Post by Salem6 on Oct 26, 2008 12:32:54 GMT
Serie A Week 8 - 25/10/08 (19.30 UK)
Juventus 1 - 0 Torino
Amauri 48 (J)
Stadio Olimpico
Amauri was again decisive as Juventus kick out their crisis with a 1-0 victory in the Derby Della Mole.
The Bianconeri emerged from their crisis with a 2-1 Champions League win over Real Madrid, but needed that boost in Serie A too after two straight defeats. Gianni De Biasi's job was on the line for a Toro side that had one point from five games and the Granata had not won the derby in 13 years.
Juve were without Gigi Buffon, David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi, Cristiano Zanetti, Christian Poulsen, Claudio Marchisio and Jonathan Zebina, but Nicola Legrottaglie returned and Alex Del Piero started despite an upper thigh twinge in the warm-up. Toro missed Matteo Sereni, Eugenio Corini and the suspended Francesco Pratali, but Alessandro Rosina was back to support Rolando Bianchi.
Rosina had the first show from distance in the opening minute, then Momo Sissoko smacked a right-foot rocket across the face of goal. Sissoko had another attempt from 25 metres that Alex Calderoni punched out from under the bar. Sissoko went into the book for a sliding tackle after 19 minutes.
Juventus had a great chance, as Del Piero cut in from the right to roll back for Marco Marchionni, but both the initial shot and the follow-up were parried by Calderoni.
The Toro second choice goalkeeper smothered a Del Piero free kick, but there was almost a real howler when Alex Manninger was in a misunderstanding with Giorgio Chiellini and Rolando Bianchi nearly pounced on the loose ball.
Aimo Diana caught Pavel Nedved right on the knee with a very high tackle, but there was no card because it was only the fourth official who spotted it.
Manninger performed another disastrous error moments later, as he started his run off the line and then stopped, leaving a totally open goal behind him, but Bianchi's lob was off target.
The tension escalated as Simone Barone was booked for hacking down Del Piero. Nedved hobbled back on after several minutes of treatment for a cut to his knee.
There were timid penalty appeals for a Diana handling offence, but he was facing the wrong way when he fell as Marchionni went on a mazy run.
There was a bizarre moment at half-time. Hasan Salihamidzic was meant to replace the injured Zdenek Grygera, but the former Bayern man also picked up a muscular problem during the warm-up, so Olof Mellberg took the right-back slot instead.
The deadlock was broken 120 seconds after the restart. Rosina lost the ball in midfield and Amauri nutmegged Marco Di Loreto, surged down the left channel and his angled drive squirming under Calderoni at the near post in a bit of a howler from the goalkeeper.
Legrottaglie's sliding tackle blocked off a dangerous Abate strike, then Mellberg was fortunate his fresh-air clearance took Rosina by surprise.
Bianchi was in a perfect position to score with a tap-in from six yards, but Legrottaglie did brilliantly to intercept a low Diana cross from the right without turning it into his own net.
Both sides went for a more attacking system, as Sebastian Giovinco, Elvis Abbruscato and Nicola Amoruso came off the bench.
A corner was not cleared effectively, so Di Loreto's chest and volley was deflected over. Toro were piling on the pressure now and another corner found a glancing Abbruscato header that whistled wide.
Legrottaglie's back-header to Manninger was intercepted by substitute Nicola Ventola, but the striker kept going and clattered into the goalkeeper.
Toro continued to push as Amoruso's header glanced wide of the far post. In stoppages Manninger made up for his earlier errors by bravely coming out to pluck a cross off the head of Amoruso.
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Juventus: Manninger; Grygera (Mellberg 46), Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Marchionni, Sissoko, Nedved, De Ceglie (Giovinco 64); Del Piero, Amauri (Iaquinta 80)
Torino: Calderoni; Diana, Di Loreto, Natali, Pisano; Abate, P Zanetti, Barone, Rubin (Abbruscato 56); Rosina (Ventola 82); Bianchi (Amoruso 71)
Ref: Rocchi
www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sa0809/juv-tor.html