The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Juventus

  • UEFA president ‘worried’ over use of VAR at World Cup

    UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin has expressed concern over the decision to employ the video replay system ( VAR ) at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

    He also said the technology still needed more testing before it can be considered for use in the Champions League.

    World football governing body, FIFA voted in March to deploy VAR at the June-July tournament in Russia.

    It was only two weeks after its use was approved by IFAB, the organisation responsible for rule changes in the sport.

    “I have some fear for the World Cup, where we will have referees who have never officiated with the VAR,” Ceferin told Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview.

    “I hope there are no scandals or problems,”

    Ceferin has already said that VAR would not be used in the Champions League next season.

    “The Champions League is like a Ferrari or a Porsche: you cannot drive it right away, you need training, offline testing. And everyone has to understand how it works,” he said.

    “It’s too early for VAR. That doesn’t mean we will never have it as the process is inevitable… We’ll have it one day in the Champions League but there’s no rush.”

    VAR is already being used in Serie A, the Bundesliga and Portugal’s Primeira Liga this season, among others.

    Read Also: Klopp predicts fiery UEFA Champions League clash against Manchester City

    IFAB insists it has reduced refereeing mistakes but critics say there has been confusion in a number of matches.

    Goals have been annulled several minutes after being scored — with the teams waiting to restart — and penalties revoked with the ball on the spot.

    Another criticism is that the spectators are not kept informed of what is happening when a decision is reviewed.

    Ceferin said that VAR would not have made any difference in last week’s Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Juventus, where a soft stoppage-time penalty led to the Spanish side advancing 4-3 on aggregate.

    “What would have changed with VAR? Nothing. There are those who have watched it 20 times, I’ve watched it 50, but for half the people it’s a penalty and for the other half, it isn’t.”

    NAN

  • Ronaldo thanks Juventus supporters for applauding his goal

    Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Juventus fans who applauded his stunning bicycle kick goal for Real Madrid against the Italian side on Tuesday.

    The Portugal forward also said he had been hoping for a long time to score in such spectacular fashion.

    “Obviously people are talking about my second goal….it was a spectacular goal, possibly the best of my career,” he said in a video posted on several Spanish websites after the Champions League tie in Turin.

    “I scored once for the national team with a bicycle kick, which hit the post and went in, but this was a bit better.

    “I had been looking to score a goal like that for a long time but it depends on the circumstances of the match.

    Read Also: Ronaldo stunning bicycle kick helps Real take charge v Juve

    Sometimes, it doesn’t work, but you always have to try. I tried and I scored,” said Ronaldo.

    The goal, second in Real’s 3-0 win in the quarter-final first leg, was scored when the Real Madrid forward met Dani Carvajal’s cross with an incredible overhead kick, and was applauded by the home fans.

    “This was one of the nicest moments. To be applauded by the Juventus stadium, where so many great footballers have played, it’s a top moment for me.

    “It’s something that stays in your heart…I want to thank all the Italians who were here in the stadium and applauded me,” Ronaldo said.

    NAN

  • UEFA draw: Juventus to face Real Madrid, as Liverpool draw Man City

    Juventus were given a chance to avenge last year’s UEFA Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid when they were drawn together for the quarter-finals of this year’s competition on Friday.
    The Serie A side, beaten 4-1 in Cardiff last season by Real, will host the first leg in Turin following the draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
    The last eight also produced an all-English pairing as Liverpool was thrown together with English Premier League leaders Manchester City.
    In the other ties, FC Barcelona will face AS Roma, bringing back unhappy memories for the Italian side that lost 6-1 on their last visit to Camp Nou.
    Sevilla will take on Bayern Munich.
    Juventus are not completely ruled out of the tie, as the Turin side came out on top when they last met over two legs in the semi-finals in 2015.
    Overall, the teams have faced each other 19 times with eight wins for Juventus, nine for Real — including the 1998 final — and two draws.
    Liverpool’s tie against Manchester City will be the first meeting between English sides in the quarter-finals since 2010/2011 when Chelsea faced Manchester United.
    Manchester City have won only one of their last eight meetings with Liverpool in all competitions, if you exclude their penalty shootout triumph in the 2016 English League Cup final.

