A Juventus efficient took the podium Italian Championship by dominating Roma (2-0) Saturday in Turin, with a new goal of the indestructible Cristiano Ronaldo, the day after his 36th birthday.
Atalanta Bergamo and Naples already had a little head in their semi-final second leg of the Italian Cup next Wednesday (0-0 in the first leg): the Dea squandered three goals ahead of Torino ( 3-3) and Naples lost against Genoa (1-2) a largely dominated match, during this 21st day.
Juve is inexorably returning to the top: the reigning nine-time Italian champion (42 pts, with one game less) steals third place from Roma (40 pts). She is now looking towards Inter Milan (47 pts), provisional leader after beating Fiorentina (2-0) on Friday, and AC Milan (46 pts), which hosts the red lantern Crotone on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 36th birthday on Friday and that’s not what will slow him down: with a sharp strike, he once again launched the Bianconeri to victory (13th). He consolidates his first place in the scorers standings with 16 goals.
And it is to deprive CR7 of a second goal that the Roman defender Roger Ibanez threw himself, scoring against his camp (70th). Already author of a double this week in the Italian Cup against Inter (2-1), the Portuguese almost did it again but the cross (23rd) then Pau Lopez (42nd) did not give him this gift.
The time for adjustments now seems to be over for Andrea Pirlo’s Juve. Apart from the misstep against Inter (0-2) in the league on January 17, the Bianconeri line up the victories at the start of 2021: ten in the ten other matches played (all competitions). “We have regained enthusiasm, we are more compact, and we are more attentive to defend”, welcomed Pirlo.
Dzeko back
Roma, she remains unable to win against the top teams. Yet she had the ball, tempted, but struggled to worry this Juve once again solid.
The entry into play for the last half hour of now ex-captain Edin Dzeko, reinstated after being sidelined from the two previous matches for opposing his coach Paulo Fonseca, did nothing. “We had more shots (14 against 3), more corners (9 against 2), but it’s the team that scores goals that wins”, constaté Fonseca.
Napoli (5th to 3 pts from Roma) did not take advantage of this setback, victim of the revival of Genoa, which in eight matches with its new coach David Ballardini went from 19th to 11th place. Gattuso’s men pushed, touched the uprights, but were betrayed by defensive approximations which Goran Pandev took advantage of to offer himself a double.
Atalanta Bergamo, she had to settle for a point against Torino while the success seemed acquired: after twenty minutes, the “Dea” led 3-0 thanks to Josip Ilicic (14th), Robin Gosens ( 19th) and Luis Muriel (21st).
The Bergamasques, perhaps put to sleep by a hitherto non-existent Torino, then “Stopped during the last ten minutes of the first half”, regretted their trainer Gian Piero Gasperini. Andrea Belotti, in two stages after having first seen his penalty kicked back (42nd), then Bremer (45 + 1st) restarted everything. And Federico Bonazzoli, from the head (84th), offered to the “Toro” (17th) an unexpected but precious point.
Third draw in three matches – all snatched in the last minutes – for new coach Davide Nicola, whose Torino does not advance much but has found a fighting spirit that was lacking in the end of the matches. “Third consecutive sign that the matches are never over”, breathed the technician.
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