Juve Held As Lecce Batten Down The Hatches
LECCE, Italy, Sept 22 (AFP)
Italian league leaders Juventus were held to a dour 0-0 draw at Lecce Saturday evening, the first time the side from Turin has failed to win a competitive match this season.
It was a dire encounter with the hosts stifling Juve from the start and with chances few and far between at either end, but it will be another welcome point for Lecce, the only southern club left in the Italian first division and still unbeaten after four matches.
Lecce, based in Puglia on the 'heel' of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, made the better start at the Stadio Via del Mare and in the opening minutes, their Uruguayan striker Javier Ernesto Chevanton shot wide when well placed to score after he sprung the Juve offside trap.
Juve spurned their own chances-- Lecce goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti palmed a Marcelo Salas header over the bar while Gianluca Zambrotta failed to hit the target.
Chimenti made another fine save in the closing minutes from Zambrotta but Juve never really looked like scoring.
The only notable incident in the match came in injury time when Lecce defender Alberto Savino and Juve's Uruguayan stopper Paolo Montero were both sent off.
Lecce coach Alberto Cavasin had clearly adopted a defensive game plan for this match, hoping for at least a repeat of the 0-0 result between the clubs in Turin last May that went a long way to helping AS Roma win the title at Juve's expense.
Cavasin's opposite number Marcello Lippi had omitted Alessandro Del Piero from the starting line-up, pairing Frenchman David Trezeguet with Chilean Salas.
Del Piero made a belated appearance in the 83rd minute as a replacement for Salas but could not find the opening.
Juve's slip-up will allow Milan clubs AC and Inter to go level on points at the top when the remaining weekend games are played.
Inter travel to Juve's Stadio Delle Alpi home to play Torino while AC Milan host Lazio in a match where visiting coach Alberto Zaccheroni will make his debut against the club he led to the Italian first division title three seasons ago.
