La Juve raise the challenge. The 3-0 on Spezia worth a momentary third place in the standings, waiting for the others to make their move between tonight and tomorrow. Mission accomplished therefore, even if with many more worries than it was legitimate to expect on the eve. Suffice it to say that the Bianconeri came to terms with it only after a good hour, when the web designed by Italiano really seemed to be able to put them in difficulty. But woe to think that Spezia was only defense: the Ligurians created much more than a problem, so much so that, especially in the first half, they seemed anything but the sacrificial victims painted on the eve.
This time however Pirlo, despite the usual accident emergency, was able to get the rabbit out of the hat with the changes, transforming a complicated evening into a festive one. The 61st minute was decisive: Frabotta out and McKennie in Bernardeschi e Morata. The fruits were seen just 60” later, when Federico ran away on the offside edge and put a golden ball in the way, on which Alvaro pounced like a true striker. The lead unlocked Juve, who had hitherto been signaled by a post from Ronaldo at the end of the first half and little else. From then on, however, with Spezia forced to go out of balance to find a draw, the spaces multiplied, with the Juventus sprinters enjoying the benefits. One of them was Church, who scored a moment before leaving the field for Ramsey: the first shot was blocked by Provedel, the second inevitably ended up in the net, for the 2-0 Juve which ended all discussions (71').
And then, as always when Juve play, there is a game within the game, or the one that Ronaldo play against the opposing goalkeeper. Yesterday the Portuguese celebrated his 600th career league appearance, but above all he was chasing his 767th goal, just like the legendary Pelé. The post in the first half seemed to have ruined his evening, just like Provedel, who had denied him the goal from a free-kick, but then, a whisker from the 90th minute, the "right" counter-attack came: assist from Bentancur and left foot crossed to beat the La Spezia goalkeeper, lock down the result and score yet another great record. In the final there was also glory for Szczesny, attentive but essentially inactive up until then, who saved a penalty awarded to Galabinov for a foul by Demiral on Gyasi.
"The tiredness after so many games with the same men makes itself felt, so we weren't brilliant, we tried to manage the game a bit - commented Pirlo – Then in the second half, with the substitutions, with slightly fresher players, we managed to give a little more push. Morata is fundamental for us”.
No goals instead in Rome between Lazio and Turin, indeed no match and this, as we anticipated on the eve, was certainly no surprise, as was, unfortunately, yet another bad impression of our football, unable, for the umpteenth time, to manage a complicated situation without getting lost in the usual , sad, little theater. That the match would not be played had been clear for days, in the light of a provision by the Turin ASL which left no room for any interpretation. There was time to find a solution, yet the Lega Calcio preferred to stick with an obviously outdated regulation, both from logic (how could the Bull have reached Rome if he had to stay in solitary confinement until midnight yesterday?) and from the courts.
The Juventus-Napoli precedent, in fact, makes yesterday's drama (Lazio and referees on the pitch waiting for nothing) downright grotesque, so much so that the Sports Judge, unlike what was done in October, could choose to don't even approve the 3-0 at the table, just to shorten the times of the inevitable repetition on the field. “The choice of the League speaks for itself,” he thundered Cairo in the afternoon, when the Council had unanimously decided on the non-deferral. “I could say many things but I won't, we are just respecting the regulation,” Tare replied in the evening. The fact is that the match was not played and that the 3-0 at the table, perhaps, will not even be given in the first instance. So, pray tell, why not avoid such a figure from the outset, the umpteenth this season, in front of the whole world?
