28 October 2023
Last second drama turned frustration to celebration at the Allianz Stadium as Andrea Cambiaso scored a tap-in deep into stoppage time to reward Juventus with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. The Bianconeri dominated the match but heading beyond the sixth minute of time added on still had not found the breakthrough - much to the disappointment of Moise Kean, who had two goals disallowed.
With Verona being pushed deeper and deeper to the edge of their own penalty area a Federico Gatti cross was met by Arek Milik. The striker’s header bounced off the inside post to Cambiaso, who pounced to slam the ball into the unguarded net for his first goal with the Bianconeri.
The three points propelled Juventus to the top of the table, at least overnight.
THE MATCH
Match winner the last two times Juve and Hellas had met, Moise Kean was determined to add to his tally against his former side and finally get off the mark for the campaign.
The striker appeared to have done exactly that on 13 minutes after a wonderful solo run and shot. Kean not only held off his marker, he then dribbled past two Verona players before rifling a shot into the bottom corner. However, just as had happened against Toro, the number 18’s celebration turned into frustration as a VAR review picked up on the slightest of offside positions when Kean first received the ball.
Five minutes later Lorenzo Montipò at full stretch tipped a Kean header destined for the top corner over the bar, and from the resulting corner kick, the forward fired just wide of the far post with the Verona goalkeeper scrambling across his goal line.
Co-striker Dusan Vlahovic also came close with a header, but the number 9 twisted his effort over the bar as the first half headed into the final 10 minutes.
Wojciech Szczesny had been a spectator until the last minute of the opening period when Federico Bonazzoli struck a vicious volley, which Tek touched wide at his near post with reflexes on a par with his save last weekend at San Siro.
Frustration for Kean continued after the restart. First he placed a header over the bar from Filip Kostic cross, then another goal disallowed - again after VAR intervened. Kean won possession on the half way line and continued to follow the attack and met the cross in the area with a powerful header low into the bottom corner. The referee consulting with VAR decided that Kean had committed a foul on Davide Faraone in midfield.
Massimiliano Allegri called on all of his attacking options, from Fabio Miretti at the start of the second half and Federico Chiesa and Arek Milik to Kenan Yildiz in the final minutes - all of whom had chances to score. Chiesa had a shot blocked off the line following a McKennie cutback. Miretti and Chiesa then had efforts in quick succession thwarted by the Verona defence. Pressure continued unabated all the way to the second minute of time added on when Yildiz was sent through by Milik, but the teenager placed his volley agonisingly over the bar with only the keeper to beat.
Finally, the pressure paid off. Milik’s last gasp header struck the upright, but Cambiaso was determined that the three points were going to be claimed one way or another. His tap-in sparked wild celebrations, and it was Cambiaso that led the way in the team’s explosion of joy.
JUVENTUS 1-0 HELLAS VERONA (HT: 0-0)
Scorers: 90+6’ Cambiaso
JUVENTUS: Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani (87′ Yildiz); Weah (46′ Miretti), McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic (62′ Cambiaso); Kean (62′ Chiesa), Vlahovic (81′ Milik). Subs not used: Pinsoglio, Perin, Huijsen, Nicolussi Caviglia, Nonge, Iling-Junior. Coach: Allegri.
HELLAS VERONA: Montipò; Faraoni (72′ Tchatchoua), Magnani, Dawidowicz; Terracciano (90’+45′ Coppola), Hongla (72′ Suslov), Folorunsho, Doig (72′ Lazovic); Duda; Bonazzoli (84′ Serdar), Djuric. Subs not used: Berardi, Perilli, Amione, Cruz, Joselito, Saponara, Ngonge, Charlys, Mboula. Coach: Baroni.
Referee: Feliciani
Bookings: 38′ Djuric, 39′ Rugani, 50′ Folorunsho, 56′ Kean, 90’+6′ Cambiaso
