly in control of the match, United’s first chance of note came on the half-hour mark as Nemanja Matic almost played in Alexis Sanchez, with Wojciech Szczesny confident enough to watch the ball through. Juve were dangerous on the break, with Khedira seeing a shot saved before Juan Cuadrado’s cross was deflected by Matic to force David De Gea into a tricky save, while Khedira very nearly converted a Ronaldo cross with minutes remaining in the first period – the post came to the visitors’ rescue. CR7 MASTERSTROKE Juve started the second half on the front foot, as Paulo Dybala was denied by the woodwork with De Gea well beaten. On the hour mark, Massimiliano Allegri decided to replace Khedira with Matuidi, and although Juve continued to dominate the play, they struggled to break through the English side’s defences. Enter Leo Bonucci. On 65 minutes, his long ball dropped right into Ronaldo’s path, with the Portuguese duly applying a spectacular finish to send the Allianz Stadium faithful wild. UNITED MAKE JUVE PAY With the momentum firmly behind them, Juve nearly made it 2-0 only for De Gea to turn Miralem Pjanic’s shot behind for a corner. Cuadrado also set the Bosnian up shortly afterwards, but he was unable to find the target – and the Colombian too was left rueing his finishing after he fired over from Ronaldo’s pass. Juve could be forgiven for thinking they should have been further ahead, but there was trouble brewing. First Anthony Martial almost hit the target from outside the box, then the Frenchman forced Szczesny into action with a fierce cross. It was Juan Mata who brought the visitors level with a perfect free kick, but there was even worse to come for Juve. Paul Pogba sent in a free kick from the left, only for the ball to rebound between Bonucci and Alex Sandro and into the back of the net. It was the cruellest of late goals. The good news is that one win from Juve’s last two games against Valencia and Young Boys will be enough to secure qualification to the next round, although the Bianconeri will need to keep fighting until the end to win the group. For now, Juve will have to work through the disappointment of having lost a match they dominated for large stretches. JUVENTUS 1-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (HT: 0-0): Scorers: Ronaldo 65, Mata 86, Alex Sandro og. 90. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio (Barzagli 82), Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Matuidi 61), Pjanic, Bentancur; Cuadrado (Mandzukic 90+2), Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Cancelo, Benatia, Rugani. Coach: Allegri. MANCHESTER UNITED: De Gea; Young, Lindelof, Smalling, Shaw; Herrera (Mata 89), Matic, Pogba; Lingard (Rashford 70), Sanchez (Fellaini 79), Martial. Subs not used: Romero, Bailly, Darmian, Fred. Coach: Mourinho. REFEREE: Haţegan. ASSISTANTS: Șovre, Gheorghe. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ghinguleac. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANTS: Petrescu, Colţescu. YELLOW CARDS: Matic 12, Alex Sandro 56, Dybala 75, Herrera 75, Martial 90+5. Source: www.juventus.com |
The coach and the defender sat down to discuss Wednesday's Champions League match against Manchester United.
Massimiliano Allegri and Leonardo Bonucci held a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Juventus' Champions League Matchday 4 fixture against Manchester United. Read what they had to say below. MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI: First target for the season “We're doing well at the moment but you don't win any silverware at this stage of the season. Tomorrow we have the chance to reach our first target for the season by qualifying for the next round of the Champions League, then we'll be able to focus on Serie A. It's important to try and get to March in very good shape.” Team selection “[Mario] Mandzukic's ankle is ok and he's available. I didn't name him as a sub at the weekend [against Cagliari] because he would have had to climb up the steps... He's an extremely important player for us. “The players who aren't available are [Federico] Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa and [Moise] Kean, as well as Emre Can, who we hope to have back with us as soon as possible. “We might go with [Juan] Cuadrado, [Paulo] Dybala and [Cristiano] Ronaldo tomorrow, but I still have to make a decision on that. I also have to think about whether to rest any players like [Blaise] Matuidi, since [Sami] Khedira is in good shape and [Rodrigo] Bentancur is young and recovers quickly.” Full focus “Tomorrow we'll need to play better than we did in Manchester because United are always a threat. We must be completely focused as there's a lot on the line.” LEONARDO BONUCCI: Man United and AC Milan in a week “We have a huge match to play against Manchester United tomorrow. It's important because we can secure our place in the next round with a win. “We'll think about AC Milan after tomorrow evening. That will be another big game and an emotional occasion for me but right now I'm thinking of nothing but United.” Mourinho's compliments Bonucci responded to recent comments by Jose Mourinho that he and Giorgio Chiellini could teach defensive tactics at Harvard. “It's nice to get a compliment like that from a great coach but the success we've achieved over the years has been obtained thanks to the hard work of everyone. Defending is not only done by the defenders, just as attacking is not only down to the forwards.” Friendship with Pogba “Paul and I are still good friends. He's a great player and he told me he was really excited to be coming back to this stadium. I hope he plays very well but Juve win the game.” Juve more experienced “I think Juve are more confident and more experienced now than when I was here before and it's thanks to the excellent job done by the coach and the club.” Pallone d'Oro? A Ronaldo«Io credo che, per quanto ha dato al Real lo scorso anno e per tutto quello che ha dimostrato, il Pallone d'Oro debba andare a Cristiano Ronaldo». Source: www.juventus.com |
Juve win 3-1 courtesy of strikes by the Argentine and the Colombian at either end of the game, with Joao Pedro's equaliser and Bradaric's own goal in between.
Juve continued their devastating early-season form by picking up another three points against Cagliari to make it 31 from a possible 33. Paulo Dybala's opener with less than a minute on the clock suggested the floodgates may open but it turned out to be a fairly dull encounter with few moments of note, save for the two goals Cagliari scored in as many minutes (one in each end) and Juan Cuadrado's late third having been selflessly set up by Cristiano Ronaldo. READY, SET, PAULO! Ronaldo took centre stage before kick-off as President Andrea Agnelli handed him a commemorative jersey to celebrate his 400 goals in the Premier League, Liga and Serie A. The striker reached the milestone against Genoa but has since taken the figure to 402 thanks to his double against Empoli. No sooner had the opening whistle blown than the spotlight switched to Dybala. 43 seconds was all it took him to find the back of the net as he collected the ball on the edge of the box and feigned to shoot before twisting away from two defenders and slotting past Alessio Cragno. TWO MINUTES, TWO GOALS After their lightning start, the Bianconeri seemed to content to take it easy and did little by way of probing except for the odd acceleration from Douglas Costa and Ronaldo on the flanks. Cagliari kept plugging away and very nearly found an equaliser when Joao Pedro's close-range effort was miraculously kept out by Wojciech Szczesny. The Brazilian got another bite of the cherry in the 36th minute and this time made no mistake, controlling the ball well before firing inside the near post. It took Juve just two minutes to restore their lead. Douglas Costa skipped away down the left and put in a low delivery which Filip Bradaric – stretching to beat Miralem Pjanic – inadvertently put through his own net. The Croatian defender received a let-off shortly afterwards as Maurizio Mariani, having consulted with the VAR, decided not to award a penalty for a handball in the area. That was the third time the referee had made use of the pitchside replays (the first was after Dybala's goal, to check if he was onside, and the second after the ball bounced off Medhi Benatia's hand in the area) so a lengthy amount of stoppage time was awarded. It was enough for Ronaldo to go within inches of making it 3-1, his fierce effort slamming off the upright with seconds remaining. SLOW (RE)START Cuadrado replaced Douglas Costa during the interval and the second period began at a slow pace. Cagliari moved the ball about well and often succeeded in passing around the Bianconeri's attempts to press them high. Juve slowly began to up the pressure, albeit without stringing together any particularly effective moves, so Massimiliano Allegri turned to the bench and brought on Alex Sandro for Pjanic and switched to a 4-4-2 formation, with the Brazilian and Cuadrado operating as traditional wingers and Dybala and Ronaldo up front. CUADRADO WRAPS IT UP The match remained a largely sterile affair until the final ten minutes when it suddenly exploded back into life. Ronaldo and Rodrigo Bentancur both attempted efforts from angles that proved to be too wide while Dybala had a shot charged down. Down the other end a series of ricochets in the box gave Paolo Farago the chance to shoot from a central position and Benatia was forced to make a crucial interception. The ball spun out for a Cagliari corner, which in turn led to a Juve counter-attack. Dybala played Ronaldo into space and the Portuguese bore down on goal, drawing the last defender towards him before laying off for the onrushing Cuadrado, who smashed home to seal the points. Victory means Juve continue to march on at the top of Serie A, maintaining a six-point lead over their nearest rivals, Inter and Napoli. JUVENTUS 3-1 CAGLIARI (HT 2-1): SCORERS: Dybala 1, Joao Pedro 36, Bradaric og 38, Cuadrado 87. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Benatia, De Sciglio; Bentancur, Pjanic (Alex Sandro 70), Matuidi (Barzagli 82); Douglas Costa (Cuadrado 45), Ronaldo, Dybala. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Chiellini, Rugani, Spinazzola, Khedira, Kean. Coach: Allegri. CAGLIARI: Cragno; Srna, Pisacane, Ceppitelli, Padoin (Sau 80); Ionita (Farago 67), Bradaric (Cigarini 56), Barella; Castro; Joao Pedro, Pavoletti. Subs not used: Rafael, Aresti, Romagna, Pajac, Andreolli, Dessena, Cerri. Coach: Maran. REFEREE: Mariani. ASSISTANTS: Fiorito, Galetto. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marinelli. VAR: Massa, Posado. BOOKED: Bradaric 32, Pavoletti 49, Pisacane 63, Matuidi 75. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri speaks before Juve's Serie A home match with Cagliari.
COMING UP AGAINST CAGLIARI "For tomorrow's match, I've asked the guys to just win the game. It won't be easy, it never is easy to win and we all saw that against Empoli. The matches are won on the pitch and we cannot afford to drop any points. Cagliari are the team that has covered the most ground in the league and are dangerous in the box, they are a very fast side and Pavoletti up-top is very strong on set-pieces. If you concede more than 30 goals then you won't be winning the title so tomorrow we have to keep a clean sheet, so let's beat Cagliari and then we can think about Manchester United. "Szczesny will play in goal, whilst in defence Cancelo will be on the right, I still have to choose who will partner Bonucci in the centre and finally on the left, one will play between Alex Sandro and De Sciglio. In midfield, there will be Pjanic and Matuidi, and for the third option I still have to decide between Bentancur, Khedira and Cuadrado. Up front Ronaldo starts and I'll choose between Dybala, Mandzukic and Douglas Costa to play with him. Chiellini and Bernardeschi are out and Spinazzola will play a couple of games with Primavera to get back to full fitness." THE SCUDETTO FIGHT AND THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE "We are going strong, but also those behind us. Inter are doing a great championship, Napoli has lost the direct match and this is making the difference between us and them. We have to think about one race at a time. We must have great respect for the opponent throughout the game. " Then the speech moves on to Europe. "We are working to achieve the goal that in recent years we have not managed to achieve, the Champions League, but it is not an obsession. I am lucky to train Juventus, it is one of the most important companies in Europe, a formation that can aspire to win it. This year the number one candidate is Barcelona. We are among the first four ». Source: www.juventus.com |
A CR7 double sees Juve come from behind to beat Empoli.
CR'S 7TH! Ronaldo scores twice against Empoli to seal Juve's comeback win and take his tally for the season to seven. Cristiano Ronaldo displayed all his star quality as he helped Juve come from behind and eventually defeat a stubborn Empoli side. Aurelio Andreazzoli's men made life hard for the champions and took a first-half lead through Francesco Caputo before Ronaldo entered the stage after the break, first equalising from the penalty spot before firing home a stunning winner. POSSESSION WITH NO PRODUCT Daniele Rugani came in to partner Leonardo Bonucci at the heart of defence after Giorgio Chiellini pulled out during the warm-up and Mattia De Sciglio made his first appearance of the season. Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi began as the front three and found themselves faced by a thick blue wall on the edge of the Empoli area. The home side did look to get forward when they won the ball back but their main concern was clearly to limit the risks at the back. As a result, the Bianconeri enjoyed long spells of possession but rarely managed to break through Empoli's lines, with their passing lacking a touch of pace. Ronaldo, Dybala and Miralem Pjanic tried their luck from distance without finding the target. EMPOLI STRIKE ON THE COUNTER When the Bianconeri ran at their opponents they did manage to get down to the byline and put in a few crosses, especially down the left. Alex Sandro delivered an excellent low ball but neither Ronaldo nor Bernardeschi were able to latch onto it as they got in each other's way. Empoli were happy to let Juve keep the ball but when they had the chance to break they did so at great pace. A couple of counter-attacks came to nothing before Afriyie Acquah went on a marauding run up the pitch and centered; the ball bounced off Rade Krunic and fell invitingly for Francesco Caputo, who picked his spot in the corner beyond the reach of Wojciech Szczesny. Juve didn't respond as vehemently as you might have expected and besides a Ronaldo header – set up by the lively Alex Sandro – they did little to warrant an equaliser. When the half-time whistle blew it was abundantly clear that Juve would need to do much more after break if they were to turn the game around. RONALDO'S FIRST PENALTY Having found themselves trailing at the break for the first time this season, the Bianconeri shot out of the blocks after the restart and almost equalised immediately, twice in the same move. First Ivan Provedel saved Alex Sandro's shot then Pjanic's effort cannoned off the bar. Eight minutes into the half Dybala shielded the ball in the box and was brought down by Ismael Bennacer. The ref pointed to the spot, Ronaldo stepped up and duly obliged from 12 yards. CR7 ROCKET! The Portuguese didn't even celebrate his goal but instead raced to gather the ball and carry it back to the centre spot. Clearly, he was in no mood for drawing this one. Juve were now winning the ball back higher up the pitch and zipping it around quicker in possession, but Empoli still managed to keep things tidy and break up the flow of the game. Allegri moved to inject more pace with the introduction of Juan Cuadrado but instead it was Ronaldo who produced a moment of class to complete the turnaround. Collecting the ball from Blaise Matuidi 20 yards out, he took a couple of touches to tee himself up before unleashing a venomous strike that flashed across the goal and into the top corner – his seventh of the campaign and his first penalty for Juventus. LATE SCARE This time Empoli took a while to gather themselves and Cuadrado almost created a third when he burst down the right and just yards from goal pulled back for Ronaldo, albeit slightly too far back to be of any use. Empoli threw caution to the wind and Andrea Barzagli came on to help shore things up. The hosts' best chance came in the dying seconds as Caputo's effort sailed just over the bar. Juve claimed three hard-fought points – perhaps the hardest yet of the campaign – but wins like these add up when the trophies are handed at the end of the year. EMPOLI 1-2 JUVENTUS (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Caputo 28, Ronaldo 54 (pen), 70. EMPOLI: Provedel; Di Lorenzo, Silvestre, Maietta, Antonelli (Pasqual 69); Acquah, Traoré (La Gumina 82), Bennacer; Krunic, Zajc (Ucan 75); Caputo. Subs not used: Fulignati, Terracciano, Marcjanik, Rasmussen, Capezzi, Untersee, Brighi, Jakupovic, Mraz. Coach: Andreazzoli. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; De Sciglio (Barzagli 90), Rugani, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Pjanic (Douglas Costa 80), Matuidi Bentancur; Bernardeschi (Cuadrado 66), Ronaldo, Dybala. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Cancelo, Benatia, Chiellini, Spinazzola, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Calvarese. ASSISTANTS: Lo Cicero, Tolfo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Giua. VAR: Valeri, Giallatini. BOOKED: Bernardeschi 43, Bentancur 45+3, Traore 59, Dybala 78, Ucan 90+1. Source: www.juventus.com |
“They play good football and it could be a very tricky match unless we get our approach spot on”.
