Champions, Villarreal-Juve 1-1, goals from Vlahovic and Parejo

The palindrome date (22/2/2022) brings good results to the newcomer Vlahovic, who scores the fastest goal of a player making his Champions League debut, after only 32 seconds. For Juve, however, the outcome of the match was less fortunate: the bianconeri remained in the lead and also in control of the game for 66 minutes, only to capitulate due to a chilling defensive error: Rabiot loses sight of Parejo, who is quick to slip into the area and electrocute Sczcesny with a flying left. At the Estadio de la Ceramica the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 ends 1-1 (remember that the away goal is no longer worth double); the second round is scheduled for March 16 in Turin.

Present and absent

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Allegri has to do without Chiellini, Rugani, Dybala and Bernardeschi, as well as Chiesa, with Pellegrini and Bonucci initially on the bench but not at the top. Instead, Emery must replace (with the fake nueve Lo Celso) his best striker, Gerard Moreno. On the opposite front, Vlahovic and Morata forward, with Cuadrado at the full range but in reality more busy making the fifth defense than the third in attack. In the middle is Locatelli, with Arthur and Zakaria on the bench. In defense, forced choices in men, not in the disposition, which sees Alex Sandro still central with De Sciglio on the left.

Lightning Vlahovic

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Ready to go, the rookie Vlahovic burns everyone on time, turning the first ball he touches in the Champions League into a goal: 32 seconds have passed, his right-footed shot from Danilo’s throw gives Juve the advantage. Then with his hand he makes the gesture of “blah blah”, a reaction perhaps more of pride than controversy. The Spaniards do not appear traumatized but immediately find the strength and anger to throw themselves forward: the first half will end with 63% of Villarreal possession, a percentage that tells of the Spanish tenacity and insistence, but does not photograph the good holding of the team. Juve, often crushed on two close lines (five in defense and three in midfield, with Morata who often retreats to give a hand), but also ready to catapult forward as soon as he regains possession of the ball. If the dribble exit is tiring, much more effective is the long throw way to look for the bank or Vlahovic’s sprint. The Spaniards therefore have a couple of chances left, with Lo Celso hitting the goalpost at Sczcesny beaten on 13 ‘, and a save by the Polish goalkeeper when Danjuma tries to heel after three minutes. On the Juventus side, Vlahovic offers a good ball to the limit to Locatelli who sends high, like Morata on an assist from McKennie. Juve therefore easily controls the Spanish reaction, without giving up the search for a double.

Parejo’s draw

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In the second half Alex Sandro gives his seat and captain’s armband to Bonucci, Villareal pushes but without the aggressiveness of the first 45 ‘, Juve defends themselves with order and calm, presses the Spanish sources of play and looks for interception to trigger the match. offensive action. As in the first half, the most frequent insertions in the Rulli area are those of McKennie, with Cuadrado anchored to more defensive clods because Pedraza is a tough opponent. De Sciglio tries to shuffle the cards by moving forward, now Juve’s center of gravity is more advanced but they lack speed to hurt. The Spaniards do not press, the Bianconeri arrive in the shooting area with ease but are unable to make themselves dangerous due to imprecision or poor quality in the last touch. Until in the 66th minute a huge defensive error allowed Parejo, all alone in the area, to beat Sczcesny with a lethal left-footed shot. De Ligt’s reaction was immediate, striking Rabiot, guilty of having “forgotten” the opponent to mark. The Frenchman is then cautioned. Perhaps he would be recalled by Allegri on the bench, but McKennie is hurt by the intervention of the newly entered Estupinan and so, in the 81st minute, Zakaria enters in place of the Texan, after Arthur had replaced Locatelli in the 71st minute. Vlahovic calls Rulli to a non-trivial intervention, Pellegrini takes over from De Sciglio victim of cramps, Juve suffers in the final but resists without too many risks, and the first round ends here.