Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 CL: Juve sweep into quarter-final http://www.football-italia.net/99676/cl-juve-sweep-quarter-final Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Paulo Dybala’s, which also saw Maxi Pereira sent off for handball on the line, saw Juventus comfortably beat Porto 3-0 on aggregate to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. The Bianconeri had the advantage in this Champions League Round of 16, having won the first leg 2-0 away from home. Alex Telles saw red in that match and was therefore suspended here, replaced by Miguel Layun, while Hector Herrera and Jesus Corona were nursing injuries. Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Miralem Pjanic were rested, with Dani Alves preferred to Stephan Lichtsteiner. Porto only visited Juventus once, losing 3-1 in October 2001, when it was still at the Stadio Delle Alpi. Iker Casillas made his 175th European competition appearance, surpassing all-time record-holder Paolo Maldini on 174. Paulo Dybala had a couple of early efforts off target, while Tiquinho Soares curled directly into Gigi Buffon’s arms. Mario Mandzukic’s header down was smothered by Casillas and Gonzalo Higuain failed to make the most of the goalkeeper flapping at a cross, as Felipe was able to nod clear. Higuain tried to set up Dybala, who sliding in couldn’t make clean contact from six yards. Dybala then tried to act as supplier with a cross from the left, but Ivan Marcano crucially intercepted before Mandzukic could get the header. Dybala earned a corner with some fancy footwork as he dribbled through defenders and from that set play Mandzukic’s header whistled wide of the far post. The breakthrough came from a corner, as Alex Sandro’s header was parried by Casillas into the path of Higuain, whose follow-up was denied at the near post by what can only be described as a Maxi Pereira save. Inevitably it was a penalty and straight red card for handball, so Dybala stepped up to convert by sending Casillas the wrong way. Juan Cuadrado nearly got another on the stroke of half-time, but fired over from a tricky angle. He was substituted by Marko Pjaca at the break, as he was on a yellow card. There was chaos after the restart, as first Danilo’s diving header on a Dani Alves cross almost resulted in an own goal, Casillas beating it off the line at the near post. Then on the counter Medhi Benatia slipped to send Soares clear, only for the angled drive to go wide. Pjaca’s chest and low volley whistled past the far stick, as did Higuain’s snooker-shot with Casillas stranded, but Dybala shinned a volley off target. The rest of the match was to all intents and purposes a Juventus training session. Porto had one attempt, as Diogo Joto got between defenders only to dink the finish on to the side-netting. Juventus 1-0 Porto (3-0 agg) Dybala pen 41 (J) Juventus: Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Benatia (Barzagli 60), Alex Sandro; Marchisio, Khedira; Cuadrado (Pjaca 46), Dybala (Rincon 78), Mandzukic; Higuain Porto: Casillas; Maxi Pereira, Marcano, Felipe, Layun; Danilo Pereira, Andre Andre, Oliver Torres (Otavio 70); Brahimi (Diogo Jota 67), Andre Silva (Boly 46), Soares Ref: Hategan (ROU) Sent off: Maxi Pereira 40 (P) Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Juventus 1-0 Porto (Aggregate 3-0): Massimiliano Allegri's side ease into quarter-finals Juventus eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to 1-0 victory over 10-man Porto on Tuesday. http://www.skysports.com/football/juventus-vs-fc-porto/report/368242 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Leading 2-0 from the first leg, it proved to be a comfortable night for Juve after Maxi Pereira received a straight red card for blocking Gonzalo Higuain's shot with his hand on the goal line. Paolo Dybala stepped up and scored the resultant penalty for the only goal of the game as the Italian champions sealed a 10th appearance in the Champions league last eight. Massimiliano Allegri's side will now look forward to the quarter-final draw, which takes on Friday at 11am. Juventus players celebrate with supporters Porto, who saw Brazilian defender Alex Telles sent off in the first leg, had little option but to try to take the match to the Italians as Francisco Soares fired in an early effort on goal, which was straight at Gianluigi Buffon. After 11 minutes, Miguel Layun was brought down by Juan Cuadrado which saw the Juventus man cautioned and concede a free-kick in a dangerous position on the left. However, the delivery from Yacine Brahimi was poor, as Juventus hacked the ball away at the edge of the penalty area. Dani Alves (L) vies with Porto midfielder Yacine Brahimi Juventus had a chance to put the tie to bed in the 23rd minute when Mario Mandzukic was picked out in the Porto penalty area by a deep free-kick from Cuadrado. The Croatian striker, though, could not direct his downward header past veteran Porto keeper Iker Casillas, who overtook Paolo Maldini at the top of the all-time UEFA club appearances list with 175 games. The breakthrough eventually came five minutes before half-time. The ball was swung into the Porto six-yard box from a corner, with Alex Sandro sending a header down towards the bottom corner which Casillas palmed away. Higuain lashed the rebound back towards goal at the far post, where defender Pereira flung himself at the ball, making a block with his arm. Pereira (C) blocks Gonzalo Higuain's (R) shot Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan had little option but to pull out a red card, with Dybala making no mistake from the penalty, scoring low into the bottom right corner to all but kill off the tie. Both managers made changes for the second half as Porto replaced forward Andre Silva with defender Willy Boly to rejig the backline, while Juventus took off Cuadrado as Marko Pjaca came on. Maxi Pereira (L) receives a red card from referee Ovidiu Hategan Porto had a great chance to give themselves a lifeline in the 49th minute when Soares - who has netted nine goals in seven Portuguese Liga games - was through one-on-one with Buffon, but could only curl the ball wide. Pjaca dragged a shot wide from the left of the Porto penalty area, before Higuain's effort was also just off target as Juve continued to look for a second goal. Porto almost grabbed a late consolation on the break, but substitute Jota clipped the ball wide after being played into the left side of the Juve penalty area. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 JUVENTUS VS. PORTO: SCORE AND REACTION FROM 2017 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2697992-juventus-vs-porto-score -and-reaction-from-2017-champions-league-round-of-16 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Juventus easily booked their ticket for the next round of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, beating FC Porto 1-0 in Italy in the round of 16. After their win in Portugal in the first leg, the aggregate score of the tie was 3-0. Paulo Dybala converted a penalty at the end of the first half after Maxi Pereira was sent off for blocking a certain goal with his hand. The Bianconeri dominated from start to finish and never had to leave second gear, as Porto barely ventured near goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. As shared by Juventus' official Twitter account, manager Massimiliano Allegri made a few surprising choices for his starting XI, with Andrea Barzagli, Miralem Pjanic and Stephan Lichtsteiner starting from the bench and Daniele Rugani watching from the stands: Segui JuventusFC ✔@juventusfc #Juventus XI: Buffon; Dani Alves, Benatia, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Marchisio; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain #JuveFCP #UCL 19:47 - 14 Mar 2017 678678 Retweet 739739 Mi piace Per OptaJose, Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas made history: Follow OptaJose ✔@OptaJose 175 - Iker Casillas will be the player with the most appearances in European competitions, overtaking Paolo Maldini (174). Legendary. 7:57 PM - 14 Mar 2017 178178 Retweets 153153 likes As expected, Juventus made a fast start, hoping to put Porto away early. Gonzalo Higuain missed the target with an early header and Dybala went close after just a few minutes, firing the ball over the bar. Porto didn't seem in the mood to attack despite the two-goal deficit, and Juventus took control of the ball without threatening all that much. It resulted in a fairly bland opening period filled with a handful of flying tackles and little else. Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Juan Cuadrado was booked for clattering into Miguel Layun, who returned the favour just minutes later and wasn't punished. The Mexican made several more bad lunges before he was finally punished. Meanwhile, those watching the match on TV had to endure a fan with a whistle seated close to the microphones inside the stadium. The result was an endless stream of whistling noises, and sports writer David Amoyal was one of many who could barely handle it: Follow David Amoyal ✔@DavidAmoyal I now miss the vuvuzela 9:16 PM - 14 Mar 2017 4848 Retweets 7171 likes Dybala was the standout performer of the first half, while Dani Alves also impressed with some sharp crosses. Cuadrado also did his thing, and Mario Mandzukic perhaps should have done more with one of the Colombian's deliveries. Sami Khedira tested Casillas from a well-worked free-kick, and Dybala and Higuain almost combined to break open the defence. GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty Images A goal seemed inevitable for the hosts, and it came shortly before half-time. Higuain seemed set to score and Pereira blocked the shot with his hand, earning himself an early trip to the changing room. Dybala promptly converted the resulting penalty, and per Sam Tighe of Bleacher Report UK, the former Palermo man was the main source of entertainment in the first half: 14 Mar Sam Tighe ✔ @stighefootball Sat with a load of scouts. This one already has several pages of formations and shape changes detailed. pic.twitter.com/AqxX3q24uV Follow Sam Tighe ✔@stighefootball Game being saved by Paulo Dybala moments of brilliance. A treat to watch. #ucl #JuveFCP 9:33 PM - 14 Mar 2017 Retweets 44 likes Fan-favourite Marko Pjaca was introduced to start the second half, but it was Porto who entertained the home fans. First, Casillas made a great save to prevent an own-goal from Danilo, before Tiquinho Soares missed a golden opportunity, firing wide. Predictably, Juventus were happy to drop the pace even more, knowing Porto had to score three goals to complete an unlikely comeback. Pjaca provided some flashes, and the youngster nearly got on the end of a pass from Khedira. Mandzukic created some space for Pjaca, who thumped a volley wide of the mark. Marco Luzzani/Getty Images Higuain was the next man to go close after a lovely combination between Alves and Claudio Marchisio, and Dybala made poor contact with a cross from Alex Sandro. Porto seemed to give up on the match as the half wore on, and Juventus barely got out of second gear. Dybala lasted 79 minutes and left the pitch to a standing ovation, with Tomas Rincon replacing him. Diogo Jota threatened late with a shot that found the side netting, but that was the closest the Dragons ever got to Buffon. After 90 largely drab minutes, Juventus cruised into the next round. Per the club's official Twitter account, Buffon believes Juventus have a real chance of winning the competition this year: View image on Twitter Follow JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen .@gianluigibuffon: "We're in the last 8, where we belong. If you get this far regularly, sooner or later you will win it..." #UCL#JuveFCP 11:21 PM - 14 Mar 2017 101101 Retweets 332332 likes Juventus' next outing will be at Sampdoria in Serie A, while Porto host Vitoria de Setubal in the Portuguese league. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Juventus continue home dominance by dispatching Porto, reach UCL quarters http://www.espnfc.co.uk/blog/the-match/60/post/3077644/juventus-continue -home-dominance-by-dispatching-porto-reach-ucl-quarters Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 TURIN, Italy -- Here are three quick thoughts from Juventus' 1-0 win over Porto on Tuesday at the Juventus Stadium, which sees the Italian champions advance to the Champions League quarterfinals by a 3-0 aggregate score. 1. Fortress J Stadium holds firm When Juventus' name comes out of the hat for the Champions League quarterfinal draw on Friday in Nyon, their opponents can be sure of one thing: They will have to survive in one of the trickiest venues in Europe. With 31 wins in a row in Serie A and 47 games unbeaten in all competitions since August 2015, Juve's record at the Juventus Stadium speaks for itself. When the Stadio Delle Alpi was razed to the ground in 2008, they replaced it with a smaller yet much more intimidating copy, and the results have been astonishing. Juve vs. Porto was the 150th game at the Juventus Stadium, where the Bianconeri's record now reads won 119, drawn 26 and lost five. They have scored 320 goals and conceded 85. Since moving to their new home, there have been no other champions in Italy other than Juve, who have won the past five Scudettos in a row. They have won 79.34 percent of their games, with a total of just five defeats, only one of which -- against Bayern Munich in the 2012-13 quarterfinals -- came in Europe. On 96.67 percent of occasions, Juve have emerged without being beaten on home soil. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that they triumphed once again Tuesday. Porto did not appear in awe as they strolled out with their 2,400 fans making most of the noise, and they confidently took the game to their hosts, who appeared happy to sit back and defend, despite the array of attacking talent they had at their disposal. The visitors nevertheless knew that not only did they need to join that small minority of under 4 percent to come away from Turin with a win, but they also had to do so by scoring two goals at least. Their good intentions did not last long, and Juve soon started to boss the game, raising their share of possession to 60 percent come half-time. By then, they also had the lead, thanks to a gift from Porto (see below). A Paulo Dybala penalty after the guests were reduced to 10 men effectively sealed Juve's passage to the last eight with a half still to play. Francisco Soares screwed a good chance wide early in the second half, and Porto's hopes, like those of most of those to have visited the Juventus Stadium before them, were over. Given the scant hospitality here, few will be relishing a trip to Turin next month. 2. A tale of two red cards The first leg in Porto was tipped in Juve's favour by a red card for Alex Telles in the 27th minute, and on Tuesday, the Italians were forced to play against 11 men for 40 minutes before Maxi Pereira was given his marching orders. He could have had few complaints, though, as he imitated Iker Casillas, who denied Alex Sandro only seconds earlier, to make a save from Gonzalo Higuain's goal-bound shot. When Dybala -- arguably Juve's most dangerous player on the night -- sent the Spanish goalkeeper the wrong way, Juve were firmly in command of this tie. We will never know how this tie would have evolved had it been 11 vs. 11 for 180 minutes, but the Bianconeri were undeniably assisted by their numerical advantage for 113 minutes of it. They say that what comes around goes around, however, and Porto might not have even been in the Champions League this season had there not been a red card in their playoff fixture with Roma. Daniele De Rossi was sent off for a wild lunge on Pereira in the 39th minute of a second leg that was still finely poised after a 1-1 draw in the first leg and was actually leaning in Roma's favour at the moment of his dismissal. Benefitting from that favour, Porto ended Roma's dreams of reaching the group stage with a commanding 3-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico. Then, like now, the destiny of the tie was determined by a red card, with the only difference being that Porto were beneficiaries in August and benefactors seven months later. 3. Could this be Juve's year? After they got close in 2014-15, reaching the final when few had them down among the top eight candidates, and after they had Bayern on the ropes last season, could this be Juve's year? There has certainly been a palpable shift in the club's focus this season. While winning a record sixth straight Scudetto remains their ultimate objective, they have not been so concerned about taking the odd risk in the league to ensure that they have been at their best for their European appointments. Massimiliano Allegri's squad rotation might have cost them a few points here and there, but his team have been noticeably sharp in European weeks. With an eight-point cushion at the top of Serie A, Juve have established a position that enables them to neglect their league duties a little between now and the end of the season, thus allowing them to focus even more on an ambition they have harboured since 1996, the year they last won the Champions League. After dispatching Porto without really breaking a sweat in either of the two legs, the Bianconeri will go into Friday's draw as one of the teams most would prefer to avoid, which is already quite an indication of how far they have come in recent years. Although they might not have beaten Porto as emphatically as they could have, their progress to the last eight was rarely in doubt over the two legs that they largely controlled from start to finish. Indeed, it could be said that they have had quite a comfortable ride right through to the quarterfinals, with Sevilla easily nudged into second place in a group in which Olympique Lyonnais and Dinamo Zagreb failed to put up any significant resistance. They will probably arrive at next month's home-and-away tie fresher than their opponents, though they are likely to have some preferences about whom they meet. They still have a score to settle with Bayern after effectively throwing away victory in stoppage time in Munich last year, but Carlo Ancelotti's men appear to be hitting form at just the right time, unlike under his predecessor, Pep Guardiola, when Bayern appeared to be tired -- mentally and physically -- when the big appointments arrived toward the end of the season. The Bianconeri also have a score to settle with Barcelona following their 2015 final defeat, but Allegri would probably choose to meet them in the final -- if at all. Of the other quarterfinalists, the Italian champions would arguably fancy their chances against any of them -- even a Real Madrid side they ousted on the way to the final two years ago, particularly after seeing how close Napoli were to beating the holders. What Napoli lacked at the Stadio San Paolo a week ago -- nous and experience -- Juve have in abundance, though any of the other five potential opponents would arguably be their preference. A young, developing Borussia Dortmund side should not strike too much fear into a much more mature Juve, particularly in a 180-minute tie. Atletico Madrid could cause more problems with their style of play, assuming they get the better of Bayer Leverkusen, while Juve also beat Monaco on their way to the final in 2015 and would probably not shirk that challenge again, should the Ligue 1 leaders recover to beat Manchester City. If not, a date with Guardiola's City would also be a tie Juve would be confident of coming through with the home and away wins over City from last season's group stage still quite fresh in the mind. Whatever the pairing Friday, Juve are more likely to be feared than fearful. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Buffon: 'Juve don't want Leicester!' http://www.football-italia.net/99677/buffon-juve-dont-want-leicester Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Gigi Buffon insists Juventus had to keep their focus against Porto, but wants to avoid Leicester City in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Bianconeri swept through 3-0 on aggregate, as Paulo Dybala converted a penalty this evening when Maxi Pereira saw red for handling on the line. “All games at this level are tough, regardless of the first leg result and them going down to 10 men here too, the moment the tension drops, you can pay for it,” Buffon told Mediaset Premium. “We have improved a lot, we gained confidence and that was the objective we had set ourselves five years ago when we started this journey, that Juventus had to be in the top eight of the Champions League every year. “If you get into the top eight every year for a decade, eventually you are likely to win it.” Buffon was asked which of the remaining eight sides Juventus don’t want to get in the draw on Friday March 17. “I want to avoid Leicester. They have enthusiasm and passion, but also the weapons to hurt a side that wants to take the initiative.” Leicester City got through with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla this evening, as Kaspar Schmeichel saved a Steven N’Zonzi penalty. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Juventus 1 - FC Porto 0: Initial reaction and random observations http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/3/14/14925826/juventus-fc-porto -2017-champions-league-round-of-16-leg2-final-score-result-initial-reaction Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 As Juventus and Porto kicked things off on Tuesday night, the announcers on Fox Sports 2 here in the United States (who clearly weren’t Americans) said one very important statistic: “No team has ever advanced in the Champions League after losing the first leg 2-0 at home.” As Porto passed the ball around in the 14th minute on Tuesday night, the announcers on Fox Sports 2 here in the United States (who clearly weren’t Americans) said one more very important statistic: “Thirty-six times that Juventus have won the first leg in UEFA competition, they’ve never gone out, they’ve always progressed.” Neither of those two statistics are going to be changing. Just as was the case in the first leg, a red card completely changed the landscape of the game. This time, Maxi Pereira’s best Gigi Buffon imitation resulted in a straight red and the subsequent Paulo Dybala penalty kick was finished as cool as can be, as Juventus finished off Porto with a 1-0 victory at Juventus Stadium to take the two-legged tie with a final 3-0 aggregate scoreline. That’ll do just fine. In the grand scheme of things, it won’t go down as a classic Juventus performance. There were scoring opportunities missed and a second half that didn’t really resemble Juventus having a man advantage. There wasn’t the kind of overall ruthlessness that a lot of us were hoping to see knowing that Porto had the potential to make this a pretty interesting tie if they had gotten a goal and cut the aggregate lead in half. But, did Juventus have much trouble with Porto after the red card happened? Maybe on a couple of occasions in which they looked like they switched into a complete malaise in the second half and allowed Porto to get close to scoring their first goal of the two-legged tie. It could have been worse, it ended up being pretty okay and Juventus are through to the Champions League quarterfinals. That’s fine with me. Would I have liked Juve to be better? Sure, but I also like that Juventus are still in Europe’s premier club competition. View image on Twitter Follow Champions League ✔@ChampionsLeague Juventus are now unbeaten in 21 home games in European competition. (W12, D9) #UCL 10:53 PM - 14 Mar 2017 861861 Retweets 1,6941,694 likes RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS (tries not to comment on the whistles that were right next to the crowd microphone through the entire damn game) Something the announcers told me that I did not realize, but it’s pretty impressive: Higuain has played in 37 of Juventus’ 39 games this season. I know not all of them are starts and not all of his starts are games in which he has played the entire 90-plus minutes, but that’s still impressive. Long gone are the days where people are sitting