    Read Aso: Bayern stroll into UEFA Champions Quarter finals

    Former Roma stalwart, Francesco Totti, said his former team, who are considered the outsiders alongside Sevilla, should not be worried about facing FC Barcelona.
    “Football is beautiful because anything can happen, especially in these types of games.
    “We’ve already come a long way, finishing ahead of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in the group stage and knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk,” he said.
    Bayern, the runaway Bundesliga leaders, promised they would not underestimate Sevilla.
    “Sevilla are not an easy team. They eliminated Manchester United,” said Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic.
    “It certainly is no easy draw, they did not come through to this stage by accident,” added midfielder David Alaba.
    The first legs will be played on April 3 and April 4, with the return matches one week later.
    The Full Champions League Quarter-final Draw
    FC Barcelona vs Roma
    Sevilla vs Bayern Munich
    Juventus vs Real Madrid
    Liverpool vs Manchester City

    NAN

  • UCL: Man United, Juventus, Roma, Basel qualify, Atletico eliminated

    UCL: Man United, Juventus, Roma, Basel qualify, Atletico eliminated

    Manchester United were one of four clubs to secure qualification for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League ( UCL ) in the final round of group games on Tuesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford scored as United defeated CSKA Moscow 2-1 and finished top of Group A, while Swiss champions Basel won 2-0 away at Benfica to join them in going through.

    A contentious goal awarded to Vitinho gave CSKA a shock lead on half-time, but Lukaku and Rashford struck twice in two second-half minutes to send Jose Mourinho’s side into the last 16 as Group A winners.

    Italian champions Juventus qualified from Group D after a 2-0 victory against Olympiakos in Greece, and Roma are through from Group C thanks to a 1-0 win at home to Qarabag.

    Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid were eliminated from the Champions League after a 1-1 draw at Chelsea that denied the English side top spot in Group C.

    It was a depressing evening for both clubs at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday as neither got what they wanted from their final group fixture.

    Atletico had to win to have a chance of advancing, but although Saul Niguez’s second-half header put the visitors ahead, Chelsea drew level through a Stefan Savic own goal.

    In the end, Roma’s win against Qarabag in the other group match made the result irrelevant for Diego Simeone’s team, who failed to qualify for the last 16 for only the second time and the first since the 2009-10 season.

    It was a painful moment for Atletico and, after finishing as Champions League runners-up in 2014 and 2016, they are now consigned to the Europa League.

    “It’s part of football. It hurts but there are no excuses. The responsibility is ours,” Simeone said.

    “This can be a new challenge. Everything bad we can make into a positive.”
    Chelsea were already through to the knockout stages, but blew their chance to finish in first place and in theory earn an easier draw.

    Having lost and drawn against Roma, Chelsea finished second behind the Italians due to their inferior head-to-head record. (NAN)

  • Higuain nets 100th goal as Juve go tops

    Higuain nets 100th goal as Juve go tops

     

    Gonzalo Higuain scored his 100th Serie A goal as Juventus claimed a 2-0 win at San Siro to move joint-top with Napoli and ramp up the pressure on AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella.

    The Argentine striker found the back of the net once in each half to take his league tally to 101 and consign Milan to a fourth consecutive home game in all competitions without a victory.

    If a miserable run at San Siro does not do for head coach Montella, it may be the Rossoneri’s poor record against top-six sides this season that costs him his job – Juve followed Lazio, Roma and Inter in making light work of big-spending Milan.

    While this was not a particularly poor Milan performance, they were listless in attack and their forwards’ failings were only emphasised by the presence of Higuain in the opposing ranks.

    The 29-year-old thrashed a ruthless effort into the net after 23 minutes and then doubled his tally shortly after the hour-mark with a similarly devastating strike, suggesting he is returning to his prolific best after a difficult start to the campaign.

