Chapter 460: A Day of Regret
"Hello to all of you who have just turned on the TV. I'm your old friend Sergio Chercy, and I'm sitting with you commenting on the game from our country's football legend, Dino Zoff, who is broadcasting the 2017-18 Coppa Italia final. The score was now 1-0 and defending champions Juventus took the lead in the 64th minute through Brazilian winger Douglas Costa with a brilliant long-range strike. So Dino, what is your assessment of the current state of the game? ”
"To tell you the truth, I underestimated Torino's performance in the first half, they were very good and overturned my pre-match predictions. If you only look at the first 45 minutes of play, then the Red Bulls are undoubtedly the side that is more deserving to win the game. ”
"If you're not mistaken, there's going to be a twist in the future, so please say 'but'."
"Hehe, you're still so anxious, Sergio. But anyone who has been following the game can easily feel the change in Juventus after the break. Here, I have to sigh that Coach Allegri is not a bad name for himself as a "master tactician", in addition to his rich tactical knowledge, he also has the ability to adapt flexibly, which is outstanding in the whole world of football. ”
After breathing a sigh of relief, Zoff continued to praise: "He didn't make any changes to the players on the pitch, just using the changes of a few players in the front court to restore the attacking ability that had been difficult in the first half to a normal level, especially with Costa's frequent presence on the right flank, and his team-mates to launch a high-intensity attack on the young Bareka in turns, which was definitely one of the best decisions of the game so far." We all know that this Torino team is very good, they have sealed the third place in the league early and reached the final of the Europa League. However, today's game is still too difficult for them, the opponent's form has gradually adjusted to the best level, if they can't withstand Juventus's strong attack, the suspense of the title is likely to be gone. ”
"So if you were on the side of Torino, what would you suggest to coach Li to deal with, you can see that they are in a really bad situation right now, and it looks like the goal could be re-...... at any time Oh, let's take a look at the offensive on the field. There was a mistake in the pass between Mobile and Baseli, and Juve had a chance to counter-attack. Pjanic's pass found Costa on the left and passed to Dybala in the middle, Cuadrado on the left, and oh! With a succession of passes, the ball enters the Torino penalty area, Cuadrado bursts from a tight angle, Casillas! Pretty! Brilliant save, although he gave the opponent a corner, but he did what he could. ”
'Yes, great attacks, and equally good saves. Seriously, seeing the goalkeepers of both teams on the field today, my heart seems to go back to the late 70s and early 80s of the last century. At that time, I was the same age as these two players, and I should have been discharged from the outside world a long time ago, but we all showed that goalkeepers in their late thirties and even in their forties are still capable of giving quality performances. ”
"Indeed, Gianluigi Buffon and Casey were almost perfect today, defusing the opponent's inevitable attack on a number of occasions, and even if the latter conceded a goal, it was not his pot, and the ball hit his team-mate's body and changed the line, which was difficult for him to ...... Wow! The ball is in! Juventus took advantage of the corner to knock on their rivals again, scoring twice in five minutes to almost seal the victory. ”
As a presenter and TV commentator, Sergio Chercy naturally wants to take over the right to speak when a major event occurs in the game, so when the game is celebrated when the goal is scored, he uses a slow motion replay to review the whole process of the corner kick just now.
'Let me look at the goal again, Pjanic took a corner to the front post, it was not very high, it was too close to the goal line, it was an area that the goalkeeper could control, and it was difficult for Juventus players to compete with Casillas, who could use his arms. However, Belotti made such a fatal mistake at this point, choosing to clear the ball with a header without anyone around him to interfere, but failed to get the ball in touch and instead formed a perfect back-to-back attack. Shaking Cassie behind him, the ball bounced off the ground and into the side netting at the back point, it was a perfect own goal! ”
Guest Dino Zoff also answered at this time: "Yes, Juve's corner kick attack was not too threatening, but Belotti unfortunately did the wrong thing and dealt a heavy blow to his team. With the score reduced to 0-2, Torino's hopes of winning this year's Coppa Italia are not very good. Allegri is one of the best managers in world football today, and if nothing else, Juventus will be playing counter-attacking tactics, with players with the advantage of speed such as Higuain and Benardzski coming on the pitch, which is definitely not good news for the Red Bulls, who have to press all the time. ”
"But they don't have any other way, do they? If you don't strengthen the attack, when the game enters the last ten minutes, the suspense of the victory or defeat will be completely powdered, I think Coach Li will not give up the opportunity to make the last fight, anyway, the situation can not go on badly, it is better to fight. ”
"In theory, that's true, but don't forget that this is a local derby in addition to the final of the domestic cup. The grievances and hatreds between the two teams are so rich that I can't finish talking about them for ten days and ten nights in a row. I don't know how the radical fans of Torino would react to a big defeat on such an important stage, but when I was playing and coaching Juventus, there were a lot of violent clashes. ”
Zoff's tone still contains a little nostalgia for the past, although he is 76 years old, but his mind is still clear, he has not forgotten those major events thirty years ago, obviously what happened at the beginning is very representative and influential, so that he will still have a deep impression many years later.
And just as the two of them were analyzing the next trend of the game, while the referee stepped forward to signal the Juventus players who were still in a state of frantic celebration to return to their own half as soon as possible, the assistant coach of the Torino team had already submitted an application for substitution to the fourth official on the sidelines. A minute later, Spanish winger Farke came on to replace left wing-back Bareka and the Red Bulls changed to a 4-3-3 formation, but Immobile and Belotti were both closer to the middle, and the attack on the right was more in the hands of Silvestri who was inserted in the back row.
