Deportivo Rue Missed Chances Against Juventus
LA CORUNA, Spain, Oct 18 (Reuters)(DS) - Deportivo Coruna were held 1-1 at
home by Juventus in their Champions League group E clash on Wednesday as the
Spanish champions failed to take their chances in a first half they
dominated.
Juve took the lead after a scrappy opening thanks to a great piece of skill
from Mark Iuliano. His well-struck volley from an Alessandro Del Piero
corner was cleared off the line by a combination of goalkeeper, defender and
post but Filippo Inzaghi
was on hand to turn in the rebound.
Deportivo were level within two minutes, as Victor turned in a Turu Flores
cross-shot after goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar had
mis-kicked an attempted clearance.
The hosts were in control from then on, with the midfield pairing of
Djalminha and Cesar Sampaio in effervescent form. Djalminha, making his
debut in the competition after a three-match suspension, was a constant
menace but his forwards failed to take any of the chances that fell their
way.
Juventus were content to sit back for much of the game but their attempts to
hit Deportivo on the break saw them repeatedly called offside.
Panathinaikos drew 0-0 with Hamburg SV in Athens so the group remnained wide
open with two games remaining. Juve lead on six points, ahead of Deportivo
on goals scored. Panathinaikos have five.
After the early exchange of goals, the game was run by Djalminha as the
Italians struggled to deal with the absence of the suspended Zinedine
Zidane.
On 25 minutes, some Djalminha trickery opened up the defence and led to a
Flores shot that smacked covering defender Ciro
Ferrara in the face.
The Brazilian then saw a free-kick saved by Van der Sar before creating the
best chance of the game. His perfectly weighted through ball sent Victor
clean through on the edge of the area but he swept well wide of goal.
Djalminha also saw a 30-metre left-foot shot shave the bar before the end of
a first half that finished with the Italians struggling to hold on.
The second period was less dramatic as Juve pushed forward a little to give
the Deportivo midfield less time on the ball. Walter Pandiani had a couple
of half-chances midway through the second half before a Djalminha turn and
shot drifted wide of the near-post.
Alessio Tacchinardi forced a save from Jose Molina with a long shot on 80
minutes but that was about as close as Juve came. In the final minute, Diego
Tristan was brought down on the edge of the area but the Spaniard wasted the
resultant free-kick.