After the euphoria of a magical European night, Juventus must now get back to the bread and butter of Serie A with no less focus and determination – that was the message stressed by Massimiliano Allegri as he spoke to the media ahead of his team's visit to Empoli. Saturday's match at the Stadio Castellani may look easy on paper with the Tuscan outfit currently lying in 18th place, but Aurelio Andreazzoli's men have probably earned less than they deserved. “Empoli play good football,” Allegri began. “They have the fourth most possession in the opposition half and they haven't lost any of their games badly. It could be a very tricky match unless we get our approach spot on.” The Bianconeri are looking to return to winning ways in the league after dropping their first points of the season against Genoa in their last outing – something Allegri feels was not undeserved. “Genoa deserved their point because they stayed in the game and stopped us from playing ours. That said, you have to remember that you can't win every single game. They scored from a cross where we switched off because we thought the ball was going out and didn't, and [Krzysztof] Piatek had a shot in the second half. It was the game in which we conceded the fewest opportunities but mistakes happen.” The boss went on to reveal some of his decisions regarding Saturday's line-up. “[Cristiano] Ronaldo will play. He's fine at the moment. We'll see if he needs to rest further down the line. [Giorgio] Chiellini is fine too and he'll play. Either Cancelo or Alex Sandro will be rested. I still have to decide on Douglas Costa and whether or not we're going to play with a double pivot. [Wojciech] Szczesny will continue in goal but [Mattia] Perin will get his chance in the coming games. [Leonardo] Spinazzola will also be in the squad for this one, partly so he can experience matchday and the build-up again.” The boss also confirmed that Mario Mandzukic, Sami Khedira and Emre Can won't be involved this weekend. He explained: “Khedira will undergo tests on Monday or Tuesday to check his condition and see if he can resume full training. As for Can, we're carrying out some final tests and then we'll decide if he needs surgery, but we hope to have him available again as soon as possible.” Allegri then looked back on the midweek win at Manchester United before responding to suggestions he should be considered one of Europe's best coaches. “[Tuesday] was a wonderful night of football in a fantastic stadium. We're improving as a team and the quality of our football is improving too. “The club made some excellent signings once again this year, which included a world-class player in Ronaldo. Plus, we've had the same players for two years and the more they play together the better their understanding. “[Josep] Guardiola has won loads and he'll be up there contending the biggest prizes again this year. [Carlo] Ancelotti has won the Champions League both as a player and a coach. I can't be compared to them because sadly I have lost two finals. Hopefully this will be the year I put that right.” Finally, the manager commented on Giuseppe Marotta's departure and the other changes within the club. “I wish Marotta all the very best for the future. He, together with the president, [Pavel] Nedved and [Fabio] Paratici, helped Juventus grow and become what it is today. “It's the start of a new era but Paratici has been here for nine years and has been instrumental to the club's success in this period. Nedved has been here since 2001, Marco Re and Giorgio Ricci since 2003. They're important figures for Juve. They're not new and they have already contributed to the growth of this team.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri win 1-0 in Manchester thanks to La Joya's first-half strike and now have one foot in the last 16.
Juventus have virtually booked their place in the Champions League knockout stages after a highly convincing display saw them claim victory at Old Trafford for the first time in 22 years. Back in 1996 it was an Alessandro Del Piero penalty that settled the encounter; this time it was another No.10 who did the damage as Paulo Dybala finished from close range. But if truth be told, the Old Lady deserved to win by far more than a slender 1-0 margin. LA JOYA STRIKES AGAIN Juve began the game brimming with confidence. Not many teams can come to Old Trafford and dictate proceedings but that's exactly what the Bianconeri did, right from the outset. The 75,000-strong sea of red intimidates most opposition sides, but not Juve. Massimiliano Allegri set the team up in an aggressive 4-3-3 formation with Juan Cuadrado, Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. The front three frequently swapped positions, causing no end of problems for the Red Devils' rear guard. Having dominated the opening exchanges, Juve got their reward in the 17th minute when Ronaldo drifted out wide, got down to the byline and pinged in a cross. Cuadrado went for it at the near post but was blocked before Dybala pounced on the loose ball and slotted past David De Gea for his fourth European goal of the campaign. ALL JUVE The Bianconeri were in no mood for easing off after taking the lead. They pushed on, moving the ball around as if playing against a lower-league team rather than the mighty Manchester United. Cancelo almost doubled Juve's advantage with an angled effort that De Gea managed to deal with, then Rodrigo Bentancur headed over from Miralem Pjanic's corner. Ronaldo struck a free kick from out on the left so fiercely De Gea could only beat it into the path of Blaise Matuidi. The France midfielder lashed at it first time, forcing a second save out of the Spanish stopper. Before the half was out there was still time for Dybala to flash a shot just wide. Allegri's men took a 1-0 lead in at the break but it was far less than their dominance deserved. UNITED HIT THE POST Juve opened the second period with a stunning move involving Pjanic, Cuadrado and Ronaldo. It ended with CR7 smashing a vicious effort that seemed destined for the top corner until De Gea's outstretched hand touched it over. The tempo slowed as the half wore on and the odd mistake began to creep into the Bianconeri's play, allowing United to gradually get a foothold in the game. Wojciech Szczesny started to see more of the action but was never really threatened until the 75th minute when Paul Pogba won the ball on the edge of the box and looked to place his finish in the bottom corner; thankfully for Juve, it came back off the foot of the post. Allegri rejigged the team by replacing Dybala with Federico Bernardeschi and Cuadrado with Andrea Barzagli – switching to a three-man backline – before Douglas Costa came on for Cancelo. With their new set-up Juve were able to repel everything Man United threw at them with relative ease, occasionally threatening to kill the game off on the break. A thoroughly deserved success means Juve maintain their 100% record in Group H. And with nine points after three games, they already have one foot in the last 16. MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 JUVENTUS (HT 0-1): SCORER: Dybala 17. MANCHESTER UNITED: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Rashford, Mata, Martial; Lukaku. Subs not used: Romero, Bailly, Darmian, Fred, Andreas, Ander Herrera, Chong. Coach: Mourinho JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo (Douglas Costa 87), Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi; Cuadrado (Barzagli 81), Ronaldo, Dybala (Bernardeschi 78). Subs not used: Perin, De Sciglio, Benatia, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Mazic (SRB). ASSISTANTS: Ristic (SRB), Djurdjevic (SRB). FOURTH OFFICIAL: Petrovic (SRB). ADDITIONAL ASSISTANTS: Djokic (SRB), Grujic (SRB). BOOKED: Matuidi 59, Young 78, Chiellini 83. Source: www.juventus.com |
The words of Massimiliano Allegri and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of tomorrow night's Champions League tie vs Man Utd.
EMOTIONAL RETURN FOR RONALDO Tuesday's game at Old Trafford will be no ordinary game for Cristiano Ronaldo. It was at Manchester United that the Portuguese star developed into one of the world's best players, enjoying considerable success along the way, so he was understandably excited about returning to his former stomping ground in the Champions League. NOT A MATCH LIKE ANY OTHER “It's a hugely emotional thing for me to come back," he told the gathered media at a news conference ahead of the game. "When the draw was made I thought about how much I enjoyed my time here, all the trophies I won and the love everyone showed me, especially Sir Alex Ferguson. I'd like to express my best wishes to him.” The Portuguese also spoke in glowing terms of his time at Juventus so far. “My first few months in Turin have been wonderful. My team-mates and the whole atmosphere around the club are fantastic. I'm delighted to be at Juventus. I'm still adjusting to Italian football but my team-mates and all the staff have all helped me a lot. “I know I am an example both on and off the pitch. I'm lucky to play at a fantastic club and I have a wonderful family. I'm happy.” WE HAVE OUR STRENGTHS, WE ARE JUVENTUS “My first few months in Turin have been wonderful. My team-mates and the whole atmosphere around the club are fantastic. I'm delighted to be at Juventus. I'm still adjusting to Italian football but my team-mates and all the staff have all helped me a lot. “I know I am an example both on and off the pitch. I'm lucky to play at a fantastic club and I have a wonderful family. I'm happy.” Ronaldo was then asked if the Champions League starts tomorrow for him. “No, it started two games ago and it doesn't matter if I didn't play or if I was sent off. We have six points, we're in a great position and I'm happy to be back. If we can win tomorrow, we'll be virtually assured of our place in the next round and if we play the way we're capable of and the way the boss wants us to, we can do it. “We must show our opponents the respect they deserve, though. Man United are a great team with an experienced coach and they're playing at home. It will be tough but we have our weapons and we're Juve.” ALLEGRI HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANT MONTH AHEAD Massimiliano Allegri sees Tuesday's meeting with Manchester United as the perfect opportunity to set Juve up for a big month ahead. “We haven't got this month off to the best of starts but tomorrow's game is like a crossroads for us. If we win, we'll have one foot in the knockout stage. It's going to be very tricky though, so we must be on our game technically." PHYSICALITY “It will be a physical match and we must be highly focused. We'll need to keep hold of the ball and use it well if we want to limit one of our opponents' biggest threats, which are high balls. Man United are a tough outfit with a very experienced coach. “We must be in the game at all times, for the whole 100 minutes. We have to remember not only our own match against Genoa but also the match between United and Chelsea, who equalised deep into stoppage time.” YOUTH “There will be lots of talented youngsters out there tomorrow, for both teams. It will be a big test for them – a top-level game in a fabulous stadium.” TACTICS “It's a shame we don't have [Mario] Mandzukic available but it doesn't seem to be a serious problem. In any case, I'd already thought about going with different attributes up front. We'll probably play with four at the back because we want to match them man for man in midfield.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri failed to build on their first-half lead and were pegged back by Bessa, marking the end of the team’s winning streak.
Juventus’ relentless start to the season has been halted by Genoa, who earned a point on their visit to Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. Despite appearing set for a comfortable win, especially after a dominant first half, the Bianconeri failed to press home their advantage and were punished for their lack of ruthlessness. With the home defence having done well to marshal the in-form Krzysztof Piatek, it was Daniel Bessa who struck after the interval to cancel out Ronaldo’s first-half strike, ending Juventus’ winning run. RAMPANT RONALDO The home side took control of the match in the early stages, in almost routine fashion, playing football that was both pleasing on the eye and effective. Cristiano Ronaldo was in the thick of the action, going close with only a few minutes played, controlling Miralem Pjanic’s ball perfectly but failing to find the target. The Portuguese forward then hit the woodwork just before the 15-minute mark, heading Juan Cuadrado’s cross from the byline onto the frame of the goal, before putting the rebound over. Ronaldo would not be denied however, as a fortunate deflection following Joao Cancelo’s shot brought the ball into the frontman’s path, and he made no mistake from close range. ALL JUVE IN THE FIRST PERIOD There was no sign that Ronaldo would let up, with the forward forcing Andrei Radu into multiple saves before the end of the first period. Buoyed also by the tireless running of Cancelo down the right flank, Juventus dominated in every area of the pitch, making ideas of a Genoa comeback appear fanciful. GENOA BATTLE BACK However, come back into the game is exactly what the away side did. Piatek gave an initial warning to the Juve defence, forcing Wojciech Szczesny to deny a fierce strike from outside the box. It was a sign of things to come as Genoa capitalised on hesitancy from the Bianconeri rear-guard. Christian Kouamé collected the loose ball on the right and, with plenty of time to cross, gave Bessa the easiest of headed finishes to make the score 1-1. SUBS UNABLE TO FORCE A WINNER The equalising goal served as wake-up call for the Bianconeri, who forced the issue and had their chances to score a winner. Ronaldo rose well in the area to meet Alex Sandro’s cross from the left but put his header just wide. Meanwhile Paulo Dybala, who came on in place of Blaise Matuidi, dragged a left-foot shot wide from a good position just inside the area. Juventus failed to sparkle in the final stages, even with Massimiliano Allegri able to turn to the likes of Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi, and the home side were unable to get the goal that would have marked a ninth straight league win. JUVENTUS 1-1 GENOA (HT 1-0): SCORERS: Ronaldo 19, Bessa 67. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Benatia, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi (Dybala 71); Cuadrado (Douglas Costa 59), Ronaldo, Mandzukic (Bernardeschi 81). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, De Sciglio, Barzagli, Rugani, Chiellini, Emre Can, Kean. Coach: Allegri. GENOA: Radu; Biraschi, Romero, Criscito; Pereira (Gunter 79), Romulo, Sandro, Bessa (Hiljemark 82), Lazovic; Kouamé (Pandev 85), Piatek. Subs not used: Marchetti,Lisandro Lopez, Lapadula, Mazzitelli, Rolon, Lakicevic, Omeonga, Medeiros, Zukanovic. Coach: Juric. REFEREE: La Penna. ASSISTANTS: Marrazzo, Bottegoni. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ros. VAR: Calvarese, Tolfo. YELLOW CARDS: Romero 9, Benatia 30, Criscito 71, Pandev 89. Source: www.juventus.com |
“I've read that we can win every game but that's not going to happen. Too much positivity lowers your energy levels”.
