A draw in a hit. Szczęsny's unlucky touch

Napoli’s squad was in a deplorable state for the game against Juventus. However, Luciano Spalletti’s side showed character, took the lead and drew 1-1 despite their problems.

Sebastian Szczytkowski January 6, 2022, 10:45 PM

Getty Images / Stefano Guidi / In the photo: Diego Demme (P) and Manuel Locatelli (L)

Two Poles played from the beginning. The presence of Wojciech Szczęsny in the gate Juventus was not a surprise, but the game by Piotr Zieliński seemed impossible a few hours before the first whistle. Napoli’s midfielder was sent to quarantine, but the club’s representatives decided to issue him after consulting with medics and lawyers. The same was the case with Amir Rrahman and Stanislav Lobotka.

Juventus pressed early in the game, but neither Federico Chiesa nor Weston McKennie took advantage of the early goals created. The longer the first half lasted, the smaller the Bianconeri advantage was, and the Napoli players began to gain a voice.

The Azzurri went to Piedmont without a group of important players. The reasons for the absenteeism were injuries, coronavirus infections and appointments to the African Cup of Nations. This did not prevent the charges, also absent, Luciano Spalletti from taking the lead 1-0. In the 23rd minute, Dries Mertens danced in the Juve penalty area and worked out a place to fire a flat shot. Szczęsny had the ball on his fingers, but he did not parry it, and to make matters worse, he confused Matthijs de Ligt, who was trying to intervene in the line.

Juventus was shocked after Dries’ goal Mertens and was unable to provide an interesting answer in the first half. On the other hand, it smelled like Napoli’s second hit after a long-range shot by Piotr Zieliński. In the confrontation of the Poles, Szczęsny turned out to be better and parried the ball over the bar. Before the break, Dries Mertens’ free kick attempt, but he missed and 1: 0 remained.

SEE VIDEO: defense! This goal can be watched for hours

In the 54th minute, Federico Chiesa set the score 1: 1. The Juventus winger deprived Napoli of the advance with a blow from several meters. David Ospina had little chance of making an intervention, as he was confused by a ricochet from Stanislav Lobotka.

The Bianconeri’s advantage was to be the substitute bench. Paulo Dybala, Moise Kean and Dejan Kulusevski were waiting for it. That is why Napoli tried to reasonably manage their forces and temper Juventus. Massimiliano Allegri started introducing energetic players after the hour of the match, but they did not change the image of the competition as if by magic.

The endgame remained level. Napoli also attacked, which made Wojciech Szczęsny work. The Pole dealt with two shots by Dries Mertens. He remained vigilant and did not let the ball land at the nearer corner, so it ended up in a 1-1 draw. The result should be more satisfying to the players from Naples, who coped with the heavily oversized squad.

Juventus FC – SSC Napoli 1: 1 (0: 1)
0: 1 – Dries Mertens 23 ‘
1: 1 – Federico Chiesa 54 ‘

Lineups:

Juventus : Wojciech Szczęsny – Juan Cuadrado, Daniele Rugani, Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Sandro (75 ‘Mattia De Sciglio) – Weston McKennie, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot ( 66 ‘Rodrigo Bentancur) – Federico Chiesa (81’ Dejan Kulusevski), Alvaro Morata (75 ‘Moise Kean), Federico Bernardeschi (66’ Paulo Dybala)

Napoli: David Ospina – Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Je sus, Faouzi Ghoulam – Stanislav Lobotka (90 ‘Alessandro Zanioli), Diego Demme – Matteo Politano (76’ Eljif Elmas), Piotr Zieliński, Lorenzo Insigne – Dries Mertens (89 ‘Andrea Petagna)

Yellow cards: Sandro, Dybala (Juventus ) and Demme (Napoli)

Judge: Simone Sozza

The fourth game canceled on Thursday was the match between ACF Fiorentina and Udinese Calcio. Your local health authority has quarantined guest players due to multiple coronavirus infections.

ACF Fiorentina – Udinese Calcio (canceled )

Serie A