Posts Tagged ‘Mauro Camoranesi’

Juventus 3-3 Chievo: Harbinger of B&W Death, Thy Name is Sergio Pellissier (Serie A Matchday 30)

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Chievo's Sergio Pellissier reacts after scoring the equalizer in the final minutes of the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Chievo in Turin's Olympic Stadium, northern Italy, Sunday, April 5, 2009. The match ended 3-3. (AP Photo)

Bye bye Scudetto. Yet again.

There’s no point in denying it: seeing Juventus dig themselves out of their 2nd-place pit, and overtake Inter in a feat of extraordinary sporting grandeur, will not happen. I have ceased to believe in it. As illusory as that concept might have been for the past 2-3 months, I had continued to keep the faith: it was my duty as a Juventino. But after Sunday’s match vs. Chievo I just feel that fate is against us, and that the Serie A standings yo-yo has been going on for long enough. With 8 matches left to the end, Inter only need only 15 points to clinch their title. That’s 5 wins out of 8… you think the Nerazzurri can’t pull that off?

On the upside for Juve, the infirmary ward is slowly emptying itself: Zebina, C.Zanetti, and De Ceglie have all resumed full training and oh yes, there’s that little Ita-Argie guy. One Mr. Mauro German Camoranesi, the player the Bianconeri so crucially missed during their UCL campaign and who can change the face of a match in a flash: three (well, two and a half) assists Sunday, and 70 minutes of healthy playing time. It’s small potatoes, but a good way to recover from Sergio Pellissier’s hat-trick (bravo to him).

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Chelsea vs. Juventus: The PLAYERS

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

Chelsea vs. Juventus: The PLAYERS

Continuing to surf on La Gazzetta‘s “Serie A vs. EPL” wave, here are ALL THE PLAYERS from UEFA Champions League’s Chelsea vs. Juventus.

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Juventus 4-0 Reggina: Saint Bernards Needed in Turin… (Serie A Matchday 14)

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

There was one hell of a snowstorm in Northern Italy Saturday, and rescue operations are undergoing at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico. It seems that many Reggina players are still buried under the snow, something which down in Calabria they evidently don’t get to see a lot of. The same cannot be said for Juventus, who welcomed the powdery weather with open arms and proceeded to put an avalanche of goals past their Amaranto opponents.

The match was also particularly sweet for Alessandro Del Piero, who thanks to his 72nd minute penalty-kick achieved a total of 250 goals with Juventus. An historic milestone for the Bianconeri captain, and a great night for Juventus who after their 1-0 loss to Inter last week-end, get right back on track for the Scudetto race.

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Juventus 4-0 Artmedia: A Walk in the Turin Park… (UEFA Champions League Preliminary Round)

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

And you thought that Fiorentina’s return to Europe was a good one… The Juventino in me can’t help but grab this opportunity to say that whatever La Viola do well, the Bianconeri seem to do better. Ok that was a cheap shot and also completely gratuitous: different teams, different opponents, different levels of preparation. Still there is something disconcerting about the ease with which this Juventus team just brushed Artmedia Bratislava aside. I used the expression “pressed their opponents under their heel” in my Fiorentina-Slavia match report, but I feel something a little bit stronger and more explicit is required here.

How about “bashed their heads in with a big hammer”? Too strong? Just “steamrolled” will do then…

Champions League 2008-09 - Preliminary Round, Leg 1 - Juventus 4-0 Artmedia Bratislava

(From Gazzetta): This is what you call an exhibition game, because that is exactly what Wednesday night’s UCL Preliminary Round match ended up being for Juventus: a whopping 4-0 victory, thanks to goals by Camoranesi, Del Piero, Chiellini, and Legrottaglie. Artmedia Bratislava may very well already be on day 7 of the Slovakian league, they could not provide a shred of danger for the Bianconeri tonight.

ADP’s ON FIRE! – Elements of Juve’s “walk in the park” tonight: the reliability of the “old guard” (except for Christian Poulsen, all the starting eleven were part of last season’s roster) and the class of captain Alessandro Del Piero, who christened the beginning of his 16th season with the Bianconeri with a fantastic goal, nº38 in 80 matches the UEFA Champions League and nº242 with the Juve shirt. A goal “alla Del Piero” for good measure: curling shot into the top-right corner and keeper left looking. Also big contributors: the quality of Mauro Camoranesi (dribbling, passing, and finally on the road of optimum form) and the strength of Giorgio Chiellini (who needs no introduction at this point). As for Gigi Buffon, he celebrated his 500th professional match with yet another clean sheet, just another positive note to add to a very successful evening.

