Socrates

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR 0 - 1 JUVENTUS Olexandr Kucher (56′-O.G.) Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Attendance: 50104 Player Ratings Goal.com was on hand to cast a critical eye over events at the Donbass Arena as a second-half own goal decided the match and the group in the Bianconeri's favour. Dec 5, 2012 Shakhtar Donetsk Andriy Pyatov - Could have been a little more assertive one the goal; otherwise, not much to do. Olexandr Kucher - Involved in the decisive moment of the game, as he came off second best against Giovinco when challenging for a cross and ended up sliding the ball into his own net. R. Raţ - Beaten far too many times defensively, as his shoddy positioning was all to easy for Juve to exploit. Should have tracked back a lot better. Darijo Srna - Produced one fantastic clearance to block a dangerous cross from Lichtsteiner and generally held his own at the back. Did not often find an opportunity to get forward an support Shakhtar on the counter, though. Yaroslav Rakytskyy - Could not be faulted much for his performance at the back. Let one or two attacks pass him by, but made up for it with some otherwise determined defensive play. Taras Stepanenko - A bit of a non-factor in midfield as he did not do much to stop Juve controlling the second half, and was also uninspiring when on the ball. Fernandinho - A deterrent for the Juventus midfield as he was able to step in and make a number of tackles to disrupt play, while showing the ability to advance the ball forward as well. An underrated display. Willian - Gave his team a few moments of thrust and directness when he broke with the ball from his own half. His pace was difficult to deal with and he won his side a fair number of free kicks. Henrik Mkhitaryan - Try as he might, the Armenian could not make much happen in attack. Broke clear on one occasion, but steered his shot wide. Below-par overall. Alex Teixeira - Apart from one ballooned shot from close range, he offered his team little in the way of an attacking threat and was replaced in the second half. Eduardo - Virtually anonymous, as he barely got a sniff on goal. The Juve defence marked him well - the amount of touches he got on the ball could have probably been counted on one hand. Substitutions Ilsinho - Held possession well in the middle, but did not look to step outside his comfort zone. Marko Devic - Offered his side little off the bench. Juventus Gianluigi Buffon - Never forced to display his best, as Shakhtar's lack of clear chances meant that he was a spectator for most of the match. But he was a commanding presence throughout. Giorgio Chiellini - Won virtually everything thrown his way in the air and hardly put a foot wrong when defending on the ground. Shakhtar found him a very difficult opponent to get past whenever they attacked the Juve goal. Andrea Barzagli - Stood firm alongside the rest of the Juventus back three and rarely look troubled by the infrequent pressure Shakhtar put on his goal. Did what he had to do with little fuss. Leonardo Bonucci - Looked to snuff out danger as soon as it appeared and generally took a no-nonsense approach to getting rid of the ball in dangerous areas. Extremely committed at the back and stuck to his task very well. Stephan Lichtsteiner - Got forward on occasion and was able to put in a few testing deliveries into the opposition penalty area. One such delivery ended up making the difference, as Kucher was forced to bundle into his own net for the only goal of the game. Paul Pogba - Solid in possession and picked his moments to surge into the attacking third to good effect. A mature performance that belied his tender years. Andrea Pirlo - Became more and more influential in the second half after a fairly subdued opening 45 minutes. Clipped the post with a low shot from the edge of the box and was afforded more space to display his range of passing. Kwadwo Asamoah - Solid, if unspectacular, as he took few risks when advancing into the opposition half, while tracking back well to help out the defence. Arturo Vidal - Mopped up loose ends extremely well in midfield, as he was incredibly successful in harrying opposition players into mistakes or rushed passes. His play was one of the main reasons that Shakhtar failed to create anything meaningful for most of the game. Had one or two cracks at goal, too, but his accuracy let him down. Mirko Vučinić - Linked well with Giovinco at times and gave his side a good outlet up front. His hold up play was hugely important, as it afforded Juventus a focal point to build their attacks around. Sebastian Giovinco - Buzzed about with a lot of energy in attack, but after missing a good first half chance, it looked not to be his day. However, he never let his head drop and his determination was important in forcing an own goal off Kucher. Substitutions Emanuele Giaccherini - Replaced Giovinco in the dying seconds. Alessandro Matri - Thrown on in place of Vucinic with two minutes remaining.