Tim Trophy: Iaquinta Leads Juve Past Inter
A goal by Vincenzo Iaquinta allowed Juve to beat Inter in the second match of the Tim Trophy.In the second game of the Tim Trophy, Inter faced hosts Juventus who had just lost on penalties to Milan after a 2-2 draw.
In the 7th minute, they suffered another blow to their defensive department as Marco Materazzi was forced to withdraw due to an injury. The Nerazzurri already have Ivan Cordoba, Walter Samuel, and Christian Chivu unavailable due to injury for the center of the defence. Jose Mourinho replaced him with Dejan Stankovic, who was predictably ‘welcomed’ on the pitch by boos and whistles from the Juventus fans.
The first chance came in the 10th minute, when Cristian Molinaro crossed the ball in from the left and found Del Piero, whose shot was deflected out for a corner by Maxwell.
Around the 20th minute, Amauri also had a physical problem and was replaced by coach Claudio Ranieri with Vincenzo Iaquinta in order to avoid any risks.
In the 26th minute, Iaquinta gave Juve the lead with a cool finish after beating the offside trap on a long pass from the midfield.
Around the half hour mark, Maicon sent in a precise cross that nearly found Adriano, but Buffon came out well and punched the ball away (33’).
In the 39th minute, substitute Hernan Crespo was in a good position to score on a first-time pass by Amantino Mancini (one of the better performing Inter players in this game along with Adriano) from inside the area, but his header went well wide of the goal.
Three minutes later, Adriano came desperately close to scoring an equaliser but his header from point blank range was tipped over the bar by Gigi Buffon.
In injury time Juve came agonizingly close with a great free kick by Alex Del Piero which hit both posts before Julio Cesar grabbed hold of it. The game's most impressive player was Juve's 17-year-old starlet Fausto Rossi, who gave Maicon a torrid time down the left, and looks like a real prospect for the future.
The Bianconeri ended up winning the match deservedly as they looked in better shape than Inter, who still have to work on their team play. The Nerazzurri will now face Milan in the last game but they cannot win the tournament anymore.
These were the starting formations of the two teams:
INTER: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Burdisso, Materazzi, Maxwell; Zanetti, Vieira, Cambiasso; Balotelli, Adriano, Mancini.
JUVENTUS: Buffon; Zebina, Knezevic, Legrottaglie, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Ekdal, Rossi; Amauri, Del Piero.
Danilo Pochini
>>from : goal.com