Massimiliano Allegri has moved to downplay the enthusiasm surrounding Juventus after the team's flying start to the campaign. The Bianconeri's ten straight wins has led to claims from some quarters that they are dead certs to regain the Serie A title and favourites to lift the Champions League – claims the boss was keen to put back in their place. “I've read that we can win every game but that's not going to happen. Too much positivity lowers your energy levels,” Allegri told journalists at his press conference ahead of Saturday's match against Genoa. “Tomorrow we're up against Genoa and the last four times we've played them at home on three occasions we've beaten them 1-0 – the bare minimum. We must keep a low profile and focus on one game at a time. “Over the next six matches we'll be playing for our place in the knockout stage of the Champions League with two exciting match-ups against Man United while in Serie A we have the chance to gain ground on our rivals. If we win tomorrow, we'll move further ahead of Inter or Milan as they playing each other, and we'll put pressure on Napoli, who play after us. “We must get stuck into Serie A again with the right level of focus because the first game back after the international break is the most dangerous.” JURIC'S GENOA Genoa go into the game with a new coach at the helm after Ivan Juric was reinstated in place of Davide Ballardini at the start of international break, but Allegri isn't expecting any huge surprises. “I don't think Juric's side will be too different from the teams he's put together in the past. They'll be very aggressive and play man for man in nearly every area of the pitch, so we're going to need to put in a strong physical performance. “[Krzysztof] Piatek has been something of a surprise and he's doing very well. When he's in the box the ball seems to be drawn to him.” JUVE TREATMENT ROOM Allegri wasn't in the mood for revealing his team selection but he did provide an update on the injury situation. “[Wojciech] Szczesny will start tomorrow but [Mattia] Perin will get his chance further down the line – I'm very happy with how he's doing. “The only player who will definitely be rested tomorrow is [Giorgio] Chiellini. “[Mattia] De Sciglio is fit and if he plays tomorrow it will be on the left but I need to assess Alex Sandro – he wasn't involved in the last game for Brazil so he's not especially tired. “I need to look at the midfielders based on who I pick up front. “Douglas Costa hasn't played for two months and has probably only got 30 minutes in him so he's more likely to come on as a sub. “Everyone is available for selection except [Sami] Khedira, who we hope to have fit in time for Empoli or our home fixture against Manchester United.” Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri win again in Friuli courtesy of goals by Bentancur and Ronaldo to rack up a 10th straight victory since the start of the campaign.
Juve kept up their 100% start to the season with a dominant display at Udinese to head into the international break with ten consecutive wins on the board. First-half goals by Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristiano Ronaldo put the Bianconeri in the driving seat before they comfortably saw out the second half. BENTANCUR BREAKS HIS DUCK With Udinese content to sit back and wait on the edge of their area, Juve sought to exploit the wide areas with Joao Cancelo and Alex Sandro and played a high pressing game to win the ball back as quickly as possible. The Bianconeri were dominating the game yet after 20 minutes only had a Ronaldo header and a Miralem Pjanic shot – both off target – to show for their efforts. The hosts were holding firm as Juve bided their time for the right moment to strike – which came soon after the half-hour mark, ironically following an Udinese corner. Wojciech Szczesny claimed the ball and quickly launched a counter-attack. Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Bentancur all got involved before the Uruguayan spread play out to Cancelo and darted into the box, where he met the incoming cross with a well-timed header. Juve had the lead and Bentancur had his first goal for the club. RONALDO ROCKET DOUBLES THE LEAD Juve might have extended their advantage just three minutes later but Simone Scuffet somehow kept out Mario Mandukic's firm finish from close range. Another minute passed and the second goal did come – with Mandzukic at the heart of it. The Croat collected Alex Sandro's long ball forward and held it up well before playing back to Ronaldo. The Portuguese instantly lashed home inside the far post leaving Scuffet with no chance. UDINESE LOOK FOR A WAY BACK The second goal forced Udinese to come out of their shell and they did succeed in creating a few openings. Antonin Barak hit the post with a low drive from the edge of the box before the break while Kevin Lasagna hit a weak effort from close range after the restart which Alex Sandro cleared. Juventus were less aggressive than in the first half but still looked dangerous whenever they broke forward. Dybala weaved his way through the Udinese rearguard only to shoot high and wide. BIANCONERI DOMINANC Juve remained very much in control of proceedings and Ronaldo had the chance to make it 3-0 after exchanging passes with Mandzukic but hit it centrally. He then teed up Federico Bernardeschi (who had come on for Dybala), the Italian struck it hard but Scuffet got down well to make a smart save. Mandzukic went close while down the other end Ignacio Pussetto forced a save out of Szczesny. A fine Juve move involving Pjanic, Ronaldo and Mandzukic ended with Scuffet thwarting CR7 once again. The Friulian goalie then repeated the trick to deny Cancelo a first goal in black and white and the fact he was the hosts' best player by a mile tells you just how one-sided the match was. UDINESE 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT 0-2): SCORERS: Bentancur 33, Ronaldo 37. UDINESE: Scuffet; Stryger-Larsen, Troost-Ekong, Nuytinck, Samir; Behrami (Pussetto 62); Barak (Teodorczyk 76), Fofana, Mandragora De Paul; Lasagna (Vizeu 87). Subs not used: Nicolas, Musso, Opoku, Pezzella, Ter Avest, Wague, D'Alessandro, Pontisso, Machis Coach: Julio Velazquez. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic (Barzagli 90), Matuidi (Emre Can 46); Dybala (Bernardeschi 66), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Benatia, Cuadrado, Kean. Coach: Massimiliano Allegri. REFEREE: Abisso. ASSISTANTS: Posado, Mondin. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Minelli. VAR: La Penna, Tegoni. BOOKED: Del Paul 50, Samir 79, Lasagna 83, Mandzukic 90+4. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Tuscan tactician urges the Bianconeri to enter the October international break on a high ahead of Saturday’s match against Udinese.
Always a battle in Udine “Udinese are a force on the counter-attack and they're full of pace. They've lost the last two matches, so we must not be complacent but make sure that we're on top of our game tomorrow in order to enter the international break on a high. “Playing away at Udinese is always a battle and we'll need to approach the match with focus and determination. On a technical level, it may not be the easiest on the eye.” Squad news “Sami Khedira and Daniele Rugani are out of action, Mattia De Sciglio is back available again, while Douglas Costa will return for the Genoa match. Meanwhile, Wojciech Szczesny starts in goal. “Tomorrow I could go with a front three of Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo, or alternatively one of them could be rested. Juan Cuadrado is in good form and his assist the other night has provided a boost.” Raising the bar “The team has improved significantly in quality thanks to the club's investment in recent seasons and we'll see whether we're a better team at the end of the campaign. We've won a lot over the years and only the Champions League is missing. “One aspect we need to work on right now is to find greater continuity in defence by keeping consecutive clean sheets more often. I repeat: tomorrow is a match that will ask a lot of the players both physically and mentally, so we must be prepared for that.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus president Andrea Agnelli writes to the club's shareholders.
Dear champions of Italy, The draft balance sheet that we are submitting for your approval is a snapshot of a club, Juventus, that in recent years has grown both on the pitch, with sporting results that have elevated the Bianconeri back to the top of the Italian and international game, and off it, where growth and development have been fast and constant, and ensured the club is among the leaders in football for revenue, organisation and innovation. The cycle from 2010 to 2018 has brought 14 trophies into our museum, including seven consecutive Scudetto titles, an unprecedented record that only we can improve by extending it. An uninterrupted run of victories like this has never been seen before in Italy, so all of you shareholders can be proud of this era, which will leave a significant mark in Juventus’ history. Four consecutive Coppa Italia triumphs, another record that will be difficult to beat, and three Super Cups round off this chapter in our 120-year history. This administration intends to continue writing history by pursuing every possible objective this season: an eighth consecutive Scudetto, a fifth Coppa Italia, the Super Cup and the Champions League, a competition we have come so close to winning in recent years, with two appearances in the final as well as last-minute defeats in the quarter-finals and the Round of 16 against two of our main European competitors, who in football terms are both within our reach. Over the last few years, we have seen just how many pitfalls there are on the journey, just as we have discovered ourselves how the smallest details and a bit of luck – the primary reason why football is the most loved and followed sport in the world – can be decisive. None of the achievements I have listed above would have occurred without the development of your club. During the same period, 2010 to 2018, revenue has increased thanks to the efforts of men and women who in these seasons have dedicated their hard work, professionalism and loyalty. Exactly five years ago, I suggested 300 million euros in turnover as an objective to aim for, excluding income from player sales, which many continue not to consider as indicative in this sector. For the second year in a row, this figure has registered at over 400 million, guaranteeing Juventus a spot in the top tier of football clubs around the world. This result has come about thanks to two fundamental components, which are themselves connected:
Today Juventus are one of the biggest clubs in the world and must strive to remain in this elite bracket of global brands in upcoming years. The evolution of top-level professional football is undergoing a gradual and at the moment unavoidable polarisation between clubs. There are few who remain able to compete for success in every competition. Maintaining this position and potentially even improving it are not to be taken for granted, since it is very easy to fall from this height, while climbing back up, as the last 15 years have shown, require a great deal of time and resources. In terms of competitions, the international footballing landscape is fairly well defined until 2024, when the international calendars and format of competitions can be reconsidered. This is an area where your club has been very active thanks to the efforts of our managers within national and international institutions, as well as my own commitment as President of the European Club Association and as a member of the UEFA Executive Committee. Over the next six years the groundwork will be laid for the future of the game through intense dialogue between FIFA, UEFA – and other confederations – and national FAs, but more importantly thanks to an increasing recognition of football businessmen and investors who provide resources, take risks and look to increase the value of their investments, like in any economic sector. The next six years will be crucial for Juventus and for Italian football. Within our Club, we must be capable of significantly increasing our commercial revenue to consolidate our position at the top, both nationally and internationally. We will need investment, adequate organisational structures and at least as much enthusiasm as Juventus have enjoyed thus far. We will be playing our matches on Italian and European pitches but the commercial challenge is global. Internationally, your Club must identify new forms of sponsorship, new opportunities for digital visibility and new ways to expand our business, with everything geared towards the same primary objective that this management group has always had: to provide the resources needed to maintain a winning team. Italian football is struggling to close the gap with other footballing nations but signs of rejuvenation offer hope, for the first time in years, that the future might be brighter. In the last few seasons, growth has been notably lower than elsewhere in Europe while Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup is a sad chapter that will hopefully never be repeated. The main actors in any economic sector are the last to see the crisis about to strike. And sadly, Italian football was no exception. Now, with great difficulty but in a spirit of collaboration, the Lega Serie A finally has a governance. In his first few months as President, Gaetano Micciché has imposed a management style typical of the business and finance world he comes from, where it is normal for projects and objectives to be evaluated based on the credibility of the parties involved and the feasibility of the initiatives proposed. The Lega Serie A can now legitimately assert its leadership, which is its natural role but one it lost during the dark years. The Italian FA, although currently with an external commissioner, has also achieved some significant results. After years of appeals falling on deaf ears, B teams have finally been introduced in Serie C. The project, still in an embryonic stage, will see other clubs follow in the footsteps of Juventus’ Under-23 team and adopt this new model which aims to complete the development of upcoming footballers by preparing them for top-level football while reducing the risk of their talent going to waste after they leave the youth teams. Women’s football is making great strides in Italy. Juventus Women won the Scudetto in their first season and now, starting with the 2018/19 season, the women’s league has finally turned professional under the tutelage of the FIGC. It is a historic step forward and comes in the wake of the Italy women’s national team qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. Many more reforms – of the league system and the sports justice system, for example – need to be made if we are to take Italian football back to the level it deserves to be at, but we have started on the right path. Fino alla fine... Andrea Agnelli. Source: www.juventus.com |
Dybala’s hat-trick sees off Young Boys as the Bianconeri put in an excellent performance to pick up their ninth win in as many matches this season.
