Juventus wins, Napoli responds. The leitmotif of the championship was also repeated on the 30th day, thus confirming an increasingly exciting battle for the championship. Two hard-fought successes for both, but with very different post-match matches: in fact, if no discussions of any kind emerged from the San Paolo, the same cannot be said of the Olimpico in Turin, which has turned into a veritable hornet's nest of controversy.
Blame Rizzoli's refereeing, completely inadequate despite the excellent credentials of the referee in question, capable of serious and probably decisive errors. Above all, a goal disallowed by Maxi Lopez on 2-1 Juve, but also the failure to send off Alex Sandro (already booked) on the occasion of the penalty awarded to the grenade.
“It hurts to lose like this – Ventura vented. – In addition to that of the Brazilian, Bonucci is missing a red light, furthermore our goal was regular and could change the whole game. Everything that comes after is just talk: in the 60th minute we had to be 2-2 and with one more man”.
“I've never talked about the referees and I don't want to start now, especially after what happened in Monaco – Allegri retorted. – We deservedly won and it wasn't easy, the blow in the Champions League could have weighed but it wasn't like that." In short, the direction of Rizzoli remains above all the derby della Mole, and this despite a game full of ideas also on a technical level.
First of all, Buffon's record: Super Gigi managed to overtake Sebastiano Rossi and Belotti's goal did nothing but set the bar at 973', a new figure to beat for future goalkeepers. “I spent a restless night, I had a fever and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to play – revealed the Juventus number 1. – Obviously, however, I couldn't lose this match, both for personal and team reasons: I'm happy with the record but also with the victory, it was as difficult as it was important".
Indeed, the derby with Toro proved to be difficult, certainly more than what the final result says. The 1-4 doesn't do justice to the grenades, who were in the game for the entire second half despite a very bad first game. In the 33rd minute it was Pogba who unblocked him from a free kick (Padelli not flawless) and when Khedira doubled his lead in the 42nd minute, many thought it was a game without a history.
But then, in the second half, the proverbial Toro heart re-emerges: first the penalty from Belotti (48 '), then the goal disallowed by Maxi Lopez for a non-existent offside. Morata took care of restoring the distances, author of a brace as a real number 9, with a particular predisposition for inside-out challenges. The sour note, in addition to the arbitration controversies, comes from Paulo Dybala: the Argentine, lined up as a starter by surprise (and, in the light of the facts, with little foresight) by Allegri, suffered a muscle problem and had to leave the field after just 32'.
Juve's victory made a similar response from Napoli indispensable and the Azzurri, albeit with a few worries too many, were ready. At the San Paolo, however, it was Genoa who took the lead, the fault of the umpteenth defensive distraction of the Sarri gang, hit cold just like against Chievo in their last appearance in that of Fuorigrotta.
The 0-1 by Rincon forced Napoli into a comeback game, played on the edge of nerves and emotions. Perin's door appeared haunted for a long time, then, as always this season, Gonzalo Higuain took the chair. Pipita first scored the equalizer with a robbery goal (51'), then signed the 2-1 with a splendid right-footed shot that blew up the San Paolo (81'). El Kaddouri's final goal (92') only reaffirmed what everyone has known for some time: the Azzurri have no intention of abandoning their dream of the Scudetto.
“I want to keep thinking game after game – glossed over Sarri. – I don't like going behind, I hope this whole comeback thing doesn't become a habit. In any case we are having an extraordinary championship, we are 3 points behind a team that has made 58 out of 60 in the last few games. Juventus? They told me they disallowed a regular goal against Turin but I'm being honest, I didn't see anything."
A beautiful and good dribbling on the controversies, as if to say that after all, with this Napoli, there is no need to think about anything other than the pitch.
