|
Home>News Center>Sports | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Del Piero seals Juve win
Juventus demonstrated their Scudetto credentials by grinding out another victory on a rain-lashed pitch at the Via Del Mare stadium against free-scoring Lecce. The match had been in doubt in the morning as it had been raining for two days in Lecce, and the downpour continued throughout the game, but that did not deter Juve as they secured their 10th league victory in 12 matches. While the conditions prevented Juve from playing any flowing football, Alessandro Del Piero gave them an early lead, and they stood firm to prevent the league's leading scorers from finding the net for the first time this season. Though the hosts almost drew level in the closing stages, the league leaders still secured an incredible ninth clean sheet from 12 games in the Serie A this term. Emerson came off injured in the 1-0 defeat of Fiorentina in midweek, but was fit to start in the Juve midfield and set up the game's first chance after just two minutes. His free-kick surprised the home defence and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was left alone in front of goalkeeper Vincenzo Sicignano, but the Sweden striker shot wide. Lecce wasted a chance to score the opener in the seventh minute, with Valeri Bojinov firing a free-kick straight into the wall, and seven minutes later Juve were ahead. Emerson played the ball to Ibrahimovic on the left, and the Juve forward laid the ball onto his strike partner Del Piero to execute a precise finish, inches below the Lecce crossbar, for his fifth league goal of the season. Lecce tried to reply in the 20th minute from Christian Ledesma's corner, but Sasa Bjelanovic's header was deflected wide by a superb save from Gianluigi Buffon. The visitors almost doubled the lead before the break, with Gianluca Pessotto testing Sicignano from 25 yards, and although the rebound fell to Ibrahimovic, the former Ajax man could not control his shot and turn it goalwards. As Juve aimed to seal the victory in the second period, Ruben Olivera tried his luck from the left in the 55th minute but Sicignano saved comfortably, while Ibrahimovic presented substitute Olivier Kapo with a chance in the 72nd minute, only for the France midfielder to dribble into trouble before he could get a shot away. But with only a goal between the two sides, Zdenek Zeman's side launched a late onslaught in the hope of an equaliser. Marco Cassetti played the ball wide to Bojinov in the left channel in the 83rd minute, but, for Lecce, the Bulgarian striker's shot went the wrong side of the near post. Then with a minute remaining, substitute Mirko Vucinic made himself available for a short corner. The Serbia & Montenegro forward advanced to the corner of the penalty area and delivered a right-footed ball into the box, which was curling behind Buffon and under the bar, but the Juve keeper stretched back to tip the ball over. |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