For the first match of the season in which Juventus had to do without Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala was waiting to step up to the plate. Not that his class and confidence have been missing in previous fixtures, although the way he put the game to bed after 30 minutes was as good as it gets from the Argentine. The Bianconeri will face stiff opposition in Europe than Young Boys this season, but the Swiss outfit had enough stamina and physicality to prevent Massimiliano Allegri from underestimating this encounter. The team’s professional attitude, coupled with La Joya’s talent, meant this game was all Juventus from the start. BONUCCI TO DYBALA, A WINNING COMBINATION! Juventus struck gold on virtually their first foray forward, when Leonardo Bonucci found himself with the ball at his feet just inside Young Boys’ half after five minutes. The centre-back lifted his head and clipped a sublime 40-metre pass over the Swiss defence, the ball dropping perfectly for Dybala to volley home into the corner. LA JOYA STRIKES AGAIN! The early lead meant the Bianconeri took their foot off the gas slightly and Miralem Sulejmani worked himself into a one-on-one with Wojciech Szczęsny, rounding the onrushing keeper and crossing from the byline. Blaise Matuidi’s intervention was as timely as they come, getting to the ball before Guillaume Hoarau and robbing the Reunionese forward of a strike into an empty net. Young Boys were certainly game, their five midfielders working hard to close down space and cut off passing lines, although it was clear Juve had the tools to unpick them. Both Bonucci and Miralem Pjanic were looking to spread the ball wide to get the wingers and fullbacks into play, such as when Alex Sandro laid it off for Federico Bernardeschi to strike from the edge of the area, or when Bernardeschi himself picked out Dybala in the box, but Paulo couldn’t deflect the cross into the net. There were no problems with the Argentine’s aim in the 33rd minute: in a move that started inside the Bianconeri half, Dybala picked up the ball in an advanced position, played it to Juan Cuadrado and then drifted into an attacking position, just as David von Ballmoos spilled a fierce Matuidi shot into his path. An easy finish into an unguarded net for our No.10 to make it 2-0. A SPECTACULAR HAT-TRICK Juve almost made it 3-0 immediately after the restart: in the 48th minute Bernardeschi won the ball in midfield before advancing to the 18-yard line and offloading for Dybala, whose shot cannoned off the upright. Every time Young Boys ventured forward, the danger was swiftly averted, while the Bianconeri looked like scoring with every attack. Pjanic nearly found the net with a volley from 18 yards that had Von Balmoos rooted, then Bernardeschi attempted to slalom his way through the Swiss defence, when Dybala was ideally positioned for a simple finish. Nevertheless, Paulo’s hat-trick goal came shortly afterwards, crowning off a lovely team move: Alex Sandro, Emre Can, Mario Mandzukic and Cuadrado all exchanged sharp one-touch passes before the Colombian squared for his fellow South American to slot home from a couple of yards. Mohamed Camara made life harder for Gerardo Seoane’s team when he picked up his second yellow card in the 78th minute, but with the points already secured, Juventus had no need to press further. Instead, academy prospect Moise Kean was given 15 minutes to impress, coming on in place of Mandzukic. Juventus thus pick up their ninth win in nine matches this season and strengthen their grip on top spot in Group H of the Champions League, with six points already in the bag and a significant step to the knockout stages taken. JUVENTUS 3-0 YOUNG BOYS 2 (HT: 2-0): Scorers: Dybala 5, 33, 78. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Barzagli, Bonucci, Benatia; Cuadrado, Matuidi (Emre Can 46), Pjanic, Bernardeschi, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Mandzukic (Kean 75). Subs not used: Perin, Cancelo, Chiellini, Khedira, Bentancur. Coach: Allegri. YOUNG BOYS: Von Ballmoos; Schick, Camara, Von Bergen, Benito; Fassnacht, Sow, Sanogo (Lauper 46), Bertone, Sulejmani; Hoarau. Subs nos used: Wolfi, Garcia, Assale, Aebischer, Nsame, Ngamaleu. Coach: Seoane. REFEREE: Karasev (RUS). ASSISTANTS: Demeshko (RUS), Lunev (RUS). FOURTH OFFICIAL: Averianov (RUS). ADDITIONAL ASSISTANTS: Ivanov (RUS), Moskalev (RUS). BOOKED: Bertone 24, Sanogo 42. RED CARDS: Camara 78. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri underlined the importance of victory in his Juve-Young Boys pre-match press conference.
FULL FOCUS "We have to play well tomorrow night and we must win otherwise we will un-do all the good work that we did in Spain. "We have to be very respectful because Young Boys are a team in form. They have won a lot of matches and their coach knows how to organise his team, they are solid in defence and organised. We have to be fast, technical and physical and move the ball quick between the lines. We must play better than the opening 20 minutes against Napoli because I didn’t like that at all and neither did the players, we allowed Napoli a clinical chance and we can’t let it happen again. We absolutely have to be focused on the whole match for 90 minutes." UCL TEAM LINE-UP "Khedira is back in the squad, he won’t start tomorrow but he may feature as a substitute if we need him in the match. If I can field him for half an hour or so then that will be great, as he is someone who could be useful when we face Udinese at the weekend. We are coming to the end of another mini-cycle, and then after the international break we will face Genoa and then Manchester United away. "I’m curious to see the team without Ronaldo although I already saw that in Valencia. It's good that he will be with us in Manchester but it's important that he rests as well as he’s already played a lot of games for us. "Dybala and Mandzukic will start tomorrow, however Chiellini won't play and I will probably rest Cancelo. Barzagli will obviously play, as he was just here speaking with me! "I'm not sure whether Emre Can will play or not, despite him doing very well. I'm undecided on the midfield so it depends on whether we have two playing in there, or three at the back. Bernardeschi can play wide, inside, or in the hole, but it depends he could play tomorrow or he might not." Source: www.juventus.com |
Mertens scored early on for Napoli, but Juve turned the game on its head with a Mandzukic brace followed by a goal from Bonucci, taking the Bianconeri six points clear of the Partenopei.
We will perhaps never know why the Bianconeri performed so poorly in the first 10 minutes of their Saturday-evening clash with title rivals Napoli, but despite falling behind to Dries Mertens’ opening goal, Massimiliano Allegri’s men were able to clear their heads and turn the match around. The home side picked up a deserved win that takes them six points clear of last year’s runners up. Mertens punishes sluggish start Juventus’ tentative start to the game handed the initiative to the visitors, who struck the woodwork with just 6 minutes played, after Piotr Zielinski’s low drive. It was a warning of things to come as Napoli managed to get their noses in front with just minutes later. A stray pass out of defence by Leonardo Bonucci was seized on by Allan, who found Jose Callejon inside the area. The Spaniard played the ball across Wojciech Szczesny to leave Dries Mertens with the simplest of finishes. Ronaldo and Mandzukic combine to level After their faltering start, Juventus were quick to increase the intensity of their pressing and gain a foothold in the game. The change in approach paid dividends with 26 minutes on the clock. Cristiano Ronaldo showed some clever footwork on the left flank to create some space to cross. His inch-perfect ball into the box was headed into the net by Mario Mandzukic, drawing the home side level. A change of tide The leveller marked the start of a different match, with Juventus the dominant force. The team went close to taking the lead following Ronaldo’s free-kick, which David Ospina failed to hold, but neither Emre Can nor Miralem Pjanic were able to put the ball into the net. Other than Mario Rui’s shot over the bar, it was one-way traffic for the rest of the half, and some more clinical finishing would have seen Juve take a deserved lead into the break. Mario strikes again! The home supporters did not have to wait long to see their team make their superiority pay, however. Just four minutes into the second period, Ronaldo’s low drive cannoned off the post and into the path of Mandzukic, who was in the right place at the right time to finish into an empty net. Mario Rui sees red Napoli reacted with greater pace and pressing, and their efforts almost paid off with Lorenzo Insigne forcing Szczesny into a save with 56 minutes played. However, the Partenopei’s increased aggression led to a hammer blow for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, when Mario Rui was given his second yellow card for a poor challenge on Paulo Dybala. Bonucci seals the victory Despite being reduced to ten men, the away side came close to an equaliser, as Callejon was denied by a smart save from Szczesny, having been found in the box by substitute Arek Milik. When playing against a side like Juventus, especially with a numerical disadvantage, you need to take your chances and Napoli learned that lesson the hard way. At the other end Bonucci applied the decisive touch from close range, after Ronaldo met Pjanic’s corner with a header towards goal. The Portuguese forward certainly deserved a goal for his role in all three Juventus goals and his efforts were hailed by the home support, who gave him a warm round of applause when he was replaced by Juan Cuadrado in the closing stages. The applause continued until the final whistle, with the fans fully aware of how much this win means, leaving Juventus out in front at the top of Serie A. JUVENTUS 3-1 NAPOLI (HT: 1-1): SCORERS: Mertens 10, Mandzukic 26, 49, Bonucci 76. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Emre Can (Bentancur 52), Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala (Bernardeschi 64), Mandzukic (Cuadrado 84), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Barzagli, Rugani, Kean. Coach: Allegri. NAPOLI: Ospina; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Callejon, Allan, Hamsik (Ruiz 70), Zielinski (Malcuit 61); Mertens (Milik 61), Insigne. Subs not used: Karnezis, D'Andrea, Maksimovic, Luperto, Rog, Diawara, Verdi, Ounas. Coach: Ancelotti. REFEREE: Banti. ASSISTANTS: Manganelli, Vuoto. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Di Bello. VAR: Fabbri, Giallatini. YELLOW CARDS: Mario Rui 24, Koulibaly 40, Hysaj 55, Mario Rui 58, Bonucci 60, Insigne 60, Cancelo 69, Alex Sandro 80. RED CARDS: Mario Rui 58. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri outlined what it will take for the Bianconeri to beat Napoli tomorrow night at the Allianz.
CONTINUING & IMPROVING "Tomorrow will see the two teams facing each other that have fought for the title in the last few years. It will be a great challenge that will matter more for Napoli based on the current standings. "We just have to think about playing in a big match, because the result alone won't decide the season. So far, we have been very good but against Napoli we have to be even better. From a mental aspect we will have to be calm as we know that it will be a physical match. "We will have to play well against a team that has not changed the level of its players, but has signed an important and successful coach, and you can already see how the team are playing in his style. We have to redeem the defeat from last year, and it's a good moment for us right now. It will be a great evening and we will need the full backing of our fans to help us get over the line. "In games like tomorrow the fine details are what counts, staying focused in the defensive phase and also making the most of the chances that occur, that will make all the difference. So far this season we've taken a lot of shots but with fewer goal returns, maybe tomorrow we'll score more. "Winning is never easy and in fact Real Madrid and Barcelona recently proved that as they both lost in the last round in La Liga. Serie A is the hardest European league to play in as there are so much tactics that it's very difficult to score and to win. Now we have to start over and write a new chapter, but to do it we need focus and motivation, this is what makes the difference." NAPOLI CHALLENGE "Ancelotti has won everything, more than me. This morning I looked at our achievements and after a while I had to stop, he has won so much that he even took a break! He transmits serenity and knows how to make things simple. "He and I are similar managers, although we each have our own characteristics, we are from the same school and in fact he is a professor. "They have changed their management of games, in the last few matches they have only conceded one goal and haven't suffered many shots. Carlo has had the intelligence not to tear up what Sarri has done in recent years, but he has brought his own philosophies and evolved their style. Napoli play differently in defence than last year but their attacking is still the same, as they have a great understanding. "Napoli deserve compliments for the last few years but also Juventus, because to keep winning is extraordinary." TEAM FOR TOMORROW "Kean will return to the squad, whilst Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Pjanic, Matuidi and Ronaldo will all start tomorrow, and if you want another name I'll give it to you, Szczesny! "The team is growing and is finding balance; the choices are always painful because every time I have to leave important players on the bench. Today, I will decide the team based on training and the condition of the players, even taking into account Tuesday's Champions League match against Young Boys. "I'm happy to have Cristiano available in Manchester, it was the right decision. Against Bologna he played for the team but we still have to work on the team chemistry, considering the international breaks this group has only been together for 30 days but we have time to improve it. "It's possible that we'll play with two or even four in midfield, it depends on the characteristics of the individuals and also who will play in attack." Source: www.juventus.com |
Dybala and Matuidi secure the points against Bologna to make it six wins from six league games for Juve.
