Amauri was the hero for Juventus for the second week running, grabbing the only goal of the game in Sardinia against basement-dwellers Cagliari.
Team News
Juventus were in good form coming into this game, having defeated both Udinese and Zenit St Petersburg in the last seven days. However they were suffering from something of an injury crisis as Cristiano Zanetti, Jonathan Zebina, Mauro Camoranesi, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet, the latter who requires an operation, were all sidelined.
Hasan Salihamidzic and Olof Mellberg came into the defence for Zdenek Grygera and Nicola Legrottaglie, while Marco Marchionni and Claudio Machisio started in midfield. Up-front Claudio Ranieri had little option but to pair Amauri with Vincenzo Iaquinta.
Cagliari are the undoubted favourites for relegation and were rooted at the bottom of the table with no points to their name. The Sardinians were minus the services of Michele Canini and Daniele Conti. Alessandro Matri and Joaquin Larrivey formed the forward pair.
First Half
Both sides made an aggressive start to the game. Juve had the ball in the back of the net after just two minutes through Amauri, but the goal was disallowed for an infringement by Iaquinta. Meanwhile, Davide Biondini screwed the ball wide for Cagliari from 20 yards.
Juventus had a new free kick taker in the absence of Del Piero, and Iaquinta rifled a daisycutter off target from 30 yards. Down the other end Matri headed over when well placed from a right wing free kick.
On 15 minutes Juve put together their best move of the match so far, finishing with Pavel Nedved's shot deflecting dangerously over. From one of the resulting corners Giorgio Chiellini directed a header over the bar.
Matri was looking bright for Cagliari in the early stages, and midway through the half he volleyed over the bar following a nice piece of skill. Cristian Molinaro then nearly put Juve in trouble with a suicidal ball across his own penalty area.
Juve were struggling to get a rhythm going, although the physical Amauri was winning everything in the air, and he nodded the ball down for Iaquinta, but the former Udinese man scuffed his half volley wide.
On the half-hour mark, the home side were close to taking the lead as Matri turned Salihamidzic inside out and fired in a vicious shot, but Gianluigi Buffon pulled off a superb reaction save.
Molinaro was having one of those regular bad days at left back, and he was caught sleeping on a quick throw-in, allowing Biondini to get in behind him and smash a shot dangerously wide of the far post.
Cagliari were now on top, but they were almost caught out on 37 minutes, as Amauri muscled his way free of his marker on a left wing cross, but he couldn't get enough on his header.
This was just a warning of things to come, as 90 seconds later Juve were ahead. Marchionni's cross was flicked on by Iaquinta, and Amauri reacted fastest to fire a snap-shot past Federico Marchetti.
Second Half
Both teams made changes at the break. Juventus' was enforced as Alex Manninger replaced the injured Buffon in goal for his Juventus debut. Meanwhile, Cagliari took off Larrivey for Italy Under-21 striker Robert Acquafresca.
Juve had an immediate chance less than 60 seconds into the second half, but Nedved failed to make decent contact when well placed on the edge of the area.
Iaquinta also didn't have his shooting boots on as Marchionni chipped a cross into the middle, but the World Cup winner hashed the ball over from 12 yards out. It was a decent opening.
There was a flash point just shy of the hour mark as Michele Fini caught Momo Sissoko in the face while he was on the floor, which led to an angry reaction from the Malian.
Ranieri decided to substitute Sissoko just seconds later, introducing last season's notorious flop Tiago Mendes. Fini was also sacrificed for Cagliari, with the Brazilian Jeda coming on.
Iaquinta executed a couple of bicycle kicks in quick succession, the second of which was absolutely sublime, but both efforts finished wide.
Acquafresca had his first attempt since his introduction, but it was Juve who looked the more likely to score again, and Diego Lopez had to clear from Nedved's dangerous cross shot.
The Czech veteran was having a good second half, and he hung a cross up for Amauri, who rose above his man but saw his header smartly plucked out of the top corner by Marchetti. Marchisio then scuffed the ball wide from the ensuing corner.
Ranieri made his final change of the afternoon on 74 minutes as Paolo De Ceglie came on for Under-21 colleague Marchisio. This pushed Nedved in-field to partner Tiago in the centre of midfield.
De Ceglie made an immediate impact as he thundered past two men, and laid the ball off to Amauri who sliced the ball wide from a promising position.
Amauri then won his umpteenth ball in the air, nodding across goal for Iaquinta, but Paolo Bianco made a crucial block.
Juve looked comfortable but on 83 minutes substitute Jeda unleashed a missile from 30 yards which Manninger did well to beat away.
Marchionni was looking for a second goal, and pushed the ball past his man before being denied by Marchetti in a one-on-one, but he was flagged offside so the action was irrelevant.
The outstanding Nedved then rolled back the years as he surged into space and smashed in a trademark 30-yard piledriver that knocked Marchetti backwards as he parried the ball away. Marchetti had a more comfortable save to make from Amauri seconds later.
In the penultimate minute there was drama, as Matri connected with a stunning volley inside the area, from a right wing cross, which had goal written all over it until Manninger performed a brilliant save to turn the ball around the post.
Juve survived to hold on for their third consecutive 1-0 win in all competitions, and they go top of the table alongside Inter, at least for a few hours until Lazio play Milan.
Teams
Cagliari: Marchetti, Pisano, Bianco, Lopez, Agostini, Biondini, Cossu, Parola (Lazzari 79), Fini (Jeda 61), Marti, Larrivey (Acquafresca 45)
Juventus: Buffon (Manninger 45), Salihamidzic, Chiellini, Mellberg, Molinaro, Marchionni, Sissoko (Tiago 59), Marchisio (De Ceglie 74), Nedved, Iaquinta, Amauri
Goals:
Amauri 39 (J)
Anthony Sormani
Goal.com
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