here and stressing about what kind of shape Higuain is in. Dybala’s goal will be an obvious turning point in the game that people will talk about. But overall, Paulo showed up to play against Porto on Tuesday night. He didn’t waste much time, either. While a lot of Juve’s players were struggling to make much of an impact early on in the first half, Dybala seemed to be their one true danger man. Dybala talked about how he likes the new role he’s playing in now that Max Allegri has gone to a 4-2-3-1 full time. And hey, when Dybala plays like that, good things are bound to happen no matter what position up front he’s being utilized in. Even down a man, Porto could have had a goal. It’s not like Juve’s defense was air-tight despite having the numerical advantage. Smart move by Allegri to sub Juan Cuadrado out at halftime considering he was on a yellow card. A livewire like Cuadrado who can be known to not exactly do the smartest things on the field from time to time didn’t need to be risked and potentially send Juve down a man as well. And I’m not also saying this just because I wanted to see Marko Pjaca get a serious amount of playing time in the second half. Okay, I wanted Marko Pjaca to get some serious playing time in the second half. I love the guy, but it wasn’t exactly the greatest of games from Claudio Marchisio. His role is different in a 4-2-3-1, but he pretty much resembled what he’s been since coming back from his knee injury late last calendar year — a guy who’s struggling to regain his best form. While we’re at it, didn’t hear Sami Khedira’s name called much on Tuesday night — and that’s not because of the whistles that annoyed the living hell out of us. Some of those crosses that Cuadrado, Dani Alves and Alex Sandro sent in during the opening 30 or 40 minutes ... my goodness. That’s the kind of service you want to give players like Mario Mandzukic and Higuain. You give them enough opportunities and the big boys will eat them all up. (And no, that’s not a Higuain fat joke.) “Juventus, Champions League quarterfinalist” does have a nice ring to it. But I want more. “Champions League semifinalist” sounds even better. Greedy, I know. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Dybala: 'Of course Juve can win it' http://www.football-italia.net/99678/dybala-course-juve-can-win-it Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Paulo Dybala warns it is “obvious” that Juventus can win the Champions League. “With our squad, it’s impossible to think we can’t win it.” La Joya converted the penalty for tonight’s 1-0 win over Porto, 3-0 on aggregate, to reach the quarter-finals. “Of course we can win it, obviously. We are top of the Serie A table, won the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final and are through to the quarters, so with our squad it’s impossible to think we can’t win it,” Dybala told Mediaset Premium. “There are other great teams in the tournament, but we have quality and we’ve got what it takes to win the trophy.” The draw for the quarter-final is on March 17, so who does Dybala not want? “Considering what happened two years ago, even if I wasn’t there, I’d like to face Barcelona in the Final.” Dybala was told off in the studio by ex-Milan Coach Arrigo Sacchi for his attitude. “I know I shouldn’t argue with the referee, but it comes to me in the match situation.” Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Allegri: 'Juventus must improve' http://www.football-italia.net/99679/allegri-juventus-must-improve Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Max Allegri was far from happy with Juventus after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. “We need to improve the quality of our football.” Paulo Dybala converted a penalty for the 1-0 win over Porto, 3-0 on aggregate, after Maxi Pereira was sent off for handball on the line. “The objective was to reach the top eight, now we’ll see who we end up with. We need to improve the quality of our football, which in the second half today left a lot to be desired, as the result isn’t everything,” Allegri told Mediaset Premium. “The more you try to force things, the worse they come out. The guys played an intelligent first half without running any risks, but in the second half against 10 men we weren’t giving the moves any pace and defended badly too, as we risked conceding a couple of times. “We have to do one thing right: either attack and score more goals or decide to keep the ball and do that until the opposition falls asleep with boredom, but today we did neither properly. “We had to make the full-backs run and then go into the space when it opened up, but instead we had too many short passes, trying to force our way through, and it wasn’t the right way. It also left us open to the dangerous counter-attacks. “It was the maximum result with the minimum effort, fine, but we didn’t do it well in the second half. If we’re going to control the situation, control it well. Instead we were too hasty and in a way it’s fortunate, as now we can work on it in training and fix this problem.” Allegri was asked about his decision to replace Juan Cuadrado with Marko Pjaca at half-time. “Cuadrado was on a yellow card, we were 1-0 up, so I thought it best not to risk. Pjaca is a young player who needs to understand that attacking is all well and good, but defending and working for the team is too. Cuadrado has the same issues. “Whoever we end up against, we will face with hunger, enthusiasm and the desire to improve ourselves.” Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Dani Alves: 'Juve-Barcelona too weird' http://www.football-italia.net/99680/dani-alves-juve-barcelona-too-weird Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Dani Alves admits it would be “too weird” for his Juventus to face Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Bianconeri swept Porto aside 3-0 on aggregate, winning 2-0 away and 1-0 on home turf thanks to a Paulo Dybala penalty. “I wouldn’t like to draw Barcelona. It would be too weird for me,” the former Blaugrana star told BeInSports. “If I really have to face them, I’d prefer it to be in the Champions League Final.” Juventus lost 3-1 to Barcelona in the 2015 Final of this tournament. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Casillas: 'Porto never had a chance' http://www.football-italia.net/99681/casillas-porto-never-had-chance Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Iker Casillas couldn’t help but regret the two red cards, as Porto “never really got the chance to fight it out on level terms.” Alex Telles was dismissed in the first leg, which ended 2-0 for the Bianconeri, then Maxi Pereira saw red tonight for handling on the line in the incident that allowed Paulo Dybala to convert a penalty. “Naturally the red cards changed the tie and we can’t say that over the two legs Juventus didn’t deserve qualification, but with two red cards and a penalty, that limited our chances of going through,” the goalkeeper told Mediaset Premium. Casillas went over to Dybala just before the penalty, so what did he say? “I joked with Dybala and tried to get him anxious, telling him to kick it to the right, just as he did against (Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi) Donnarumma.” Juve are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so are they among the contenders? “I think Real Madrid are the favourites, as they are the trophy holders, then Atletico Madrid, who reached the Final last season. Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also strong, Juventus can certainly play their cards in this competition. “Juve have a great squad with top level players, they had a fairly comfortable way through. Unfortunately Porto never really got the chance to fight it out with them on level terms.” Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Alex Sandro: 'Juve focused with Porto' hhttp://www.football-italia.net/99682/alex-sandro-juve-focused-porto Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Alex Sandro assures Juventus never took the Champions League Round of 16 for granted against Porto, but the red cards were decisive. Paulo Dybala converted the penalty for this evening’s 1-0 win, but Porto went down to 10 men in both the first and second legs, losing 3-0 on aggregate. “We’re glad to be through and we knew the tie wasn’t over, because Porto play well on their travels,” the former Porto left-back told Portuguese TV. “They knocked Roma out in the Champions League preliminary round and therefore we were really focused. “It’s always more difficult for a team to play when down to 10 men, so inevitably those incidents were going to influence the tie.” Alex Telles received two yellow cards in the first leg, whereas Maxi Pereira was sent off tonight for handling on the line to prevent a Gonzalo Higuain goal. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Espirito Santo: 'Porto deserved a goal' http://www.football-italia.net/99683/espirito-santo-porto-deserved-goal Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Porto Coach Nuno Espirito Santo can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened without the two red cards against Juventus. The Dragons had Alex Telles sent off in the first leg, which ended 2-0 to Juve, and tonight Maxi Pereira was dismissed for handling on the line, leading to Paulo Dybala’s penalty. “Without doubt the two red cards had a big influence,” said the Coach in his Press conference. “Tonight we played some good football and were consistent in defence. We wanted to score two goals and the team did well. We didn’t suffer until the red card and who knows how it would’ve gone if we had been able to play 11 against 11. “Thank you to all the fans who cheered us on. We did all we could in the circumstances. I don’t know if we could’ve scored three goals here tonight, but Juve kept possession and we needed to be consistent in midfield. “I think we deserved at least one goal in the tie. It was a difficult tournament for us, we overcame some tough obstacles, but overall it was the right path to take. “Our young players gained experience and next year we’ll be better prepared. Moral victories don’t really count. “I think Juve are a great team. They’ve been working with the same Coach and almost all the same players for a while now, so they are one of the top candidates to win the Champions League.” Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 'Leicester are the team to avoid' - Buffon doesn't want to face Foxes in Champions League The Juventus goalkeeper says his team would have "everything to lose" if they draw the Premier League holders in the Champions League quarter-finals. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914/champions-league/2017/03/14/33644682/- Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has named Leicester City as the only team he wants to avoid in the Champions League quarter-finals after the Premier League champions knocked out Sevilla. The Foxes ran out 2-0 winners at the King Power Stadium to clinch a 3-2 aggregate victory in their last-16 tie, and their growing reputation around Europe was confirmed by veteran Italian star Buffon. While Leicester triumphed, Juventus cruised to a 1-0 win over 10-man Porto in Turin, with Paulo Dybala's first-half penalty ensuring a 3-0 aggregate scoreline in favour of the Serie A leaders. Despite the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid being in the last eight, Buffon picked out Leicester as the competition's danger team. He told Premium Sport: "The only team I'd like to avoid in the draw is Leicester. "They have got enthusiasm, they know how to hurt the strongest teams. We'd have everything to lose against them." The draw for the quarter-finals takes place on Friday, with the ties to be played in mid-April. