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03.03.2019 » Napoli 1-2 Juventus. One step closer to the title!
Juventus had a great chance to almost seal the deal in the Serie A title fight tonight, as they visited the San Paolo to face their rivals Napoli, knowing that a win would allow them to go 16 points on top of the "Gli Azzurri". With that in mind, Allegri made very few rotations to his team and was happy to pull of the result he was looking for, even though the overall performance was a bit disappointing. Napoli got defeated by Juventus by 1-2, but the hosts were clearly the better side on the pitch this Sunday night. The game had plenty of incidents, including one red card to each side and a controversial penalty call to Napoli. Nevertheless, the Binaconeri resisted the second half charge and left Naples with the 3 points in the bag.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Napoli vs Juventus
Napoli 1-2 Juventus - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Napoli:
Game over in the Serie A
It's almost safe to say it's "game over" in the Serie A this season. The title fight seems like a done deal for Juventus, who are now very close to wrap their 8th consecutive league title in Italy, the first with Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks. And for those still thinking about gambling in 777 Casino, it might be a good idea to forget that plan and simply go all-in on Juventus winning the silverware next May. It's so certain that we can't even call it gambling anymore. The triumph earned tonight was, however, quite unfair for the hosts, who battled more the entire game and showed a better organization on the pitch. For now and for what matters most, Juve snatched the 3 points from Napoli's own backyard and have now a 16-point lead that makes it almost impossible for anyone to think in a different scenario other than seeing Juventus becoming champions for another year.
With only 12 fixtures left in the season in Italy, Juventus can comfortably shift down a gear in the Serie A and focus almost exclusively in the UEFA Champions League. Their next game in Europe against Atletico de Madrid will be their most important one this season so far and Allegri should know that better than anyone else. If Juve fails to go through to the next round, it's going to be a massive blow in the Bianconeri's dreams.
Tonight in Naples, Allegri played again in 4-4-2, leaving Dybala on the bench and ordering Matuidi and Bernardeschi to play close to the sidelines. One immediate consequence of this type of strategy is that the team lacked the necessary creativity to create dangerous plays upfront...
Set-pieces made the difference
Napoli hadn't conceded a single goal in their last 5 league games, but tonight against Juventus they knew any mistake would cost them dearly. And that's precisely what happened around the 25th minute of the first half, when Cristiano Ronaldo was fast to react and intercept a bad pass from Malcuit, just before he got tackled down when going past Napoli's goalkeeper, Meret. The referee watched the replay after hearing the VAR and decided to award Juventus a dangerous free-kick and send off Meret.
The free-kick allowed Pjanic to score yet another set-piece goal in his career, as his shot went straight into the back of the net to put Juventus on the lead. Without really making much to deserve it, the visitors were in front and playing with an extra man.
Juventus would then get their second goal of the night still before the half-time break, and once again from a set-piece play. This time, a corner-kick taken by Bernardeschi allowed Emre Can to score from a header and give Juventus a comfortable 2-goal lead...
In the second half, Napoli really managed to throw Juventus against the ropes, especially after seeing Pjanic being sent off for a totally unnecessary handball near the midfield line. The hosts suffocated Juve defensively and it was depressing to see how Massimiliano Allegri's men weren't capable of shaking off the pressure and control the game. Fortunately for the Italian champions, Napoli were unable to get the equalizer and Juventus won 2-1.
Juventus line-up vs Napoli:
Goalkeeper: Szczesny
Defenders: Alex Sandro, Chiellini, Bonucci, João Cancelo
Midfielders: Pjanic, Can, Matuidi, Bernardeschi
Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo, Mandzukic.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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||
|---|---|---|
Napoli
|
vs
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Juventus
|
1 |
Goals |
2 |
21 |
Shots |
6 |
5 |
Shots on goal |
3 |
12 |
Corner kicks |
4 |
10 |
Fouls commited |
14 |
3 |
Yellow cards |
6 |
1 |
Red cards |
1 |
63% |
Ball possession |
37% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus is on March 8 of 2019 against Udinese. You can watch Juventus vs Udinese, Real Madrid vs Ajax, Leganes vs Levante, DC United vs Atlanta United, Los Angeles FC vs Sporting Kansas City, and Derby County vs Wigan, all matches provided from our football live game pages.
Juventus next game:
Juventus vs Udinese kick-off time (08-03-2019):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:30
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:30
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 01:00
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 19:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:30
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:30
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / juventus.com / whoscored.com / gazzetta.it
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