Comments
Mood:  bright
Topic: Champions League
Champions League - 14 Sep 2005 - 10:30 PM

Club Brugge vs Juventus 1-2

A fantastic Juventus dominates Champions League’s first match of this season and leaves Bruges with three precious points thanks to goals by Nedved and Trezeguet, who achieves the 100th goal wearing the Bianconeri outfit. The supremacy of Capello’s side shows from the beginning, as proven by the seven scoring occasions in twenty minutes’ time. The first occurs after 2 minutes with Ibrahimovic, but his cross pass ends slightly wide of the post. On 6’ minutes, Nedved’s fine shot, after an assist by the Swede, ends past the post. Two minutes later, Vieira makes way to Ibrahimovic who serves Nedved; the latter’s shot is cleared by goalkeeper Stijnen, who’s in a great shape and it shows on 9’ minutes, when he saves Trezeguet’s shot from a very good position, on 11’ minutes clearing Zambrotta’s attempt on goal from the distance, on 17’ minutes counteracting Ibrahimovic and finally with Trezeguet. On 27’ minutes, Vieira assists Trezeguet whose cross shot ends wide of the target. After 36 minutes, it’s Trezegol again who, after a cross shot from Blasi, hits the top corner of the goal. Club Brugge suffer and try to react in the small room conceded like on 20’ minutes when De Cock’s header ends out or on 31’ minutes when, after a corner shot kicked by Balaban, Zambrotta clears a tricky ball on the goal line. In the final minutes into the first half, Trezeguet’s attempt on goal is cleared and kicked back by goalkeeper Stijnen.

The second half starts with unchanged line-up’s on both sides but Club Brugge replace Portillo with Blondel after 7 minutes. Capello’s squad pushes from the start with Zambrotta first, whose finish ends wide of the goalposts, then with Ibrahimovic who steals the ball from De Cock in the corner area, then he gets into the box but his shot is high over the bar. Brugge try to hit back on 12’ minutes with Vermant but the ball ends past the post. The deserved advantage for the Bianconeri comes on 21’ minutes into the second half when Nedved beats Stijnen with a perfect free kick (0-1). Juventus, still in control of the game, double the score on 30’ minutes: Camoranesi serves Trezeguet whose volley beats Stijnen. It’s the 100th goal for Trezeguet in his Juventus career, which gives him a place among the best strikers of all times. Our warehouseman Franco Monetta, on the sideline, shows a T-shirt made especially for the occasion. The third goal may come but Ibrahimovic is countered on the goalline. In the final minutes of the match, Club Brugge, in a fit of pride, react scoring with Yulu Matondo and creating some occasions in front of the Bianconeri’s goal. The match ends with Vieira being sent off after his second yellow card.

From: www.juventus.com
Capello: ?This is a team who doesn?t settle for second-best?
?Today?s performance was positive; I?m particularly happy with the messages I got from my players: this is a team who wants to do well, who does not settle for second-best. I had seen the same spirit also during the week and it?s very good to see it confirmed in the match.? Fabio Capello has fielded a perfect Juventus: a solid defence, an authoritative midfield, a relentless attack, with Ibrahimovic and Trezeguet to form an exceptional partnership: ?They did play a good match; however, we must not forget that Juventus have five forwards and that everyone will have their place as it?s a long way to the end of the championship. It will be important to play always with the same determination as we had today: also when you?re leading 3-0 you don?t have to relax because you may allow the opponents to hit back and most of all because getting the lost concentration back is always hard.?