Juve strolled to victory against Bologna in their sixth Serie A match of the campaign – and had the points wrapped up after just 15 minutes. Paulo Dybala opened his account for the season while Blaise Matuidi added the second in an entirely one-sided affair which sets the Bianconeri up nicely for Saturday's top-of-the-table clash with Napoli. LA JOYA GETS OFF THE MARK Mattia Perin was handed his competitive debut between the sticks while Andrea Barzagli and Medhi Benatia lined up either side of Leo Bonucci in a the back three. Juan Cuadrado and Joao Cancelo provided the width in a five-man midfield with Rodrigo Bentancur and Matuidi in the centre and Miralem Pjanic pulling the strings. Cristiano Ronaldo and Dybala started up front. Bologna's approach to the game was very similar to Frosinone's on Sunday night, with eight or nine men guarding their penalty box, but it didn't take Juve long to threaten. Cancelo fired off an early warning shot before Dybala intercepted Lukasz Skorupski's attempted clearance and hit the side netting. The goal wasn't long in coming. After a rare foray forward by Bologna, Bonucci launched a raking pass towards Dybala, it came off his back and fell invitingly for Matuidi: his shot was saved by Skorupski but La Joya volleyed home the rebound. MATUIDI MAKES IT TWO The Bianconeri doubled their advantage just a few minutes later. Bentancur carried the ball upfield, Cancelo sent a cross over to Ronaldo at the far post, the Portuguese played the ball back across goal where Matuidi gratefully collected it and slammed into the roof of the net. Two-nil up with just 15 minutes on the clock, Juve could afford themselves the luxury of managing the game without necessarily having to find a way past the Bologna's rearguard, especially since the visitors seemed more concerned about not shipping any more goals than getting themselves back in the match. Ronaldo went looking for a goal of his own, first firing wide from outside the box and then skipping past Mitchell Dijks only to see his angled effort well saved by Skorupski. Diego Falcinelli shot wide of Perin's goal before the half was up but that was about all Filippo Inzaghi's men could muster. ONE-WAY TRAFFIC A single stat – Juventus' 93.2 % pass completion rate in the first half (slightly less by the end of the game) – was enough to sum up Juve's superiority in the opening 45 minutes. The second half continued in much the same vein, with Cancelo and Dybala in particularly tantalising form, beating their men almost every time they received the ball. Massmiliano Allegri took the opportunity to rest some legs ahead of the impending fixtures, replacing Pjanic, Cuadrado and Barzagli with Emre Can, Federico Bernardeschi and Alex Sandro during the course of the second period. Shortly before Allegri's final substitution Dybala played in Ronaldo but the Portuguese's low effort flew agonisingly wide. The last chance of the game fell to Emre Can – teed up by Ronaldo – in stoppage time but Skorupski was equal to it. So it ended 2-0 – enough to secure a sixth straight league win and keep Juve top on maximum points going into Saturday's crunch clash with Napoli. JUVENTUS 2-0 BOLOGNA (HT 2-0): SCORERS: Dybala 11, Matuidi 16. JUVENTUS: Perin; Barzagli (Alex Sandro 85) Bonucci, Benatia; Cuadrado (Bernardeschi 76), Bentancur, Pjanic (Emre Can 64), Matuidi, Cancelo; Bernardeschi, Ronaldo, Dybala. Subs not used: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Mandzukic. Coach: Allegri. BOLOGNA: Skorupski; Calabresi, Danilo, Paz; Mbaye, Dzemaili, Nagy, Krejci, Dijks (Orsolini 86); Falcinelli (Okwonkwo 68), Destro (Santander 68). Subs not used: Da Costa, Santurro, Gonzalez, Mattiello, Svanberg, De Maio, Valencia. Coach: Inzaghi. REFEREE: Mariani. ASSISTANTS: Bindoni, De Meo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Baroni. VAR: Guida, Di Vuolo. BOOKED: Pjanic 33, Paz 37, Danilo 67, Calabresi 71, Cuadrado 74. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri underlined the importance of getting the win against Bologna, before Saturday's Napoli showdown.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VICTORY "We must win tomorrow night, because we need to get to reach the match against Napoli with the maximum points. We will face a Bologna side that beat Roma convincingly, and have only lost and drawn previous games by the odd goal apart from against Inter where they held their own until the final 30 minutes. "Bologna know how to suffer yet stay in the game and Inzaghi is good at setting them up like this. However, we have to win and we need to be focused and play as we did against Frosinone where the team played in a mature and responsible manner. "During the season you can get games like those against Frosinone that are tight encounters where you have to play with patience, whereas others you'll score early on or if not then lots in the second half. Tomorrow could be like last Sunday's match, but we hope that instead we'll opening the scoring within the first 10 minutes and it will go differently." JUVE-BOLOGNA: TEAM NEWS "Ronaldo has started the season well he's’ scoring goals and is playing well. He needs to keep playing and scoring and as he won't be available for Young Boys next week he will play tomorrow. "Bentancur played a good game against Frosinone but he must be more assured at times, he has a good chance of playing tomorrow. Blaise Matuidi will be back in the line-up and then I need to choose between Pjanic and Can. "Credit to Bernardeschi for the way he has raised his game. From the moment he arrived at this club, he knew that he had to dig deep and grow consistently in order to keep being selected, and that's exactly what he's done. "Perin will play tomorrow, whilst Chiellini will be rested, I'll decide as to which of the full-backs will get a breather. Dybala played well against Frosinone so he starts tomorrow, he's in good shape and the goals will come. Mandzukic has been playing a lot lately so he could be rested, that means that Kean could even feature tomorrow night. "Spinazzola is recovering well from his injury and it won't be long until he starts training with the rest of the squad. Barzagli is completely recovered and is available for tomorrow’s match." BEST NOMINATION "I didn't know that Lionel Messi had nominated me for the FIFA Best coach award, I know now and I'm happy about that. The prize was rightly won by Deschamps yesterday because he won the World Cup. I also have to compliment to Marotta who won the award for the Best Executive at The WFS Industry Awards." Source: www.juventus.com |
Two late goals secure a fifth league win on the bounce.
To win at this level there are times you need to dig deep, keep believing and not give in. That is a lesson Juventus will surely take from this tough away trip to the Stadio Benito Stirpe. The Bianconeri emerged 2-0 winners after a hard-fought contest, as Moreno Longo’s Frosinone side battled admirably to keep the scores deadlocked, though without doing too much to threaten in the other direction. It was one-way traffic for the majority of the game and the question on most observers’ lips was whether Juve would finally find a way through. They were made to wait but goals in the final ten minutes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi secured a deserved victory. Attack versus defence The Bianconeri were warned before the game that they would face a battle on Sunday evening by Juan Cuadrado, who was on the score-sheet the last time Juve travelled to Frosinone. The Colombian was chosen in a back four alongside Daniele Rugani, Giorgio Chiellini and Alex Sandro for the match and his prediction proved accurate. The first half saw Juve’s attacking trio, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo, struggle to create clear openings, with space very much at a premium. The Portuguese forward did go close within the first seven minutes, firing Mandzukic’s knock-down across goal, but Marco Sportiello saved before Marco Capuano managed to get the ball to safety, as it trickled towards goal. Ronaldo forced the Frosinone keeper into a smart save on 20 minutes, pouncing on a lose header in the area before firing low at the near post. One-way traffic resumes In the second period, the visitors tried to play with greater width, but despite monopolising possession the yellow and blue wall ahead of them remained impenetrable. Massimiliano Allegri sent Bernardeschi on to replace Rodrigo Betancur ten minutes into the second half, switching to a 4-4-2 formation, and the Italian almost had an instant impact, chesting Chiellini’s cross into the path of Ronaldo, but the latter’s left-foot volley was blazed over the bar. The duo combined shortly after, with Ronaldo producing an improvised back-heel finish from close range, but Sportiello managed to get himself in the way. Joao Cancelo, who replaced Cuadrado with 20 minutes to play, almost set up Mandzukic for a winner shortly after coming on. His cross with the outside of the boot was met by the Croat in the centre of the box, but the striker’s header was just inches too high. CR7 and Bernardeschi strike When the goal eventually came there was a slice of luck, but it was no more than Juventus deserved, having been camped in the opposing half for the duration of the second half. Miralem Pjanic attempted to fire towards goal, having created space near the edge of the box. The ball deflected off a Frosinone defender and into the path of Ronaldo, who hit a first-time left-foot shot into the corner. With the deadlock broken, the pressure was on Frosinone to push for an equaliser and we were able to see how the game would have played out if both sides went in search for goals. Juventus kept their opponents at arm’s length and eventually put the game to bed. Pjanic won the ball high up on the left-hand side before switching the play to Bernardeschi, who calmly made room for a shot before smashing home. With their fifth league win in as many games, Juventus remain out in front at the top of the Serie A table. FROSINONE 0-2 JUVENTUS (HT: 0-0): Scorers: Ronaldo 81, Bernardeschi 90+4. FROSINONE: Sportiello; Zampano, Goldaniga, Salamon, Capuano, Molinaro; Chibsah, Maiello (Criestig 47), Halffredsson (Cassata 85); Campbell (Ciano 71), Perica. Subs not used: Bardi, Ariaudo, Beghetto, Krajnc, Brighenti, Soddimo, Ghiglione, Pinamonti, Ciofani. Coach: Longo. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado (Cancelo 69), Rugani, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Emre Can, Pjanic, Bentancur (Bernardeschi 56); Dybala, Mandzukic (Matuidi 85), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Benatia, Kean. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Giacomelli ASSISTANTS: Mondin, Santoro FOURTH OFFICIAL: Marinelli VAR: Mariani, Del Giovane YELLOW CARDS: Bentancur 28, Perica 29, Molinaro 62, Sportiello 80. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri reiterates that his Juventus team need to not let concentration levels drop when they take on Frosinone tomorrow night.
PLAYING WITH THE RIGHT MENTALITY "It's an important moment in the championship. We have gotten through the most complicated game of this week in the Champions League against Valencia, but now we have to put it behind us and focus on Frosinone. They will be playing the game of their lives after their matches against Lazio and Sampdoria and we must not lose focus. Tomorrow, is a game that we must approach with the right mentality. "The team is improving from a physical and technical point of view, because they are playing together more and more. Also from the defensive point of view, we are improving and we showed it on Wednesday in Valencia, even though we suffered too many crosses, but we are working hard and finding the right balance.". TEAM NEWS FOR FROSINONE "Tomorrow, Szczesny will play, whilst Perin will make his Juventus debut at home to Bologna on Wednesday. Dybala will play, he's an important player and he's ready to score goals for us, he could play in different roles and I still have to decide how we will line up both in defence and attack. "We could potentially go with three at the back and if we do so then one of Alex Sandro, Cancelo or Cuadrado will be rested. If we play with four then it's possible that all of them will play. "Pjanic is fine but I still need to evaluate Bernardeschi. Matuidi and Mandzukic have given us a lot in recent weeks so they might both need a rest. Barzagli is out but should return on Wednesday, De Sciglio is out and must undergo new tests. Khedira and Douglas Costa are unavailable and will come back after the next international break." RONALDO EFFECT "Tomorrow, Ronaldo will give an excellent performance as he did in the first half hour in the Champions League. "The expectations on him are very high, but he does not have to prove anything. He must only continue to play, have fun and score, he is very demanding of himself. He is the best player in the world along with Messi and he brings a lot of value to the squad." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri brushed Valencia aside despite a controversial red card to Ronaldo on 30 minutes. Pjanic scored twice from the penalty spot as Szczesny saved one down the other end to secure a 2-0 win at the Mestalla.
Making your season debut in the Champions League with the competition’s greatest ever player among your ranks, only to see him sent off in controversial circumstances after just 30 minutes’ play, would rattle most teams. But not Juve. The Bianconeri – who had dominated up until the red card – produced a display full of the experience, character and class we’ve come to expect over the years, condemning Valencia to a 2-0 defeat courtesy of two invaluable Miralem Pjanic penalties.. FLURRY OF CHANCES The Mestalla had waited three years to see Valencia make their return to the Champions League. And the fans certainly made themselves heard in the opening minutes, roaring their team on as the home side looked to set the tempo of the game. Yet Juve weathered the early storm and soon took charge of affairs. Max Allegri’s side could have been ahead after just ten minutes, but Mario Mandzukic fired over from close range following a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese was again involved five minutes later, barrelling down the left and supplying a perfect cross for Federico Bernardeschi, whose sumptuous touch found Sami Khedira in space inside the six-yard box. With the goal gaping, the German failed to hit the target. Juve’s best chance of the opening half hour came on 20 minutes. Alex Sandro crossed to Mandzukic, with the ball finding its way to Bernardeschi after a challenge on the Croat. Bernardeschi put his boot through the ball, but former Juventus man Neto produced a wonderful save to deny first the Italian and then Blaise Matuidi’s follow-up. KHEDIRA INJURED, RONALDO SENT OFF The match was firmly in Juve’s grasp, with the Bianconeri playing with freedom and menace. Yet things were about to take an unexpected turn. First Khedira was forced off through injury on 23 minutes, replaced by Emre Can, but the real shock was to come in the form of a red card to Ronaldo. It stemmed from an off-the-ball incident, while the ball was way out on the left touchline. Ronaldo and Jeison Murillo exchanged angry words in the box, and though it all seemed perfectly innocuous, referee Felix Brych consulted with additional assistant Marco Fritz and promptly waved a flash of red at Ronaldo, whose anguish was clear to see. It was his first sending off in 154 Champions League appearances. PENALTY PJANIC The red card seemed to galvanise Valencia and Michy Batshuayi was soon forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a smart save from a close-range effort. Juve maintained a threat on the break, however, with Bernardeschi proving a great outlet for the Valencia pressure. The Italian was at the heart of Juve’s final move of the half, bursting forward and finding Joao Cancelo in the Valencia box. The Portuguese smashed a shot off the crossbar, the ball bouncing back into the mixer. Poised to shoot again, Cancelo found himself fouled by Valencia’s Dani Parejo, with the referee pointing to the spot. Up stepped Miralem Pjanic, in flew the ball for 1-0. The second half resumed with Valencia on the front foot. First Batshuayi and then Rodrigo – a header set up by a Jose Luis Gaya cross – called Szczesny into action. But once again Juventus stood firm, with Cancelo bringing the ball out and winning a corner for his team. Pjanic swung it in towards Leo Bonucci, who was summarily upended by Murillo. Another penalty. Pjanic duly obliged, again finding the bottom-right corner. TOTAL CONTROL Carlos Soler did his best to rally his team-mates with two long-range efforts, the second of which drew a save from Szczesny. Allegri made his second change of the game on 65 minutes, sending on Douglas Costa in place of Pjanic and tweaking the formation to a 4-4-1. It was time for the Bianconeri to catch their breath, let their opponents have the ball and defend with their trademark discipline. Valencia managed only a few shots from distance and another Rodrigo header. SZCZESNY THE PROTECTOR Just before the 90-minute mark, a limping Douglas Costa forced Allegri into his third substitution, with Daniele Rugani the man chosen to replace him. It seemed the perfect change to contain Valencia’s final attempts at salvaging something from the game, but deep into stoppage time Rugani was penalised for a supposed high arm against Gabriel in the Juve box – enough for the referee to hand the home side a penalty. Parejo took aim but found only the palms of Szczesny, whose save was the final flourish of a masterclass in Champions League football from the Bianconeri. VALENCIA 0-2 JUVENTUS: GOALS: Pjanic pen. 45’, pen. 51’. VALENCIA: Neto; Ruben Vezo (Cheryshev 57’), Gabriel, Murillo, Gaya; Soler, Parejo, Wass, Guedes (Santi Mina 70’); Rodrigo, Batshuayi (Gameiro 70’). Subs not used: Domenech, Torres, Piccini, Diakhaby. Coach: Marcelino. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira (Emre Can 23'), Pjanic (Douglas Costa 66’ (Rugani 89’)), Matuidi; Bernardeschi, Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Benatia, Cuadrado, Dybala. Coach: Massimiliano Allegri. REFEREE: Brych (GER) ASSISTANTS: Borsch (GER), Lupp (GER) FOURTH OFFICIAL: Häcker (GER) ADDITIONAL ASSISTANTS: Dankert (GER), Fritz (GER) YELLOW CARDS: Parejo 43, Murillo 50, Ruben Vezo 54, Alex Sandro 59, Szczesny 82, Rugani 90+6. RED CARDS: Ronaldo 29. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri announce a 21-man squad for their first Champions League tie of the season tomorrow night.
