The exclamation point on the Scudetto! Juventus' victory over Napoli certifies what had been in the air for some time, namely the conquest of the Italian flag, the eighth in a row, by the bianconeri. Of course, the mathematics are still missing for the official party but the 16 points advantage (17 considering the direct clashes) is enough and more to consider any discussion closed.
The Azzurri still regret the many points lost on the street previously and also yesterday evening, when a draw, in the light of what we saw on the San Paolo lawn, would undoubtedly have been the fairest result. But football, as we know, is not boxing: here you only win by scoring one more goal than your opponent, not just by playing better.
Juve can thus celebrate, albeit in moderation: the problems seen in this first quarter of 2019 also manifested themselves yesterday and this, in light of the increasingly imminent return with Atletico Madrid, does not allow for peaceful sleep. If the match in Naples could be considered a test in view of the Champions League, the responses weren't particularly positive, on the contrary: the Lady, after a first half ended 2-0, ended up suffering a lot and managed to bring home the 3 points only thanks to Insigne, unfortunate in missing the 2-2 penalty a few minutes from the end.
Crazy match that of the San Paolo, in which everything really happened: three goals, two expulsions, a penalty and the usual, inevitable, controversies. The episodes were decisive, starting with the first which took place in the 25th minute when Meret, in an attempt to remedy a crazy back pass by Malcuit, committed a foul on Ronaldo, prompting Rocchi to draw the red card.
“It's a very controversial episode – growled Ancelotti – He certainly didn't touch him, I don't think it's an attempt to make a foul even if I can accept that he's booed. Then there are considerations to be made on where the ball goes and on the distance of Allan, the closest man. Since we have the Var, the referee had to go and see him. It is not certain that Ronaldo would have returned to the ball, which was going towards the flag".
In short, Napoli was furious, especially since the resulting free-kick (in any case fair regardless of the touch: according to the regulation, to call a foul, as long as there is the intention to commit it) Pjanic's goal arrived (28'), who broke the embankments of the game. The Azzurri did not lose heart and came close to equalizing with Zielinski (sensational post in Szczesny beaten), but then they conceded the 2-0 with a header from Emre Can following a corner (39'), closing the first half down by two goals and a man.
Not the best way to think about reopening games, unless a Juve player gets thrown out at the start of the second half, giving new life to the ambitions of a wounded, not dead team. This is the case of Pjanic, who already booked was expelled for a naive handball in midfield, restoring numerical parity. Juve, already inclined to control matches rather than close them, holed up in their own trocar, ending up suffering Ancelotti's team beyond all logic. Who, in the 61st minute, completely reopened the match thanks to a paw from Callejon, who was very good at getting in on Insigne's cross and killing Szczesny.
San Paolo all on its feet, Naples with blood in its eyes and Juve even more holed up: the next half hour, minute by minute, took place with this script. For the biggest occasion, however, we had to wait for the 84th minute when Rocchi punished Alex Sandro's arm touch with the penalty: Insigne went to the spot but, despite his great technical skills, sent the ball badly onto the post. Thus it was Juventus who won, albeit at the end of an enormous suffering that does not bode well thoughts in view of the Champions League.
"Being plus 16 with direct matches in your favor is a great advantage for us, but for the math we still have to wait - commented Allegri - In the second half I fell asleep, I had to remove Pjanic immediately after the yellow card, then it came the second and there we lost the order. They had strength, San Paolo pushed them, after the missed penalty it was over. In Europe, however, it will be different, lucidity and coolness will be needed but also a lot of patience: even if we were 0-0 in the 70th minute we still wouldn't be eliminated…".
Management of emotions and balanced attacks, a tactic which, barring cataclysms, will bring the eighth consecutive championship to the bulletin board. For the Champions League, on the other hand, it risks not being enough but the answer, in any case, will arrive in a few days.
