- 10 Feb 2007 - 5:06 PM

Vicenza - Juventus: 2-2

After the suspension of the championship following the tragic events in Catania, Juventus returned to action at Vicenza’s Stadio Menti hungry for three vital points. With the Bianconeri’s recent away form decidedly underwhelming, Didier Deschamps rang the changes, introducing the pace and energy of Marchionni and Palladino into a rejigged attack. Chiellini returned to the centre of defence to partner Piccolo while there were places for Camoranesi and Trezeguet - fatigued from his midweek commitments with France - on the bench.

Juventus started brightly. In just the 2nd minute, Zancopè could only parry a powerful long-range effort from Nedved, and it was only a marginal off-side decision that denied Palladino the opener on the rebound. The visitors took a calm approach, drawing the Vicenza midfield out of position with some crisp passing. On 6 minutes, Nedved played a long diagonal ball over the top from inside his own half; Palladino shook off his marker, took the ball under control and slid the ball under Zancopè to give the Bianconeri the lead (0-1). The early goal rattled Vicenza and they needed their wits about them to intercept Nedved’s menacing ball across goal in the 10th minute. The two sides had an even share of possession but it was Juventus that made the most of their time on the ball. On 18 minutes, Zanetti feathered another long ball over the top from just inside the opposition half; Palladino gathered and rolled the ball back to Marchionni, but the winger sent his effort just wide of Zancopè’s right post. Del Piero sent an angled header inches over the bar two minutes later but as the half reached its midway point, the tide began to turn in the home side’s favour. On the half hour mark, Shwoch was brought down by Chiellini on the edge of the Juventus penalty area; Vicenza worked a training-ground set-piece out to Helguera on the left and it took a miraculous double save from Buffon to keep Foti from converting the midfielder’s vicious low cross on the goal line. Vicenza kept pressing and it took some determined defending from the Juventus back line to fend off their insistent attacks. The Bianconeri were forced to chase the ball down, unable to enjoy any meaningful possession of their own, but referee Tagliavento blew the half-time whistle before the home side could inflict any real damage.

Juventus began the second period in control, pressing hard to find space in the final third. The Bianconeri midfield looked to make the most of Palladino’s pace with a series of angled balls over the top and in the opening ten minutes of the half the striker was twice denied in the Vicenza box as he prepared to pull the trigger. On 54 minutes, Zanetti stripped the paint from the top side of Zancopè’s bar with a ferocious half-volley from the edge of the box but it wasn’t until the hour mark that Juventus doubled their lead. A good spell of possession from the home side was interrupted by a lightning counter-attack from the Bianconeri. Nedved broke from midfield and played an inch-perfect ball through to Del Piero on the edge of the area; the captain eliminated two defenders from the equation with his first touch and pummelled the ball past Zancopè with his second to round off a clinical move (0-2). Four minutes later the two coaches rang the changes, the rock-solid Chiellini making way for Legroattaglie, and Shwoch replaced by the young Paonessa in the Vicenza attack. Camoranesi relieved Marchionni on 71 minutes but the substitution came just as the home side were battling their way back into the game. In the 72nd minute, Nastos rose highest at the back post and it took another good save from Buffon to stop him from converting Paonessa’s cross. A minute later and they had pulled one back, Nastos bringing the ball under control in the visitors’ box and arrowing a splendid effort into the far side of the goal. Buffon was left rooted to the spot (1-2). Cavalli replaced Raimondi as Vicenza grew in confidence and in the 78th minute, they drew level; Foti headed a deep cross back across goal and the substitute Paonessa raced in unmarked to head home the equaliser (2-2). As the game entered its last ten minutes, Deschamps threw on Trezeguet in place of Zanetti to salvage the lead but having clawed their way back into the match, Vicenza weren’t going to throw away their share of the points without a fight. Del Piero had two set-pieces in dangerous areas as the full-time whistle loomed but he couldn’t find his range and Zancopè remained untroubled. It was end to end football as they entered time added on but both sides held their nerve to keep the score line at 2-2.

GOALS: Palladino 6’, Del Piero 60’, Nastos 73’, Paonessa 78’
BOOKED: Nastos 15’, Helguera 40’, Zanetti 43’, Trezeguet 88’, Legrottaglie 90’

VICENZA: Zancopè; Martinelli, Scardina, Cudini, Nastos; Rigoni, Helguera, Raimondi (Cavalli 74’); Padoin; Foti (Fissore 84’), Schwoch (Paonessa 64’).
Subs: Sterchele, Viskovic, Castiglia, Zanini
Coach: Gregucci.

JUVENTUS: Buffon; Birindelli, Chiellini (Legrottaglie 64’), Piccolo, Balzaretti; Marchionni (Camoranesi 71’), Zanetti (Trezeguet 82’), Paro, Nedved; Del Piero, Palladino.
Subs: Mirante, Venitucci, Zalayeta, Bojinov.
Coach: Deschamps.

REFEREE: Tagliavento (Terni).
ASSISTANTS: Ghiandai & Cini.
4TH OFFICIAL: Corletto

Pos  Team Pts P W D L F A 1  Juventus 40 22 14 7 1 39 15 2  Napoli 40 22 10 10 2 23 13 3  Rimini 37 22 10 7 5 35 22 4  Mantova 37 22 9 10 3 24 15 4  Bologna 37 22 11 4 7 25 19 6  Genoa 36 22 10 6 6 34 28 7  Piacenza 35 22 10 5 7 24 23 8  Cesena 35 23 9 8 6 33 31 9  Albinoleffe 32 22 6 14 2 22 16 10  Treviso 29 22 7 8 7 27 25 11  Bari 29 22 7 8 7 20 17 12  Brescia 29 22 7 8 7 23 24 13  Frosinone 29 22 7 8 7 23 24 14  Triestina 29 22 7 9 6 16 18 15  Lecce 25 22 7 4 11 28 33 16  Spezia 24 23 5 9 9 23 30 17  Vicenza 22 22 5 7 10 23 25 18  Modena 21 22 5 6 11 12 23 19  Crotone 19 22 3 10 9 17 28 20  Verona 17 22 4 5 13 9 23 21  Pescara 13 22 2 8 12 17 37 22  Arezzo 12 22 3 9 10 15 23

 

23rd Round - 10/02/2007
	Modena	Albinoleffe	0 - 3
	Brescia	Bari	0 - 0
	Spezia	Bologna	2 - 0
	Crotone	Cesena	1 - 2
	Arezzo	Frosinone	0 - 0
	Rimini	Genoa	1 - 0
	Vicenza	Juventus	2 - 2
	Pescara	Mantova	0 - 0
	Napoli	Piacenza	1 - 0
	Triestina	Treviso	1 - 2
	Lecce	Verona	2 - 0

 

11	Bellucci (Bologna)
10	Papa Waigo (Cesena)
9	Adailton(Genoa)

  Penalizations: Pescara -1, Triestina -1, Arezzo -6, Juventus -9