BIRMINGHAM (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – A shell-shocked Juventus did what it could and returned from Birmingham with a valuable point in the bag. At Villa Park, the Bianconeri stopped Emery’s Aston Villa at 0-0, risking, however, to lose it in the final. Rogers’ goal at 94′ was in fact annulled for a foul by Diego Carlos on Di Gregorio. However, Motta’s boys played a decent game, defending neatly and then attacking on the flanks. Despite Weah’s generous performance, among Juve’s many absences, the lack of a number nine like Vlahovic, capable of acting as a reference, is definitely felt. The Juventus bench tonight counted only four movement players. After a rather colorless first half-hour, the game grew in pace, but it was mostly Aston Villa that let itself be preferred from the point of view of offensive quality. In 37′ Watkins, in the penalty area, stopped the ball and turned in a handkerchief, kicking powerfully, but finding a responsive Di Gregorio. In the recovery of the first half, the hosts again came close to taking the lead with Digne: the Frenchman’s free kick, however, hit the crossbar. On the other side, Juve was dangerous especially on the right lane, where Conceicao’s initiatives constantly kept the English rearguard anxious. In the second half, it is predominantly Aston Villa that plays the game, conceding, however, more space to the Bianconeri on the counterattack. The English threatened to be surprised even from spot kicks in 64′, but Martinez saved his teammates, making a crazy intervention. On Koopmeiners’ corner, the Argentine goalkeeper parried on the line Conceicao’s close-range header, deftly chipping in at the second post. This chance restored courage to Juve, which, however, just a minute later had to deal with yet another piece of bad news in recent weeks: Savona was in fact substituted with a muscle problem. The end of the match, however, is anything but quiet for the Juventus fans. From a spot kick, in the midst of recovery, Aston Villa found the 1-0 goal, later cancelled out by Gil Marzano with a few seconds left on the clock. The Spanish referee judged Diego Carlos’s obstruction of Di Gregorio’s exit as foul. With this draw, both teams remain firmly in the play-off zone. Juventus will return to the pitch on December 11 at home against Manchester City.
– photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
Shivering draw, Juve draws 0-0 at home to Aston Villa
