Juventus 0 - Deportivo La Coruna 0
Tuesday 19th February 2002
Italy striker Alessandro Del Piero missed a late penalty as Juventus were held to a scoreless draw in Champions' League Group D by Deportivo La Coruna at the Delle Alpi stadium on Tuesday.
The sides also ground out a goaless stalemate last February in Galicia in the 2001 edition and once again there was little to choose between them, with the Italians starting and finishing strongly but losing out in between.
The decisive moment came in the 72nd minute when Cesar uprooted Del Piero in the area. The striker stepped up to take the spotkick but Francisco Molina tipped the ball out for a corner.
Juve had wasted the best chance of the second half just minutes before when France forward David Trezeguet hit the post with a header following an inch-perfect cross from Del Piero.
The hosts had been close to the opener on six minutes when Del Piero and Trezeguet combined for the first time only for Molina to produce another delicate save.
The Liga side withstood the early pressure as Edgar Davids also threatened and Del Piero shot a free-kick straight at the Depor stopper.
Deportivo then had an opportunity of their own on 20 minutes when Gianluigi Buffon was forced to block a stinging shot from Scaloni. Valeron severely tested Buffon soon after.
Juve coach Marcelo Lippi added Gianluca Pessotto to bolster the midfield after the break but the Liga side still found a way through. Spain striker Diego Tristan was unlucky to see a fine curled effort saved on 53 minutes.
Juve
ntus: Buffon, Thuram, Ferrara, Iuliano, Pessotto
(Zalayeta 78); Zambrotta, Conte (Zenoni 78), Tacchinardi (Maresca 61), Davids, Trezeguet, Del Piero
Deportivo La Coruna: Molina, Naybet, Cesar, Hector,
Romero, Mauro Silva, Amavisca, Valeron (Duscher 67), Romero, Scaloni, Tristan (Pandiani 80)
Booked: Thuram, Conte (Juventus); Hector, Mauro Silva (Depor)
Referee: Hugh Dallas
