Goals. Attack. A sending-off. Bianconeri hate vs contempt for defensive calcio. Juventus - Catania was truly a match for the neutrals, although most with ties to Serie A were hoping the visitors could bring down the Old Lady. Instead it was the undefeatable Juventus that walked away with all three points. It started off so well for the rossazzurri, with Pablo Barrientos scoring in the fourth minute. But Andrea Pirlo equalized in the first half, and Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Quagliarella added their goals in the second.
Juventus Vs. Catania, 2012 Serie A: Juve Triumph Over 10-Man Catania
The home side were stunned when Catania scored so quickly, possibly because they’re used to visitors simply parking the bus and praying for a point. That’s not the style of Vincezo Montella’s side, and Barrientos showed why. He picked up the ball on the right side of the box and turned, setting up a left-footed, curling shot to the back post.
Around twenty minutes in, the bianconeri remembered there was a football match to be played and finally started to threaten, even forcing a goal line clearance from Mariano Izco. But it was Pirlo who stole the show, bending in a free kick to get his first goal for Juventus. Tomas Kosicky lent him a hand, the goalkeeper misplacing his wall and giving a glimpse of his inexperience.
There would be no more goals in the half, but both sides rattled the woodwork. Quagliarella, remembering just how much he loves scoring on Slovaks, hit the crossbar first, with Gonzalo Bergessio rattling Gigi Buffon’s frame just two minutes later.
The first half made it seem as though the second half would be just as thrilling, but Montella had other plans. With the score still 1-1 60 minutes in, he made defensive changes more typical of Antonio Conte. Francesco Lodi came off, replaced by defender Nicolas Spolli. But everything really fell apart when Marco Motta made a foolish challenge on Paolo De Ceglie, earning a second yellow and a sending-off.
And suddenly, Juventus loved their on-loan defender. His rash action meant it was only a matter of time before they were able to break through the Catania defense. Sure enough, it was another Pirlo free-kick that did it, although this time Chiellini got the goal, rising up to head the ball past Kosicky.
It was Kosicky, the poor builder of walls, who was at fault for the third goal as well, having thrown the ball directly at a Juventus player's feet. Quagliarella pounced, going one-on-one with the hapless Slovak as he rushed out to try and contain the damage. A cheeky chip and Quags had his goal. One can only assume that the head wound he sustained from Marco Storari in the celebration was a slight consolation for Kosicky.
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