Juventus 2 - 2 AS Roma
Del Piero 4' (J), Zidane 6' (J), Nakata 79' (R), Montella 90' (R)
Sunday 6 May 2001
Juve gave an incredible show in the first half and after only two minutes were leading by two goals to nil, thanks to Del Piero and Zidane. In the second half the Bianconeri lost concentration and allowed Roma to equalise, with goals by Nakata and Montella.
The Giallorossi hold their lead of six points on Juventus, whereas Lazio narrow the gap from the league leaders to five points. The atmosphere at the end of the game was that of a team that has let their chance pass them by, a feeling that was made worse by the euphoria of the first half.
First Half
A brilliant start for the Bianconeri, who pushed the game into Roma's half of the pitch and, after only 6 minutes lead by two goals. On the fourth minute Zidane, unmarked, took the ball from the three-quarter line into the area and sent a cross-shot towards the far top corner of the frame. Del Piero grazed the ball with his head, just enough to catch Antonioli off guard and score. (1-0) The crowd had barely enough time to celebrate the first goal, when, two minutes later, Zidane saw to putting the second one in. The midfielder did everything by himself this time, taking the ball into just the right position to bury it in the net.(2-0)
Roma, still dazed from two goals in rapid succession, risked letting in yet another ball after only two minutes, but this time Antonioli was not caught unawares and managed to stop a nice shot by Zambrotta. On the 12th minute it was Totti, who attempted an a solo goal, but his shot was too central and did not put Van der Sar into difficulty. It was not his day and in fact in the 14th minute of the second half he was substituted by Nakata; the player who changed the outcome of the match. On the 22nd minute Antonioli
committed a mistake, which Davids was quick to take advantage of but the rebound was not in his favour.
The pace of the game did not let up and neither did either team's grit, as the four yellow cards went to show; three Bianconeri, Tacchinardi, Iuliano and Pessotto and one Giallorosso, Del Vecchio. Cafu was soon to be added to the list of cautioned players for an ugly foul on Zidane. In the mean time, on the sidelines, Trezeguet and Kovacevic started to warm up, while Montella was preparing to enter for Roma; Del Piero and Batistuta, although battered, managed to hold on.
The only other action by the Giallorossi came on the 34th minute, with a concerted effort by Delvecchio and Batistuta, but the Argentinean knocked the ball off the outer side of the net. Juve were the protagonists for what remained of the rest of the first half. Tacchinardi first sent the ball sailing above the crossbar and then, on a penalty in the 43rd minute, missed the goal by just inches after his shot
had been deviated by Antonioli. The Juve players were in excellent form, especially in midfield. Also the defence gave a convincing performance and Tudor showed once again that he is a player that can be relied upon.
Second Half
The second half started with Montella in place of Delvecchio, but the game had changed completely. Juve, although narrowing the gaps well in the first minutes, did not manage to keep up the tension and after only 6 minutes, a shot by Candela put Van der Sar into difficulty. In the end however the Bianconero defence had the better of the situation and managed to sweep the ball clear.
Capello took out Totti and Zanetti, substituting them with Nakata and Assuncao. Zambrotta came close on two occasions, the first on the 11th minute when his shot from the distance went just wide. The second chance, on the 24th minute was thwarted by Antonioli who anticipated the midfielder by coming out to meet him.
On the 33rd minute, Roma shot at goal again, but this time things went better for the Giallorossi. Nakata sent a powerful and precise shot into the top left hand corner. (2-1) The game was once again open and Roma were obviously invigorated by the score. In the final minutes of play Roma managed to equalise thanks to Montella, who was quick to act on the rebound of Nakata's shot on Van der Sar.
Yellow Cards:
Juventus - Tacchinardi 16', Pessotto 29', Iuliano 31', Del Piero 57', Kovacevic 88'
AS Roma - Delvecchio 17', Cafu 36'
Red Cards:
Juventus - Tacchinardi 90',
AS Roma - Assuncao 90'
Juventus (4-3-1-2): Van der Sar; Tudor, Montero, Iuliano (45'2nd half Ferrara), Pessotto; Zambrotta, Tacchinardi, Davids; Zidane; Inzaghi (39' 2nd half Kovacevic), Del Piero (34' 2nd half Conte)
Subs - Carini, Ferrara, Paramatti, Conte, O'Neill, Trezeguet, Kovacevic
AS Roma (3-4-1-2): Antonioli; Zebina, Samuel, Aldair; Cafu, Tommasi, Zanetti (14' 2nd half Assuncao), Candela; Totti (14' 2nd half Nakata); Batistuta, Delvecchio (1' 2nd half Montella)
Subs - Lupatelli, Rinaldi, Mangone, Di Francesco Assuncao, Nakata, Montella
Referee: Braschi
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