Archive for February 1st, 2009

Juventus 2-3 Cagliari: Biondini, Jeda, and Matri Making Rossoblu History (Serie A Matchday 22)

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

You know, punters have always given great importance to statistical records. winning streaks and whatnot, but I always say “there’s always a first time” and that “records are meant to be broken“. As much as it feels great when it happens to the good guys (i.e. you, or the team you are cheering for), you’re left with nothing but a feeling of confusion & emptiness when it happens to your opponent. Juventus vs. Cagliari was the latter.

41 years exactly, back to the year of the Lord 1968. While students in Paris were rioting and bringing down the French government, Helmut Haller, Roberto Boninsegna and Gigi Riva had travelled to Turin, in order to get the last recorded Cagliari victory on Juventus soil. The last until Saturday evening, when Biondini, Jeda, and Matri emulated their glorious ancestors and pushed Del Piero & friends against the ropes. After their mid-week loss to Udinese, the Bianconeri may want to quickly strike the last five days from their collective memories. Or at the very least make an useful lesson out of them: the Serie A can be tricky and there are no “safe” matches.

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Napoli 2-2 Udinese: 45 Minutes of Brilliance, 45 Minutes of Boredom (Serie A Matchday 22)

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

…and Fabio Quagliarella. At the end of the day the main story of Napoli vs. Udinese, without a doubt, will be the Udinese striker’s fantastic 2-2 tally. The kind that Quagliarella has been known to do, the kind that has made us fall in love with this great player: side volley from outside the box, no chance for the opposing keeper.

And as much as Fab Quagl’s goal wonderfully capped the end of an exciting 45 minutes, Napoli vs. Udinese ended at half-time. The score did not change further in the second period and sealed the draw (more or less satisfactorily) for the two teams: Napoli halted their 3-game losing streak while Udinese, after their great mid-week performance vs. Juve, confirmed to be back in the driver’s seat.

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