Report: Juventus 2 - Verona 1
Sunday 26th November 2000
A late goal by Brazilian Adailton ensured Juventus some anxious moments in front of a poor crowd at the Delle Alpi, but in the end they more than deserved their victory over a Verona side which was on the defensive for most of the game.
Juve coach Carlo Ancelotti dropped striker Alex Del Piero for the first time in five years and his decision to go with David Trezeguet proved inspired.
The Frenchman gave the home side the lead seven minutes from half-time and from then on the result rarely looked in doubt, particularly after Zinedine Zidane added a second on 73 minutes.
Trezeguet took advantage of a lapse in concentration from the otherwise reliable Verona defender Laursen to head home Birindelli's cross virtually un-marked.
On a dreadful pitch, Juventus had attacked from the start. In the very first minute captain Antonio Conte had the chance to put the home side ahead but his weak shot was blocked by Ferron.
Three minutes later Inzaghi chested down a ball lobbed into the Verona area but his powerful shot was deflected for a corner by Oddo who timed his sliding tackle to perfection.
Verona's first attacking foray came soon after when Oddo's free-kick from 30 metres out was deflected by Juve's defensive wall just over Van Der Sar's bar.
That, however, was the exception and normal service was soon resumed as Juve pressed forward relentlessly. Their attack was sometimes a little confused, but there was no doubting its commitment.
Ferron did well to parry a half-volley from the edge of the area by Edgar Davids, and then saved comfortably as Filippo Inzaghi was denied his first Serie A goal of the season after Davids' cross.
Conte almost caught Ferron out with a low, angled shot after a surging run but the keeper saved with his legs.
Verona tightened up considerably at the back as the half wore on and even tested Van der Sar at the other end. The Juve keeper was forced to save at full-stretch after a deflected shot from Colucci in the 33rd minute. Soon after, however, Juve were in front, courtesy of Trezeguet.
A lively start to the second-half by Verona saw surging runs down the flanks and dangerous crosses by Mutu and Oddo creating problems for Juve's defence early on.
But as the pitch started to disintegrate seemingly before everyone' eyes, it was Juventus who again came closest to scoring. In the 57th minute a clever back-heel from Conte forced Ferron into a superb reflex save.
Six minutes later Oddo dribbled down the right-flank past several Juventus players but none of his colleagues were in the area to meet his telling cross.
Juventus went 2-0 up in the 73rd minute thanks to a Zidane strike. After a couple of wasted free kick opportunities, the French midfielder finally found his aim, curling a splendid free-kick from the edge of the box into the top right-hand corner past a blameless Ferron.
In the 80th minute another defence splitting pass from Oddo forced Van der Sar into a diving block to stop the ball which threatened to curl inside the Dutch keeper's right-hand post.
In the 80th minute another defence splitting pass from Oddo forced Van der Sar into a diving block to stop the ball which threatened to curl inside the Dutch keeper's right-hand post.
With the result seemingly wrapped up for Juventus, Verona brought on Adailton to replace Gilardino up front. The Brazilian sounded a warning shot for Juve when within secondsof coming on he blasted a shot over the bar.
Then in the 88th minute after a series of rebounds in the area, Adailton calmly slotted the ball past Van der Sar.
Suddenly the game was open again and a revitalised Verona threw men up front causing panic in Juve's defence.
In time added on Van der Sar saved the day for Juventus when the Dutch keeper tipped a goal-bound shot volleyed in by Melis over the bar.
After the game, Juve manager Carlo Ancelotti complimented the forward partnership of Trezeguet and Inzaghi, but said that Del Piero's first exclusion in five years was merely a part of his squad rotation policy.
"Today the two played well but they still need to work on co-ordinating their moves better," he said." No, I'm sure Del Piero is as capable of performing well as Trezeguet.
"We have four good strikers and I intend to play them according to what the conditions dictate. We played well in the first half and for the first part of the second. Then we faded a bit and allowed Verona back into the game.
"I still think this was the real start of Juve's Serie A season and now we hope to improve as we go along."
Ancelotti, a Roma fan and bastion of the Giallorossi in the glory days of the 1980s, was asked what result he wanted from the Roma-Fiorentina match on Sunday evening.
"That's the cruellest question that could have been asked," he said. "I just can't answer that one."
French striker Trezeguet remained diplomatic on the question of whether he thought he had finally convinced Ancelotti of his claim for a regular starting place.
"Of course, we players are always confident of our own abilities and we always want to play," he said. "But the decision is the manager's, so we'll just have to wait and see against Inter."
Juventus' other goalscorer Zinedine Zidane was pleased with a much-waited win.
"We badly needed the victory today," he said. "We are rebuilding the team spirit and today we saw some of the fruits of that effort."
"After being knocked out of the Champions' League, the Italian Cup and failing to qualify for the Uefa Cup, all we have left is the Serie A championship. So this is our objective and we have to put everything into it."
Juventus: Van Der Sar, Iuliano (Ferrara 73), Birindelli, Montero, Pesotto, Davids (O�Neill 81), Tacchinardi, Conte, Trezeguet, Zidane, Inzaghi (Zambrotta 63)
Verona: Ferron, Oddo, Cvitanovic, Laursen, Apolloni, Camoranesi (Melis 61), Italiano, Mazzola, Colucci, Mutu (68 Adailton), Gilardino (Cossato 81)
Yellow cards: Colucci, Zidane, Tacchinardi, Gilardino
Referee: Nucini
