It was a game of firsts for Juventus, as Howedes made his competitive
debut for the club and another summer signing found the back of the net for the
first time in 173 competitive matches. For most of the first half Crotone
frustrated the bianconeri with their compact defending, as Juventus failed
numerous times to break the deadlock, Douglas Costa creating two early chances within
the opening ten minutes, Matuidi hitting his effort wide of goal after running
into the Crotone box, whilst Costa's whipped cross failed to assist, as no one
was able to get on the end of it. 25 minutes in and Juventus debut-ant Howedes
marked his return from injury with a bloody nose, after connecting with Budimir
elbow when going for a high ball. Juventus would end the first half with 81% possession
but without a goal to their name with game goalless at the break.
It didn’t take long for Juventus to finally get the goal that they had been looking for, as Mario Mandzukic headed in a cross from Barzagli
into the net on the 51st minute to make it 1-0 early on. The flood
gates seemed to open for Juventus as Crotone spirited first half defending fell
apart, De Sciglio taking advantage soon after coming on from the bench to score
his first professional goal, and what a goal it was, De Sciglio connected perfectly
with the ball to deliver a rocket of a shot from outside the penalty area making
it 2-0 before the hour mark. 10 minutes later Pjanic would cross low in front
of the Crotone goal, goal keeper Cordaz would get a touch on the ball only to
palm the ball onto the feet of Benatia who tapped the ball into an empty net
for 3-0. The night would be so quiet for Buffon that he wouldn’t have to be
called into action until the 74th minute, making his first save of
the night to prevent Budimir’s effort towards the bottom corner.
Thoughts: De Sciglio goal was as stunning as it was
unexpected, powerful & accurate, well worth going out your way to see
again. Crotone defended well in the first half and at times made Juventus
really work hard in their attempts at finding a goal, the second half was a
completely different story as Juventus took an early lead and never looked in
doubt of ending the night without 3 points. Howedes made his debut after a
torrid time with injury since arriving, the German put in a good performance and
can be expected to continue to do so if he can avoid injury. Over all, good result
for Juventus ahead of the all-important Napoli fixture.
Full Time Result: Juventus 3-0 Crotone
Goal Scorers: Mandzukic (52), De Sciglio (60), Benatia (71)
No comments:
Post a Comment