A severe lesson, a clear result that does not grant appeal. Juventus collapses at Stamford Bridge under the blows of the Blues, merciless from the start of the match until the final whistle. The Juventus first place in the Champions League slips away like this, with the signatures of Chalobah, James, Hudson-Odoi and Werner. A 4-0 that awakens Allegri’s men so far immaculate in the Champions League, who in the first leg had beaten the reigning European Champions in the group match. The passage of the round was already mortgaged, only the pole position was played in view of the second round. Speech postponed to the last day, but the hierarchies are overturned: the bianconeri are chasing. And the happy ending of this first round of the Big Ears Cup is no longer only in their hands.
Late night Juventus
antonio barillà
The first half
At the kick-off it is Chelsea who are striving, eager to overturn the hierarchies in command. The blues immediately became dangerous after 90 seconds with Kanté entering the penalty area wedged from the right, passing to Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi but the two from the heart of the area did not find the winning deviation. A minute after the first shot of the match, it is Chilwell who tries the shot from outside: high and weak ball. The minutes pass and the greatest dangers arrive from the English defenders, boarding towards the goal defended by the Pole: Rudiger advances into the area, but is stopped by Locatelli before the shot. From the corners, already three in just ten minutes, Chalobah just lacks precision to surprise Szczesny.
Juve without quality, game and mitigating circumstances against Chelsea. So no Champions League next year
Christian Rocca
The first reaction of Allegri’s men is well orchestrated and ends up on Morata’s feet, whistled by his former fans, who gets his shot blocked. It is the exact tenth minute and Juve has taken courage, as confirmed by the triangle between Cuadrado and McKennie that leads to the passage offered to Chiesa only in the middle of the penalty area: only a magical recovery by Jorginho to avoid the winning conclusion. The rhythms are very high, the game is full of reversals in front. At 24 ‘James shakes the game that had reached a moment of equilibrium: direct conclusion on goal from a tight angle, but Szczesny says no. And a minute later the balance is definitively broken: corner for the Blues, ball deflected by Rudiger – with a touch of his hand, but inside the drawn outline of his body in elevation – and Chalobah who appears in the heart of the area kicking in the mirror . Nothing to do for Szczesny, del Chelsea goal: Blues 1 Juventus 0.
The reaction of Juventus was not long in coming and the equal goal did not arrive by a matter of centimeters. Locatelli serves Morata good in the insertion between Thiago Silva and Rudiger, the last striker finds the winning lob that bypasses Mendy but Thiago Silva recovers with great strides and in a slip uproots the ball destined for the net. Nothing done, except Chelsea. At 37 ‘Rabiot makes a mistake at the exit, the Blues immediately find James wide on the left and the winger starts a southpaw on which Szczesny has to put his gloves on. Immediately after Kanté comes out with an injury, in Loftus-Cheek. In the end of the first half another thrill at Juve, Jorginho finds Hudson-Odoi who anticipates Cuadrado and is directed towards Szczesny’s goal. Only a monumental intervention by Bonucci saves the bianconeri from 2-0. After two minutes of recovery, the first half ends with a Juve boarding that leads to Bentancur’s right-footed shot that doesn’t go far from the intersection. 1-0 Chelsea.
The second half it doesn’t go as Allegri hoped. The first ring towards the opponent’s goal is still from Chelsea, with Hudson-Odoi burning Cuadrado and arriving in the area kicking towards Szczesny’s goal only when De Ligt is positioned between him and the mirror of the goal: the Dutchman’s wall and the ball in the corner. Chelsea collects another chance with a wrong pass by Bentancur at the exit, but Ziyech does not find the right moment to kick and Juve are saved.
It does not happen, however, on 9 ‘when James has another chance on the right and this time on the blow Szczesny does not save. Chelsea go 2-0 from the wing in which he dominated, with the James-Alex Sandro duel in which the Brazilian Juventus suffered already in the first 45 ‘. The collapse comes a little more than a minute later, still from those clods: James controls freely and serves in the area Loftus-Cheek who dribbles three opponents too easily. His passage to the left puts Hudson-Odoi in the easiest condition to score the Londoners’ three of a kind. Juve staggers, the 3-0 after 13 minutes of the second half is too difficult a slap to absorb. And for long minutes the bianconeri try to find the key to the problem lost when they return to the field.
Meanwhile, enter Dybala for Bentancur, Arthur for Locatelli – applauded by Allegri, who elects him best in the field – and Kean for Morata. You change to manage your forces, in search of new energy, rather than to straighten out a game that was born wrong for Allegri. In Chelsea outside Chilwell – injured after a clash with Rabiot – Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi, inside Azilicueta, Werner and Mount. The bianconeri do not find any reaction even from the feet of the star Dybala, who collects minutes in view of the next matches between the championship and the Champions League. In the final also Kulusevski and De Winter, outside Chiesa and Cuadrado. The 2002-born defender is making his absolute debut in official competitions with the first team, after an apprenticeship in the Under 23 (which he plays in Serie C), and his calling card is a fake on Werner outgoing. Seven minutes from the end, McKennie looks for the door on the development of a corner, but Mendy plows for a corner. The answer comes on the initiative of Zyech, who is close to Blues poker. He arrives at the photo finish, with Werner rapacious hitting a too distracted Juventus defense and already with his head on the next challenges. Chelsea 4, Juventus 0. Without appeal, the first place in the Champions League is currently in the hands of the Blues.
From the forerunner Vialli to the Conte bis: “London calling”, and the Italians respond
GIANLUCA ODDENINO
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