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Juventus penalised by referee, and beaten by Reggina 2-1
Posted - 24th February 2008
The aggrieved, and those without sin, will - no-doubt - be chuckling to themselves as Juventus face a defeat meted out more by refereeing decisions than by the run of the game. They travelled to Reggio-Calabria, in the south of Italy, fully expectant of winning three important points to keep them in the running for second-place. Instead, they came away, last night, bitterly pointing to replays that showed a number of evident penalties that were not given by the referee Dondarini , as well as the one controversial penalty he did give, but to Reggina which effectively won them the match.
While probably true (at least one of the three penalties that Juventus pleaded for, was deserved), the recourse to blaming the referee for the defeat rings slightly hollow. Reggina had lost their last four matches prior to last night, and are battling to avoid relegation. Juventus should have been able to dispatch them without much fuss. That they were unable to, is also down to the fact that they played with little urgency or invention in the first half.
It took a surprise goal by Reggina's Franco Brienza, on the verge of being off-side, to wake up Juventus and remind them that there was a game to be played.
Reggina, though, closed ranks effectively making it difficult for Claudio Ranieri's men to break through, and the absence of both Iaquinta and Trezeguet was apparent. Del Piero and Nedved played with an urgency that saw them dominating the midfield, constantly searching for a way in to score the equaliser.
The equaliser, when it came, was more due to a momentary slip-up by Reggina goalkeeper Campagnolo, than any particular magic from Juventus. Del Piero took an opportunistic shot from a distance, which bounced in front of the Reggina goalkeeper who fumbled it into the net in a disastrous move.
Three controversial situations arose, with Juventus protesting for a penalty on each - but, in truth, only one of the 'lost' penalties looked clear cut, with a foul on midfielder Momo Sissoko. At the end, though, it was - in the 90th minute - a foolhardy move by Sissoko that gifted the game to Reggina. He attempted to clear a ball from the Juventus area, with a bicycle kick, seemingly unaware that Reggina striker Nicola Amoruso was going for the same ball. Unintentionally dangerous play was punished immediately by the referee, and in the dying moment of the game Juventus saw Amoruso convert the penalty into a 2-1 victory at their expense.
It's only the third defeat for Juventus this season, and given the circumstances it's perhaps no surprise that the club is protesting loudly. Club chairman Cobolli Gigli issued a letter of protest today, suggesting that referees were still punishing Juventus for its role in Calciopoli.
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