Tag: Juventus

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Juventus lose 3-0 in first league defeat of season

Juventus had to play most of the match at a numerical disadvantage after former Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado was sent off in the 18th minute.

Juventus fell to its first league defeat of the season as the 10-man Bianconeri lost 3-0 at home to relegation-threatened Fiorentina to slip further behind in Serie A on Tuesday.

Dušan Vlahović got Fiorentina off to the perfect start when he scored in the third minute. An Alex Sandro own goal and a late effort from former Juventus defender Martín Cáceres sealed the match for Fiorentina, which recorded its first win since Cesare Prandelli returned as coach.

Juventus had to play most of the match at a numerical disadvantage after former Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado was sent off in the 18th minute.

“We came on with the wrong attitude and when you go onto the field like this, you get into these bad situations, then we were down to 10 men and at that point it became difficult to recover,” Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said.

“Occasionally it happens that you are not 100%, but in the second half we came out with the right mentality. It could have gone better. Now we have to start again with desire, thinking about the mistakes we made and carrying our project forward.”

Juventus had started the day in third place, four points behind Serie A leader AC Milan. But it began the match seven points behind — with a game in hand — after Napoli’s appeal against a default loss to the Bianconeri was upheld.

After the loss to Fiorentina, it was still seven points behind Milan but having played the same number of matches as the Rossoneri.

Milan is now the only remaining unbeaten team in Serie A.

Juventus heard the result of the appeal a few hours before kickoff in Turin. And its day swiftly went from bad to worse when Vlahović ran onto Franck Ribéry’s through ball and chipped it over the onrushing Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.

Juve’s hopes of getting something from the match diminished just a quarter of an hour later when Cuadrado challenged Gaetano Castrovilli. The referee initially only booked Cuadrado but then showed him a straight red after looking at the incident again on video review.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a headed goal disallowed for offside at the start of the second half.

Both sides had chances to score before Cristiano Biraghi’s cross bounced in off the unfortunate Sandro in the 76th.

Biraghi also set up Fiorentina’s third, rolling across for Cáceres to tap into the back of the net.

MAGICAL MESSIAS

Junior Messias netted two goals to help Crotone beat Parma 2-1 and move off the bottom of the table for the first time this season.

It was only Crotone’s second win of the season and lifted the club into the 18th spot, two points from safety and three below Parma.

Both Messias’ goals were impressive, particularly the second — an exquisite lob over Parma goalkeeper Luigi Sepe shortly before halftime.

Juraj Kucka headed in for Parma in the 57th.

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RONALDO RETURNS FROM ISOLATION WITH A BRACE AS JUVE SECURES THREE POINTS AGAINST SPEZIA.

Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to score a brace on his return from coronavirus as Juventus got back to winning ways with a 4-1 victory in Serie A against promoted Spezia on Sunday.

Ronaldo replaced Paulo Dybala in the 56th minute in Cesena with the match level after Tommaso Pobega had cancelled out Alvaro Morato’s opener for Juventus. But the Portuguese striker put Juve in front just three minutes later. Adrien Rabiot grabbed a third on 68 minutes, with Ronaldo scoring a second from the penalty spot with 15 minutes to go for his fifth goal in three league games this season.

The champions ended a run of three consecutive draws to move second in Serie A, four points behind leaders AC Milan.

The nine-time defending champions had won their opener against Sampdoria in September, their only victory on the pitch in Serie A this season, before three draws.

Between those matches they were awarded a 3-0 victory after Napoli refused to travel to Turin on October 4 because of coronavirus cases.

Ronaldo missed four games for Juventus including the midweek 2-0 Champions League defeat against Barcelona in Turin.

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UCL: JUVENTUS FALL TO MESSI’S BARCELONA WITHOUT CORONA-HIT RONALDO.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed Juventus’ Champions League clash against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus, with the Italian giants losing 2-0 at home on Wednesday in his absence.

Messi, 33, set up Ousmane Dembele to put Barca in front after quarter of an hour in Turin, adding a second himself from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

Alvaro Morata had three goals ruled out for offside for Juve who played the final five minutes a man down after Merih Demiral was sent off for a second yellow card.

Barcelona are top of Group G with six points after two games with Juventus on three. The reverse fixture takes place at the Camp Nou on December 8.

The 35-year-old Ronaldo, the top scorer in the history of the competition with 130 goals, was furious at missing out.

The Portuguese superstar had needed to test negative 24 hours before the game to take part in his sixth Champions League meeting against Argentine Messi.

They have not faced off since the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.