After this morning's training session at Continassa, Massimiliano Allegri has selected his squad to face Valencia tomorrow night at the Estadio de Mestalla (21:00 CEST). Here is the list in full: 1 Szczesny 3 Chiellini 4 Benatia 5 Pjanic 6 Khedira 7 Ronaldo 10 Dybala 11 Douglas Costa 12 Alex Sandro 14 Matuidi 16 Cuadrado 17 Mandzukic 18 Kean 19 Bonucci 20 Cancelo 21 Pinsoglio 22 Perin 23 Emre Can 24 Rugani 30 Bentancur 33 Bernardeschi Source: www.juventus.com |
Ronaldo decisive as brace helps Juve past Sassuolo, leaving the Bianconeri out on their own at the top of Serie A.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first and second goals of his Juventus career on Sunday afternoon as the Bianconeri beat Sassuolo 2-1 at Allianz Stadium. The result preserves Juve’s 100% record at the start of the season and leaves them out on their own at top of the table. The Portuguese scored his maiden strike for the Old Lady five minutes into the second half, tapping in from close range to give Juve a 1-0 lead, before adding a well-taken second on 65 minutes following an Emre Can assist. Sassuolo grabbed a late equaliser through Khouma Babacar as the seconds ticked away, but there was to be no denying Juventus. SLIM PICKINGS IN THE FIRST HALF It was Ronaldo who had the first chance of the game, with just five minutes on the clock. Joao Cancelo made good ground down the right, allowing Blaise Matuidi to link up with Ronaldo only for the striker’s shot to be deflected away from danger. Though the Bianconeri were not always able to work space to shoot, there was real zip to their play and the fans showed their appreciation for Paulo Dybala’s slick dribbling and Alex Sandro’s foray down the left with rapturous applause. Sassuolo were a threat from set plays, as Juve found out when Gian Marco Ferrari smacked a header off the crossbar (albeit having fouled Leo Bonucci). Minutes later, Wojciech Szczesny was called into action to save another Ferrari effort. With the first half ticking on, the dynamic Matuidi won the ball back in the Sassuolo box and set up Mario Mandzukic, but the Sassuolo defence stood firm. Juve’s best chance before half time was a near own goal from Pol Lirola following a Cancelo cross, but luckily for Sassuolo Andrea Consigli was well-placed to make the save. DEBUT GOAL Juve needed to find an extra gear – and sure enough Massimiliano Allegri’s men upped the tempo as soon as the second half began. The eyes of the entire stadium seemed trained on Ronaldo, as if the stage were set for him to score his first Juventus goal and tip the match in Juve’s favour. The wait lasted just five minutes. From a Cancelo corner, Bonucci flicked the ball towards goal only for Ferrari to block on the line, with the ball bouncing off the post and tamely into the path of Ronaldo. He made no mistake. It was a simple goal but a precious one all the same – the stadium erupted as one as Ronaldo tore off in celebration. DOUBLE SATISFACTION Sassuolo did their best to rally, most notably through an audacious Kevin-Prince Boateng backheel, but Juve were playing with much more freedom now. Allegri switched Mandzukic for Douglas Costa, with the change bringing added creativity to the Bianconeri. Indeed, it was the Brazilian’s smart control following a Sassuolo corner that set Juventus moving for their second goal. Costa found Emre Can, who played through an inch-perfect ball for the onrushing Ronaldo to slot back past Consigli and into the far corner. CONSOLATION GOAL With the clock counting down, Sassuolo pushed forward in search of a way back into the game. It was the perfect scenario for Juve, who could exploit the pace of Douglas Costa on the counter. The Brazilian first thundered one right-footed effort just wide, before combining with Ronaldo to tee up what proved to be a wayward shot from the Portuguese. Allegri sent on Juan Cuadrado for Alex Sandro on 80 minutes, with the Colombian taking up a position at right-back and Cancelo switching to the left. The Portuguese was soon bombing down the left, forcing Consigli into action and allowing Ronaldo a chance at completing his hat-trick – though he could only find the side netting. There was an unexpected sting in the tail as Babacar – left unmarked in the middle of the Juve box – fired the ball into the net for 2-1 in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. And things took another unwelcome turn after Douglas Costa was – following review by VAR – sent off as a result of a clash with Federico Di Francesco. Juve had Szczesny to thank for keeping out a late effort from Domenico Berardi, in what was an avoidably tense finale at Allianz Stadium, though not one capable of overshadowing a first brace from Ronaldo. The performance bodes well for Wednesday’s Champions League opener away at Valencia. JUVENTUS 2-1 SASSUOLO: GOALS: Ronaldo 50’ and 65’, Babacar 90+1’. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Benatia, Alex Sandro (Cuadrado 79); Khedira, Emre Can (Bentancur 71), Matuidi; Dybala, Mandzukic (Douglas Costa 61), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Pjanic, Bernardeschi, Kean. Coach: Allegri. SASSUOLO: Consigli; Lirola, Marlon, Ferrari, Rogerio (Dell’Orco 72); Locatelli (Babacar 83), Duncan, Bourabia; Boateng, Djuricic (Di Francesco 60), Berardi. Subs not used: Pegolo, Adjapong, Lemos, Magnani, Boga, Magnanelli, Brignola, Sensi, Matri. Coach: De Zerbi. REFEREE: Chiffi. ASSISTANTS: Del Giovane, Longo. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ros. VAR: Di Bello, Posado. YELLOW CARDS: Djuricic 23', Berardi 26', Cancelo 32', Bourabia 40', Alex Sandro 60’. RED CARDS: Douglas Costa 90+3’. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Tuscan tactician talks ahead of Sunday’s Serie A return at Allianz Stadium against second-placed Sassuolo.
SETTING SEASON TARGETS “This is where the seasons starts in earnest. Our first objectives are to qualify from our Champions League group and lead the way in the league in order to be fighting on all fronts come March. “We have great squad depth and there’ll be opportunities for everyone to play their part across the campaign.” SASSUOLO STRENGTHS “Roberto De Zerbi is a young and talented manager. His teams play good football and this Sassuolo side are brimming with enthusiasm, have good players and the manager knows how to get the best out of them.” SQUAD SELECTION “Whoever played twice for their national teams during the past week will not start against Sassuolo, with the only exception being that of Blaise Matuidi. “Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo will start up front. Cristiano has been training well and I think that tomorrow could be his day. “In the midfield, Emre Can is set to make his first start for Juventus. I'll probably rest Miralem Pjanic, while I'll decide on Sami Khedira’s inolvement later. Both Emre Can and Rodrigo Bentancur are able to fill in for Pjanic this season, albeit they have different characteristics. “In defence, both Medhi Benatia and Daniele Rugani are in good shape and available for selection. Giorgio Chiellini will likely be rested tomorrow. If Alex Sandro is rested too, then either Mattia De Sciglio or Joao Cancelo will feature. “Wojciech Szczesny starts in goal tomorrow, but Mattia Perin is ready and will be making his official Bianconeri debut soon.” HAPPY WITH PAULO “There can be no questioning Paulo Dybala’s qualities. I liked his performance against Parma. As with all the other players, he needs to keep working towards reaching peak condition. “He has featured little so far this season due to technical reasons related to the formation. Now we are going to be playing three times a week and Paulo needs to reclaim a role in the starting XI and show why by working hard on the pitch.” Source: www.juventus.com |
Sami Khedira speaks of his delight to have penned a new two-year contract extension with Juventus, tying him to the club until 2021.
COMMITTING TO THE BIANCONERI “It's an important day and also a super happy day for me, I’ve signed a new contract with Juventus so it’s an amazing day for me. “I thought for a long time after leaving Real Madrid it was not easy to find a club where I could find a new challenge and I found Juventus and I’m super happy. It’s my fourth year and I would like to stay for many more years so that’s why I signed this contract. You just have to go out onto the street or into the stadium to know what it means to wear this shirt, it’s something special, you have to fight for it and you have to wear it with a big honour and I do that, that’s why I’m super happy that we found an agreement for another few years so that I can stay here at Juventus. “Juventus means big history and Juventus also means to be a champion, always to be the best and to be proud to play for this club because it’s the best club in Italy and I hope soon also the best club in Europe.” TEAM STRENGTH “In the last four years Juventus lost twice in the Champions League final so if you are getting into the final twice in four years then you already have a strong team, but to win it you need something special. I hope we can do that with Cristiano, although it’s not only him and it’s not a guarantee that you will win the Champions League, but he’s something special and he’s also the spirit and the motivation to reach this high level. I hope that if we work really hard that hopefully this year we can the Champions League, because it’s always hard to win the Scudetto and also the Coppa, it’s not easy and for sure we would like to win it again and again and again but also the big international trophy. I know that the players, the club and especially the fans are dreaming of that and we have to work on our dream. “For me the most important thing is to have the confidence of the coach and of my teammates this is the most important. I try to show also to the fans that I’m proud to play for this club and I fight on the pitch and I would like to win every single game and to perform well, this is the most important so I’m happy that I have a great coach like Allegri and these great teammates, this helps me a lot. “For me he is one of the most intelligent guys that I’ve met in football and maybe in the media he seems like not one of the best coaches but for me he is one of the best coaches otherwise you cannot win the Scudetto four times in a row and also the Coppa Italia four times in a row and reach the Champions League final twice. He is also a smart guy, super intelligent, tactically very good and he knows how to communicate with the players, he has a good balance between hard work but then he also knows when he has to be more kind and friendlier to the players, he has a good mix and I really like it." THE SECRET TO SUCCESS “I think there is no secret there is just two words and that is ‘hard work’, this is the only thing. Even if you get criticised from experts or from other people you have to continue in your way and you have to trust in yourself, and every single day you have to give your best and also find a way to getting better every day, even if you are getting older you have to work harder and to take care of your private life and I think that this is most important. I like to win and to be a champion and that’s why it’s easy to work and this is why I would like to continue with Juventus.” Source: www.juventus.com |
In his role of President of the European Club Association, Juventus President Andrea Agnelli spoke at the ECA General Assembly today.
Important work has already been done, but there are still many initiatives planned to improve European football. This is the message launched today by Andrea Agnelli, President of ECA, the association of European clubs, during the twenty-first general assembly of the association in Split, Croatia, which was attended by the representatives of 160 clubs. "From today to 2024, when a new International Match Calendar will be defining the football landscape, the game will evolve in many noticeable ways. Clubs will have to be key players in the elaboration of the IMC as we are the only stakeholders in the industry that bear the entrepreneurial and sporting risks." The President stressed the importance of the progress made in recent years, including the renewal of the Club Licensing and the Fair Play Financial regulations, and improvements for the future of UEFA European competitions, especially in the Europa League 2021- 2024. On this last point, the discussion dealt with the issue of reducing the number of teams participating in the EL and the possible introduction of a third European competition, so as to expand the number of participants in UEFA club competitions to 96, whilst increasing at the same time the value of each tournament. Other points highlighted by the agenda of the ECA General Assembly concerned the progressive evolution of the transfer system and an initial analysis of the use of VAR during the World Cup to better understand its potential in the development of football in the future. Agnelli also stressed how important it is to start planning for what will be the European football scenario after 2024. Source: www.juventus.com |
It's the seventh birthday of Juventus' home today, having first opened on 8 September 2011.
There's no place like home! And our home for seven years has been a magnificent theatre of emotion, celebration, and victory. Since 8 September 2011, the day of its inauguration, the Allianz Stadium has become the place where the Bianconeri have gone on to write #HI5TORY, become #LE6END and then finally, #MY7H. Seven Scudetti. Four Coppa Italias. Three Italian Supercups. From that goal by Stephan Lichtsteiner against Parma on 11 September 2011, to the latest one scored by Mario Mandzukic at the end of August against Lazio, Juventus has experienced incredible emotions within the walls of its stadium. Winning as many as 113 matches out of 134 in Serie A (in this same period only Barcelona, in the top 5 European leagues, did better with 115), 17 wins out of 29 games in the Champions League and 14 wins out of 17 in the Coppa Italia. Not only titles. Since playing at Allianz Stadium, Juventus has kept 78 clean sheets, a record in the five major European championships. Last season La Vecchia Signora kept 12 clean sheets at home, a record in the league, and with 16 out of 19 matches won in Serie A (only PSG did better with 17 successes). It's numbers that make the Juventus experience at the Allianz Stadium something unique, but there is also something else. There is the feeling of what you breathe every time Juventus takes to the field, for the introductions and then for the game. There is the emotion of the scream of a goal. There are the Black & White colours, the sounds, the choreography. There is the moderness of the stadium boasting a cutting-edge facility, including initiatives, activities designed for fans of all ages, hospitality and exclusive areas with everything designed to make the matchday an experience for the whole family. There's no place like home! Source: www.juventus.com |
A goal in each half see the Bianconeri overcome a stubborn Parma outfit and maintain their 100% start to the campaign.
