30 September 2008

Juve draw with some regrets

Juventus got one of those classic double-edged results at the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk tonight. How must this result against Bate Borisov be viewed? Juve started off badly and the Belarus side were able to score twice in 22 minutes, with goals by Kryvets and Stasevich. The rest of the first half went very well with Iaquinta and Giovinco shining and Juve coming back from behind to equalize already before the break. In the second half, all attempts to win proved vain, a win that would've been very important after Zenit's defeat and with Real Madrid already leaving everyone behind.

For his first Champions League away game, Ranieri had to do without Amauri, down with the flu. He tried Camoranesi in the middle and bet everything on Giovinco, playing him wide of the right wing.

The early part of the game was a shock. Bate Borisov showed everyone that there are no easy games in Europe and started off at full speed. After a couple of chances, the Belarus team scored. After 17 minutes Kryvets dashed forward and Legrottaglie was already injured and unable to keep up with him. The striker beat Manninger and scored, while the defender asked to be replaced and Knezevic came on with Juve already forced to come back from behind.

And after 23 minutes the number of goals to recover increased. Stasevich jumped higher than Nedved and scored with a header on the far post. The Czech player and Del Piero sounded the charge and did all they could to try and come back into the game. Bate's players began slowing down the pace and the Bianconeri started playing to their usual standard. They scored after 28 minutes, re-opening the game, when Giovinco set up Iaquinta's header with a beautiful pass.

The match changed completely now and Juve started dominating, with the Belarus side shutting down in defence hoping to go on the counter-attack. Before the break, both Nedved and Del Piero again went close to getting the equalizer, which came three minutes into injury time, once again from a Giovinco-Iaquinta combination. The young midfielder made a run and then passed a through ball for the striker who found himself alone in front of Verenko and beat him again: 2-2 and time for the half-time break.

A different Juve came on the pitch in the second half, with Marchisio taking Camoranesi's place in midfield. Bate started well again and Volodko had two shots at goal, but both were off-target. The Bianconeri replied with a long-range effort from Nedved, which was saved. And then Del Piero anticipated Verenko with the tip of his boot but the ball went wide.

The second half continued much in the same way, with both teams trying to attack but without any goals. Ranieri tried Amauri too, replacing the hero of the night Iaquinta, but the score didn't change. The final 2-2 result isn't bad considering the first 22 minutes, less so if we take into consideration the rest of the game and also the result in the other Group game in St. Petersburg. Winning in Minsk and leaving Zenit six points behind would have put Juventus in a good position to qualify for the next round. But now it's time for the two games against group leaders Real Madrid.

2008/09 Champions League - Group stage
Group H - Day 2
Minsk, Dinamo Minsk Stadium
Tuesday September 30th

BATE BORISOV-JUVENTUS 2-2 (2-2)
GOALS: Kryvets 17, Stasevich 23, Iaquinta 29, 45.
BATE BORISOV: Varemko; Kazantsev, Rzhevski, Sosnovski, Yurevich; Vodolkp, Likhatorovich (Sirakov 70); Nekhaychin (Mirchev 83), Kyvets, Stasevich; Rodionov (Pecha 67). Subs not used: Gutor, Sakahrov, Skavysh, Bliznyuk. Manager: Goncharenko.
JUVENTUS: Manninger; Grygera, Legrottaglie (Knezevic 18), Chiellini, De Ceglie; Giovinco, Camoranesi (Marchisio 46), Sissoko, Nedved; Del Piero, Iaquinta (Amauri 81) . Subs not used: Chimenti, Molinaro, Salihamidzic, Marchionni. Manager: Ranieri.
REFEREE: Atkinson (England).
YELLOW CARDS: Nekhaychin 8, Grygera 26, Kazantsev 79, Sissoko 80, Marchisio 82.