Okay, this is getting ridiculous.
Just days after settling for a Champions League point against Sporting CP largely because goalkeeper Rui Silva went completely crazy and denied what appeared to be certain goals, forcing them to settle for a draw, it was deja vu again for Juventus in Saturday’s first edition of the Derby della Mole.
This time it was Alberto Paleari who auditioned for the role of Gianluigi Buffon. Paleari, who under normal circumstances is Torino’s second goalkeeper, made a series of fantastic saves throughout the match, ultimately preserving a point for the visiting team and preventing Juve from keeping pace with the leaders.
It was a deeply frustrating night for Luciano Spalletti’s men. Paleari’s gold star night was the latest in a series of games in which Juve were thwarted in front of goal by a goalkeeper who was having the game of his life.
The final result? A goalless draw that largely flattered Torino and showed that there was still work to be done before the team was fully recovered.
Spalletti had good news with Khéphren Thuram and Dusan Vlahovic, who shrugged off knocks to be in the matchday squad, but Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly, Juan Cabal and Arkadiusz Milik were still missing. Spalletti continued to use the 3-4-2-1 formation he had begun to favor so far in his tenure at Juve. Michele Di Gregorio anchored a defense that included Pierre Kalulu, Daniele Rugani and Teun Koopmeiners. Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso sandwiched Manuel Locatelli and Thuram in midfield, while Francisco Conceição and Kenan Yildiz supported Vlahovic in attack.
Torino coach Marco Baroni was suspended for Saturday’s match. Assistant Leonardo Coulcci occupied the touchline and was in charge of a 3-5-2 configuration against Paleari. In front of Palieri were Ardian Ismajili, Guillermo Maripán and Saúl Coco. Marcus Pedersen and Valentino Lazaro played on the wings, flanking Nikola Vlasic, Cesare Cassadei and Ivan Ilic. Giovanni Simeone and Cyril Ngonge were the spearhead.
Juve’s first dangerous shot came after only about 45 seconds of regular season play. After Thuram made a tackle and continued up front, Yildiz finally got the ball into midfield, but Locatelli’s strong shot from distance was deflected off the field.
The game progressed and Juve attempted more and more long-range shots to test Paleari. Locatelli had a shot blocked as the national Guy Fawkes Day holiday progressed, then Paleari somehow managed to make a double save, whipping in a cross from the left only to meet Thuram lining up a powerful artistic goal. The Italian managed to regain enough position to get in front of the ball and keep it out.
As the half wore on, chances were few and far between, especially for the Ferengi. With four minutes left before the break, Conceição fired a beautiful cross shot that Paleari took advantage of to push against the post, although referee Luca Zufferli did not catch it, relieving the pressure that Juve had built up to that point. At the end of the half they had maintained 73 percent of possession, but had no goal to show for it.
Simeone was about to put Torino ahead against the run of play as soon as the restart began, when he made a long pass and had a free kick hit the goal. When Diego’s son attacked and scored after poor defense allowed him to pass, the flag was raised: he had been VERY offside. Ismajli blocked a shot from Yildiz at the last moment that prevented an easy touch. More terrible defending came from Federico Gatti, who had come on at half-time, and Che Adams took full advantage but was only denied by Di Gregorio’s left hand.
Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova were introduced shortly after the hour mark, and both were denied entry on the stat sheet moments after entering. David really should have ended his drought with a goal, but Paleari reached out to stop him in goal after a scramble just above the 6-yard box. Zhegrova was almost in the assist column the next minute, lifting a beautiful cross into the box that McKennie met with a header only to be repelled once again, this time at close range.
Paleari made a pair of saves against Yildiz two minutes apart, and both teams made changes to try to get a win as the second half wore on. The last real opportunity came in the middle of the break, when Loïs Openda again saw a shot deflected that referee Zufferli again misjudged and awarded a goal kick instead of a corner kick. A final push into the box from Zhegrova was headed high in the air and caught by Palieri, and the whistle blew on a derby that had struggled to get out of the gates.