Serie A

Juve fall to Reggina


Reggina forward Nicola Amoruso (R) scores a penalty past Juventus goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi (C) during their Serie A match at the Oreste Granillo Stadium on Saturday.Photo: AFP

A controversial penalty in the third minute of injury time gave relegation-threatened Reggina a shock 2-1 win over Juventus on Saturday and dented the Turin giants' push for a Champions League place.
Juve went into the match on a high after their 2-1 win over Roma last weekend and seemed to be on course for a point before their trip to Reggina unravelled.
Momo Sissoko, making his first start since his switch from Liverpool, was unluckily punished for kicking former Juventus striker Nicola Amoruso in the shoulder as he tried to clear.
A penalty was awarded and Amoruso sent ex-Reggina keeper Emanuele Belardi the wrong way.
Franco Brienza had given the home side a 32nd minute lead when he sprang the offside trap to beat Belardi with a low drive.
But veteran striker Alessandro del Piero levelled in the 71st minute when his shot squirmed beneath the body of Andrea Campagnolo in the Reggina goal.
Juve's night got even worse in the moments after the last minute penalty when Cristiano Zanetti protested the decision and was sent off.
Juventus remain in third place with 47 points, 12 behind runaway leaders Inter Milan and one point behind Roma but they have played a game more.
"The players are very upset, they ran so hard and worked so much," said Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri who was critical of a number of decisions made by the referee.
"We knew it was going to be tough this year and we just have to keep going through it all. We managed to equalise and always play to win, but we didn't manage it and lost."
Reggina coach Renzo Ulivieri sympathised with his counterpart.
"The result may well be harsh on Juve, considering how they played and how many chances they had. But my team battled hard, defended well and took home an important result," said Ulivieri.
In Saturday's other game, Juve's city rivals Torino came back from 4-1 down to grab a 4-4 draw at home to Parma.
On Sunday, Inter travel to Sampdoria shorn of the likes of Walter Samuel and Olivier Dacourt while Patrick Vieira and Luis Figo are only just starting to play again.
Adding to Inter's problems is the knee injury setback suffered by Ivan Cordoba in the Champions League defeat against Liverpool.
Second-placed AS Roma face a tough match at home to fourth-placed Fiorentina.

Comments

Serie A

Juve fall to Reggina


Reggina forward Nicola Amoruso (R) scores a penalty past Juventus goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi (C) during their Serie A match at the Oreste Granillo Stadium on Saturday.Photo: AFP

A controversial penalty in the third minute of injury time gave relegation-threatened Reggina a shock 2-1 win over Juventus on Saturday and dented the Turin giants' push for a Champions League place.
Juve went into the match on a high after their 2-1 win over Roma last weekend and seemed to be on course for a point before their trip to Reggina unravelled.
Momo Sissoko, making his first start since his switch from Liverpool, was unluckily punished for kicking former Juventus striker Nicola Amoruso in the shoulder as he tried to clear.
A penalty was awarded and Amoruso sent ex-Reggina keeper Emanuele Belardi the wrong way.
Franco Brienza had given the home side a 32nd minute lead when he sprang the offside trap to beat Belardi with a low drive.
But veteran striker Alessandro del Piero levelled in the 71st minute when his shot squirmed beneath the body of Andrea Campagnolo in the Reggina goal.
Juve's night got even worse in the moments after the last minute penalty when Cristiano Zanetti protested the decision and was sent off.
Juventus remain in third place with 47 points, 12 behind runaway leaders Inter Milan and one point behind Roma but they have played a game more.
"The players are very upset, they ran so hard and worked so much," said Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri who was critical of a number of decisions made by the referee.
"We knew it was going to be tough this year and we just have to keep going through it all. We managed to equalise and always play to win, but we didn't manage it and lost."
Reggina coach Renzo Ulivieri sympathised with his counterpart.
"The result may well be harsh on Juve, considering how they played and how many chances they had. But my team battled hard, defended well and took home an important result," said Ulivieri.
In Saturday's other game, Juve's city rivals Torino came back from 4-1 down to grab a 4-4 draw at home to Parma.
On Sunday, Inter travel to Sampdoria shorn of the likes of Walter Samuel and Olivier Dacourt while Patrick Vieira and Luis Figo are only just starting to play again.
Adding to Inter's problems is the knee injury setback suffered by Ivan Cordoba in the Champions League defeat against Liverpool.
Second-placed AS Roma face a tough match at home to fourth-placed Fiorentina.

Comments