Saturday, February 28, 2009
Juventus - Napoli 1-0
A goal by Marco Marchionni late in the first half was enough for Juventus to beat Napoli at home and move within six points of leaders Inter.
Juventus were looking for revenge in tonight’s home match against Napoli, who beat them 2-1 at the Stadio San Paolo earlier this season. Only a victory would do for Claudio Ranieri’s side if they were going to keep the title race somewhat alive, while Napoli were coming off a very negative run of results.
The home side played in a 4-4-2 formation with captain Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet up front, while Edy Reja’s side played in a 3-5-2 with German Denis and Ezequiel Lavezzi in attack.
First Half
Juventus quickly took control of the match and made themselves dangerous repeatedly in the opening part of the first half. In the 11th minute, Del Piero made a run to the center from the right and fired a left-footed shot, but it was too central and goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro was able to grab it.
Four minutes later, the home side missed a huge chance, as Marco Marchionni sent in a dangerous cross that was volleyed in by Trezeguet, who forced Navarro into a difficult save, and on the rebound Sebastian Giovinco incredibly fired the ball over the bar from close range.
In the 17th minute, Del Piero tried to open the score with one of his trademark free kicks, but Navarro managed to tip his dangerous shot over the bar.
After a rather quiet period in the match, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was called into action for the first time in the 38th minute, when he came up with a brilliant reflex save to keep out a close range effort by Marek Hamsik after Denis found him with a touch off his heel.
A minute later, the home side responded as Christian Poulsen found Del Piero inside the area, and Navarro managed to anticipate the Juve captain, but the ball came to Marchionni who proceeded to fire the ball wide of the goal from a difficult position.
Juve deservedly took the lead just before the break, in the 44th minute, when Marchisio fired a shot from distance that took a decisive deflection off Manuele Blasi and beat Navarro.
The first half thus finished deservedly 1-0 to Juventus against a Napoli side who disappointed yet again.
Second Half
For the second half, Reja decided to insert new purchase Jesus Datolo for Francesco Montervino during half time to give the team more attacking impulses.
The Argentinean playmaker made an immediate impact with some dangerous crosses and set pieces. In the 57th minute, one his free kicks was nearly headed in by Michele Pazienza, but he sent the ball just wide.
Del Piero had a half-chance a few minutes later, after winning the ball as Napoli made a mistake in their buildup, but he couldn’t hold on to it as he tried to make a run towards the goal.
The home side limited themselves to containing Napoli, who looked downbeat following their poor recent results, so chance were few and far between. In the 77th minute, Trezeguet made himself dangerous with a nice individual move concluded with a left footed shot from a dangerous position, which was deflected out by Matteo Contini for a corner.
Three minutes later, Marchionni found the French striker in a good position in the area, but he had a poor control and was forced pass the ball back to substitute Amauri, who headed the ball wide.
In the final minutes of the match, Napoli started to come forward more as they went in search for an equaliser. Two minutes before full time, there was a dubious episode as Datolo sent in a free kick that was met by Paolo Cannavaro, whose close range shot was parried by Buffon, but only as far as Lavezzi who tapped the ball in. However, the ‘goal’ was canceled for an offside position by the Napoli defender.
That was the only real chance for the visitors, who were forced to swallow another negative result when the referee blew his whistle after four minutes of injury time. Meanwhile, Juventus managed to put some pressure on Inter, who are now just six points away ahead of their home match against Roma tomorrow night.
Teams
Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon; Grygera, Legrottaglie (72’ Mellberg), Chiellini, Molinaro; Marchionni, Poulsen, Marchisio, Giovinco (63’ Salihamidzic); Trezeguet, Del Piero (68’ Amauri). Coach: Ranieri.
Napoli (3-5-2): Navarro; Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini; Montervino (46’ Datolo), Pazienza (78’ Russotto), Blasi, Hamsik, Vitale (78’ Aronica); Denis, Lavezzi. Coach: Reja.
Goals: 44’ Marchionni (J)
Booked: Legrottaglie, Chiellini (J)
Danilo Pochini,
Goal.com
Pictures:
Marchisio: "The Next Are 10 Crucial Days"
Six points which Claudio Marchisio gave Juventus since the beginning of the second round. After the goal against Fiorentina now it was the turn for the one against Napoli. The youngster is continuing to improve match after match and his relationship with the goal is making him more important every day.
It is a Marchisio who is also learning leadership skills inside and outside the field. At the end of the match he launched the team towards the crucial moment of the season:
"Ten fundamental days await us. Ten days which are also fundamental to Inter and Roma. We have three competitions to play and the fact that we are still fighting on all fronts means that we are a great team. I am happy with my second goal because it once again allowed us to win a crucial match against Napoli who especially in the second half caused us difficulties".
Juventus.com
Legrottaglie: "Ten Days To Decide The Season"
Nicola Legrottaglie was not lucky during the match against Napoli.
The defender received a very controversial yellow card which will make him miss the derby against Torino and was forced to leave the field after an aerial collision with Buffon.
The injury however does not seem to be a serious one: "The injury does not seem to be as serious as I though. It was a bad blow but there doesn’t seem to be any real injury to the ankle".
Unfortunately he will have to miss the derby due to a yellow card received : "I think it was a foul but I did not deserve the yellow card. If a player is shown a yellow card for the first foul he commits it would be impossible to play".
The defender is positive about the rest of the season even though he thinks the next 10 days are crucial: "The match against Napoli was similar to the one in the Coppa Italia but they didn’t manage to score. Anyway it was a good match and a good team effort. We are being more compact and more careful in the defence".
"Even against Chelsea we hardly gave them any real goal scoring opportunities. We are back on track. We have ten days to decide the season and I hope that after the coming matches we can speak of a great Juve having a great season. I am quite positive about this".
Juventus.com
Molinaro: "Now We Must Think Of Lazio"
Never tired, never exhausted, never say die. These are the phrases which accompany him in most of his performances. Cristian Molinaro to prove this is already think of the Coppa Italia match against Napoli mere minutes after the match against Napoli:
"Tonight’s victory is a precious one, especially for me who was born in Cilento, but now we must concentrate on Tuesday’s match without thinking of the table and the opponents. We are about to play the match against Lazio and then a series of matches which we must confront at a 100 percent".
Juventus.com
Ranieri: "We Must Fight For The Maximum"
Claudio Ranieri is visibly satisfied after the match against Napoli especially seeing that the team returned to winning after the undeserved defeat against Chelsea:
"The most important thing is to prepare well for the match after the Champions League. I must applaud the team who played well and especially during the second half when we were more tired and they pressed us".
What was different from the match against Napoli in the Coppa Italia: "We used the same system like in the Coppa Italia. The midfield played really well, remaining always concentrated even when playing against 3 midfielders, recovering and winning back some really good balls".
How much does the work load count at this time of the season seeing that even Chelsea found it hard to win against Middelsborough? "Everybody feels the pressure at this time of the season. It is not easy to play every 3 days. We must now recover our energy to play against Lazio in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday night".
What are your hopes for the championship?: "We must fight for the maximum and then at the end be satisfied at the end of the season. The athlete must work hard and give his maximum and must be able to accept a defeat if this comes".
Juventus.com
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