FIRST HALF HAT-TRICK – The Bianconeri started their domination very early into the match, and one could say Mauro Camoranesi’s goal in minute 7 made things considerably easier for them. Exploiting some good work inside the box by Grygera, the Italo-Argentine winger slammed a powerful instep shot inside the right post, thus putting his team into an early lead. 1-0 Juventus. The only snag? Grygera had to be subbed off due to a knock on the head, forcing Ranieri to backtrack Salihamidzic to right-back and insert Vincenzo Iaquinta as vice-Nedved (out suspended) on the left wing.

Having an extra striker on the field must have actually helped Juve, because they did not slow down one bit. Del Piero’s star was burning very brightly tonight, just like in the good old glory days (with plenty still to come) and his recent match at Old Trafford (when the Man Utd crowd gave him a standing ovation as he was subbed off the field). Indeed, anything that the Juve captain touched turned into gold, be it penetrating passes or finishing shots from close to mid-range. As for his curling minute-26 shot inside the top corner, well… that was pure vintage Del Piero right there, justifying in full all the “ooohs” and “aaahs” coming from the Stadio Olimpico crowd. 2-0 Juventus.

2-0 became 3-0 shortly before the break, as Giorgio Chiellini got his noggin to a perfectly-delivered Camoranesi free-kick. The latter was the true playmaker in Claudio Ranieri’s team (and this despite playing on the right wing), making heads in the Slovakian defense spin with his twists & turns, all the while the tireless Momo Sissoko continuously to win possession back in the center. The 3-0 Juventus HT scoreline left little doubt on the Bianconeri’s UCL qualification.

SECOND HALF FORMALITY - Indeed, the second period was essentially a formality for Juve. Controlling the lead, Ranieri’s boys even came close to making it four on a good number of opportunities, such as Del Piero’s curling shot (this time left-footed, from the right side) which missed the crossbar by inches (it would have been another fantastic goal, a xerox copy of his first one), or Vincenzo Iaquinta’s 20m effort that the Juve striker slammed onto the post. Goal nº4 did come eventually, but we had to wait until minute 90 for it, as Nicola Legrottaglie (left all alone by the Slovakian defense) headed a Camoranesi corner-kick out of the keeper’s reach. 4-0 Juventus, with the Bianconeri one foot and a half through the UCL entrance door.

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Juventus F.C.
JUVENTUS-ARTMEDIA
4-0
[Match Highlights]
FC Artmedia Petržalka
GOALSCORERS: 7’ Camoranesi (J), 26’ Del Piero (J), 38’ Chiellini (J), 90’ Legrottaglie (J).
JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Buffon – Grygera (15′ Iaquinta), Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro – Camoranesi, Poulsen, Sissoko, Salihamidzic – Del Piero (72’ Amauri), Trezeguet. (bench: Chimenti, Mellberg, Zebina, Ekdal, Pasquato). Coach: Ranieri.
ARTMEDIA BRATISLAVA (4-4-2): Kamenar – Fodrek, Cisovsky, Salata, Urbanek – Anderson, Kozak, Velicky, Piroska (46’ Obzera) – Pospech (83’ Oravec), Halenar (69’ Glever). (bench: Hyll, Szabo, Hasek, Mraz). Coach: Weiss.

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Euro 2008 – Gazzetta rates the Italy Players

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Euro 2008 - Gazzetta rates the Italy Players

Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport rated the Azzurri players at the end of their European adventure. Along with Gigi Buffon, positive scores were obtained by Chiellini and Grosso. All the strikers flunked the test, while some midfielders could have done better. The overall form however, was never great.

VIENNA (Austria), 24 June 2008 – The best? Gigi Buffon. Our European campaign won’t leave any great memories, but once again everyone’s talking about the Azzurri keeper. On Sunday evening at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, there was a heated debate in the press over whose skills were better: the Azzurri captain’s or Iker Casillas‘. A duel right down to the last save, but even though the Real Madrid keeper managed a miracle on Camoranesi’s close-range effort and saved two of the Azzurri shots from the spot, the Juventus nº1 still seems have the edge as World’s best. When accounts are settled, Buffon remains the guiding thread of the Italian national side, and a certain starting point for the next World Cup in 2010.


