Post by Salem6 on Nov 7, 2006 13:17:04 GMT
Didier Deschamps had to do without Kovac, Boumsong, Giannichedda, Marchionni, Trezeguet and Nedved as he led his men to the Sao Paolo for the second time this season. Back in August, the home side had edged out the Bianconeri on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the third round of the Coppa Italia. A lot can change in two months and after nine championship games, Juventus came into the match just four points off the lead. A win tonight would put them joint second with Piacenza, a fraction behind leaders Genoa. Napoli, meanwhile, were looking to get their season back on track after a disappointing defeat to Albinoleffe the weekend before, and with a sell-out crowd expected in Naples, it promised to be a classic. Deschamps put his faith in Zalayeta up front, with Del Piero and Camoranesi roaming just behind. The Frenchman went for a three man midfield of Zanetti, Paro and Marchisio, while Legrottaglie and Chiellini formed the central pairing in defence. The game was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of former Juventus star, Pietro Rava, who passed away on Sunday.
Juventus started brightly, Del Piero outwitting Maldonado on the left wing and Zanetti firing a warning shot towards Iezzo’s goal in the opening five minutes. The game quickly settled into an even rhythm with both sides patiently awaiting an opening. Space was limited though, as the respective midfields looked determined to chase down every ball. It took a delightful piece of skill from Del Piero to finally create an opening in the 24th minute, skipping past his man and playing an inch-perfect back-heel to Balzaretti on the left wing. The full-back raced on to the ball at pace and swung in a cross with his left boot, but the Napoli defence were equal to the task, denying Zalayeta a header on goal. Two minutes later and it was Grava who had room to manoeuvre in the Juventus half. With options both left and right, he was unable to pick out his man and the chance was wasted. Juventus looked threatening from corners, both Zalayeta and Camoranesi coming close with powerful headers, but the game was locked in a stale mate as the interval loomed. In the 37th minute Camoranesi’s deep cross in from the right wing was headed back to Marchisio on the edge of the box by Zalayeta. The young midfielder chested the ball under control and smashed a right-footed effort towards Iezzo’s goal, but the Napoli keeper was on hand to make the save. Camoranesi began to pull the strings for the Bianconeri as gaps opened up in the Napoli half, but the home side held on until the break. It was a close-fought first period with neither side able to carve out chances in a tightly-packed midfield, but Juventus could take heart from a positive final ten minutes.
Napoli replaced Bucchi with Sosa at half-time as they looked to improve their fortunes in attack but it was Juventus who provided the first action of the half, Marchisio dribbling past Maldonado in the 47th minute and setting up Del Piero on his left. The captain attempted to catch Iezzo off-guard at his near post but the Napoli keeper was alert to the danger. Ten minutes in and Legrottaglie, who had already received treatment in the first period, was forced to leave the field again. This time it was game-over for the centre back and De Ceglie was brought on to replace him, with Birindelli moving into the centre of defence. The game opened up as the tight-marking of the first half took its toll and in the 63rd minute Grava came close to opening the scoring after Trotta had picked him out with a chipped pass from just inside the left edge of the box. The Napoli number two was unmarked but he mistimed his right-footed effort and the ball squirted out from under his foot and into the hands of Buffon. In the 66th minute Del Piero was brought down just outside the penalty area by Maldonado. The Napoli defender got a booking for his troubles but it was just collateral damage for what was to come. It was prime Del Piero territory and the captain didn’t disappoint, curling the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of Iezzo’s goal with lethal accuracy (0-1). Two minutes later and Napoli almost equalised, Buffon denying Calaiò from no more than five yards out with an incredible reflex save. The ball fell to Sosa but Chiellini managed to launch himself between ball and goal, deflecting the substitute’s shot out for a corner. De Zerbi entered the fray on 71 minutes and his impact was almost immediate. It was the substitute’s trickery which created space in the Juventus box two minutes later. His chipped pass into the middle was headed away by Birindelli but Trotta fired the ball back in first-time and Bogliacino raced in at the far post, beating Buffon down low and equalising for the Neopolitans (1-1). In the 76th and 77th minutes, Calaiò and Del Piero exchanged overhead kicks but neither player could find the target. It was a completely different game now to that of the first half and spaces were opening up all over the park. Despite the increase in tempo neither side could find the crucial breakthrough. Zalayeta tried to beat Iezzo from distance in the 85th minute but his effort failed to trouble the keeper. Napoli grew in confidence as the game entered its closing stages and it took some brave defending from the rejigged Bianconeri defence to stop them overturning the original deficit completely. With the atmosphere in the San Paolo reaching boiling point, referee Rizzoli blew the full-time whistle to give each side a share of the points.
GOALS: Del Piero 67’, Bogliacino 73’
BOOKED: 27’ft Montervino, 18’st Trotta, 21’st Maldonado, 29' st De Zerbi, 44’ st Bogliacino
NAPOLI: Iezzo; Maldonado, Giubilato, Domizzi, Grava; Montervino, Amodio, Trotta, Bogliacino; Bucchi (Sosa 46’), Calaiò
Subs: Gianello, Garics, Dalla Bona, Capparella, De Zerbi, Pià
Coach: Reja
JUVENTUS: Buffon; Birindelli, Legrottaglie (De Ceglie 55’), Chiellini, Balzaretti; Zanetti, Paro, Marchisio; Camoranesi, Del Piero; Zalayeta
Subs: Mirante, Zebina, Urbano, Guzman, Bojinov, Palladino
Coach: Deschamps
REFEREE: Rizzoli (Bologna)
ASSISTANTS: Romagnoli, Nicoletti
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