........after the 0-0 draw with Rimini, there go the Bianconeri, the real Bianconeri dominating Genoa 3-1 in a direct battle with some serious Serie A implications. After a slow first 15 minutes for Juve, the rest of the match was all Juve as the boys from Torino showed why their top spot in Serie A was never in question this whole season. highlights at the bottom
Once again another step closer to towards next season as everyone got to witness a beautiful match on saturday, big crowd, good soccer, great fans, two big clubs, only thing is they were playing an April Serie B match. You would have never been able to tell this was a 2nd division match, as it was a marvelous display of soccer, better then any of the big MLS showdowns on saturday.
After each team had a goal disallowed in the opening of the stages of the first half, Juventus quickly settled down and showed why there are the tops. In the 19th minute, beloved captain Del Piero put on a dribbling clinic right on the byline making the Genoa defense look foolish, then sent in a perfect pass which Nedved connected with for the 1-0 lead. Minutes later, Trezegol beat the offside trap and was one on one with the goalie, but Rubinho did enough to deny the striker, but on the rebound Del Piero looked to have another chance but Trezeguet quickly took the ball from Del Piero and shot wide, which had the captain visibly pissed off. Juve continued to press and it payed off in the 38th minute when Giorgio "Aren't You Glad You Didn't Sell Me To Chelsea" Chiellini elevated above the Genoa defenders to head in the 2-0 off of a corner. The crowd was rockin at this point as Juve was in the drivers seat but late in the first ex-Lazio, Verona, Bari, Salernitana, Parma, Juventus, Valencia, & Monaco forward Marco Di Vaio put a wicked shot past Buffon off of a rebound which had him looking like Di Vaio from the Parma glory days.
The second half was more of that Juventus sweetness, the team playing together and showing that skill that makes them so dangerous. Im not going to lie, throughout the game with the curva as audible as ever, and the team playing so beautifuly, I continued to get the chills dreaming ahead to next season. Then in the 66th minute, King Trezegol put his mark on the match after a remarkable run from Zebina slicing through the Genoa midfield and into the defence to get the ball to Trez who finished. It was great to see because David's mother was in attendance and was loving every moment of it. Some substitutions, back and forth action and a final whistle ended for 3-1 in favor of Juventus.
Scoring: Nedved 19, Chiellini 38, Di Vaio 45, Trezeguet 66
Juventus- Buffon; Birindelli (Boumsong 59), Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini; Camoranesi (Marchionni 67), Marchisio, Giannichedda, Nedved; Trezeguet, Del Piero (Zalayeta 91)
Genoa- Rubinho; Masiello, Stellini, Criscito; Juric, Milanetto (Galeoto 76), Botta (Coppola 41), Fabiano; Rossi (Leon 49), Gasparetto, Di Vaio
The Good- Everything, the forwards, the defense was solid, midfield solidified as the game went on. Del Piero and Nedved were outstanding all match and keep impressing. From the backline Zebina and Chiellini got the wheels rolling and showed why they are world class players. Also a good sign, a decent performance from upcoming Juventus defender Domenico Criscito who at 20 years old is proving his worth and deserves a chance next season. Also another promising loaned out youngster Andrea Masiello got the start in the Genoa backline and continues to improve. Both of these youngsters look to have a bright future ahead of them whether or not it is with Juventus.
The Bad- Not much in this match, other then the first 15 minutes youngster Claudio Marchisio looked a little shaky in midfield. He had some troubles with the Genoa attacks and had some clumsy challenges. But he adapted as the game went on and held his own. Only real issue is with ex Juventus forward Marco Di Vaio. I feel so bad for him, and that notorious Summer 2004 Italian Voyage to Valencia with Di Vaio, Bernardo Corradi, and Stefano Fiore. Although I despise Corradi and Fiore, I still feel a little bad for the ex Valencia trio. Its like a bad case of herpes for these guys, they went to Valencia and now no one realy wants to touch them. Di Vaio had a spell in Monaco and was welcomed back to Genoa but has never regained his form from his Parma days. I was a fan of his when he came to Juventus, I'll still pull for him hopefully he can get back on track.
Until next time with love, your Juventus Offside.