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Juventus in cruise control It was a dull evening in Turin against Porto but, says Gaby McKay, that’s precisely what Juventus wanted. http://www.football-italia.net/99684/juventus-cruise-control Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Mar 14, 2017 There was a time when Juventus struggled in these games. After regaining her Serie A crown in 2012, the Old Lady had some hair-raising European nights. Defeats to Galatasaray and Olympiakos, a draw with Copenhagen, falling to Benfica and failing to reach a Europa League Final on home turf. What Juventini would have given for drab, comfortable wins in Europe. Tonight’s 1-0 win over Porto won’t enter into Bianconeri folklore, but such a routine - and, let’s face it, boring - Champions League win is indicative of how far Juve have come in recent years. Yes, they were helped in both legs by Portuguese indiscipline, but the truth is Nuno Espirito Santo’s men were never in the tie, even when it was 11 v 11. Talk before the match focused on the spectre of Barcelona, the Blaugrana’s remarkable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain proving that, in this competition, it isn’t over until the fat lady sings. Max Allegri warned there were “many risks” associated with tonight’s match, but the Old Lady barely had to get out of her armchair, much less got to deliver an aria. With Juve unbeaten in 45 home games - a run stretching back to August 2015 - it was always going to be a gargantuan task for Porto to turn the game around. On the stroke of half-time, it became impossible. Much was made of the duel between the two legendary goalkeepers on either side, Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas, and Maxi Pereira saw red for a save on the line either man would have been proud of. Paulo Dybala converted the penalty and that was that. Some were disappointed that Allegri’s men didn’t take the game to their opponents in the second half, but the truth is there was no need to. As we approach the end of the season, and what Sir Alex Ferguson famously called squeaky bum time, the Bianconeri had no need to expend any unnecessary energy. Indeed, the greatest threat on the night could have been their own complacency, and Allegri was unimpressed with the way his side started the second half. The key to Juve’s recent success has been their insatiable hunger to win, so allowing Francisco Soares a one-on-one with Buffon at the start of the second half is concerning. It wouldn’t have changed the tie, but better opposition would have punished the lapse. The Coach said as much after the match. You can bet this will be addressed at Vinovo in the coming weeks. That said, that the mistake came from Medhi Benatia who is - at best - fourth-choice centre-back is testament to how far Juventus have come. The Moroccan would surely walk into any other Serie A side, but he was hauled off in favour of Andrea Barzagli. It has been clear since pre-season that only a deep run in the Champions League would represent success for Juve this term, and they look to be in an excellent position to achieve just that. Much will depend on the draw, but on paper the Italian champions are among the top-four teams in the competition, alongside Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. With an eight-point gap at the top of Serie A and a 3-1 lead from the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Napoli, Juve can really turn their attention to the Champions League. This match is an encouraging sign. While Manchester City and Monaco traded eight goals in the first leg of their Last 16 tie and Barcelona needed six to overcome PSG, the Bianconeri cruised into the Quarter-Finals. In a competition where defensive nous has been notably lacking, Juve have conceded just two goals in their run to the last eight. The last three seasons have brought wins over Real Madrid, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, as well as narrow defeats to Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Juventus proved they’re several steps ahead of the likes of Porto. It’s time to cement their place among Europe’s giants. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 15, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Sleepwalking Juventus advance past Porto, but need to improve for last-8 http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/3082262/sleepwalking -juventus-advance-past-porto-but-need-to-improve-for-last-8 Mar 14, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Juventus barely broke a sweat in their unentertaining 1-0 defeat of Porto to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Sitting back and allowing Porto to try to create something, the hosts did not show much ambition in the first half. Their interests were in controlling the match, not in producing entertainment. Porto shot themselves in the foot when Maxi Pereira earned a red card for handling a close-range Gonzalo Higuain strike and Paulo Dybala converted the ensuing penalty perfectly. Juve's third goal on aggregate killed off any hope of a Porto comeback and the Italians treated the rest of the match as if it were a training session, barely expending any energy to seal another home victory -- their 40th in a row in European and Serie A competition -- and progression in the Champions League. Positives Juventus expended the least amount of energy possible to earn the result they needed going forward. Playing with confidence and maturity, they sealed qualification and intimidated Porto enough to ensure no comeback was ever in the cards. Negatives Massimiliano Allegri was right to say that either Juve attack and score more goals or control possession better to ensure safety and bore opponents into mistakes. The side has yet to fulfil their potential and despite a mature and winning performance, more ambition should be shown to punish weaknesses and exploit opportunities. Manager rating out of 10 6 -- Opting to play the now-usual 4-2-3-1 shape, Juventus did not perform at a high level but did just enough to secure the result, and part of that lack of effort is on the coach. Marko Pjaca was given another chance to prove himself while risk taker Mehdi Benatia was duly taken off to introduce more composure at the back. Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating): GK Gianluigi Buffon, 6 -- Porto only had two shots on target so Buffon was essentially allowed to relax. DF Dani Alves, 6 -- Completed the most passes, created the highest number of chances and most importantly, recovered the ball 11 times, more than any other player on the pitch. Tackled, intercepted and picked out his teammates well even if he produced nervy moments in defence. Always better going forward. DF Leonardo Bonucci, 6 -- A confident and commanding presence at the back. DF Mehdi Benatia, 4 -- A careless performance from the defender who takes too many risks. Also slipped to send Soares through on goal but the Porto player couldn't convert. Taken off in the second half. DF Alex Sandro, 6 -- A muted performance from the usually relentless full-back. Did not penetrate or dominate as well as usual but it was his parried header that led to Higuain earning the penalty. MF Sami Khedira, 6 -- His tactical intelligence always ensures a mature performance. Unremarkable, but important. MF Claudio Marchisio, 6 -- A tidy performance from the player who helped control play but barely provided much reason for applause. Not yet at his optimum levels. Paulo Dybala was perfect from the penalty spot when called upon in the first half. MF Juan Cuadrado, 6 -- Some poor decision making on his part, but he is good at creating numerical superiority, always overwhelming his opponent. Master of the dark arts and earned a silly yellow forcing Allegri to take him off at half-time. MF Paulo Dybala, 7 -- Took on players and roamed in between the lines but did not always choose the right option. Good at releasing the ball quickly and elevating the quality of play in the final third while his penalty was expertly taken. His movement in tight areas is a joy to watch. MF Mario Mandzukic, 6 -- A relentless presence on the pitch, the player is always on hand to win back possession, provide an aerial presence and try to ensure the side remains ambitious. Still, he's more of a hard worker than a man who can make an impact in the final third. FW Gonzalo Higuain, 6 -- The forward is still struggling for goals but his quick reactions forced Pereira to "save" his goal earning the penalty. Needs to recover his predatory form. Substitutes MF Marko Pjaca, 6 -- It's hard not to wonder if he knows where the goal is. Despite showing great control and lovely footwork to evade defenders, his finishing must improve, quickly. DF Andrea Barzagli, 6 -- Introduced more composure and elegance but was left a little flustered towards the end by Jota MF Tomas Rincon, N/A -- Ensures safety, but not offered much time to make an impression. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Allegri: We need to improve the quality of our football Manager’s post-match comments after easy win puts Juve into the Champions League quarters http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/3/15/14930260/allegri-we-need- to-improve-the-quality-of-football-juventus-porto-recap-champions-league Mar 15, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Juventus beat Porto 3-0 on aggregate to roll into the quarter final stage of the Champions League. The Bianconeri won 1-0 at home, with the visitors seeing Maxi Pereira for handling Gonzalo Higuain’s goalbound shot on the line, and Paulo Dybala dispatching the resulting penalty with immaculate ease. There was little else to talk about in the game with Juve looking to keep the game quiet. Both sides missed good chances, with Massimiliano Allegri’s side going into cruise-control-mode in the second half and giving Porto plenty of room to play. After the game, Allegri was quite unimpressed with the relaxed attitudes - “The objective was to reach the top eight, now we’ll see who we end up with. We need to improve the quality of our football, which in the second half today left a lot to be desired, as the result isn’t everything. “The more you try to force things, the worse they come out. The guys played an intelligent first half without running any risks, but in the second half against 10 men we weren’t giving the moves any pace and defended badly too, as we risked conceding a couple of times.” On the strategy going into the game - “We have to do one thing right: either attack and score more goals or decide to keep the ball and do that until the opposition falls asleep with boredom, but today we did neither properly. “We had to make the full-backs run and then go into the space when it opened up, but instead we had too many short passes, trying to force our way through, and it wasn’t the right way. It also left us open to the dangerous counter-attacks. “It was the maximum result with the minimum effort, fine, but we didn’t do it well in the second half. If we’re going to control the situation, control it well. Instead we were too hasty and in a way it’s fortunate, as now we can work on it in training and fix this problem.” Allegri took Juan Cuadrado off at the half for Marko Pjaca - “Cuadrado was on a yellow card, we were 1-0 up, so I thought it best not to risk. Pjaca is a young player who needs to understand that attacking is all well and good, but defending and working for the team is too. Cuadrado has the same issues.” The manage was then asked about the potential quarter-finals opponents, but Allegri kept his answer vague - “Whoever we end up against, we will face with hunger, enthusiasm, courage and the desire to get to the final.” Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Dybala: I want Barcelona in Champions League final A repeat of the 2015 Champions League final between Juventus and Barcelona is what Paulo Dybala wants. http://www.goal.com/en/news/1716/champions-league/2017/03/15/33649462/- Mar 15, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Juventus star Paulo Dybala would like to meet Barcelona in the Champions League final in what would be a repeat of the 2015 decider. The Serie A champions eased into the quarter-finals on Tuesday, beating Porto 1-0 at home to complete a 3-0 aggregate success. Dybala, who joined Juve from Palermo ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, said a clash against the La Liga giants in the final would be ideal, two years on from Barca's 3-1 victory in Berlin. "Do I want to meet Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich? I would leave Barca for the final," the Argentina international told Premium Sports. "As it was two years ago, when I wasn't there." Follow JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen FULL TIME: #JuveFCP 1-0 (3-0 agg.) @ChampionsLeague quarter-finals, here we come! #UCL #FinoAllaFine 10:36 PM - 14 Mar 2017 466466 Retweets 549549 likes Also in the last eight in the Champions League are the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Leicester City, with Atletico Madrid and Manchester City potentially joining them. Dybala, who scored the only goal against Porto from the penalty spot on Tuesday, is optimistic Juve can reach the final, saying: "Now, all the games are difficult. "The draw will tell us who we face. We will try and get to the end." Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Juventus vs. FC Porto 2017: Final score 1-0, A job well done puts Juve in the Champions League quarterfinals An easy 1-0 win saw the bianconeri into the quarterfinals for the third time in five years. http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/3/15/14928820/juventus-fc- porto-2017-champions-league-round-of-16-leg-2-final-score-recap-result Mar 15, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE For Juventus, Tuesday’s second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Porto was about seeing things out. Firmly in the driver’s seat after their 2-0 win in Portugal three weeks ago, the main focus for the bianconeri was to make sure Porto didn’t make things interesting. It wasn’t an exciting performance by any stretch of the imagination, but it did the job. Paulo Dybala’s strike from the penalty spot three minutes before halftime put the tie out of reach, especially after finding themselves up a man for the second consecutive European game. While Massimiliano Allegri’s men lacked flash, they put on a clinic in killing off a tie — the kind of thing a team like Paris Saint-Germain might want to take note of for the future. Given the comfort of the game overall, it’s easy to forget that there was still some concern going in. Porto are by no means an easy tie. Yacine Brahimi is a beast in midfield, and the front two of Tiquinho Soares and Andre Silva can be a dangerous combination. Soares in particular has been on a tear, scoring nine goals in seven games going into Tuesday’s match. With Juve’s backline lacking Giorgio Chiellini, who was sitting out with a leg injury (again), Nuno Espiritu Santo’s men were looking for the chance to snag an early goal and make it a tie. Juve seemed to realize the danger, because they went on the attack early. Two minutes in, Gonzalo Higuain put an early cross from Dani Alves wide from the edge of the penalty area, and less that a minute later Paulo Dybala headed the ball to himself before springing forward into the box. He decided to try to put the ball into the roof of the net rather than put it across and ended up going over, but the early salvos went to Juve. Chiellini may have been out, but Leonardo Bonucci had returned after being suspended for the first leg after that much-talked about row with Allegri three weeks ago. His incredible passing ability was a variable that Porto hadn’t had to face at the Estadio Dragao, and they clearly weren’t prepared for it. Bonucci put two balls over the top of Porto’s defense within 10 minutes, and both of them led to good scoring chances. On the first Dybala blasted wide after Mario Mandzukic knocked the ball down for him, on the second the Croatian headed the ball down to Alex Sandro, who fed Dybala who in turn crossed it just over the waiting head of Sami Khedira. By game’s end, according to WhoScored.com, Bonucci had completed 15 of 21 long balls and 94.4 percent of his overall passes. After that pair of long passes Porto managed a decent spell of possession, but only ever managed a long ball right into Gianluigi Buffon’s gut. The rest of the half saw Juve press for the goal that would, in all likelihood, kill off the tie. Dybala was lively, roaming to the right to combine with Alves and Juan Cuadrado, but could never quite find the right final ball. Really the entire team was fumbling for the last touch. Crossing was a theme today, and the bianconeri put in some really good ones, like Alves’s early ball as well as a 23rd-minute ball by Cuadrado, a fizzed ground cross by Higuain in the 28th and a fantastic ball by Dybala in the 34th. But all of them lacked the final touch. Cuadrado’s ball found Mandzukic, but the Croatian’s header was right at Iker Casillas, who did well to get down and save. Higuain’s ball skipped off the top of Dybala’s boot, and Dybala’s cross was inches for Higuain’s head before Marcano managed to get a touch to the ball from behind the No. 9 and clear. With the game, and the tie, poised to go into the half on a knife’s edge, Porto made a fatal mistake. Alex Sandro’s header off a corner was palmed away by Casillas, and when Higuain followed up Maxi Pereira threw himself at the shot. The ball struck his outstretched arm, and referee Ovidiu Alin Hategan acted immediately. The Romanian pointed to the spot and showed the Uruguay international a straight red for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Given the events of the last few weeks, the Bianconeri could maybe have done without getting awarded a penalty kick — at least from a P.R. standpoint — but at least this one was pretty dang clear. Dybala stepped up to send Casillas the wrong way — the second time the Spanish legend watched a penalty sail by him in as many trips to the J Stadium for him — and the tie was pretty much done and dusted. The second half seemed to be played with both sides pretty well aware of that fact — although all hell could have broken loose early on. Seconds after Danilo Pereira nearly put an Alves cross into his own net to truly put a cap on proceedings, Medhi Benatia was robbed in the defensive third by Soares, who charged into the box but couldn’t win the 1-on-1, slashing it wide as Buffon charged forward. It was another in a series of recent howlers by the Morocco international, whose selection in front of Daniele Rugani is quite frankly a mystery at this point. Moments later Benatia pulled up with what looked like a groin injury and was replaced by Andrea Barzagli, so at least the prospect for disaster was significantly reduced. The rest of the half played out fairly uneventfully. Higuain looked very interested in scoring a second to really put things to bed, but wasted a couple of chances shortly after the hour. In the last few minutes there were a few lapses in concentration — including one that saw Diogo Jota go clear on goal but, like his teammate, fail to convert a 1-on-1 with Buffon. As the commentators on the English feed that FOX uses for its Champions League coverage (let’s get on that, FOX) observed late in the game, this tie was really over the minute Alex Telles hacked down Stephan Lichtsteiner in the first leg. From that point on, the Juve was in firm control of things, and by the time the teams walked off the field for the half the result was a mortal lock. From then on it was a question of seeing things out without expending any unnecessary energy. Player Ratings Gianluigi Buffon - 7. Had very little to do with Porto only finding the target twice, and both of those easy. Managed to put off a pair of Porto players in 1-on-1 situations. Dani Alves - 8. One of his better games in a Juve shirt. Lively along the right hand side and put in several excellent crosses. Active defensively with five tackles but wasn’t given a torrid time by any means. Leonardo Bonucci - 8. His passes over the top gave Porto all sorts of problems early. Excellent distributing from the back. Medhi Benatia - 5. Another howler very nearly threw Porto a lifeline. He shouldn’t be playing over Rugani, period. Alex Sandro - 6.5. A threatening presence when he needed to be but it seemed like Juve’s attacks were flowing more through the right today. His header off Alves’s corner set up the penalty. Sami Khedira - 6. Where is the guy we saw earlier this year? The German has been decidedly meh since the end of September. A lot of interesting positions wasted with heavy touches. Claudio Marchisio - 6. Had a few moments, including a nice 1-2 with Alves in the 66th minute that set up a chance for Higuain. Still trying to find full form after his knee injury last year — something that usually takes at least 12 months. Give him time. Juan Cuadrado - 6. Had a few good balls in but a 12th-minute booking made things nervy — if he had gotten a second yellow things could have really been turned on their head. Paulo Dybala - 7.5. He talked about how much he wanted to score against Casillas before the game and made no mistake with his penalty to do just that. Lively all day in the attacking third, but his final touch failed him in open play. Mario Mandzukic - 7. Another understated but hugely influential performance by the Mandzubeast. Tracked back well and overmatched Maxi Pereira physically. Gonzalo Higuain - 6.5. Would’ve had a goal were it not for Periera’s handball, but despite his obvious hunger for one he missed a few chances in the second half. Needs to pull the trigger earlier with the ball at his feet. SUBS Marko Pjaca - 6. Replaced Cuadrado at halftime and made some trouble. Nearly scored after a neat Mandzukic flick, and got a little physical as well. Andrea Barzagli - 7. You barely knew he was on the field — in the good way — after coming on for Benatia. Tomas Rincon - N/R. Given the final 13 minutes to give Dybala a rest. Did little of note. Manager: 6.5. Allegri made some good moves here. Resting Miralem Pjanic was a good decision — he didn’t need to come on unless Porto made a move and a goal was badly needed. But — and I know I sound like a broken record here — why, why, why is Benatia starting over Rugani? This was the perfect opportunity to blood him in the knockout round of the Champions League. Benatia is simply too mistake prone to be relied on. Tactical Analysis The majority of Juve’s major attacks in the first half came from the right side. Alves and Cuadrado teamed up well, and when Dybala drifted wide it seemed to be almost exclusively to that side — as his heat map on WhoScored shows. Allegri may have been interested in testing Miguel Layun, Alex Telles’ replacement on the left side. The Mexico international has big-match experience — he’s been on the roster for his country’s last four major international tournaments and boasts 45 caps since 2013 — but he’s largely been behind Telles on the depth chart this year, so perhaps Allegri was checking for rust. It seems to have worked. Layun didn’t make any tackles or interceptions and committed three fouls, one of which got him booked. Bonucci’s long ball ability also looked to be part of the game plan today. His ability to spring the offense forward from deep was something Porto didn’t seem to be able to cope with. Once things were taken care of, there wasn’t much in the way of tactical tinkering — it was simply a matter of keeping the right people fresh and seeing the game to the end. Onward! So, the quarterfinals beckon for the third time in five years. In their first trip back to this stage since rising from the ashes under Antonio Conte, Juve were eliminated by Bayern Munich after losing both legs 2-0 — the home leg being the only European loss the team has ever suffered at the J Stadium. Considering the fact that Bayern went on to beat Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in the semis, that loss doesn’t look all that bad. Two years ago, Juve squeaked by Monaco 1-0 on aggregate en route to the final, the tie decided by an Arturo Vidal penalty in the first leg at home. This team is significantly different than both of those squads. They are arguably far better. The Champions League looks to be wide open this year. Bayern, Barcelona and Real Madrid all have warts this year. This could be Juve’s chance to finally claim the cup with the big ears after 21 years. In order to do that, Juve will have to up their game a bit. All but one, perhaps two of Juve’s potential quarterfinal opponents — including all four involved in the ties yet to be decided — represent a step up from Porto. But if they can reach that level, the sky could be the limit. The road to Cardiff is open. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Juventus 1-0 FC Porto Champions League Review and Player Ratings http://www.juvefc.com/juventus-1-0-fc-porto-champions-league-last-16/ Mar 15, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Player Ratings Buffon – Yet again a spectator for much of the game. Was not at fault for the two chances presented to the opponents and made himself big on both occasions. 6 Bonucci – Great to have him back. Strong, careful and able to spray a few long balls forward smartly. 6.5 Benatia– Showing signs of quality but his rustiness or lack of composure in close quarters – I am yet to decide – almost proved costly when gifting Soares a one on one with Buffon which thankfully the striker put wide. I suspect Allegri is giving him games to fully analyse his value before sealing the deal for his signature and for now, his signing must surely remain in the balance. For he remains fifth choice in the CB pecking order by my reckoning. 6 Alves – Got forward to support the attack well with the central midfield congested and was pretty sound defensively other than a poor touch which forced Juan into a typically reckless foul, studs up. 6.5 Sandro – Given room to roam on the flank, but found it hard to pick out targets in the box due to the defensive blockade of our visitors. 6.5 Khedira – Rarely involved and kept fumbling the ball when finding himself in decent areas. 5.5 Marchisio – Moved the ball intelligently and offered a screen to the defence. 6.5 Cuadrado – Was lively though ineffective until his yellow, then more measured. 6 Dybala – Our busiest player, roaming between the flanks, constantly eager to make things happen and yet spurned a couple of chances with his right when he did find a way through the melee. However, he also put the penalty away superbly and displayed tenacity and top drawer distribution throughout. Extra marks for tracking back to make a superb tackle just outside our 18 yard to reclaim the ball. 7.5 Mandzukic – A couple of headed chances were foiled or misplaced, Mario battled hard and found the going tough. 6 Higuain – Not one of his best, for his touch was a little poor, misplacing passes and finding shooting positions extremely hard to come by. Great determination but lacking quality on the night. 6 Pjaca – The young Croat really has brilliant feet and a stunning turn of pace. He is not accustomed to facing so many well drilled defensive obstacles barring his way to goal, but managed to thread through some inviting passes and also went close with a smartly taken shot from his countryman’s flick on. 6.5 We were clearly aiming to control the game, show patience, with no need to force the issue and wait for chances to appear when they attacked. Yet as they decided not to attack with any sizeable numbers, we were left both before and especially after the sending off facing a very defensive system which we struggled to break down. Still, on a brighter note, we managed to create 6 0r 7 presentable opportunities, none of which hit home. The penalty was not in any way questionable, though I felt the red card was harsh whilst correct to the letter of the law. Unfortunately, we allowed the opponents perhaps the two best chances of the game and were fortunate not to concede. A better side would have punished us, perhaps to the point of opening up the possibility of a reversal. We really must learn to control the game with more calmness and quality. And we cannot afford to learn on the job. Admittedly Porto were very cagey for both games, and on reflection we managed the tie well enough. Against stronger attacking talent we will likely find more space and prove more of an attacking force ourselves. At no stage throughout the two legs did we look anything but likely victors. We ran few risks, and are one of a small handful of teams who passed through this round without conceding. A job well done. It remains 31C here in Melbourne, at 9pm. My energy sapping away by the keystroke, lethargy becomes me, hence the brevity and absence of vigour of this report. I can suggest that there are a few sides left in the tournament who we would rather avoid, sides who I believe are stronger than us who would be best met in a one-off. Bayern and Atletico appear the most complete. In saying that, I highly doubt there is any manager who is eagerly rubbing his paws and hoping to be matched with us in the quarter-finals. For we are stronger, as a squad, than we have been for many moons and this last two months has seen us not just recover most of our key players but improve drastically as a unit. We will all admit that our form has been up and down until we changed formations upon leaving Florence. And it is bizarre and interesting to ponder this absence of consistency when I peek at our Champions League record this campaign and find the following- Played 8 Won 6 Drawn 2 Scored 12 Conceded 2 That record is nothing short of exceptional, the beauty of which is that most of the games were played during a period in which we were far from our best. We have the weapons and tenacity to win the tournament. Our glory or failure will come down to a combination of Allegri making the right choices at the right times, luck and determination. Anything is possible, nothing is certain. forza juve Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Landmarks of Turin Awards: Juventus vs. FC Porto Edition http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/3/15/14928974/juventus-fc-porto- landmarks-of-turin-awards-2017-champions-league-round-of-16-leg-2-match-recap Mar 15, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Between the incessant, infernal whistles piercing the second-rate microphones in Juventus Stadium to the apprehensive — from Juventus’ point of view — opening minutes, followed by a rather tepid second half given the game was more or less in hand this was not the most thrilling to watch. In fact, I’m not sure what kept me watching. Maybe the whistles held me under some sort of spell. Maybe it was too good to be true to see Claudio Marchisio running around. Maybe it was hoping the camera would pan to Daniele Rugani in a fully body cast, or in a different part of the world caring for a relative afflicted with a disease that only Rugani can cure, because outside of those two exact possibilities there is no reason Medhi Benatia should be starting ahead of him. Also: Juve are paying money for Benatia? Is that right? You’re sure we’re not getting paid for him? Woof. It wasn’t a bad performance by the Bianconeri on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t a good one. Anyway, the good news is that Juve play Sampdoria on Sunday, and then we get a break, and then we play Napoli twelve times in a row in Naples and hopefully it’s less sticky than this situation was in Brazil. Aperitivi A tantalizing collection of titillating tidbits. Just two seconds ago, working on this, I witnessed my dog — smallish yellow labrador named Catherine — given my parent’s dog — a smug little Puggle who we are watching for a few days — a kiss on the face. My dog is awesome. Good to see Principino back in the fold. That is all. Onto the awards: Sidewalk of Turin Award For a weak(ish) performance masked by other factors. This is the part of the piece where I harangue Max Allegri for not even bringing Rugani in uniform. There is absolutely no part of me that understands this decision, barring the reasons listed above. Benatia is fine. He’s fine, and that’s it. But there’s a case to be made that Rugani, who we often think about as the future cornerstone of this defense and, really, of all center backs in all of Narnia — there’s a case to be made that he’s already there. He’s not the brawler that Giorgio Chiellini is, but his distribution and positioning are both better than Benatia, and he doesn’t seem to panic, like, ever. That’s kind of insane. And I fail to understand why he’s not getting minutes. So here’s to you, Benatia, for blundering on what should’ve been a (relatively meaningless) Porto goal shortly after the break. (To try to be a little more fair to the guy, there were a couple other boneheaded defensive mistakes.) Piazza San Carlo Award For a potentially overlooked yet stellar showing. Leonardo Bonucci wasn’t perfect, but he was very good. (And he looked perfect next to Benatia, anyway.) His 116 touches were second only to Alves, and his passing percentage of 94.4 was better than anybody’s with significant handling of the ball besides Benatia’s (!), who managed a 97 percent passing completion rate on 77 touches. Bonucci’s presence was all the more welcome given his absence in the first leg of this dance with Porto. Chiellini is 74 years old and so still healing from something, and Benatia is Benatia—I know he’s not that bad, but still—so it was pretty much left to Bonucci and Sandro to hold down the fort, given Benatia’s iffy decisions and positioning and Alves’ penchant for moving forward. Bonucci anchored the defense well. Granted, it was against a Porto side that hasn’t proven much as far as attack goes. Lingotto Award For a notable demonstration in both grit and flair. Dani Alves and his weird tattoos were all over the pitch. While he managed, of course, to do some annoying Dani Alves things, he also managed to be a box-to-box right back, creating two scoring chances, serving up a number of crosses that, if they had been attempted by Lichtsteiner, would’ve wound up in Ivrea, and he took a corner kick and it was cool. He’s got a case to be man of the match today, I think. No single Bianconero was stellar for 90, or even 60, minutes, but Alves positively influenced both sides of the pitch with his distribution and creation. I think as well we ought to start tracking Dybala’s performances alongside Alves, because the two have something sexy going on, and when La Joya is cooking, everybody’s cooking. Parco Valentino Award For an urbane demeanor distributed amongst the squad. It’s not easy — I imagine; I’m not actually speaking from experience — to step up to the penalty mark over and over and over again and deposit the ball into the back of the net with the same confidence with which one deposits a piece of chewing gum into one’s mouth. That’s Dybala. He just doesn’t miss, and it’s not only that he doesn’t miss, he somehow, with some illegal (probably) Argentinian mind trick, throws the goalkeeper into the other side of the net, and then for the mirth of it just freaking laser beams the thing into the other corner. It’s silly. Anyone who scores a penalty on Gigi Donnarumma is worthy of at least a minor statue being forged in their honor. But besides the penalty, he did a lot. Did you see him track all the way back the pitch a few minutes later to snub out a counterattack? That was actually my favorite moment of the game, I think. He threw some good crosses into the box. He made magic with his feet. He nearly created a couple chances out of nothing, because that’s the kind of player he is. He’s also 23 years old still. (And doesn’t turn 24 until November!) As good as Dybala was, he also — stop if you’ve heard this before — wasn’t perfect, or even great. He was overly ambitious in attack a couple times: an absurd volley attempt, an overly cute touch. And he missed at least one chance, from a beautiful Higuain cross, that he should’ve put into the back of the net. But, even so, I thought he was Juve’s best player in this second leg against Porto. What is most encouraging, perhaps, is the fact that he’s turned in two pretty damn good performances back to back. Here’s to more of those. Giuseppe Garibaldi Award For the man of the match. N/A I just...there’s nobody who deserves this. