Football – Juve leave, Atalanta confident before YB, Milan beaten
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Juventus, thanks to two penalties transformed by Leonardo Bonucci to the extent of Lazio (2-0). Earlier, Atalanta made short work of La Spezia (5-2), and is preparing well for his return to Bern in the Champions League.
Leonardo Bonucci celebrates one of his converted penalties with Alvaro Morata.
NurPhoto via AFP
Juventus Turin, after a very average first third of the season in the league, got off on the right foot after the international break by winning on Lazio Rome (2-0) thanks to two penalties from Leonardo Bonucci. This victory allows the Bianconeri to come back to the level of Laziali (5th), provisionally eleven points behind the co-leaders Naples and AC Milan and four quartet lengths.
In the absence of Paulo Dybala, who returned from international matches with Argentina with a calf injury, Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa were the decisive men by obtaining the two penalties of the day.
The first, in the first period, was awarded after the intervention of video assistance for a foul by Danilo Cataldi on the Spaniard. Bonucci transformed him without trembling (23rd) to start a match that started on a false rhythm, in particular due to a long interruption due to the injury of the Turin defender Danilo, hit in a thigh and taken out on a stretcher (14th) .
Lazio then tried to react but enough in the absence of their sterile striker Ciro Immobile, not listed on the scoresheet due to discomfort in a calf.
Juve and Rabiot
Faced with his former club, Maurizio Sarri tried to find solutions but his players stumbled throughout the second half on Juve, very grouped together. “It’s always difficult after the international break, we managed to give them very few chances. It’s up to us to maintain the same spirit, ”Bonucci welcomed on DAZN, Serie A broadcaster, after the meeting.
In the end, it was the Turinese who were the most dangerous, against. Morata sent from a little above a nice scissor recovery (41st) then Dejan Kulusevski (47th) and Bonucci (48th) stumbled over Pepe Reina. The Lazio goalkeeper was on the other hand awkward at the end of the match in front of Chiesa and conceded a second penalty because of a poorly controlled tackle (83rd).
Captain Bonucci was again intractable to ensure the victory of his family, with a second penalty that knocked out Maurizio Sarri and no doubt left some regrets to the Italian coach Roberto Mancini: it is in these same cages of the Olimpico stadium that Jorginho missed against Switzerland (1-1) a sentence that condemns the Nazionale to compete in the qualifying play-offs for the 2022 World Cup.
“The shooter from Italy was Jorginho, it was normal for him to shoot him. If I had been asked, I would have shot him without a problem, but the first shooter was him, ”responded Bonucci.
However, this victory has a bitter taste for the Turinese, who will therefore have to do without Danilo, but perhaps also without Adrien Rabiot, who came out in added time, visibly affected in the right flank.
Atalanta consolidates its 4th place in dominant La Spezia
Master Gian Piero Gasperini taught student Thiago Motta a lesson: Atalanta Bergamo largely scored La Spezia (5-2) on Saturday. Thiago Motta, 39, on the bench at La Spezia since this summer, cited in his coaching thesis last year the offensive precepts of Gasperini, 63, his ex-coach in Genoa (2008-09).
The ex-midfielder of Paris SG was able to realize on Saturday that his ex-coach had lost nothing of his art: despite the opening score of La Spezia, by M’Bala Nzola (11th), Atalanta had control over the debates, taking off before the break thanks to a brace from Mario Pasalic (18th, 41st) and a penalty from Duvan Zapata (38th).
Luis Muriel, silent since the 1st day, and Ruslan Malinovskiy worsened the score at the end of the match (83rd, 89th) before Nzola also offered himself a double (90 + 1st).
With this success, Atalanta ends a series of three games without a win at home and consolidates its fourth place (tied on points with Inter, 3rd), provisionally seven points behind co-leaders Napoli and Milan.
Something to give Gasperini a smile before Tuesday’s capital trip to the Young Boys in the Champions League: if successful, the “Dea” would remain in progress for the knockout stages but would also be guaranteed to finish at least in third place of a strong group (with also Manchester United and Villarreal) and therefore to play at worst the Europa League in the spring.
La Spezia and Thiago Motta remain 16th, with only two points ahead of the first non-relegation (Sampdoria, 18th).
First knockout for AC Milan, beaten by Fiorentina 4-3
AC Milan, co-leader of Serie A, conceded their first defeat in the league on Saturday, on the ground of Fiorentina (4-3) during the 13th day, offering the opportunity for Naples to escape in the lead Sunday in case of a good result against Inter Milan.
Fiorentina first took advantage of a blunder by Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu, who replaced Mike Maignan in the Milan cage, absent for another month or so, to quickly open the scoring through Alfred Duncan (15th). The sequel has a festival of missed opportunities by the Milanese and effective counters from Fiorentina, who took off just before the break on a nice shot diffused by Riccardo Saponara (45th + 1) then after a winning raid of his nugget Serbian Dusan Vlahovic (60th).
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, until now clumsy, took care of maintaining the flame of the Rossoneri by scoring a double, taking advantage of a defensive gift from the Viola (62nd) then a center back from Theo Hernandez after a tumble at left (67th). But the French side was a little too light at the end of the match, having a hot ball fly in front of his surface, which Vlahovic took advantage of again to knock out the Milanese (85th). The 21-year-old Serb joins the top scorers chart Ciro Immobile with ten goals.
With 32 points, Milan, who reduced the score at the very end of added time on one but against his camp of Lorenzo Venuti, remains tied on points with Naples at the top of the standings. But Napoli has the opportunity to escape alone in the lead in the event of a draw or Sunday success on the lawn of Inter Milan (3rd, 25 pts), during the shock of this 13th day of Serie A.
Fiorentina (6th) joins Lazio (5th) and Juventus (7th) with 21 points.
(AFP)