Khvica ruined an unreal moment with Juve. And Allegri’s team punished Naples perfectly
Anatoly Romanov December 9, 2023, 01:02 Moscow time
Now the Kvaratskhelia Club can forget about the championship: the difference with the first place is already 12 points.
Juventus beat Napoli and moved 12 points away from the Italian champions. For the Neapolitans it is the third defeat in the last four rounds of Serie A.
Massimiliano Allegri and Walter Mazzari’s teams played to their strengths, which Juventus and Napoli do not have. The locals gave up the ball and part of the territory, defending with a low or medium block. The Old Lady mainly pressed when the Neapolitans played the ball away from the goal and, usually, in important matches she relied on quick counterattacks. The guests controlled the ball (approximately 70% of the time) and before the break they far surpassed the opponent in passes in the middle zone (twice) and in the opposite third of the field (three times).
Fans who bought tickets for the stands furthest from the coaches’ benches were guaranteed double the pleasure in the first half. Normally the game took place there. Napoli pushed a group of players towards the right flank, where they tried to create a numerical advantage, combined and opened the defense through the barriers to the third. Juventus left back Kostic and the defenders and midfielders who assisted him were properly equipped. But the most dangerous counterattacks by Allegri’s team went through the home team’s left wing. The best chance was wasted by Vlahovic, who freely received the ball 10 meters from the goal and shot at the defender who was covering the goal.
In the last round, the Italian champion was defeated by Inter
Inter beat Napoli beautifully with Khvicha. All scoring attacks are masterpieces!
But what two opportunities Napoli had in the first half: fabulous! One day, Juventus suddenly gave in to the pressure, failed a counterattack, and Osimhen faced Kvaratskhelia one-on-one with Szczesny. Khvicha was completely alone when he received the ball in a semicircle. But the Polish goalkeeper, flying through the goal, scared the Georgian winger and he simply missed. Due to the offensive error, the former Loko and Rubin player became nervous: he threw the ball behind Gatti’s back, reacting to a slight provocation. And Szczesny once again showed his class when, after a set piece and a rebound, he saved Di Lorenzo’s point-blank shot from the goal line. Szczesny is the hero of these 45 minutes.
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In the second half, Juventus had the first shot. Even two at a time. First, Vlahovic hit the post in an episode after which the referee recorded a non-obvious offside. If the Serbian had scored, perhaps the control would have changed referee Daniele Orsato’s decision and the goal would have been counted. And a couple of minutes later, Juventus scored cleanly. It all started with a rule. Cambiaso was allowed to take the ball with surprising freedom and cross from the right half-back, and in the area Gatti beat Rrahmani and the others to the air. A powerful debut gave the Turin team a well-deserved goal.
Video rights belong to National Sports Channel LLC. You can watch the video on the Match TV page on VKontakte.
“Napoli” failed and got confused. It is not the first time this season that the Italian champion has had problems with his ability to take a hit. After the departure of Luciano Spalletti, the team lost something more important than the individual details of the game. The “Old Lady” had free space for quick counterattacks, Juventus could score more and win a penalty (but most likely there would be no handball foul). The Neapolitans recovered with Osimhen’s goal, scored in an obvious offside position. But Szczesny’s mistake in putting the ball into play seemed to energize Mazzarri’s teams with new energy.
In the end, Napoli pressed as hard as they could against Juventus’ massive defense. But they tortured every moment. One of them was created thanks to the dribbling of Khvicha, who beat several rivals and went on the attack. Di Lorenzo did not score. Overall, this was not the best match for Kvaratskhelia, who had 51 touches on the ball, three shots (zero on goal), one pass and five dribbles. Napoli finally beat Juventus by 13:11, but only hit once, while the Turin team hit twice. Allegri’s team won in their characteristic style.