Hours before kick-off, Ronaldo posted a photo on Instagram, stating: “Feeling good and healthy! Forza Juve!

Adding a comment for his 241 million Instagram followers on the swab tests used to detect the virus, he said: “PCR IS BULLSHIT.”

He later removed that post.

Ronaldo then posted a video of himself wearing the Juventus jersey running on a treadmill in his home gym, jumping off for his usual goal celebration before giving the thumbs up and wishing his teammates ‘good luck’.

Ronaldo first tested positive for Covid-19 on October 13 while playing with Portugal, and has been in self-isolation since returning to Italy.

He has reportedly tested positive 18 times.

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SERIE A AWARDS JUVENTUS 3-0 WIN OVER NAPOLI FOR UNPLAYED MATCH.

Napoli have been handed a 3-0 defeat and had one point deducted for failing to play their Serie A match away to Juventus earlier this month amid confusion over Italian soccer’s coronavirus rules.

Napoli did not travel to Turin for the match on Oct 4., saying their local health authority (ASL) had told the players to stay at home after two members of their squad tested positive for COVID-19.

Napoli have been handed a 3-0 defeat and had one point deducted for failing to play their Serie A match away to Juventus earlier this month amid confusion over Italian soccer’s coronavirus rules.

Napoli did not travel to Turin for the match on Oct 4., saying their local health authority (ASL) had told the players to stay at home after two members of their squad tested positive for COVID-19.

Serie A turned down Napoli’s request to call the game off, meaning that Juventus and match officials were both present at the stadium and the floodlights were turned on. Play was officially abandoned 45 minutes after kick-off time.

Serie A’s disciplinary tribunal, which announced its decision in a statement, rejected Napoli’s claim of force majeure and said there was a clear health protocol for Serie A.

The announcement is likely to infuriate Napoli who said they were only following the orders of their ASL. The club has already threatened to appeal and take legal action if a new date for the match is not arranged.

Napoli, who had won their opening two matches, now have five points from three games in the Serie A table while Juventus have seven.

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NAPOLI SET TO BE HANDED 3-0 LOSS FOR NOT SHOWING UP AT JUVE

Napoli is likely to be handed a 3-0 loss by the Italian league´s judge for failing to show for its Serie A match at Juventus on Sunday night.

Napoli did not travel to Turin for the game after local health authorities ordered the squad into quarantine after two players tested positive for the coronavirus – midfielders Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas.

Juventus followed its regular matchday routine on Sunday and arrived at the stadium for the scheduled 8:45 p.m. (18:45 GMT) kickoff. In somewhat farcical scenes, several players walked out onto the field while a limited number of fans watched from the stands.

It will not be known whether Juventus will be awarded a 3-0 win by default – or if the match has simply been postponed – until next week’s disciplinary commission, where Napoli will make its case.

“The sporting rules are clear and say that if a team does not show up, they face disciplinary sanctions,” Juventus president Andrea Agnelli said. “The Sporting Judge will speak tomorrow, and based on his decision, there will be further reflections.

“It is evident that the fact that a team does not reach a stadium to play a planned match does not give a great image of Italian soccer, but we are provincial and we care little about what happens outside our borders, without considering the damage we do to soccer internationally.”

Vincenzo Spadafora, Italy´s sports minister, said he would also speak about the issue with the heads of the Italian soccer federation and the league, in two meetings already scheduled for Monday.

“The protocol proposed by the FIGC and validated by the Technical-Scientific Committee tried to make Italian soccer safe to allow the restart that everyone wanted,” Spadafora said Sunday. “It’s clear however that the situation in general over the past few weeks has become even more complex, so much so that it hasn’t left even the world of soccer immune despite the rigid rules.

“I want to make a really clear appeal for the much more important interest of health to prevail over whatever other logic or vested interests.”

Napoli had requested that the match be postponed and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had also contacted Juventus asking the same.

“He texted me a couple of days ago, asking me to postpone the match,” Agnelli said. “My answer was that Juventus abides by the regulations.”

The Italian league´s protocol for COVID cases is the same as UEFA rules. If a team has 13 available players, including at least one goalkeeper, the game can go ahead.

“In regards to Napoli´s official request the Lega Serie A clarifies that the current system of rules must guarantee the health of everybody, equal treatment for all clubs and the respect of the principals of sportsmanship,” read a statement by the league´s governing body.

“On that matter it is opportune to remember that the statement issued by Campania health authorities only asks fiduciary isolation for the close contacts of Piotr Zielinski. Therefore, in this case the FIGC protocol agreed with the Technical-Scientific Committee should be applied. The protocol provides certain and mandatory rules that allow league matches to go ahead even if there are positive cases in the group, fielding the players who tested negative through exams undergone within the time range given by the health authorities.”

