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Juve dominated a below par game and were only tested when Reggina introduced some creativity into their attack by deviating from the long ball style. they could to hold back the Juve The first half was decidedly lukewarm; with Reggina doing all onslaught, who were permanently camped in the Calabrese team’s half.

Juve’s first chance of the match came in the first minute when Tacchinardi fed Zidane whose shot was parried by Taibi.

Two minutes later Davids took a shot from distance that was always going wide.

In the 20th a foul from behind on Davids saw Vicari receive the only card of the half. The build up after the free kick led to a well struck shot from 30 yards by Tacchinardi, but it was easily gathered up by the goalkeeper.

Five minutes later, a Juve chance went begging as Birindelli’s cross just missed the head of Kovacevic, who had managed to get behind the Reggina defence.

The breakthrough came in the 31st minute, when a foul on Davids led to a free kick just outside the Reggina penalty area.

Zidane’s cross was finished off by the Croat Igor Tudor, who headed low to Taibi’s right.

This was Tudor’s third goal for the Bianconeri (the other two coming against Lazio and Milan), and each one has been at home, in the same goal and always with his head.

In the 37th Kovacevic was brought down by Vargas outside the Reggina box, resulting in a Davids free kick that sailed over the bar.

A minute later Inzaghi held up the ball in the area and rolled it to Zidane who shot wide of the left post.

The half ended with the Juve fans having even more to celebrate. Brescia had equalised with Roma in the 31st minute as well, and that it had been scored by the ex-Juve player Bachini.

Van der Sar, in the Juve goal was a spectator for 45 minutes, as Reggina did not even have a single shot on goal.

Second Half
Colomba’s half-time talk certainly spurred Reggina into life as in the first few minutes after the restart they tried to close the gap.

However the Juve defence, led by Montero remained resolute, and Van der Sar was tested seriously for the first time in the tenth minute by a Vacari header.

In the 13th minute Conte was brought on for Zambrotta to boost the Juve midfield, and in the 16th Trezeguet came on for Kovacevic, while for Reggina, Marrazina replaced Cozza up front.

In the 22nd Zidane supplied Conte for the first of two shots that went wide to the right of the goal.

Reggina counterattacked and Zanchetta drilled a shot/cross from the touchline that Van der Sar managed to get a foot to.

Five minutes later another Reggina chance presented itself when a Da Costa shot ended up wide of the post.

Juve replied in the 30th when Zidane linked up with Conte again but his header went over the crossbar.

Eleven minutes later Zidane was again terrorising the Reggina defence when a well-placed free kick just skimmed the bar.

At the death Reggina almost caused an upset.

They brought everyone forward for the corner including the goalkeeper, Taibi. But in the end it was Marrazina that nearly sent the Calabrese team home with a point; his header beat the keeper but not the crossbar.

A lacklustre performance from the Bianconeri in a game that they were expected to win comfortably.

JUVENTUS – REGGINA 1-0 (1-0 )
SCORERS: Tudor 31st min 1st half
JUVENTUS (4-3-1-2): Van der Sar; Birindelli, Tudor, Montero, Pessotto; Zambrotta (13th min 2nd half Conte), Tacchinardi, Davids; Zidane (41st min 2nd half O’Neill); Inzaghi, Kovacevic (16th min 2nd half Trezeguet). Manager: Ancelotti
Substitutions: Carini, Paramatti, Ferrara, Conte, O’Neill, Trezeguet, Fonseca.
REGGINA (3-5-2): Taibi; Caneira, Vargas, Stovini; Vicari, Brevi (33rd min 2nd half Mozart), Mamede, Zanchetta, Morabito (23rd min 2nd half Da Costa); Cozza (16th min 2nd half Marazzina), Dionigi. Manager: Colomba
Substitutions: Belardi, Jiranek, Mozart, Bernini, Veron, Da Costa, Marazzina
Referee: Nucini from Bergamo
BOOKED: 20th min 1st half Vicari, 5th min 2nd half Mamede, 11th min 2nd half Brevi, 27th min 2nd half Inzaghi, 34th min 2nd half Mozart
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