Chapter 279: The Second Derby (Part II)
In the face of the opponent's strong attack, the Torino team, which has been fighting for 20 minutes with one less, basically has no physical fitness to think about attacking anymore, and even Belotti retreated to the midfield line and began to run desperately to interfere with the passing and possession of the home team's players. However, the effect was not obvious, and Juve were still able to find a chance to get off the ground.
In the 78th minute, Juventus made continuous passes in the front, Dybala's long pass was pushed out by the defender, Khedira passed diagonally to the right side of the penalty area, Pjanic did not stop the ball and passed directly in front of the goal, Bonucci shot with his left foot 5 meters in front of the goal, but he failed to play his strength due to the problem of footwork, and was quickly pounced on by Hart.
Two minutes later, Allegri made his final substitution, with Brazilian left wing-back Alex Sandro coming on to replace Dybala, who had been playing in consecutive games and was a little out of fitness. In this way, Ghanaian Asamoah can return to midfield, while Pjanic's position has been greatly advanced. Li Mudi reacted immediately, replacing the scorer Rajjdzic with Spanish midfielder Febas, but the latter showed great reluctance when he came off the pitch, and the Torino boss did not say anything about it......
In the 82nd minute, Mandzukic played a pass back to the top of the arc after entering the penalty area to resist Ranocchia's close defense, and Asamoah followed up with a left-footed volley and hit an anti-aircraft gun. While the visitors' shooting stats are ugly, the home side are not much better, with a 5-of-16 shooting percentage of just over 30 per cent so far that is not enough to laugh at the rest.
Just when the clock was running out and the impatience of the Juventus players was about to get out of hand, Torino seized the opportunity to play a counter-attack. In the 86th minute, after the home team's cross was pushed out of the box, Benassi grabbed the second spot and played the ball hard to the side of the receiver Fabas, who used his fitness advantage to force a long pass forward for the home team's double pack. Belotti, who pulled to the left side, stopped the ball and stepped forward in one go, but when he cut inside to the middle and was about to go straight into the opponent's hinterland, he was pulled to the ground by Bonucci, and it was surprising that the referee didn't say anything!
Then Juve launched a quick counter-attack, Pjanic picked up a cross into the box, and when he cleared the ball, Hart and Rosertini grabbed together, but fortunately, the ball was cleared off the line, almost causing tragedy.
However, Li Mudi on the sidelines couldn't suppress the anger in his heart again, and ran to the fourth official to complain about the previous foul that didn't blow what happened, so frightened that assistant coach Sumfield hurriedly followed and was ready to make amends. Fortunately, because the final result was not too bad, the Torino coach still maintained basic restraint, did not leave much of a handle, and was pulled back to the sidelines after a little venting.
Within a few minutes, the home team was no longer concerned about whether they would be counter-attacked by the opposition because of the wide opening of the defense - of course, the Torino side did not have the physical strength to attack, Juve left only Asamoah and Khedira, who was basically invisible today, in the backfield, and all the other non-goalkeeper players pressed through the half and began to besiege. However, the visitors were able to make a decent attempt despite their concerted efforts, and apart from two long-range shots that were clearly not chances, it looked like they were powerless.
But just when the second minute of stoppage time came, the moment that made the home team fans boil finally came. Lichtsteiner's wide shift down the right was first disrupted by Zampacosta, but the ball was kicked back to Pjanic in the middle, and the Bosnian midfielder chested the ball and stabbed it straight into the edge of the box. Higuain took a lateral step after winning the ball and half-turned and volleyed hard before Rossetini could fly to block. The speed of the ball, combined with the blocking of multiple players in the box, made Joe Hart's save a little slower and the ball grazed his fingertips and into the net. 1-1, the score was levelized in the last minute!
It was the ninth goal scored in their last nine competitive matches, becoming the first Juve player to reach 24 goals in a single Serie A season since Trezeguet in 2001/02.
Seeing Juventus celebrating frantically on and off the field, Li Mudi could only shake his head helplessly, and after patting the assistant coach next to him on the shoulder comfortingly, he shouted twice to the players, encouraging them not to take the goal too seriously, but to concentrate on completing the remaining two minutes of the game first.
Sure enough, after the score was evenly matched, the home players only celebrated a little and then retreated to half-time to restart, thinking about turning defeat into victory. However, this is obviously thinking too much, even if it is more than half an hour less than one person, the tenacious Torino team has not collapsed, and the defensive intensity can still reach a good level. The time remaining was so limited that Juventus had no chance to threaten again when Paolo Valery blew the whistle for the end of the game.
In the end, the Bianconeri and Red Bull ended in a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the derby of the season. The result ended Old Lady's 33-game winning streak at home in Serie A, with the last home draw in the league coming 591 days ago, when they drew 1-1 with Frosinone on 23 September 2015.
However, this game will not only be the focus of the record, the second red card about Akwa has become a hot topic on the Internet after the appearance, and the media reporters will naturally not let go of this issue that can bring a lot of attention.
In terms of statistics after the game, the home team took advantage of the number advantage in the last half hour, brushed 62% of the possession, shot 5 of 21, and created an astonishing 12 corners, which was comprehensively dominant; The visitors had just 2-of-8 shots, a measly 1 corner, and were sent off with a 11-15 deficit in fouls, and there was a huge controversy over which their supporters had reason to complain.
In the post-match press conference, Juventus coach Allegri avoided the crucial yellow card, saying only that the team was a little impatient in this game, but he was still happy that his team was able to get a crucial point on the road to the title.