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR 0 - 1 JUVENTUS Olexandr Kucher (56′-O.G.) Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Attendance: 50104 Juventus End Shakhtar's Emphatic Home Run to Top Group E Dec 5, 2012 Italian Champions Juventus have secured their place in the UEFA Champions League knockout round in emphatic fashion, offering Shakhtar Donetsk a defensive masterclass at the Donbass Arena. The 1-0 defeat of the Ukrainian side ensures the Bianconeri finish top of Group E, joining Shakhtar in the knockout phases of the competition. From the onset, the Bianconeri looked set to prove a point, not willing to sit and rest on their laurels. Sebastian Giovinco looked dangerous early, and when the Italian cut in from the right side and unleashed a shot at Andriy Pyatov, Juventus' intentions were made clear. Shakhtar's Brazilian duo of Fernandinho and Willian were looking dangerous as per usual, but a resolute Giorgio Chiellini nullified the exploits of the home side's midfielders early on. A foul on Kwadwo Asamoah 20 minutes in gave Juventus an opportunity to open the scoring from a set-piece. Andrea Pirlo lifted a ball into the box, and after a goalmouth scramble, Juventus' claims for a penalty due to a handball were waved away by Jonas Eriksson. It wasn't until the 30th minute that Juventus and the game really kicked into gear. Following patient build-up play from both sides, Mirko Vucinic did remarkably well to latch onto a Stephan Lichtsteiner pass. The Montenegrin expertly used his body to shake off a challenge from Eduardo before finding Giovinco in the box unmarked. The Italian ultimately dragged his left-footed shot wide—much to the delight of the Shakhtar faithful. Amidst stoppages to tend to injuries to Vucinic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the game was mostly played in the middle third of the field in the first half. With Chelsea leading FC Nordsjaelland by this point in the match, the travelling Bianconeri were on edge, with a single Shakhtar goal enough to send them out. In the closing phases of the first half, Giovinco almost opened the scoring. After picking up the ball from within the Shakhtar half, the Atomic Ant unleashed a 30 yard drive at Pyatov. Despite the swerve, Shakhtar's keeper was able to comfortably save it, and the first half finished 0-0. Shakhtar began the second half the brighter of the two sides, introducing Marko Devic to the fray. Following a free-kick by Darijo Srna, Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon could only manage to parry the ball away to Alex Teixiera. The Brazilian's quickly taken shot went wide of the post. With the game opening up in the second half and Chelsea taking full control of their tie in England, Juventus found themselves with their hearts in their mouths when Mikhitaryan decided to unleash a furious drive at Buffon from a tight angle. The Armenian's drive flew to the left of Buffon's upright—albeit marginally. Despite experiencing an extended scoring drought, Juventus forward Mirko Vucinic was proving influential in Juve's attack once again. And when he found Lichtsteiner unmarked down the right hand side, the Swiss international found the feet of Giovinco in the box. After a small tangle, Olexandr Kucher inadvertently found the back of his own net, giving Juventus a one goal lead. With their home record looking broken Shakhtar continued to press forward. Desperation to preserve this record ultimately resulted, however, in a booking for simulation. Mkhitaryan tried to draw a penalty from a Barzagli challenge after receiving minimal contact from the Italian and despite protests was shown a yellow card. Juventus proved why they are real contenders in this year's competition, comprehensively dominating possession late. Fans will be disappointed in the harsh booking of Giorgio Chiellini—which will see the Italian miss the Old Lady's next clash. 1-0 it finished, Juventus and Shakhtar progressing ahead of the defending European Champions. Full Time: Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Juventus.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR 0 - 1 JUVENTUS Olexandr Kucher (56′-O.G.) Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Attendance: 50104 UEFA Champions League Group E wrap: Juve seal top spot, Chelsea eliminated Dec 5, 2012 Juventus clinched top spot in Group E with a 1-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk, while defending champions Chelsea bowed out despite winning 6-1. Needing only a point to qualify for the Champions League round of 16, an own goal from Olexandr Kucher shortly before the hour mark sent the Bianconeri to victory, leapfrogging the Ukrainians, who were forced to settle for second place, with third placed Chelsea dropping into the Europa League despite their victory over FC Nordsjaelland. The match took some time to get going, with the first sniff of an opportunity falling Juve's way, when Sebastian Giovinco clipped a pass through to Mirko Vucinic, whose first time volley from an angle was sent into orbit. Neither side seemed in any hurry