    Milan could slip into the bottom half this weekend as a result, while reigning champions Juve moved level at the summit with Napoli, who host Sassuolo on Sunday.

    Clearly aware of the enormity of the fixture and their desperate need for a result, Milan started at a great pace at a baying San Siro.

    Gianluigi Buffon punched an early Ricardo Rodriguez free-kick away from his near post and Nikola Kalinic should have turned a shot on target amid a chaotic goalmouth scramble.

    But as the blood and thunder of the opening 10 minutes faded, Juve gained a foothold and the dangerous Paulo Dybala tested Gianluigi Donnarumma from range before Higuain broke the deadlock.

    Juve assumed complete control throughout the closing stages, with Higuain and Dybala continuing to combine but sparing Milan the humiliation of a third as Montella’s men crumbled again.

  • Allegri dismisses Juventus crisis talks

    Allegri dismisses Juventus crisis talks

     

     

    Massimiliano Allegri insists Juventus “are not in any kind of crisis” despite their rare home Serie A defeat at the hands of Lazio.

    Juve face Sporting CP, who sit ahead of them on goal difference in Champions League Group D, in a crucial contest in Turin on Wednesday.

    The Italian champions go into the game after a shock 2-1 reverse to Lazio, a result which ended an astonishing 57-match unbeaten run in front of their own fans.

    That result was preceded by an away draw against Atalanta, meaning Juve are already five points behind early Serie A leaders Napoli.

    Allegri, though, remains calm, even though he has urged his side to improve their focus, starting against Sporting.

    “We are not in any kind of crisis,” Allegri said at his pre-match media conference. “We are working towards being in a strong position on all fronts come the spring.

    “Against Lazio, we were playing well, but paid for a couple of mistakes at the start of the second half.

    “We are working to put right our mistakes. We need to improve our game management and concentration.

    “We need to continue to move the ball around quickly and with clarity of mind, whatever happens in matches.”

    With Barcelona three points clear at the top of Group D, Juve cannot afford a slip-up against Sporting.

    Allegri said: “We have respect for Sporting and we need to play a strong match both technically and mentally.

    “Sporting are full of talented, technical and fast players with a strong overall organisation. They took Barcelona to the wire on matchday two, so it will be a very tough match for Juve.

    “If we win these two games against Sporting we are through to the Champions League knockout stages. That is our aim.

    “We are aware of how important this game is for our Champions League campaign and we want to do well.”

    Midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who has not played since scoring in the derby victory over Torino a month ago due to a thigh injury, is in contention to feature.

    Allegri added: “Miralem Pjanic is OK. He is in good shape and has had time to rest. I will decide if he plays after training.

    “Having someone by his side who runs and presses like Blaise Matuidi obviously helps him greatly.”

  • Juve unveils £3.7million state of the art Head Quarters

    Juve unveils £3.7million state of the art Head Quarters

    Juventus declared they had taken a ‘step into its future’ after unveiling their new headquarters just a stone’s throw from the Allianz Stadium.

    The club’s new £3.7million base, in what was formerly the Continassa farmhouse, opened for the very first time on Monday and will house management and administrative staff.

    Juventus have a 99-year lease on the new site, which covers a total of 4,370 square metre, and is the first of six infrastructure developments currently being undertaken by the Serie A champions on the ‘J-Village’ site.

    The other projects include the JTC (Juventus Training Center), the first-team training facility which will also house the media centre; the J-Hotel; the World International School; a club concept store and a power station as well as service infrastructure for the whole area.

    The new training ground will be entirely dedicated to the first team and replaces the Vinovo, which also hosts the youth set-up. The 59,500 square-metre facility will have four natural grass pitches. Two buildings on site will house the sporting team and the media centre.

    The 155-room J-Hotel will be built alongside that, which will act as Juventus’ permanent base. The club will have access to 32 rooms, a restaurant, conference facilities and a relaxation area for the players and coaching staff.

    The club’s new first team training ground, the JTC, is also part of the ‘J-Village’ development

    The concept store has been described by the club as ‘innovative structure, dedicated to young people, but also adults and families’. It will have three ‘activity areas.’ A catering service reserved for students and families as well as a 2,500 square-metre commercial space.

