Tevez decides the Turin Derby

Monday February 24 2014

Carlos Tevez decided the Derby della Mole for Juventus, but Torino were denied a late penalty on Omar El Kaddouri.

This was perhaps the most evenly-matched Turin Derby for decades, as the Granata were flying high in joint sixth place. The Bianconeri were also fatigued after Thursday’s Europa League 2-0 victory over Trabzonspor, but hadn’t lost this fixture since April 1995. Giorgio Chiellini, Mirko Vucinic and Simone Pepe were sidelined, but Andrea Barzagli returned after a calf problem. Ciro Immobile started against the club that co-owns his contract and already netted 13 in Serie A this season. Salvatore Masiello pulled out during the warm-up, replaced by Giovanni Pasquale.

Juve had conceded in each of the last six rounds, whereas Toro had five clean sheets during the same period.

Alessio Cerci robbed Kwadwo Asamoah to spark a counter, but Jasmin Kurtic’s cross-shot was between Ciro Immobile and the upright. Daniele Padelli smothered a long-range Andrea Pirlo snapshot, but Omar El Kaddouri threatened with a lob over the bar from Immobile’s assist.

Padelli got down well to parry a Carlos Tevez strike from the edge of the box, but Arturo Vidal was booked after 13 minutes and will be suspended for next week’s showdown with Milan.

Immobile ran on to an El Kaddouri slide-rule pass and hit the side-netting, but he thumped it so hard that the support broke and play was halted for a few minutes while it was fixed.

Pirlo tried to turn a free kick under the wall, but it didn’t jump sufficiently to let the ball through. The midfield maestro took a different tack from a tight angle, curling his set play just over the bar.

Jasmin Kurtic got on the end of a Mattia Darmian pull-back only to volley over from 10 yards in a good chance for the Granata.

Juventus broke through moments later, as Tevez controlled Asamoah’s pass just outside the box and flicked it into the air as he turned round, immediately smashing it into the near bottom corner of the net. Apache seemed to have a radar for where the goal was, even when facing the other way.

Gigi Buffon smothered a Kamil Glik header from a corner, while Padelli punched away another Pirlo free kick. Cesare Bovo blasted a free kick over the bar after Vidal’s handling offence risked a second yellow.

Tevez came back out for the second half with strapping to his hand, as he had a suspected dislocated little finger. Darmian tried to surprise Buffon from 35 metres and Leonardo Bonucci charged down a Cerci effort, but both teams slowed the tempo down considerably.

Padelli performed a save on Llorente, who was offside anyway, and Bonucci was booked for felling El Kaddouri on the edge of the box. The Napoli-owned midfielder took it himself, curling over the bar.

Buffon caught Immobile’s deflected shot and moments later a lucky ricochet sent Tevez clear, but Padelli bravely charged him down from six yards.

Vidal again risked a second booking, so Antonio Conte rushed to replace him with Claudio Marchisio.

There was controversy on 80 minutes when El Kaddouri was tripped by Pirlo in the penalty area, but the referee had a great view of the incident and waved play on. The Toro man’s stuttering run might’ve confused the official, making it seem as if he was leaving his leg hanging there to find contact, as well as a rather overblown fall.

Juventus began to look tired in the closing stages as Toro poured forward.

Source: Football-Italia.net

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