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REGGINA 0-2 JUVENTUS

Sunday 5 Nov 2000, kick-off 4:00PM CET

The football-loving Italian deep south was in evidence at the Granillo stadium, with every touch of the ball by the home team cheered on by the passionate crowd. The fact that Juventus were in town may have stirred up a few more passions, but it was not to be a happy ending for the home fans. Juve, however, will see the win in an entirely different light. The result represents a timely boost to team morale ahead of their crucial midweek Champions League game. The desire to shake off the nightmare of Udinese’s win at the Delle Alpi was also tangible. David Trezeguet was the man in the frame, and his two goals were enough to subdue a combative Reggina (2-0).

Previous defensive frailties had apparently been caused by a lack of support from midfield, but that was all resolved this afternoon, with Alessio Tacchinardi covering back well while his partner in midfield, Edgar Davids, took on Ezio Brevi in a key midfield battle. Zinedine Zidane was also prominent, perhaps motivated by the memories of his spectacular goal at the same ground last season. It was very nearly repeated early on, with the Frenchman shaking off Lorenzo Stovini, but Jiranek managed to get a foot in the way just in time. In so doing, however, he pulled a muscle, and the injury forced him off the pitch in the 19th minute, with Andrea Zanchetta coming on in his stead. Shortly afterwards, Zidane nearly scored after a delightful one-two with Alex Del Piero, but the shot went wide in the end.

It was all going according to the script when Juve suddenly dropped a gear midway through the half. Reggina duly battled back into the game, and threatened Edwin Van der Sar’s goal with several good shots.

This situation was effectively resolved in the 43rd minute, when David Trezeguet, partnering Del Piero at the front. A poor clearance from Massimo Taibi was pounced on by the Frenchman, who rounded the keeper and rolled the ball onto his right foot to score. Juve had come back to life, almost by accident, but they were not about to lapse again. They continued to press forward until the half-time whistle, and picked up where they left off after the break.

Trezeguet was in great form, and confirmation of this came in the 62nd minute, when he rose above Da Costa and Marazzina to meet a Del Piero cross. The ball was well-placed by the young striker, and Juve were cruising.

At 2-0 up, the Bianconeri could aford to relax, but to their credit they kept up a determined work-rate. For their part, Reggina tried to react, but Van der Sar held out. Towards the end, the coaches made all the changes they were allowed to, and Gianluca Zambrotta duly came on, in place of Antonio Conte, for his first appearance since a knee operation in September. The match ended 2-0, and Juve can be satisfied with a good afternoon’s work. They will remain in retreat in Reggio Calabria, ahead of their crucial game in Athens against Panathinaikos.

Goals: Trezeguet 43 and 52

Yellow cards: Brevi 10, Iuliano 42, Oshadogan 48, Tudor 75

REGGINA (3-5-2) Taibi; Jiranek (Zanchetta 19), Stovini, Oshadogan; Caneira, Brevi (70, Cozza), Veron (54, Bernini), Mozart, Morabito; Marazzina, Da Costa.
Subs not used: Belardi, Bernini, Reggi, Zoppetti, Cozza, Possanzini
Coach Colomba

JUVENTUS (3-4-1-2) Van der Sar; Ferrara, Tudor (Zanchi 81), Iuliano; Conte (Zambrotta 75), Tacchinardi, Davids, Pessotto; Zidane; Del Piero (O'Neill 78), Trezeguet
Subs not used: Rampulla, Inzaghi, Birindelli, Kovacevic
Coach Ancelotti

REFEREE Messina (Bergamo)

ATTENDANCE 26,074