Juve made it three wins on the spin with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Parma at the Stadio Tardini to consolidate their place at the top of the table awaiting results elsewhere. The Gialloblu made the Bianconeri work for it with a lively first-half display but goals by Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi and a controlled second-half performance got the job done. Massimiliano Allegri made just one change to the side that started against Lazio, with Juan Cuadrado coming in for Joao Cancelo. And the Colombian didn't take long to leave his mark on the game. There were just two minutes on the clock when the Colombian whipped in the cross that led to the goal. Simone Iacoponi and Mandzukic both went for it but neither made clean contact and the ball dropped invitingly for the Croat, who had the simple task of prodding it home. Parma looked to hit back with former Roma man Gervinho causing all sorts of problems with his pace while Leo Stulac saw his free kick come crashing back off the bar – and it proved to be a warning of what was to come. Massimo Gobbi sent in a high ball which Roberto Inglese got a touch on before it fell for Gervinho just yards from goal. The Ivorian duly obliged but knocking into the net with his knee. Parma ended the half in the ascendancy and Wojciech Szczesny was called into action to keep out Luca Rigoni's effort shortly before the break. Juve upped the tempo after the second half and restored their lead with a beautifully worked goal just before the hour mark. Douglas Costa played in Mandzukic on the left-hand side of the box, the Croat spotted Matuidi's run and teed him up with a delightful backheel, which the Frenchman took full advantage of by smashing home beneath the bar. The goal seemed to take the sting out of Parma and Juve were able to see out the match in relative ease, meaning Allegri's men can head into the international break on maximum points. PARMA 1-2 JUVENTUS: SCORERS: Mandzukic 2', Gervinho 33', Matuidi 58'. PARMA: Sepe; Iacoponi, Bruno Alves, Gagliolo, Gobbi; Rigoni (61' Deiola), Stulac, Barillà; Di Gaudio (80' Ceravolo), Inglese, Gervinho (61' Da Cruz). Subs not sued: Frattali, Bagheria, Dimarco, Gazzola, Sierralta, Sprocati. Coach: D'Aversa. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira (80' st Dybala), Pjanic (73' st Emre Can), Matuidi; Bernardeschi (55' st Douglas Costa), Mandzukic, Ronaldo. Subs: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Cancelo, Benatia, Barzagli, Rugani, Bentancur, Kean Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Doveri. ASSISTANTS: Ranghetti, Di Iorio. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Aureliano. VAR: Fabbri, Mondin. BOOKED: 13' Pjanic, 40' Bernardeschi, 45+27' Rigoni, 90' Cuadrado. Source: www.juventus.com |
The presence of Juventus continues to expand with the opening of a new Juventus Store in Rome.
Whilst the Bianconeri squad head to Parma for their second away match of the season, there is exciting news in the capital, as the first-ever Juventus Store in Rome was officially opened today. The flagship store is an excellent opportunity for all Juventus fans and tourists in Rome to experience the Juventus world in central and southern Italy. The Juventus Store in Rome will replicate the style of those in Turin, so you can fully experience the Juventus world even far away from Allianz Stadium. Located in the city centre, on Via Nazionale 54a / 55 (in the area between Termini Station and the Quirinale), the Store offers a complete series of Juventus products for all needs and styles, including lifestyle lines. To celebrate the opening, on Wednesday 5 September, Juventus Legend David Trezeguet will be a special guest at the Juventus Store to meet Members, Official Fan Clubs and fans for a session of photos and autographs. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri says the Bianconeri need to pay full attention to tomorrow's opponents Parma following the UCL draw.
PARMA FIRST, THE REST LATER" Although the Parma game is imminent and the most important thing in mind right now, the Champions League draw has given us a group with two excellent teams in Manchester and Valencia, and then there are Young Boys who outsiders. However, we'll think about it after our Serie A game against Sassuolo. "Juventus have always historically struggled in Parma. I believe that in the last 24 matches there they have won seven times Parma, there have been 10 draws and seven wins for Juve. We have scored 26 goals at Parma whilst they have netted 24 times against us. "Parma will be up for it tomorrow night, they are a newly promoted side and we can't go there with the wrong mentality, we must show them respect and we want to go into the international break relaxed and with maximum points available. "The league will be tougher this year as a lot of the mid-top level teams have improved, and then the teams at the very top like Inter and Napoli are stronger, plus there is Roma who are as strong as they were as last year. Therefore it will be a tougher campaign in my opinion." TOMORROW'S TEAM NEWS" Dybala has been working hard to improve his physical condition and like the rest of the team, we expect to see everyone back in even better shape after the international break, with tomorrow being the end of a mini-cycle. "The arrival of Cristiano has been stimulating for everyone, there is a great level of competitiveness within the team and everyone wants to play. Ronaldo is fine, he is training well and it's normal for him that yesterday he may have been disappointed after scoring 15 goals in the Champions League and going on to win it along with Modric and the other players. However, this shows you his work ethic and how he continues to strive to be the best and for us this is an advantage. "All of the players are fine and De Sciglio has also returned to the fray. Now just we need to improve their physical condition and the understanding between them, because we are only at the beginning of the season and tomorrow we have an important game to win. . "I have a doubt for who will play on the right of the defence between Cuadrado or Cancelo, but the rest of the back four I have settled upon. Ronaldo plays tomorrow, as does Mandzukic but I still need to decide who will partner them in attack. "I don’t know if we’ll go with two or three in midfield, and one of Emre Can or Khedira will play there. Can is doing well and it’s a new league for him to get used to. He’s not been here for long and is still getting a feel for things, slowly he’ll get to know Italian football better. You can't criticise a player like Sami Khedira. He's one of few players who has always been trusted and fielded by every manager he's ever had. He's a world champion and a winner, the facts speak for themselves." Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri will play Manchester United, Valencia CF and BSC Young Boys in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage.
The Bianconeri's opponents for the 2018/19 Champions League group stage have been officially announced following today's draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo. Juventus will play Manchester United, Valencia CF and BSC Young Boys. Both home and away matches will take place between 18 September and 12 December 2018 in Champions League Group H. Time and dates of fixtures to be confirmed. Here is the 2018/19 Champions League group stage draw in full: Group A: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge. Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV, Inter. Group C: PSG, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star. Group D: Lokomotiv Moskva, Porto, Schalke 04, Galatasaray. Group E: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK. Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim. Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen. Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia CF, BSC Young Boys. Source: www.juventus.com |
The Bianconeri take three points from their first home game of the season as a goal in each half from the midfielder and the forward see off Lazio.
Miralem Pjanic struck a sumptuous opener and Mario Mandzukic added another late on as Juve made it two from two with a hard-earned victory over Lazio in their first home game of the season. Massimiliano Allegri opted to beef up his starting XI compared to the side that began the game against Chievo and left Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa and Juan Cuadrado on the bench initially. Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira lined up in midfield while the front three was formed by Federico Bernardeschi, Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star – making his home debut in the black-and-white stripes – alternated between the left flank and the centre forward role, switching positions with Mandzukic. Bernardeschi meanwhile would drop into midfield when Juve weren't in possession with the side switching to a traditional 4-4-2. CHAPEAU PJANIC Juve began the match at a lively pace, albeit with a few too many sloppy passes in the early stages of the game, while Lazio looked to keep things tidy and play on the break. The first chance fell to the visitors and Wojciech Szczesny had to be alert to turn Senad Lulic's effort behind for a corner. Down the other end Ronaldo couldn't quite connect with Matuidi's lay-off; Khedira did though and hit a thunderous effort which cannoned off the right-hand upright. Bernardeschi kept the ball in play and skipped past a couple of Lazio shirts being letting fly with a curling effort which Thomas Strakosha managed to put behind for a corner. The opener came on the half-hour mark and it was a thing of beauty. Ronaldo started the move, Bernardeschi crossed and Mandzukic knocked the ball down. It bounced up for Pjanic and the Bosnian displayed fabulous technique to connect with the purest of strikes as the ball fizzed it into the bottom corner beyond the keeper's reach. LAZIO HIT BACK Lazio continued to play on the break and tried their luck from range as they sought a route back into the game. Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both sent efforts wide and Szczesny had to race off his line to beat Marco Parolo to the ball. Leo Bonucci earned himself applause with an authoritative display at the back while Ronaldo was keen to impress up front and soon saw another effort smothered by Strakosha. Lazio had a decent chance to equalise on the stroke of half time but Parolo sent his header over, so the Bianconeri took a 1-0 lead in at the break. IT'S RONAL... MANDZUKIC! Juve almost made it 2-0 five minutes after the restart when Ronaldo performed a trademark stepover and centred for Mandzukic in the six-yard box, but the Croat was unable to get a clean hit on it. Lazio were bossing possession now as they upped the pressure in search of an equaliser – they almost got one too when Luis Alberto sent a shot narrowly wide. Allegri threw on Douglas Costa in place of Bernardeschi and Juve started to get balls into the box again. Giorgio Chiellini and Ronaldo got on the end of two of them, with neither managing to find the net. Emre Can came on for is home debut midway through the half, replacing Pjanic. A minute later Ronaldo showed a glimpse of the magic fans love to see as he turned Adam Marusic and unleashed a vicious strike which Strakosha got just enough on to tip over. You could see the Portuguese was desperate to score and it was almost laid on a plate for him 15 minutes from time. Douglas Costa and Joao Cancelo linked up brilliantly on the right and the defender pinged a low delivery towards the onrushing Ronaldo. With the goal at his mercy, he looked odds on to open his Juve account but the ball ended up clipping his heel. Fortunately, Mandzukic was on hand to slam the loose ball into the net and wrap up the points. Ronaldo's time will come. All that really mattered was getting another three hard-earned points on the board. JUVENTUS 2-0 LAZIO: SCORERS: Pjanic 30', Mandzukic 75'. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira (85' Bentancur), Pjanic (69' Emre Can), Matuidi; Bernardeschi (60' Douglas Costa), Mandzukic, Cristiano Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Rugani, Barzagli, Cuadrado, Dybala. Coach: Allegri. LAZIO: Strakosha; Radu, Acerbi, Wallace; Marusic, Parolo (64' Badelj), Lucas Leiva, Milinkovic-Savic (79' Durmisi), Lulic; Luis Alberto (64' Correa); Immobile. Subs not used: Proto, Guerrieri, Caceres, Basta, Bastos, Murgia, Cataldi, Caicedo, Rossi Coach: Inzaghi REFEREE: Irrati. ASSISTANTS: Tegoni, Peretti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mariani. VAR OPERATORS: Guida, Carbone. BOOKED: 46' Alex Sandro, 53' Parolo, 65' Milinkovic-Savic, 80' Douglas Costa, 87' Emre Can. Source: www.juventus.com |
Massimiliano Allegri looks forward to the Bianconeri's first home match of the season against Lazio.
TRUE TEST AWAITS "There's excitement in the air! Lazio will make it a great encounter, they defeated us last season at Allianz Stadium to end a 41-game unbeaten run. So tomorrow is very important, even if it is only our second match of the season. "Lazio are a physical and very well-organised team, who love to hit their opponents on the counter-attack. Therefore, we need to stay very focused throughout tomorrow's match and put in a better performance than last Saturday. "Simone Inzaghi is a good young coach, he’s a nice a guy and he came so close to steering them into the Champions League last season. He has achieved very good results with them both in Europe and in Italy. "We'll show great respect to Lazio but we are aiming for three points tomorrow night." STARTING TO GEL "Blaise Matuidi is an important player for us. He's training well and is in excellent condition, so he could play tomorrow. He did very well last year and got a good goal tally scoring five times. "Federico Bernardeschi is a great lad and he’s playing well right now. He did very well on tour and he's showing that he's capable of playing in a number of positions. He is determined to become even better. "Joao Cancelo is very good at going forward and attacking space down the wings, but he's young and still has room to develop his game, especially in the defensive phase. "Cristiano Ronaldo trains very competitively, he takes nothing for granted and is a champion, buiding his own success over the years through hard work and sacrifice. He is a great example for the younger players and he raises our overall quality. "With both Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala, we now have two designated penalty-takers this season. However, the problem is more about who takes free-kicks, as we now have around 6-7 players who will be standing around the ball! "Ronaldo is bringing a great enthusiasm to Italian football, I see all the people that are waiting outside the Continassa, but regardless of the excitement, we still have to win games. We haven’t won anything just by signing him, so we have to show that on the pitch." TEAM NEWS FOR LAZIO "After today's training, I will have a better idea regarding who exactly will line up tomorrow night. "Ronaldo is set to play tomorrow, but it's important to bear in mind that our forwards are the players who have had the least amount of pre-season training, so they all need to be managed with care. Tomorrow there will be better link-up play between our midfielders and forwards, which will undoubtedly benefit Cristiano. "Both Dybala and Mario Mandzukic could play together with Ronaldo, but it’s not a question of whether one or two of them plays with Ronaldo, it’s about the characteristics of the rest of the team and how we set ourselves up. "We have to play with intensity and desire tomorrow night but, above all else, we have to play with respect." Source: www.juventus.com |
Miralem Pjanic puts pen to paper on a deal to remain at the club until 2023.
Juventus are delighted to announce that Miralem Pjanic has renewed his contract at the club until 2023. Since arriving prior to the 2016/17 season, Pjanic has become an increasingly-integral part of the Bianconeri midfield, providing pin-point passes across the pitch while firing free-kicks into the back of the net with outstanding consistency. The Bosnia & Herzegovina midfielder displays class, intelligence and talent on the pitch both with and without the ball, though his offensive punch from midfield is certainly what stands out most. Pjanic leads all Juventus players over the last two Serie A seasons in terms of chances created (120) and assists (17), while his 15 free-kick goals since moving to Serie A in 2011 are the second-most in Europe’s top five leagues. Last year was one to remember in particular for Pjanic, as he was the only central midfielder in Serie A with at least five goals and five assists. Two years, two Scudetti and two Coppa Italia trophies so far for Miralem Pjanic. Here’s to many more in the future! Source: www.juventus.com |
Federico Bernardeschi struck a late winner at the Stadio Bentegodi as Juve eventually found a way to overcome a stubborn Chievo side on the opening day of the season. It may not have been the walk in the park many had expected, but there was no shortage of thrills and spills as the new campaign started with a bang.
