After Allegri’s decision of switching to a back-line of four defenders, he made it clear that something drastic was necessary to win and ultimately join Atletico Madrid–who seem favorites to finish first–in advancing from the group stages.
Juventus came out of the gates extremely hungry, hardly allowing Olympiacos to any possession with the ball. The midfield was incredible, but there was still the obvious lack of creativity and a pulled trigger in the opposition’s final third. Between Tevez, Marchisio, Vidal, Morata, etc there were a number of chances that could’ve seen the Bianconeri take a comfortable lead after the first 45 minutes, but it was not until Juve won a free kick in a perfect area for Italian legend, Andrea Pirlo to make his mark. After stepping up to take the spot kick, it was not long until the ball went over the wall, past Roberto and hit the back of the net with immense velocity. The score was 1-0 in Juventus’ favor after the 21st minute, but much was still to come for the Gobbi.
November 4, 2014 - 22:30