The entire Napoli team has been tested constantly after Napoli played Genoa last weekend. More than 20 Genoa players and staff members have tested positive.

Genoa´s match at Torino on Saturday was postponed.

“The Lega Serie A did also approve a precise set of rules to adopt if there are several positive cases and that can lead to the postponement of the match only if there are specific conditions which, at the moment, don´t apply to Napoli´s case,” continued the governing body´s statement.

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Higuian set to move to Inter Miami

Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain has left Italian champions Juventus after his contract was mutually terminated and is expected to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami club in the United States.

The 32-year-old joined Juve from Serie A rivals Napoli for a Italian record fee of £75m in July 2016.

At the time it was also the world’s third most expensive transfer.

On Thursday, Inter Miami manager Diego Alonso said Higuain was “finalising negotiations” with the MLS club.

Last week Higuain was greeted at Miami Airport by Jorge Mas, who is one of four co-owners alongside former England captain Beckham.

Former Real Madrid forward Higuain scored 66 goals in 149 games – as well as having loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea – but never quite lived up to expectations.

Last month, new Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo announced Higuain would soon be leaving the Turin club.

“He was a great champion, a great player but the cycle is over,” ex-Italy midfielder Pirlo said.

“We looked each other in the eyes, we talked and we made this decision. I admire him a lot, but we have decided that the paths will separate.”

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SARRI QUESTIONED OVER JUVE FUTURE DESPITE SERIE A VICTORY.

Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri was still being questioned about his future with the Turin side on Thursday despite leading them to a ninth successive Serie A title last month.

Sarri’s side staggered over the Serie A finish line and now turn their attention to the Champions League, where they host Olympique Lyonnais in a round of 16, second leg match on Friday The match was due to be played in March but postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lyon have a 1-0 lead and Sarri was asked during a pre-match news conference if he thought that his future could be decided on Friday.

“I think that is painting our directors as amateurs,” he replied.

“I think the choice has been made, regardless of the result of tomorrow’s game. That question suggests that they can get carried away on an emotional wave in the same way as fans do.

“But if they’ve already decided to get a new coach, tomorrow won’t make any difference, nor will a victory.”

Sarri said he did not read or listen to any of the critics and pointed out that the COVID-19 outbreak, which halted the league for three months and forced remaining games to be played behind closed doors, had made it the most difficult Serie A in history.

“Juventus is a club which is used to winning and therefore people can be a little blase about it which is absolutely wrong in my opinion,” he said.

“Winning should always be treated as a wonderful and extraordinary event.”

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Ciro Immobile equals Serie A scoring record, wins European Golden Shoe

Lazio’s Ciro Immobile won the domestic Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe as he matched Gonzalo Higuain’s 2015/16 record of 36 goals in a single Serie A season.

Helped by a rule change that led to more penalty kicks, Ciro Immobile matched the record for goals in a Serie A season with 36.

In his last match of the season, Immobile finished off an exchange with Adam Marusic with one touch midway through the first half of a 3-1 loss at Napoli on Saturday.

Current Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain also scored 36 in 2015-16 while with Napoli, improving by one goal on the previous mark set by Gunnar Nordhal 66 years earlier

However, while Higuain scored only three of his goals in 2015-16 with penalties, Immobile had 14 penalties this season — around 40 percent of his total goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished second on this season’s scoring list with 31 to match Juventus’ club record, had 12 penalties.

The plethora of penalties was a product of a rule calling for involuntary handballs to be whistled as fouls. The rule is expected to be revised for next season.

Immobile also sealed this season’s European Golden Shoe award.

Fabian Ruiz, Lorenzo Insigne, and Matteo Politano scored for Napoli. The loss saw Lazio finish in fourth place, having trailed leader Juventus by just one point entering the break for the coronavirus pandemic.

INTER SECOND

Inter Milan sealed second place with a 2-0 win over high-scoring Atalanta, which hadn’t been held to a clean sheet since November.

Danilo D’Ambrosio scored with a header and Ashley Young found the target from outside the area in the opening 20 minutes.

Inter finished the season one point behind Juventus, which sealed its record-extending ninth straight title last weekend.

Atalanta finished third for the second straight season, four points behind Inter.

RONALDO RESTS

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus strike partner Paulo Dybala were rested in a 3-1 home loss to Roma.

After Higuain’s opener, Roma struck back with a goal from Nikola Kalinic and two from Diego Perotti.

