13.01.2021 » Juventus 3-2 Genoa. The Bianconeri go through in the cup!
The Coppa Italia action is back to Turin this season and we can't really say the Vecchia Signora had an easy task in beating a modest Genoa side by 3-2. Despite having dominated possession and having created a lot more scoring opportunities, Juventus never really managed to get comfortable in tonight's game. The hosts were able to build a 2-goal lead during the first half, but allowed Genoa to react and get back in the game, forcing the Italian champions to play extra-time after a 2-2 draw at the end of regular time. At this point, guessing the winner was a pure gamble, almost as unpredictable as playing roulette on a site like Freeroulettedoc.com. Cristiano Ronaldo, who started on the bench, was subbed in for the final minutes of tonight's encounter and watched the winning goal on the pitch, when debutant Rafia made it 3-2 for Juventus in extra-time and qualified his side to the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Juventus vs Genoa
Juventus 3-2 Genoa - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Genoa:
A lot of rotations from both sides...
After seeing Milan, Inter and Napoli all struggling to beat their rivals in this round of the Coppa Italia, it seems it was time for Juventus to also have to suffer in order to go through in the competition. Their opponents, Genoa, who are placed 17th in the Serie A and have only won 3 games in the league this season, were hoping to surprise the Bianconeri tonight and judging from the way things unfolded throughout the match, they were very close to cause a shocking upset.
Having in mind the tight schedule ahead, Andrea Pirlo decided to rotate most of his important players in tonight's game. Buffon started in goal and the defense was formed by Chiellini, Demiral and Dragusin. In midfield, Juventus had plenty of presence as Arthur, Bentancur, Wesley, Bernardeschi, Portanova and Kulusevski took charge of the operations, while Álvaro Morata was chosen to be the main reference in the team's attack.
The opening goal was scored just a few moments after the referee blew his whistle for the kickoff, when Kulusevski received a pass from Chiellini that immediately put him 1-on-1 against Genoa's goalkeeper. The Swedish international kept his composure and easily buried his chance to give his side the first lead of the night. It was Kulusveski's 5th goal of the season and his first outside the Serie A.
Ronaldo came in to help secure the victory...
Everything was running smoothly for Pirlo's side and the team's second goal arrived naturaly, in the 23rd minute of the first half. This time, however, Kulusevski switched roles and assisted one of his teammates. The lucky one was Álvaro Morata, who didn't lose time to enter the opponent's box and easily beat Alberto Paleari for the second time on the night. The Spanish striker scored his 11th goal of the season, after a total of 18 appearances for the club so far.
With a 2-goal advantage and their opponent barely creating chances to even shoot at goal, few would believe Genoa could still have a word to say in this game. However, football always surprises and once again, the Bianconeri relaxed a bit too much and allowed their rivals to feed their hopes. The 2-goal lead was cut to one still before the break, when a great cross from Goldaniga met Czyborra inside Juventus box. The German left-back headed the ball into the low corner, giving Buffon very few chances to do anything at all in that situation.
Half-time came in and Pirlo certainly knew the game was far from being over, as Ronaldo had already started to warm up. The visitors were serious about surprising everyone tonight and they scored the equalizer in the 74th minute of the game, in a terrific shot from Melegoni. The Italian midfielder curled the ball into the top corner of Buffon's goal and forced the two teams to go into extra-time.
Pirlo decided to play Ronaldo in the 88th minute of the game and a few minutes later the Portuguese superstar made the difference in setting up the winning goal for the Vecchia Signora. The former Real Madrid forward distracted 3 defenders with his skills and tricks near the edge of the box, just before passing the ball to Morata on his left. The Spanish striker then found Rafia in the box and the Tunisian made sure to mark his debut game with his first goal for the club... 3-2 for Juventus and onto the next round of the Coppa Italia.
Juventus line-up vs Genoa:
Goalkeeper: Buffon
Defenders: Dragusin, Chiellini, Demiral
Midfielders: Wesley, Arthur, Bentancur, Bernardeschi,
Attackers: Portanova, Kulusevski, Morata.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
|
||
|---|---|---|
Juventus
|
vs
|
Genoa
|
3 |
Goals |
2 |
24 |
Shots |
13 |
13 |
Shots on goal |
3 |
10 |
Corner kicks |
6 |
12 |
Fouls commited |
17 |
2 |
Yellow cards |
5 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
59% |
Ball possession |
41% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus in the Serie A is on January 17, against Inter. You can watch Inter vs Juventus, Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao, Angers vs PSG, Fulham vs Chelsea, Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, and Lazio vs AS Roma, all matches provided from our footy live football game pages.
Juventus next game:
Inter Milan vs Juventus kick-off time (17-01-2021):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+6: 01:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+4.30: 00:15
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-5: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-8: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / juventus.com / beinsports.com / espn.co.uk
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