'We have to commend both teams for their outstanding performances. In addition, Juventus have played so many games this season. With a calm face, he said: "We had a great chance at the start, but we were a bit frustrated after conceding the goal. We were a bit too frenetic from the start of the game and you need to be patient in this situation. ”
'It's a big point and I'm happy that the team is one step closer to the Scudetto. Previously we needed four points in theory, now we only need three. We got a point in a very difficult situation and we should be happy about that. We're desperate to win the game and hopefully secure the Scudetto title this weekend. But there's no need to rush. We still have time, and we can't be proud because it will make you wrong. It's a crucial part of the season and we have to keep it low. ”
Juve made a lot of rotation in this game, and when asked if the players who rotated into the starting line-up were too eager to prove themselves, Allegri replied: "It's entirely possible and I don't blame them for that. It was a very difficult game, the game they took most seriously for Torino this season, they deserved to finish on points, we should have had more control and patience. ”
As for the Champions League in three days' time, Allegri is still full of confidence and caution: "Tomorrow the team needs to rest, and then we will think about the game against Monaco. The opponent is a very talented team, our qualification for the final is far from assured, we have to win the next leg. ”
However, compared to the calm wind of the head coach of the home team, the Torino team is a completely different situation, Li Mudi can still control his emotions at the beginning stage, but as the reporters continue to stir up trouble, he finally can't help but start questioning.
'That yellow card was of course the most decisive factor in the game, and when we played eleven, Juventus didn't have the slightest chance to score. Although they had a bit of a lead in the number of shots on goal at the time, the gap was not huge, and the quality was seen by all, and there was no threat to Joe Hart at all. But when the referee made that foolish ...... After the decision, everything was different, we had to retreat with all our strength, unable to cause any more problems for the opposition goal, and the balance was completely tilted. ”
"Is that a foul? I don't think so, my colleagues don't think so, and I already know that most commentators think that Aquawa tackles the ball first, and that shouldn't be a foul. But the referee thinks that he is the only judge on the field, so he can decide the fate of everyone, but this does not mean that his decision is correct. ”
"Am I questioning the referee's decision? Say whatever you want, because a lot of people have the same opinion with me, and if you think that the truth has always been in the hands of a few, then whatever, what else can an Asian rookie like me say? ”
"Sky Sports pundit Vialli insists it was a foul? I don't care what he says, the most basic professional ethics of a commentator should be to be impartial in his or her public commentary. Everyone else did, but he was the only one out there beeping, and I think everyone knew what the reason was. I respect Gianluca as a player, when he was one of the top scorers in Italian football; As for his coaching career, I think it's not bad, and there are some things to learn from; As for the commentators, hehe! ”
The next day, the Torino coach received a fine from the Italian Football Federation for his cynicism at the press conference, but fortunately, he was still relatively restrained, so the money was not much, 4,000 euros, which was a small warning.
Rajadzic, who attended as the hero of the goal, expressed a series of disappointments when facing questions from reporters, and successfully appeared in many media reports. 'It's a very sad result and I'm very disappointed that we conceded a goal in the last minute because we shouldn't have conceded the win in the 92nd minute,' he said. The decision was also disappointing, as Akwa clearly touched the ball but the referee sent him off anyway. As for saying that my goal was beautiful? I've always had this ability, but I haven't been able to show it enough before, so if I can stay on the pitch maybe the team will still have a chance to win the game. ”
Even a fool can understand the Serbian's complaints about not being taken seriously by the manager, so it's no wonder he has been the center of attention after a derby tie featuring a winner-winning equaliser and a major penalty controversy. It was precisely because of his statement that Li Mudi strengthened his determination to sell him, and Valentino Cairo, who was informed, has begun to consider tentative contact with Dortmund scouts who flew to Turin for the second time in two weeks to inspect the player.
The draw was perfectly acceptable for Juventus, and as Allegri said, although the winning streak was over, a point in the account also made it a small step forward in the league title. Coupled with the fact that a number of key players have been rested, increasing the chances of reaching the Champions League final, and the results have been achieved on both fronts, what is there to complain about.
However, for the Torino team that is chasing behind them, although this result is quite acceptable, but it failed to keep the victory in the case of the main force against the substitutes, and it depends on the face of the next few games. However, good luck obviously did not berain them this weekend, and after all the remaining eight games, the Red Bulls still took a step back in the rankings, but fortunately this is not the worst result, Li Mudi thinks it is a bad ending.
Lazio, who have been in good form lately, completed a goal shootout with Sampdoria at home, and the two sides usually scored a total of 10 goals in a juggle. In the end, the home team won 7-3, bringing the points to 68 points, just one point ahead of Torino to move up to fourth place in the standings. Atalanta, who had fallen behind before, were held to a 1-1 draw away from Udinese who had no desire for it, and Gasperini's side have been in some trouble lately, and they will have to make timely adjustments if they want to avoid playing in the Europa League play-offs.
In addition, Fiorentina drew 2-2 with Sassuolo away and still retain the possibility of a final European impact. However, there was one of the biggest upsets after that, Inter Milan, who urgently needed three points, visited Luigi Ferraris Stadium, although they achieved more than 60% possession, but failed to break through Genoa's iron bucket formation, but were attacked by their old player, Macedonian striker Pandev, in the 70th minute. In the end, with a lack of organising a decent attack and midfielder Kondogbia being sent off just before the end of the game, Pioli had to accept the bitter consequences of three consecutive defeats.
With three league games remaining, nine points behind sixth-placed Atalanta, the Nerazzurri would have said goodbye to next season's European competition if it weren't for their head-to-head record. But even if there is a silver lining, the outside world has already begun to put a failed season on Inter's head, because no one believes that a miracle of this magnitude will happen.