In a game the Bianconeri dominated from start to finish, it was Sami Khedira who opened the scoring within the first three minutes as the German slammed home the loose ball following a Miralem Pjanic free kick. The hosts found an unlikely equaliser shortly before the break when Mariusz Stepinski rose to head home in from their first chance of the match. Juve maintained the upper hand after the restart yet incredibly it was Chievo who took the lead after Cancelo was adjudged to have fouled Emanuele Giaccherini in the box, the former Juve man cooly stroking home from 12 yards. Leo Bonucci restored parity with a header 15 minutes from time and Mario Mandzukic thought he had won it with three minutes left to play, but his effort was ruled out after the referee reviewed the action and spotted a foul by Cristiano Ronaldo in the build-up. The Bianconeri continued to probe and as the game entered the third minute of stoppage time Bernardeschi was in the right place at the right time to turn in Alex Sandro's cross and seal the points after a dramatic finale. CHIEVO 2-3 JUVENTUS: SCORERS: Khedira 3', Stepinski 38', Giaccherini (pen) 56', Bonucci 75', Bernardeschi 90+3'. CHIEVO: Sorrentino (90+1' Seculin); Tomovic, Rossettini, Bani, Cacciatore; Rigoni, Radovanovic, Hetemaj (78' Obi); Depaoli, Stepinski (66' Djordjevic), Giaccherini. Subs not used: Jaroszynski, Barba, Tanasijevic, Kiyine, Birsa, Leris, Meggiorini, Pellissier. Coach: D’Anna. JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira (84' Emre Can), Pjanic; Cuadrado (56' Bernardeschi), Dybala, Douglas Costa (64' Mandzukic); Ronaldo. Subs not used: Perin, Pinsoglio, Barzagli, Rugani, Benatia, Bentancur, Matuidi. Coach: Allegri. REFEREE: Pasqua. ASSISTANTS: Costanzo, Liberti. FOURTH OFFICIAL: Sacchi. VAR OFFICIALS: Mazzoleni, Marrazzo. BOOKED: 60' Radovanovic. Source: www.juventus.com |
Bianconeri boss, Massimiliano Allegri, previews tomorrow night's season opener away at Chievo Verona.
READY TO GET STARTED "It's going to be an exciting season, there are many top players in Serie A and we have one of them in Cristiano Ronaldo. "Tomorrow a new challenge starts for us. This summer, we bought Ronaldo - the best player in the world - Emre Can, Cancelo, Perin, Spinazzola arrived, Bonucci returned. I would say that the team has improved, as well as the other teams. "It will be a difficult campaign and we need to be prepared and remain focused, because tomorrow at 18:00 CEST the season begins and we will find a tough Chievo side waiting for us. I'm curious to see how the team fares." "GRAZIE DI TUTTO, CLAUDIO" "I personally have to thank Claudio [Marchisio], because in four years with me he proved to be a great player, a great man, a great professional and an example for all the players who arrived at Juventus. "Claudio has been at Juve for 25 years and we took this decision together with him to resolve his contract, and he will go on to have an experience elsewhere." SEASON OBJECTIVES "We can't say that this is 'the year of the Champions League'. Since I arrived it has always been 'the year of the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League'. Every year, Juventus plays to win all the trophies available, and in the past four years we have twice come close to winning all the trophies in which we have competed for, and this year we'll try again. "I am proud to be at Juventus and I'm happy here, but the only thing that matters now are the results. It's my fifth year at the club, progress has been made, the quality of players has improved, as has our confidence at European level. You never know: this could be our year to win the Champions League, but first we need to get past the group stage and then we'll see where we are in March. "I believe that the transfer market is closed for us now. Claudio left today but he will be the last departure." TEAM NEWS vs CHIEVO" Ronaldo will make his debut. Szczesny, Chiellini, Bonucci and Pjanic will play and the two full-backs on each side will be Cancelo and Alex Sandro. Everyone is in good condition, even Mandzukic and Matuidi, who both went all the way to the final in the World Cup. "I have some ideas on how we'll play but I need to see a couple more games and training sessions to figure it all out. The season is long, we have players with different characteristics and we'll have the opportunity to play with different systems depending on the attributes of the players. "Whether we use wingers, whether it's Ronaldo with Dybala, or Dybala with Mandzukic, our system also depends on the characteristics of the other players. Sometimes we can play with three in defence." Source: www.juventus.com |
The summer friendlies are well and truly over. After pre-season matches against Bayern, Benfica, the MLS All Stars and Real Madrid in the United States, the annual party in Villar Perosa and yesterday's training ground run-out against the Under 23s (Watch all the goals on Juventus TV), we are now on the cusp of a new Serie A campaign, as the Bianconeri prepare to face Chievo this Saturday (18.00 CEST) at the Stadio Bentegodi in Verona.
This morning, the team focused on the tactics on the JTC pitches. Mattia De Sciglio trained alone as he works towards full fitness, while Leonardo Spinazzola continued his recovery programme between the gym and the training field. The Bianconeri will report back to training tomorrow morning, and, before their departure for Verona, Massimiliano Allegri will hold his pre-match press conference at 13.00 CEST at Allianz Stadium. Source: www.juventus.com |
Under the JTC sun, the Juventus first-team took on Juventus Under 23 in a training ground friendly to get set for Chievo away on Saturday.
It was a test that showed several positive signs, both offensively and defensively, as Juve ran out 8-0 winners. There were eight different goalscorers in the game, whilst three new summer signings were the first to get off the mark. Cristiano Ronaldo put the Bianconeri ahead before Leonardo Bonucci doubled the scores from a corner. Joao Cancelo was next to get in on the act, with Paulo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic completing the scoring in the first half to hand Juventus a 5-0 half-time lead. Federico Bernardeschi, Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi all netted in the second half, as Juve got into the groove ahead of Saturday's big kick-off. Massimiliano Allegri made wholesale changes at half-time in the game, playing virtually two different sides in each half. The only players missing today were Mattia De Sciglio and Leonardo Spinazzola, who continued with their personalised training regimes. The match will be available on Juventus TV from this afternoon, which you can watch from a smartphone, tablet or desktop. Source: www.juventus.com |
It was a party atmosphere in rural Piedmont on Sunday afternoon as Juventus A faced Juventus B in the annual Villar Perosa season kick-off friendly.
The fans were treated to a goal feast as Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus A put five goals past Juventus B to send the fans home happy. Wearing Bianconero for the first time, it took Cristiano Ronaldo just eight minutes to find the back of the net as he took down a long ball over the top and slotted past Leonardo Loria to make it 1-0. Juventus doubled the lead on 18 minutes as Ronaldo, bearing down on goal, forced an own goal from Riccardo Capellini, making it 2-0. From there, it was Paulo Dybala's turn to shine as La Joya scored a quick-fire double slotting home a feed from Douglas Costa in the 31st minute before finishing off a rebound in the 40th minute, sending the teams into half-time at 4-0. In the second half, Claudio Marchisio rounded out the scoring slotting home a tidy finish in the bottom corner from the top of the box to set the scoreline at 5-0. Minutes later, the annual pitch invasion from the fans would bring proceedings to an end with a smile on everyone's face. Source: www.juventus.com |
The 2018/19 Serie A season is just one week away and the Bianconeri continued their preparations for the upcoming campaign with a morning session today at JTC.
It was an intense workout, during which the team trained with the ball at their feet, in sessions of 1vs1, 2vs2, 3vs3 and 4vs4. Massimiliano Allegri’s men will report back to JTC on Sunday morning and then, in the early afternoon, head to Villar Perosa for the annual Bianconeri celebration and friendly match. Medhi Benatia and Mattia De Sciglio will be out of action tomorrow due to muscle fatigue, but nonetheless both players will be in attendance. Make sure you don’t miss out on Sunday’s special occasion at Villar Perosa by tuning in to the new Juventus TV on demand platform! Source: www.juventus.com |
It was an emotional Friday afternoon at Allianz Stadium as defender Leonardo Bonucciheld his press conference at the place he will once again call home after a season away.
Here’s a selection of what he had to say to the press: BACK AT ALLIANZ STADIUM "Juventus wins because there’s planning, talent, the right players and the right club structure. It’s very solid and very well organized. I’m delighted to be back and enthusiastic to start this new adventure with my old team-mates and the new ones. The objective is to improve on the field. "I wanted to come home. I really missed Juventus. It feels like home to me. As I wrote online, every journey has a return home. I’m very grateful to the club, the coach, my agent and Milan who allowed me to come back." MENDING BRIDGES" [Massmiliano] Allegri and I have had many chances to talk and mend bridges. We have a great relationship. As intelligent people, we have shaken hands on many occasions. "Last year, I went to London to get an award for being in the World 11 and I dedicated my achievement to Allegri because he’s improved my game so much." RETURNING HOME "I understand the fans' emotions and I have always respected them. When I was at Juventus and Milan, at the end of every game I was the first to go thank the fans. My decision last summer was very emotional and was dictated by how I felt at the time. I took that decision in the heat of the moment because I didn’t feel at ease. "I didn’t feel like I was in the right place and I couldn't be myself at the time. I wanted to make a change and I thought that change could give me something extra. However over the course of the season, things went differently and I left my heart in Turin with my family who continued to live here. "I left my house where I lived every day of my life. I took a step back and, despite numerous requests I had from other teams all across Europe, my only derire was to return to Juventus. I understand the fans' reaction, the boos and whistles and I will accept the same from our opponents. It is my job now to convince the fans to support me." PLAYING WITH CR7" Every year in the past, Real Madrid had an advantage with Ronaldo in their ranks, but now he’s on our side. Training with him is a fantastic challenge that pushes you to always raise your game. "He leaves nothing to chance and is completely focused for every single second in training. He will surely increase the level of the whole team. A player like him can really improve all of us so that we are completely ready every weekend and midweek to do our absolute best." Source: www.juventus.com |
There's still time for another press conference before we start the season as Juve's latest signing of the summer, defender Leonardo Bonucci will be re-introduced to the media as a Juventus player on Friday afternoon at Allianz Stadium.
The press conference is set for 14.30PM local time and will be streamed live on the Juventus website and Facebook for you to tune in! Source: www.juventus.com |
Source: www.juventus.com
Bentancur, Bonucci, Cuadrado, Douglas Costa, Dybala and Ronaldo step up their pre-season preparations.
Tuesday marked another double session for the six Bianconeri currently training at JTC: Rodrigo Bentancur, Leonardo Bonucci, Juan Cuadrado, Douglas Costa, Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo. While the morning session was focused on fitness drills, the afternoon saw the ball come out to play. Tomorrow will see the rest of the squad back again at JTC having finished their summer tour of the United States, while Mario Mandzukic will also join up with his Bianconeri team-mates for the first time since representing Croatia at the World Cup in Russia. Source: www.juventus.com |
After signing for Juventus in the summer of 2016 from Dinamo Zagreb, Pjaca went on to make 20 Bianconeri appearances in his debut season.
The Croatia international marked his maiden campaign with one goal, a very important one away to Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League that put Juve ahead on the night and ultimately saw them progress to the next stage. Pjaca spent the second half of last season on loan to Bundesliga club, Schalke 04, scoring two goals in nine appearances. Upon joining Fiorentina, everyone at Juventus Football Club wishes Marko the very best for his new adventure. _______________________________________________ Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that the agreement with ACF Fiorentina S.p.A. for the loan, until 30 June 2019, of the registration rights of the player Marko Pjaca has been finalized for a consideration of € 2 million to be paid in the 2018/2019 financial year. The agreement also provides ACF Fiorentina S.p.A. the option right, to be exercised at the end of the 2018/2019 football season, for the definitive acquisition of the player at a price of € 20 million to be paid in three financial years. Source: www.juventus.com |
Juventus are proud to strengthen our relationship with China and continue our plans for growth in the region, and today it is announced that China Merchants Bank will be linked with Juventus through to 2020 as the new Official Bank in China.
China Merchants Bank represents excellence in the field of banking services and is deeply rooted in the Asian territory, having been named "Bank of the Year in China 2016" and being 11th among Chinese banks in the global ranking (2017). Giorgio Ricci, Co-Chief Revenue Officer - Global Partnership and Corporate Revenues: "We are proud to announce this Partnership, it is the fifth agreement signed with a leading brand in Asia in the last year, and we are proud to be linked to a leading company like China Merchants Bank. This agreement confirms the great potential of a country like China for the Club's development objectives." The Partnership, which is China Merchants Bank’s first with a football club, will give the opportunity to create co-branded payment cards using Juventus visual identity, characterised by its recognisable symbols such as the logo and the shirt. The Chinese bank will also have the opportunity to offer a variety of experiential assets dedicated to the involvement of fans and a series of discounts dedicated to the Bianconeri fans in China. “The Partnership with Juventus is the first-ever agreement China Merchants Bank has signed with a football club,” said China Merchants Bank General Manager Zhang Dong. “The co-branded credit card is just one of several operations dedicated to football fans in the territory of China.” Source: www.juventus.com |
There was only one workout scheduled for today after the usual double sessions this week, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Leonardo Bonucci, Douglas Costa, Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo all taking part this morning.
The six Bianconeri played in an intense mixed-match with the Juventus U23, as they continued to get themselves ready for the start of the season. The goals in the game were scored by Cuadrado, Dybala and Ronaldo. Tomorrow, the team will rest with a double session taking place on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, the group will increase with the arrival of the players from the American tour, as well as Mario Mandzukic, finally the squad will be complete on Friday with the return of Blaise Matuidi. Source: www.juventus.com |
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