Italian Serie A, Round 22: Juventus Lose 2-1 To Udinese To Finish The Weekend

The first half provided very little in the way of chances, with Juventus forcing the first save after 38 minutes of play. Fortunately for football fans, the second half provided many more sparks. Udinese took control of the match and dominated possession for the first fifteen minutes, which made it that much more surprising when the home side scored the first goal of the game. And what a goal! Marchisio’s overhead kick left Samir Handanovič with nothing to do but watch as the ball sailed into the back of the net.

One point’s never enough when a team senses three are possible, and Udinese could smell a win, or possibly it was simply the odor of the air of defeat that hung around the Juventus players. The last ten minutes were frantic, yet it seemed inevitable that the visitors would find the winner. And there it was, in the 85th, Alexis Sánchez combining with fellow Chilean Mauricio Isla to put the ball in the back of the net.

Although Juventus had a bit more confidence about the for the first five minutes after Claudio Marchisio scored the opener for the home side, it took just seven minutes for Udinese to send in the equalizer. Udinese sent in the corner for Juventus to head away, but the ball fell directly at the feet of Antonio Di Natale. The Old Lady breathed a sigh of relief as the stinging shot was saved by Gigi Buffon, but unfortunately for the home support, the keeper pushed the ball to the feet of Cristián Zapata. Zapata knocked the ball in from the center of the box, putting Udinese straight back in the match.

Just three minutes later, Di Natale was subbed off, replaced by Almen Abdi. Francesco Guidolin’s 3-4-3 lasted about five minutes, with the coach reverting back to the 3-5-2, with Alexis Sánchez and Germán Denis up top. With ten minutes left, can Juventus regain the lead against the dangerous Udinese?

Even those who don’t support Juventus must admit that the opening goal from Claudio Marchisio was a beautiful piece of work. Udinese had been dominating the match since the start of the second half, but Juventus capitalized on their first opportunity to string together a few passes. The ball ricocheted off the mass of tangerine shirts in front of the Udinese goal, and as it fell, so did Marchisio, executing a mouth-dropping overhead goal that left Samir Handanovič helpless as it dropped in the back corner of the net.

Eager to fight their way back into the match, Udinese have brought on Germán Denis for Gökhan Inler, shifting from a 3-5-2 into a 3-4-3 with the addition of the forward. Ever aware that a win over Juventus could take them over the Old Lady in the table, and into the European positions, Udinese are prepared to take almost any tack to get at least a point from this game.

Awful weather produces awful pitches which in turn produce awful football. Perhaps it’s not always the case, but for the most part, the first half of Juventus vs. Udinese has been marked by spills and slips rather than thrills and chills. While both teams have managed to find a shot on target, the most interesting part of the game has been the fact that the players seem convinced that, because they are hindered by the muddy pitch, it is now permissible to use their hands. Within five minutes, both Alexis Sánchez and Jorge Martinez were handed yellows for handling the ball.

Speaking of Sánchez, Juventus have done well to keep him quiet. Udinese aren’t showing the same spark that they have in the past few matches, possibly because many of their link up moves have broken down due to stumbles. On the other end of the field, Juventus have come agonizingly close, but Samir Handanovič has done well to get his hands (legally) on the ball. Enough pressure, however, and he’s bound to slip. Now that Juventus are putting pressure on Udinese rather than sitting back and defending, the question becomes: will Udinese’s defense give way after a multitude of shots, or will it be the visitors’ fast counterattack that undoes Juventus?

It wasn’t the greatest game in the world at the Olimpico, but Lazio have strengthened their hold on a UEFA Champions League qualification place with a 2-0 win over Fiorentina this afternoon. Lazio didn’t create any serious goal scoring opportunities until very late in the match, but Fiorentina failed to create any at all in a very poor performance.

No one for Fiorentina had a good game, so it’s impossible to pick out anyone to place blame on, but talented youngster Adem Ljajic’s performance stuck out a bit as particularly poor. He normally does a lot of creating for the Viola, and failed to do anything of the sort today.

Week 22 in Serie A brings very few must-watch matches, but Italy always has the potential to surprise. AC Milan could actually look their top-of-table selves against Catania. Bologna could pull off a surprise win against Roma. Inter Milan could continue their “revitalized” slide by falling to Palermo. But whatever you do, don’t miss the final game of the weekend, in which Juventus host Udinese. Regrets? You’ll likely have a few.

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