16 June 2015
Derby days are special for any club all over the globe and Juventus’ meeting with arch-rivals Torino at the end of November was no different.
After claiming crucial successes away at Lazio and Malmo in Serie A and the Champions League respectively, the Bianconeri turned their attentions to the hotly-anticipated encounter in Turin, looking to keep out in front of the chasing pack in Italy’s top flight.
The Granata, meanwhile, were looking to end a six-game losing streak against their adversaries, while also bringing a 20-year winless hoodoo to a close by claiming victory.
And Massimiliano Allegri, who was approaching his first Derby della Mole at the helm, had this to say ahead of the game: “The stats are all in the past and when the referee blows his whistle, we’ll be on level pegging. We’ll need to be alert and there’s great respect for Torino, but we’re in to win it.”
.@OfficialAllegri previews his first #DerbydellaMole encounter in the Juve dugout: http://t.co/GF0s6EcYY3 #JuveTorino pic.twitter.com/9MTT0jqb2u
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) November 29, 2014
But would the derby live up to its ‘big match’ billing?
The match itself began at a fast and frenetic start, with the tone for a pulsating night of domestic football set by two early goals from both sides.
First Arturo Vidal’s spot-kick on the quarter-hour mark allowed the hosts to seize the initiative in the teeming Turin downpour.
But just moments later, Bruno Peres embarked on a fine solo run which saw him leave several Bianconeri bodies trailing in his wake before crashing an effort in off the post to make it 1-1.
With the scores level at the break, both sides came out for the second half all guns blazing as they attempted to edge their noses in front.
Torino went a whisker away from taking the lead on 51 minutes, when former Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella rolled his shot just wide from a matter of yards under pressure from the advancing Marco Storari.
Allegri then chose to bring both Alvaro Morata and Roberto Pereyra on in place of Fernando Llorente and Claudio Marchisio, looking to add fresh impetus ahead of the final half an hour of play.
And the hosts thought their moment had come when Vidal tapped home into an empty net following Pereyra’s cutback on 76 minutes, only to see the linesman’s flag raised correctly for offside.
Juventus were then dealt a blow after Stephan Lichtsteiner was shown his second yellow card of the game following a rash challenge on Omar El Kaddouri with 10 minutes remaining.
But the drama didn’t end there as deep into the dying embers of injury-time, up stepped Andrea Pirlo to send the Bianconeri faithful into delirium with a last-gasp winner that inflicted more derby dispair for their opponents.
It was a finish worthy of winning any contest, with Pirlo’s right boot used to take the shot now sitting proudly in Juventus Museum alongside a plethora of other incredible artefacts.
It’s the boot that made us jump for joy, belonging to the one and only @Pirlo_official. Now on display at #JMuseum! pic.twitter.com/kFkOqG8bd3
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 2, 2014
The goal also spawned another classic Maestro clip, entitled #KeepCalmAndPassItToPirlo, which documents that serenity is needed to be able to bag a sumptuous strike in the final moments of a game of that magnitude!
Time’s running out? Just seconds away from the end? Keep calm… #PirloIsNotImpressed http://t.co/1AGmyLAqbr
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 4, 2014
Relive the footage from another unforgettable night at Juventus Stadium by checking out the highlights package below.
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