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Gianluigi BUFFON
8.0
Riddled with shots by Holland, not even Superman himself could have held out with no protection in front of him. Then came the Mutu penalty save, other fabulous interventions, and the hope he gave Italy fans by saving Guiza’s spot-kick during the shootout. What more could he have done?
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Marco AMELIA
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An understudy, as he knew he would be. Impeccable in training, he provided Donadoni’s cement to unite the group.
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Morgan DE SANCTIS
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Like Amelia he had no hopes of playing, but he kept his concentration up; a professional.
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Gianluca ZAMBROTTA
6.0
It wasn’t the Championship he was dreaming of. After an inadequate start against Holland on the left, the new AC Milan recruit became productive on the right side. Then there was that error against Romania which led to Mutu’s goal. Against Spain he couldn’t fully display his abilities.
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Christian PANUCCI
6.5
Four games out of four; the message to Spalletti is loud and clear. He gave his best playing in the centre.
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Giorgio CHIELLINI
8.0
Exceptional against Spain, he played a true veteran’s game. At the end of the Championship the youngster can be certain of his starting place in the national team. At the heart of the defence, he was relentless. A Cannavaro nº2.
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Alessandro GAMBERINI
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He had no chance to show off his qualities; important in training at Casa Azzurri.
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Andrea BARZAGLI
5.0
Unlucky; a jinxed European Championship, like Cannavaro. Only one performance against Holland to his name, and one he will want to forget very soon.
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Marco MATERAZZI
5.0
Overwhelmed by the orange tide, he paid the price for a mediocre season with Inter, one which started too late.
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Fabio GROSSO
7.0
As ever, he tracked along the wing for the Azzurri. With him the national side relived moments of World Cup glory, and against Spain he once again showed a cool head for penalties.
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Alberto AQUILANI
5.5
He was thrown into the mix against Spain too hastily. Out of his element, almost lost, he couldn’t achieve his potential.
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Andrea PIRLO
6.5
Curse that stupid yellow card against France. A bad start against Holland, then continuous improvement. Without him, the team lost its direction and its decisive touch. Irreplaceable.
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Gennaro GATTUSO
6.0
Out of form (and it showed) but he never held back. The absence of his weight in midfield was felt in Vienna.
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Daniele DE ROSSI
6.5
Among the best players of the championship, though he had some problems against Spain. Unfortunate to miss his penalty, but the Roma player, who is always willing to take a spot kick, was suffering a muscle problem.
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Mauro CAMORANESI
6.5
Once he came on, the match against Spain took a new turn; perhaps if he’d played from the start things would have been different. Improved throughout the tournament, with a great goalscoring chance and a perfect penalty.
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Simone PERROTTA
5.5
Out of form, and against Spain it really showed. On the other hand there wasn’t much more he could do, lacking support from Toni and Cassano.
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Massimo AMBROSINI
6.5
His usual combative self in midfield, providing the spirit and pressure of the team, and creating depth of play.
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Luca TONI
5.0
The mystery of the tournament. Heavy and ungainly, he never achieved acceptable form. Though he did win the penalty against France and Abidal’s resulting red card, not enough by LucaBomber standards.
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Marco BORRIELLO
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With Toni so out of sorts, he might have provided the added edge that was needed; a real shame.
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Antonio DI NATALE
6.0
Coming on against Spain, he revitalised play as only he knows how, making up for his poor start against the Dutch with several crosses and going close to goal. Shame about the penalty.
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Fabio QUAGLIARELLA
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Only played a few minutes; he deserved more of a chance too.
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Antonio CASSANO
5.5
At the end of the day, another disappointment after much promise. Only the good performance against France remains to his credit, but in Vienna a more practical and less flashy Cassano was needed.
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Alessandro DEL PIERO
5.0
He had a great chance against Romania and messed it up. Absent.

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Do you agree with Gazzetta’s ratings? Let us know in the comments.

I’ll get you started: I would give Camoranesi and Ambrosini 6.0 (not 6.5). Ambro did his job but made a few mistakes too many, and Camoranesi had a fairly okay game vs. Spain (and good penalty) but really not much else before that. In his defense, Donadoni was playing him as center attacking midfielder, not exactly his ideal position.

Finally, too generous on Di Natale (5.5 for me) since the Udinese striker was absent vs. Netherlands and seemed too psychologically affected by the boos vs. Spain. And too harsh on Cassano and Del Piero (an extra 0.5 for me), even though I will agree that a lot more was expected from them.

Have your say below.