It's just that before the Torino team's heart attack routine was played, Juventus also made personnel adjustments immediately after, and they also changed two people in a row. As if hearing what Zoff said on TV, Allegle brought on two players with the more speed advantage of Higuain and Benardski in place of Mandzukic and Dybala. The Bianconeri's positioning has not changed significantly since the substitutions, but the threat in counter-attacking tactics has increased significantly, with the addition of two new arrivals and Douglas Costa, who can run 11.2 seconds in the 100m, making it very difficult for the Torino defenders to deal with.
In the 75th minute, Falke wiped Cuadrado, who was not good at defense, on the left side of the front, but he was a little too impatient in the cross, and the landing point was very unsatisfactory, and Barzagli was easily cleared. Pjanic set up a quick counter-attack as soon as he got on the ball, taking the lead before Musis made a ferocious tackle and finding the black and white babe who had been sprinting forward on the right with a pinpoint diagonal pass.
Benardski took advantage of the first start and the same direction as the ball to pull Kanneman, who turned and chased back, less than two metres away, and then ran forward at full speed after a beautiful offload, keeping an eye on his team-mates and defenders in the middle.
After discovering that Higuain's running completely contained Ranocchia and Vukocevic, who was chasing back, was temporarily about three or four meters away from him, the Juve winger decisively chose to cut inside. He dribbled to a position 10 metres from the penalty area to finally attract the former Milan captain's reinforcement, and after making a feint to move on, he passed the ball to the left. The little smoker didn't get enough space to get off the ground as Diego Llorente sealed the path between him and the Torino goal, and with the pursuers on the verge of approaching, Higuain had no better choice but to cross diagonally to the left again, and Costa eventually finished with a good shot from the back of the net before Silvestri's frantic block, but it went just wide of the post.
Despite failing to score, Juve's counter-attack showed what they are capable of, and if Torino are unable to strengthen their attack while maintaining their own defence, a third goal may soon come, and it will be the decisive event that will completely kill the suspense of the game.
It's just that Li Mudi, who has no choice, can naturally only go one way to the dark, and he has successively replaced Musis who has just been punished by the referee for being yellow card for too big a move and Belotti who is not in a good mood because of an own goal, and the Torino team set up a 4-2-4 formation when attacking, which is a routine that is unsuccessful or benevolent.
The change of formation almost helped the Red Bulls close the gap after just two minutes, when Falke, who suddenly switched to the left, showed a brilliant pass in the corner of the opposition penalty area, first shaking off Benatia's marking with a work similar to Cruyff's turn, and then sliding the ball away from his far less physical guest full-back Cuadrado, getting an undisturbed opportunity on the left touchline of the penalty area, and then taking a left-footed cross to the middle.
Although Immobile's movement did not form a tacit understanding with his team-mates, his action of raising his left foot to stop the ball still interfered with the judgment of others, and the unprepared Matuidi tried to clear the ball from two meters outside the six-yard box in the middle, but kicked the ball to the left post in the center. Luckily, the ball bounced back in front of goal, and Benatia, who was driven back, kicked out the touchline, and Juve almost gave an own goal.
The result of this goal has a pessimistic thought in the hearts of everyone in the Torino team, and the final difference between the two own goals seems to indicate that Lady Luck is standing behind the opponent today, and with her own strength already at a disadvantage, and luck is more in favor of the opponent, then the prospects of this match are almost impossible to change.
However, the Red Bulls players did not give up their last hope, they launched the final general attack on the Juventus goal for the rest of the game, and ordered Allegri to retreat after replacing Costa with Marchisio, except for Higuain and Bernardeschi who were still preparing for the counter-attack, the rest of the Juventus players all retreated to the deeper area of their own half, forming multiple barriers in front of Buffon.
In the end, the Torino did not manage to score a single goal, and when Antonio D'Amato blew the whistle for the end of the match just after the 93rd minute, the entire Stadio Olimpico in Rome became a sea of celebration for Juventus and their supporters.
The other half of the stadium is a concentration camp where their sworn enemies are trapped in infinite sorrow. With the exception of some of the radical fans who were heavily guarded by the riot police, who were constantly clamoring for the despicable Juventus to pay, most of the team's supporters were watching the celebrations of their biggest rivals with a smile on their faces, but their eyes were not really focused on anything, because the endless grief had soaked the body and mind, and everyone's minds could not be focused on reality at all.
Some female fans and children have begun to burst into tears, and even cried bitterly, all of which deeply hurt the hearts of Li Mudi and his disciples. After reluctantly bracing their spirits and thanking their supporters, the Torino coaches and players hurried back to the dressing room, leaving the venue for today's winners.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Juventus have won the domestic cup and the fourth consecutive year that they have won the double, both of which are new records for Italian football. At the same time, they have not conceded a goal in this season's cup competition, the first time the competition has been seen since its inception in 1922. To say that they are the absolute rulers of football in the Apennine Peninsula in recent years, I believe that no one will raise even the slightest doubt.
In the post-match press conference, Allegri expressed his joy at winning the title and praised Torino's performance today, saying that the strength and willpower of the city team are world-class, and predicted that Torino will become one of Juve's main rivals on two fronts in the country next season.
Gianluigi Buffon, who scored his 300th career clean sheet with a 2-0 scoreline, held a separate press conference after the game to officially announce that he would leave the Bianconeri at the end of the season. This means that next Saturday's 38th round of Serie A, Juve's home match against Verona will be his farewell match at the Old Lady.
As soon as this news came out, it immediately suppressed the influence of the Coppa Italia final that had not yet been fully fermented, and the entire environment of Italian football entered the atmosphere of remembering the great goalkeeper, which indirectly made the loser Torino club temporarily avoid the attention of the outside world, alleviated the psychological pressure they were under, and did not make the closing stage of the season a disaster that collapsed.