    The planned World International School (WINS) is set to offer an Anglo-Saxon curriculum. The institution will accommodate up to 600 students and be run by the International School of Europe, the organisation which is already running Juventus College at Vinovo.

    The whole site was supposed to be completed by the end of June 2017 but that has been delayed.

  • Dani Alves drops massive Ethihad transfer hint

    Dani Alves drops massive Ethihad transfer hint

     

    Juventus defender Dani Alves dropped a massive hint that he is set to join Manchester City by praising manager Pep Guardiola.

    Alves worked with Guardiola during the City boss’ highly successful four seasons in charge of Barcelona, winning the Champions League twice in that span.

    Reports suggest he has agreed a two-year deal to move to the Premier League side once he has negotiated his exit from Juve and he did little to dampen that speculation when providing an update on his future.

    “Everyone knows my admiration for Pep Guardiola – he is a great coach,” Alves told Brazilian TV show Conversa com Bial when asked if City would be his next team.

    Alves also discussed his situation at Juventus after club CEO Giuseppe Marotta suggested he would be allowed to leave on a free transfer despite still having a year left on his contract.

    The Brazilian continued: “I don’t know what is happening. I have left the work to my agents in Italy and they have said they would talk to me once they find a resolution on the contract.

    “If I go, it will be without any conflicts, without any problems, as opposed to what is being said.”

    If confirmed, City’s swoop for Alves will add to the signings of Bernardo Silva and Ederson.

    Guardiola was keen to add another right-back to his squad following the exits of out-of-contract duo Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta.

    Alves has only spent one year at Juventus, winning Serie A and the Coppa Italia, while the club lost out to Real Madrid in the Champions League final this month.

  • Juventus to release Alves from contract

    Juventus to release Alves from contract

    Italian giants Juventus confirmed on Thursday they would release right-back Dani Alves from the final year of his contract.

    Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is known to be interested in the 34-year-old, whom he knows from their time together at FC Barcelona.

    Juventus chief executive Beppe Marotta said Alves had “expressed a desire to try a new experience’’.

    Marotta said Juventus hoped to reach a “mutual termination’’ with Alves.

    He wished the Brazilian good luck for the future.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alves has only been with Juve for a year, winning Serie A and reaching the UEFA Champions League final.

    Prior to that, he had spent eight seasons at FC Barcelona.

    The first four of those were under Guardiola, a period when the pair shared in two Champions League triumphs and won La Liga on three occasions.

    Manchester City do not have an experienced right-back after releasing out-of-contract duo Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna.

    Guardiola has been linked with Tottenham’s Kyle Walker as well as Alves, who he bought for FC Barcelona from Sevilla for £23m in 2008.

  • 1,000 injured during Turin stampede, Italian police say

    1,000 injured during Turin stampede, Italian police say

    About 1,000 people were injured after a firecracker provoked a stampede on Saturday night in the Italian city of Turin, police say.

    Thousands of football fans were watching a live relay of Juventus’ UEFA Champions League final match against Real Madrid in Cardiff, Wales when a bang was heard.

    Rumours of an explosion quickly spread to worsen the situation and provoke a stampede.

    At least two people, including a seven-year-old child, were seriously hurt in the incident.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that title-holders Real Madrid of Spain beat Juventus of Italy 4-1 to win the Champions League for the 12th time.

    With 10 minutes of the second half remaining, crowds rushed away from the centre of Piazza San Carlo, crushing people against barriers.

    Bags and shoes were left scattered on the ground as people ran screaming out of the square.

    A seven-year-old boy is reported to be in critical condition in hospital with head and chest injuries.

    Some of the injuries occurred when a barrier around the entrance to an underground car park gave way.

    For some Juventus fans, the incident brought back traumatic memories of the 1985 Heysel stadium disaster in Brussels, where 39 people were killed, with most of them being Italian fans.

    A wall had collapsed on them before the European Cup final match against Liverpool.