to commit great numbers forward, though Juve did manage a late flurry to end the first half. Stephan Lichtsteiner's volleyed cross had to be cleared expertly by Darijo Srna, before a swerving drive from Giovinco from 30 yards out forced Andriy Pyatov into a difficult catch. The pattern changed completely in the second half. Shortly after the restart, Gianluigi Buffon was forced to punch a dangerous free-kick back into his own area, where Alex Texiera connected, but his effort went over the bar. Moments later, Andrea Pirlo had a great chance after evading his marker at the edge of the box, but his shot clipped the post on its way out. The breakthrough was coming though, and it fell Juve's way. A low, hard cross from Lichtsteiner was contested by Giovinco and Kucher, with the Shakhtar man's final touch leading the ball over the goalline. Shakhtar nearly got back into the match with 20 minutes remaining, as Razvan Rat's telling cross was deflected onto the post after a messy scramble in the box. With time trickling away, Shakhtar seemed to accept their fate, and failed to really test Buffon in the closing stages as Juve finished in control of the match and the group. Chelsea were relatively impressive in annihilating Group E minnows Nordsjaelland 6-1 but a points haul of 10 was not enough to prevent the European champions becoming the first holders to fail to qualify for the last 16. The win was Rafael Benitez's first in charge since taking over two weeks ago after two scoreless draws and a loss to West Ham in his first three games. The manager could at least take solace in a less poisonous welcome from the home fans and a brace of goals from his underperforming striker Fernando Torres, which were supplemented by a David Luiz penalty, a Gary Cahill header and Juan Mata and Oscar strikes. Joshua John scored what turned out to be a consolation for the visitors but there could have been even more goals had Nicolai Stokholm and Eden Hazard not traded penalty misses in a crazy few minutes before Luiz showed them how it was done.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR 0 - 1 JUVENTUS Olexandr Kucher (56′-O.G.) Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Attendance: 50104 Juve win group after Donetsk triumph! Dec 5, 2012 Juventus are not only through to the Champions League last 16, but also finished top of their group after a 1-0 victory away to Shakhtar Donetsk. In the other Group E game, Chelsea crushed Nordjsaelland 6-1 in a game where both sides had penalties saved, but the result was irrelevant and the English club become the first reigning champions to go out in the first round. The Bianconeri needed a point to be sure of reaching the Champions League knockouts, whereas the Ukrainians were already qualified. Juve would only go out if they lost here and Chelsea beat Nordsjaelland under new manager Rafa Benitez. Paul Pogba stepped in for the suspended Claudio Marchisio, while Giorgio Chiellini made his comeback from a calf injury. Luiz Adriano was banned for Shakhtar after his ‘anti-sporting’ goal that went viral around the world, replaced by Eduardo. It was also Angelo Alessio’s final game on the Juventus bench, as Antonio Conte’s ban in the betting scandal expires this week. Shakhtar started very aggressively and Andrea Barzagli was fortunate to get away with an error on the edge of his own box. Arturo Vidal was booked for a shirt-tug on Willian after just seven minutes and Mirko Vucinic volleyed well over from a Sebastian Giovinco cross. Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini were furious on 21 minutes, as the free kick found the defender’s header, which struck Fernandinho’s hand. The referee waved play on. The Italians got more control of the midfield as the half wore on and Vidal just failed to control a long ball when he had sprung the offside trap. Mirko Vucinic created a fantastic opportunity when he pounced on an Olexandr Kucher error, rode another tackle and rolled across for Sebastian Giovinco who unmarked hit a daisy-cutter inches wide of the upright. Chiellini’s calf problem flared up again and he requested a substitution, but changed his mind and was able to continue going into half-time. Vucinic intercepted a Yaroslav Rakitskiy pass in the final third, but then the Shakhtar defender did enough to get in his way and a free kick went against the striker. Pogba lost his balance when trying to push through in the box, then Darijo Srna risked an own goal on Stephan Lichtsteiner’s dangerous cross towards Pogba. Giovinco went for goal from distance and it was caught by Andriy Pyatov in stoppages. Shakhtar had their first shot on goal within 60 seconds of the restart, Gigi Buffon comfortably controlling a long-range Rakitskiy strike. Moments later Buffon had to change direction to punch away a powerful Rakitskiy free kick, then Fernandinho blasted the follow-up wide. Pirlo went close too, as he drilled an angled drive from the edge of the box that clipped the outside of the post. It was wide open now, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan went on the counter and flashed a shot wide. Juventus broke the deadlock on 56 minutes, as Lichtsteiner was on the edge of the offside trap down the right and fired a fierce cross for Giovinco, but it looked as if Kucher got the final touch from six yards to bundle it over the line. Lichtsteiner went on another blazing run and this time his shot was deflected wide for a corner. However, Shakhtar had no intention of finishing second in the group – which defeat to Juventus would mean – so fought back and hit the post with substitute Ilsinho from point-blank range, getting between two defenders. There was absolute chaos in the Shakhtar box, as Vucinic went clear on goal from the centre-circle and took it past the goalkeeper who was well out of the box, but he narrowed the angle and rolled across for Giovinco, who had a shot charged down and Vidal fired the follow-up wide. Vucinic and Vidal got in each others’ way, so the header from Lichtsteiner’s cross was scuffed. Mkhitaryan was booked for simulation, then set up a chance that Mark Devic saw charged down. Lichtsteiner went clear again down the right, but his cross was between Giovinco and Vucinic. Chiellini was harshly booked for a shirt tug at the 87th minute, meaning he’ll be suspended for the next match, as they seemed to be wrestling each other in midfield. A scuffle broke out in the final minute as Kucher clattered into Buffon, so Lichtsteiner reacted angrily in defence of his teammate, but the goalkeeper restored calm. SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0-1 JUVENTUS Scorers: Kucher og 56 (J) Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov; Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat; Fernandinho, Stepanenko; Alex Teixeira (Ilsinho 65), Mkhitaryan, Willian; Eduardo (Devic 46) Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Vucinic (Matri 88), Giovinco (Giaccherini 92) Ref: Eriksson (SWE)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR 0 - 1 JUVENTUS Olexandr Kucher (56′-O.G.) Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Attendance: 50104‎ Own goal gifts Bianconeri top spot The Serie A champions will enter the round of 16 draw as group winners after a narrow victory in Ukraine which saw them leapfrog their hosts in the standings. Dec 5, 2012 Juventus clinched top spot in Group E with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in their Champions League clash at the Donbass Arena on Wednesday evening. Needing only a point to qualify for the round of 16, an own goal from Olexandr Kucher shortly before the hour mark sent the Bianconeri to victory, leap-frogging the Ukrainians who were forced to settle for second place, with champions Chelsea dropping into the Europa League despite their victory over FC Nordsjaelland. Paul Pogba was handed a start in midfield for the visitors, with Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic tasked with leading the charge up front. Shakhtar named a strong team despite already sealing qualification, but Luiz Adriano was banned after his controversial goal during the game against Nordsjaelland. The match took some time to get going, with the first sniff of an opportunity falling Juve’s way when Giovinco clipped a pass through to Vucinic, whose first-time volley from an angle was sent into orbit. The pair would combine again, this time Vucinic playing the role of provider after holding off multiple Shakhtar defenders and teeing up Giovinco at the edge of the box for a shot that crept just wide of the post. Neither side seemed in any hurry to commit great numbers forward, though Juve did manage a late flurry to end the first half. Stephan Lichtsteiner’s volleyed cross had to be cleared expertly by Darijo Srna, before a swerving drive from Giovinco from 30 yards out forced Andriy Pyatov into a difficult save. The pattern changed completely in the second half. Shortly after the restart, Gianluigi Buffon was forced to punch a dangerous free kick back into his own area, where Alex Texiera connected, but his effort went over the bar. Moments later, Andrea Pirlo had a great chance after evading his marker at the edge of the box, but his shot clipped the post on its way out. Shakhtar countered almost immediately and Henrik Mkhitaryan was released on goal, but he too failed to find the target when in range. The breakthrough was coming, though, and it went Juve’s way. A low, hard cross from Lichtsteiner was contested by Giovinco and Kucher, with the Shakhtar man’s final touch leading the ball over the goal-line. Shakhtar nearly got back into the match with 20 minutes remaining, as Razvan Rat's telling cross was deflected onto the post after a messy scramble in the box. Not long after, a Juve counterattack saw Vucinic round Pyatov, but the visitors were able to get men back to take the sting out of the attack, with Pogba eventually firing wide. With time trickling away, Shakhtar seemed to accept their fate, and failed to really test Buffon in the closing stages as Juve finished in control of the match and the group.