Still, it was a celebratory night for Juventus, which received the Serie A trophy after the game inside the empty Allianz Stadium.

ZLATAN FOREVER

Despite playing only half the season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the oldest player to score 10 or more goals in a single Serie A season.

At age 38, Ibrahimovic played a role in all three of AC Milan’s goals in a 3-0 win over Cagliari, including a powerful shot of his own that made it 2-0.

Ibrahimovic also used his strength to hold off a defender and enable Rafael Leao to shoot from a sharp angle. The ball bounced off the post and rebounded off Ragnar Klavan for an own-goal.

For Milan’s final goal, Ibrahimovic set up Samu Castillejo.

Also, Sampdoria drew 1-1 at already-relegated Brescia.

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Ronaldo scores to push juventus to the Title

Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated Juventus’ record-extending ninth successive Serie A title ‘to the fans’ as they defeated Sampdoria in Turin.

The forward scored his 31st league goal of the season from Miralem Pjanic’s short free-kick and Federico Bernardeschi sealed the victory.

Maurizio Sarri’s side are the only team to win nine consecutive titles in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

It extends their own record, which Bayern Munich had matched in June.

Ronaldo missed the chance to get closer to Ciro Immobile’s tally of 34 at the top of the Serie A goal charts as he struck a penalty against the crossbar in the final minutes.

Juventus had missed the chance to claim the title in what manager Sarri described as a “messy” defeat at Udinese on Thursday and began Sunday’s match with just one win in their last five games.

They were far from their free-flowing best and were forced to withstand plenty of pressure in the second half but Bernardeschi’s goal from Ronaldo’s saved attempt ensured former Chelsea manager Sarri won the first league title of his managerial career.

Sampdoria’s hopes of finding a way back into the match ended as they were reduced to 10-men following a second booking for Morten Thorsby.

Ronaldo’s goal sees him move to within three of leading Serie A goalscorer Immobile, who scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Verona earlier on Sunday.

“I told the players ‘if you win with me who has never won anything, it is because you are really strong’,” said Sarri, whose only major trophy win was the Europa League with Chelsea in May 2019.

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Juventus lose 2-1 at Udinese, fail to secure Serie A title

Ilija Nestorovski cancelled out Matthijs de Ligt’s opener and Seko Fofana grabbed the winner in second-half stoppage time to keep Juve’s celebrations on ice.

Juventus missed a chance to clinch a record-extending ninth straight Italian league title as it lost 2-1 at relegation-threatened Udinese on Thursday.

Ilija Nestorovski cancelled out Matthijs de Ligt’s opener and Seko Fofana grabbed the winner in second-half stoppage time to keep Juve’s celebrations on ice.

“We lost order, even after the draw, because we wanted to win at all costs,” Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said. “In this way, we took the game to a dangerous level, and after the 90th minute, we lost it.”

Juventus remained six points clear of second-place Atalanta and can secure the title with a win over Sampdoria on Sunday.

It could even be crowned earlier if Atalanta loses at AC Milan on Friday and Inter fails to win at Genoa on Saturday.

“In this period we are physically and mentally tired, and it is a problem common to all,” Sarri said. “For this reason, being aggressive is something more tiring and, therefore, now what matters most is order … It is difficult to keep it throughout the match and sometimes, like today, we lose it.”

The points could prove crucial for Udinese as it went seven points clear of the relegation zone, with three rounds remaining.

Juventus knew a victory at Udinese would secure the title as the Bianconeri hold the tiebreaker over Atalanta courtesy of a better head-to-head record.

It seemed to be going to plan for Juventus when it took the lead three minutes before halftime. A defensive header out came straight to De Ligt and he took one touch before firing powerfully into the bottom left corner.

However, Nestorovski leveled seven minutes after the restart when he headed in Ken Sema’s cross.

Both sides struggled to create clear scoring opportunities but, just as it seemed headed for a draw, Fofana burst downfield from near the halfway line and slotted past Wojciech Szczęsny.

TOP SCORER

Ciro Immobile boosted his hopes of finishing the season as the league’s top scorer with the winning goal in Lazio’s 2-1 victory against Cagliari.

Immobile finished off a brilliant pass from Luis Alberto on the hour mark for his 31st goal of the season, one more than Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

His goal came five minutes after Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno had pushed Immobile’s effort out off the post.

Sergej Milinković-Savić had netted the equalizer for Lazio with a powerful volley shortly after the break. Giovanni Simeone’s effort was deflected in on the stroke of halftime to give Cagliari the lead.

The victory secured Lazio a spot in next season’s Champions League with the capital side now guaranteed at least fourth place in Serie A.