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 JUVENTUS - PORTO 1-0- Aggregate 3-0 Paulo Dybala (penalty) 42' Round of 16 - Second leg Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.Juventus Stadium, TurinReferee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania) Attendance: 41161 Leonardo Bonucci proved his importance during Juventus’ win against Porto After missing out on the victory in the first leg, the Italian returned with a solid performance to help Juve through to the Champions League quarterfinals. http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/3/16/14935566/leonardo -bonucci-juventus-fc-porto-2017-champions-league-round-of-16-recap Mar 15, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE As Juventus celebrated their 3-0 aggregate victory in the Champions League second round against FC Porto, the result will have been extra satisfactory for one individual more than most. Leonardo Bonucci was excellent against the Portuguese side, recovering well from his very public argument with manager Max Allegri last month which saw him be dropped for the first leg tie in Portugal. Though Juventus ran out winners on that occasion, Bonucci will have certainly been disappointed to miss out. At the time, it was a brave move by Allegri. Had Juve gone to Portugal and crumbled under the intimidating Estadio do Dragao atmosphere, critics would have pointed to the absent leadership that the experienced Bonucci could have provided. Instead, a moment of madness from Alex Telles and two quick-fire goals from Dani Alves and Marko Pjaca sealed a comfortable win for the Turin side. It would have been easy for Bonucci to sulk and kick up a fuss after his exclusion from the squad for such a crucial match but instead the defender went about things a different way. Ever since he was dropped, Bonucci has been consistently good. He was solid in home wins over Empoli and AC Milan while knocking in a second-half equalizer against Udinese to help extend the club’s lead at the top of the table to eight points. Tuesday night’s performance, however, has arguably been his best in that time span. The lack of urgency for Juve to attack their opponent due to their comfortable lead was evident, and meant Bonucci had more responsibility to break down Porto’s defence. His ball-playing skill as a defender is one of the best in the world, and adds another element to Allegri’s offense. With Miralem Pjanic dropped in favour of the more deep-minded, possession-oriented Claudio Marchisio, Allegri’s intentions were clear. If Porto were going to make this tie interesting, it wasn’t going to be due to a tactical mishap from the Juve manager. Marchisio and Sami Khedira were instructed to stay mostly around the centre of the pitch, to limit Porto’s counter-attacking opportunities as shown here with whoscored.com's heatmap. Khedira & Marchisio's heatmap Allegri wanted to keep it tight and compact, but also needed a player who could drop high balls into Porto’s half and cause them problems. Bonucci was only too happy to oblige. His heat map shows how at times he played like a third central midfielder, providing Juve with an extra man in that area of the pitch as well as giving service into the forward line. His long-range passing ability from such a position ensures there’s no open spaces in defense, as a result of the extra offensive weapon. It’s a win-win, especially in a match where the main objective is to not concede. Bonucci's heatmap It’s a good example why this type of a defender is in-demand now. It’s a trendy addition to a team to have a centre-back who can also operate as a deep-lying playmaker at times. There are of course risks associated with this type of tactic. Just remember the 3-1 defeat to Genoa earlier on in the year, when Bonucci was constantly caught out in possession. When teams press high, there’s always the chance the defender will get disposed and suddenly the keeper is facing a one-on-one situation. But Allegri trusts Bonucci to get the job done. His performance will have shown his manager just how important he is to the side in these tight and tense European matches. He may not have been needed in Portugal last month, but last night will have reinforced his value to the team. Another element of Bonucci’s offensive abilities is just how accurate his passes are. Per whoscored.com, the 29-year-old completed 102 from 108 attempts. That’s an astonishing number for any player to have, with just six misplaced passes. It’s another reason why he can be trusted with the ball at his feet. For the season, overall, he stands as the most able long-ball passer in the side with an average of 7.1 attempts per game. His sublime looping cross-field pass to Mario Manduzkic before the half was just an example of the defender’s passing arsenal. That Porto refused to instill a high-press only played into Juve’s hands further, allowing Bonucci the time and space to pick out his target. Defensively, it was a quite enough night for Juve. Porto threatened a couple of times in the second half, once due to Medhi Benatia’s sloppy play. But overall the two-legged affair was comfortable for Allegri and Co. Tougher tasks await in the quarterfinals where European giants Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich potentially await the Italian champions and Bonucci’s role in these fixtures will be vital. His emotions may sometimes cross those of his manager’s but there’s no doubting Juventus need him on the pitch, and not in the stands. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 Who should Juventus want to face in the Champions League quarterfinals? Ranking Juve’s potential quarterfinal opponents based on how favorable a matchup they’d be. http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/3/16/14940854/champions-league -2017-quarterfinals-matchups-bayern-munich-leicester-city Mar 16, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is now over, and what a ride it’s been. We’ve seen a historic comeback, a massive thrashing, and a little of everything in between over the last six weeks, and now it comes down to the nitty-gritty. No prohibitions on potential intraleague matchups, no nothing. Just eight balls in a bowl and fate deciding how difficult the path to the final will be. For Juventus, opportunity knocks. It’s been a long time since the Champions League looked this wide open. All of the traditional titans have warts. The time to end the long 21-year wait for the trophy with the big ears could well be now. After disposing of Porto with minimum effort, a step up in class awaits. But this Juventus team is ready, and can match up with any team left in the draw. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt for fortune to help out a bit. The Champions League is as much about being lucky as it is being good. Two years ago when the bianconeri made their run to the final the draw, luck was extremely kind to them in the knockout rounds. The Round of 16 draw was similarly kind. Juve won’t be daunted by a giant, but certainly wouldn’t spurn an easier matchup by any means. So what are the most favorable matchups for the Old Lady of Italian football? Which teams might Massimiliano Allegri prefer to see in later rounds? Here, we rank Juve’s seven prospective opponents, from least desirable to most desirable. Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images 7. BAYERN MUNICH It’s still difficult to think about the last seconds of normal time during the second leg of last year’s round of 16 tie with Bayern Munich. Juventus came so agonizingly close to knocking out one of the favorites at the first hurdle. If only Patrice Evra had chosen to blast the ball out of the defensive third instead of trying to dribble, maybe there wouldn’t have been time for Thomas Muller to send the game to extra time. The chance for revenge would certainly be sweet. But Bayern are still Bayern. Given their penchant for stockpiling players, their roster is ridiculously deep and insanely talented. They’re also led by one of the most successful Champions League coaches of any era, Carlo Ancelotti. The Bavarians have had some issues this year with consistency. They’ve looked sluggish and sometimes needed late-game heroics to get points off teams that they would normally have put away by halftime. And while their lead in the Bundesliga is currently 10 points, it’s a relatively recent development. There’s no one area of the team that can be considered a weakness, but a general malaise sometimes comes over them that takes them a while to shake. This Bayern isn’t the buzzsaw that beat Juventus in the 2011-12 quarterfinals on their way to the title, but there is an argument to be made that they aren’t playing as well as a team as they were under Pep Guardiola a season ago, although they do seem to be rounding into form over the last month. They’re not unbeatable — the 10-2 aggregate spanking they handed Arsenal in the Round of 16 was more a product of Arsenal being that bad than Bayern being that good — but they’re certainly not the faces you’d like to see this far out in the tournament. 6. ATLETICO MADRID Most people probably expected Barcelona to be in this slot after their epic comeback from a 4-0 first leg loss to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the final seconds of the second leg. We’ll get into why they’re not here in a moment. Instead, let’s talk about why Atleti are here. Simply put, Atletico’s style is a nightmare matchup. Their backline, led by Diego Godin, is solid, and their manic energy, imparted to them by coach Diego Simeone, is tough to match for 180 minutes. They also boast an all-world goalscorer in Antoine Griezmann, a dynamic young midfielder in Saul Niguez, and an underrated goalkeeper in Jan Oblak, who may have turned in the highlight of the round on Wednesday with this triple save. It’s more difficult with Atleti than almost any other team in the draw to pinpoint a weakness. Juve would have to match them in intensity for the entirety of both legs, an extremely difficult task. It’s doable, but certainly not something one would be searching for. 5. BARCELONA Here they are! The blaugrana managed a bit of Champions League history in dumping Paris Saint-Germain from the tournament, and the Camp Nou is always one of the most intimidating places to play in football, but this team has been wobbling all year. It’s never really looked like the team has been 100 percent behind Luis Enrique this season, and now the coach is on his way out. Lionel Messi is still the game’s greatest player, but he’s also had some of the worst games of his career this year. The midfield has looked disjointed, and Andres Iniesta is starting to show his age. Don’t get me wrong, Barca are a dangerous team in all circumstances, especially when Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are on the field. But it’s worth wondering if their emotional capitol was spent last week against PSG. This past weekend they slumped to a 2-1 loss to Deportivo La Coruna, who entered the game butting up against the relegation zone. It’s possible that they’ve burned themselves out — but equally possible that a week or two off will see them bounce back with renewed vigor. They may be a revenge-minded Leonardo Bonucci’s preferred opponent, but getting redress for the 2015 final could also wait a while if need be. Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images 4. REAL MADRID The defending champions are this low down the list for one big reason — their defense. At least by the standards of a club like Real, the back line has been a sieve this season. Napoli nearly had the measure of them in the second leg of the Round of 16 — who knows what would have happened had Dries Mertens hit the net instead of the post at the end of the first half? Zinedine Zidane had his Galacticos going at a record clip early this season, extending their record Spanish winning streak to 40 games, but some unneeded tactical tinkering has really had an adverse effect on the team. And then that defense... This is the first team in the bunch that Juve could end up favored over in a quarterfinal tie. They’ve bottled them up before, and the only real difference between this Real and the one the bianconeri dumped in the semifinals two years ago is the manager. All the main pieces in the lineup are pretty much the same apart from Keylor Navas, who has been struggling lately in goal. If Juve can be clinical in front of goal they could easily build a lead against this Real team and force them to chase the tie. And if there’s any team that will remember to mark Sergio Ramos on set pieces it’s Juve...right? Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images 3. MONACO This is a very different Monaco team than the one that Juve eliminated in the quarterfinals two years ago. That Monaco entered the quarterfinals having scored only seven goals over eight games the entire tournament — three of them in one night against Arsenal in the Round of 16. Their biggest goalscoring threat? Dimitar Berbatov. This team is very different. A rejuvenated Radamel Falcao leads the line, and 18-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe — who has been described as the next Thierry Henry — is absolutely on fire, having scored nine times since the beginning of February. This attack is absolutely stacked. What they don’t have is the defense they had two years ago. They’re not terrible, but they’re not elite, either. The most recognizable name on the backline is Kamil Glik, who arrived at Monaco this summer after spending five years at Torino — and who in the 2012-13 season became the only man to be sent off in both legs of the Derby della Mole in one season. Monaco can be explosive, but if they get drawn against Juve they will be dealing with a defense several steps above the Manchester City unit they just ripped apart to the tune of eight goals over two legs. If they can turn the tie into a shootout, they would be very dangerous. Juve would have to avoid that at all costs, but has more than enough quality to dispatch the principality side if they keep the score sane. 2. BORUSSIA DORTMUND Borussia Dortmund are one of the most maddeningly inconsistent teams in Europe right now. They’re as likely to post a 4-0 win like they did last week in the second leg of the Round of 16 against Benfica as they are to fall to rock-bottom Darmstadt 2-1, as they did on Feb. 11. There are a lot of things that make this team good. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 22 times in the Bundesliga and seven more in the Champions League. American starlet Christian Pulisic is making himself more and more indispensable in the attacking midfield role. When they’re clicking and clinical, they can put you in the rear view mirror in a hurry. Tactically, coach Thomas Tuchel is highly unpredictable, which is a blessing and a curse. It can be hard for a coach to come up with a game plan to match him, but the constant changes have made it hard for the team to forge an identity. He also rotates the squad at an incredibly high rate — only five players have played more than 20 games in the Bundesliga and only two played in all eight of the team’s Champions League games — and that includes goalkeepers. Such constant upheaval makes it little wonder that the team can fall flat on occasion. It doesn’t help that they have yet to adequately replace center back Mats Hummels, who left for Bayern Munich over the summer. They’ve also lost Mario Goetze for the year due to a metabolic issue, and neither Marco Reus nor Andre Schurrle have had typical seasons up front. Juve eased past BVB two years ago in the Round of 16. Had Giorgio Chiellini not slipped and fallen in front of Reus in the first leg, they likely would have shut the Germans out over two legs. This team is better than that one on paper, but they don’t often add up to the sum of their parts. Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images 1. Leicester City Yes, Gianluigi Buffon wants to avoid the Foxes, at least if you take his post-match press conference on Tuesday at face value. But there’s no question that, on paper, the reigning English champions (still feels weird saying that) are the best matchup of the draw. When Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are on form, they can be potent weapons. The problem is they have rarely been on form this year, much less at the same time. The team play and sacrifice that propelled Leicester to their unlikely run a year ago was gone for much of the season, and it cost Claudio Ranieri his job. Interim manager Craig Shakespeare has gotten some of that back — that or Ranieri’s firing simply jolted the players out of their post-title haze — and won three on the bounce, but they’re about to face an entirely different animal. The hat has been kind to Leicester so far, giving them the easiest group in the tournament and then pitting them against Sevilla in the Round of 16. The Andalusians are talented but lack maturity, and couldn’t finish out a tie they really should have won. They won penalties in each leg, but were kept out by Kasper Schmeichel, whose performance throughout the entire tie was one of the biggest reasons Leicester was able to advance. The Foxes are playing with house money right now, but any slip-ups in the Premier League could mean avoiding relegation begins to take priority over Europe, and on paper Juventus are simply better. This would easily be the friendliest draw the bianconeri could achieve. POLL Who do you want Juventus to face in the Champions League quarterfinals? 1% Atletico Madrid (5 votes) 10% Barcelona (38 votes) 5% Bayern Munich (18 votes) 13% Borussia Dortmund (49 votes) 49% Leicester City (183 votes) 9% Monaco (35 votes) 12% Real Madrid (46 votes) 374 votes total Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 16, 2017 Barzagli: 'Avoid Bayern Munich' http://www.football-italia.net/99761/barzagli-avoid-bayern-munich Mar 16, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Andrea Barzagli is eager to avoid Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final and feels this is his best Juventus squad. The Bianconeri will face one of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Leicester City, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen after tomorrow’s draw. “It’s a difficult choice and never easy to face one of the favourites in the quarter-finals,” Barzagli told JTV. “If I had to choose, I’d prefer not to meet Bayern, because I think they are in an exceptional period of form. When you get into the top eight in Europe, they’re all strong, even if on paper some might be easier than others. “The objective, not just mine but for the entire team, is a sixth consecutive Scudetto. As a player, naturally, the ultimate would be to win the Champions League. In football you must always set new objectives and never stop dreaming!” Barzagli was asked whether the current Juventus side was the best during his time at the club. “In terms of the squad, probably… without taking anything away from previous years. We’ve perhaps reached the peak quality for Juve, but at the end of the day the final result counts more than your quality. “We are in the running for three tournaments and we’ll try to play till the end! In the Champions League experience counts for a lot, so it’s important that Juventus are consistent and each year go as far as possible. “What we’ve created here is this total connection both on and off the field, something you rarely find with other players. We first of all created personal friendship, and then substance on the pitch. “Naturally there is hard work behind it, because otherwise you won’t go far.” On Sunday afternoon, Juve visit Sampdoria, who are fresh from winning the Derby della Lanterna. “Sampdoria are coming off some really impressive games and when they host Juventus, everyone steps up their game. They have no pressure and we know it will be a very difficult match.” Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 17, 2017 SAMPDORIA - JUVENTUS MATCHDAY 29 Sunday, March 19th, 2017 - 3:00 p.m.Luigi Ferraris Stadium, GenoaReferee: Paolo Tagliavento Tagliavento for Samp-Juventus hhttp://www.football-italia.net/99747/di-bello-roma-sassuolo Mar 16, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Marco Di Bello will take charge of Roma-Sassuolo, as the referees for Week 29 are announced. The Giallorossi face the Emilian side on Sunday night, and are playing after Juventus so will know the result they need. Today the AIA has announced that Di Bello will be the referee for the fixture, having last taken charge of the Lupi for their trip to Empoli on October 30. Elsewhere, Antonio Damato will run the rule over Napoli’s trip to Tuscany to face Empoli, while Paolo Tagliavento has been assigned to Sampdoria-Juventus. Serie A Week 29 referees: Atalanta-Pescara - Michael Fabbri Bologna-Chievo - Rosario Abisso Cagliari-Lazio - Marco Guida Crotone-Fiorentina - Pierluigi Pairetto Empoli-Napoli - Antonio Damato Milan-Genoa - Carmine Russo Roma-Sassuolo - Marco Di BelloSampdoria-Juventus - Paolo Tagliavento Torino-Inter - Luca Banti Udinese-Palermo - Fabio Maresca http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110 Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
Socrates 7971 Joined: 04-Apr-2006 130799 messaggi Inviato March 17, 2017 Barcelona draw Juventus, Real Madrid face Bayern in Champions League quarter-final draw The two Spanish giants have been given tough tests, while Leicester City face Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund take on Ligue 1 side Monaco http://www.goal.com/en/news/1716/champions-league/2017/03/17/33730542/- Mar 17, 2017 Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE Reigning champions Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich while Barcelona have drawn Juventus in the Champions League quarter-final draw. Leicester City, meanwhile, will face Atletico Madrid in a daunting tie for Craig Shakespeare's Premier League champions, while Borussia Dortmund will take on Manchester City's conquerors AS Monaco. Real progressed to the quarter-finals by virtue of a straightforward aggregate victory over Napoli, but they will have their work cut out against the German giants, who thumped Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate, winning each game 5-1. Barca may feel that this is their year after a quite staggering victory over PSG; the Catalan club recovered from a 4-0 defeat in the first leg, prior to their amazing 6-1 win at Camp Nou. Juventus, meanwhile, beat FC Porto 3-0 on aggregate to progress, while Leicester defeated Sevilla over two legs in one of the most historic victories in the Foxes' history. Juventus and Barcelona faced off in the 2015 Champions League final, with Barca running out comfortable 3-1 winners, but former winger Pavel Nedved believes Juve have improved since then. "It's a fascinating challenge, against one of the most famous clubs in the world," he told Sky Sport Italia. "It's really beautiful but we must now look to the past but the present, knowing that they are strong. The best team will win. "In my opinion, we have definitely grown (since 2015 final). I believe that maybe this game is coming at the right moment for us. We have to respect Barcleona but not too much because that leads to fear and that's not good. I believe that our team is at the same level as Barcelona. "Leonardo Bonucci and Paulo Dybala wanted Barca, but Dani Alves wanted to avoid them. We can be content because to be here as the only Italian team in the Champions League quarter finals makes me proud. But I would prefer if there were others. Italy needs that." Atletico, though, present a quite different threat, as they look to again reach the Champions League final. Diego SImeone's men reached the showpiece game in both 2014 and 2016, and defeated Bayer Leverkusen to reach this stage. Monaco produced a stunning result to beat Manchester City, winning 3-1 at home after falling to a 5-3 away defeat, meaning they progressed on away goals at the expense of Pep Guardiola's side, and they will face a free-scoring Dortmund. Following a 1-0 defeat to Benfica in the first leg, Thomas Tuchel's men won 4-0 at home to seal their progression, and they will hope to outwit the Principality-based outfit. Condividi questo messaggio Link di questo messaggio Condividi su altri siti