Grande Gigi. Prima si incazza poi perdona sportivamente l'ucraino.

Grande Chiello!

Esce Vucinic

Per l'ultima volta. @@

Entra Matri

Conte per l'ultima volta leone in gabbia. @@

Il ruolo del tifoso é di amare la propria squadra e i propri giocatori anche e soprattutto nei momenti difficili. Questo secondo me.

Vidal danneggia il colpo di testa di Vucinic.

Io, da 40 anni tifoso juventino, non mi sono mai permesso di deridere un giocatore bianconero.

Chelsea 5-1

In ogni caso, mi sembra che parecchi utenti stiano cominciando a criticare Giovinco a prescindere come prima con Del Piero. Spero di sbagliarmi.

Ne possono fare anche 10 ora.

Ora non parlano piú di Giovinco.

GIOVINCO 0-1

Mkhtaryan non vede Willian e spara fuori.

Sono giá arrivati.

Datti una calmata, per favore.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) HT: Juve threaten Shakhtar Dec 5, 2012 Juventus had a strong penalty shout in Donetsk and Sebastian Giovinco went very close, but it’s still 0-0 with Shakhtar at half-time. In the other Group E game, Chelsea are leading Nordjsaelland 2-0 at the break with a debatable David Luiz penalty and Fernando Torres effort after both Nicolai Stokholm and Eden Hazard had earlier spot-kicks saved. The Bianconeri needed a point to be sure of reaching the Champions League knockouts, whereas the Ukrainians were already qualified. Juve would only go out if they lost here and Chelsea beat Nordsjaelland under new manager Rafa Benitez. Paul Pogba stepped in for the suspended Claudio Marchisio, while Giorgio Chiellini made his comeback from a calf injury. Luiz Adriano was banned for Shakhtar after his ‘anti-sporting’ goal that went viral around the world, replaced by Eduardo. It was also Angelo Alessio’s final game on the Juventus bench, as Antonio Conte’s ban in the betting scandal expires this week. Shakhtar started very aggressively and Andrea Barzagli was fortunate to get away with an error on the edge of his own box. Arturo Vidal was booked for a shirt-tug on Willian after just seven minutes and Mirko Vucinic volleyed well over from a Sebastian Giovinco cross. Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini were furious on 21 minutes, as the free kick found the defender’s header, which struck Fernandinho’s hand. The referee waved play on. The Italians got more control of the midfield as the half wore on and Vidal just failed to control a long ball when he had sprung the offside trap. Mirko Vucinic created a fantastic opportunity when he pounced on an Olexandr Kucher error, rode another tackle and rolled across for Sebastian Giovinco who unmarked hit a daisy-cutter inches wide of the upright. Chiellini’s calf problem flared up again and he requested a substitution, but changed his mind and was able to continue going into half-time. Vucinic intercepted a Yaroslav Rakitskiy pass in the final third, but then the Shakhtar defender did enough to get in his way and a free kick went against the striker. Pogba lost his balance when trying to push through in the box, then Darijo Srna risked an own goal on Stephan Lichtsteiner’s dangerous cross towards Pogba. Giovinco went for goal from distance and it was caught by Andriy Pyatov in stoppages. Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Juventus (Half-Time) Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov; Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat; Fernandinho, Stepanenko; Alex Teixeira, Mkhitaryan, Willian; Eduardo Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Vucinic, Giovinco Ref: Eriksson (SWE)

Marotta drops Juve transfer hint Dec 5, 2012 Beppe Marotta has confirmed Juventus “will evaluate what the transfer market offers us in January.” The Bianconeri are Serie A leaders and a point away to Shakhtar Donetsk tonight would put them into the Champions League last 16. “This game is certainly an important test for the team. We arrive at this match with confidence, knowing we have the right cards in our hand to play,” said the general manager at the Donbass Arena. “When Juve take part in any competition, they must always try to achieve the best result. We are still growing, but getting into the top 16 clubs in Europe would allow us – with a little luck – to face easier opponents than in this group.” If they do qualify, then Marotta hinted at some additions to the squad in the transfer window. “The club will evaluate what the transfer market offers us in January, but the squad has done well so far.”

Per fortuna che non hanno L.adriano. É un giocatore importante per il loro attacco e stasera si vede.