Juve, the American air does you good: show and 5 goals on debut against a small Al Ain
It may have been the special good luck wish from Donald Trump , who despite the conflict in the Middle East found time to host the team at the White House, or the motivational presence of John Elkann, who came to the United States specifically to watch his Lady's debut live. The fact is that Juventus began its Club World Cup with bubbles and fireworks. The ones who paid the price were the tender Al Ain, crushed in the first half and mission accomplished in the second: 5-0 and first place in the group together with City, who however only scored two goals.
Elkann must have had fun with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with whom he watched the match. Despite the weakness of the opponent, a club from the United Arab Emirates unable to put up the slightest resistance against a European team, Juventus did everything and well, putting in intensity, play and pure attention, as Igor Tudor had asked on the eve. And to think that at the dawn of the match, Al Ain had tried to scare the Old Lady with a shot on goal by Zabala. From the 11th minute onwards, the first goal by Kolo Muani, it was all a symphony in black and white. All the forwards scored, from the Frenchman to Conceiçao (both with a brace) to Yildiz: the Turk has scored 5 out of 5 this season, goals in all the competitions played by Juventus. The first half ended 4-0, opened by a winning header from Kolo Muani, who jumped higher than anyone else, and closed by a surgical diagonal shot from the striker on loan from PSG, served by the giant midfielder Thuram. The first goal was beautiful, the result of a choral action started by Conceiçao and involving 5 players of the Old Lady, with an assist from Alberto Costa, very lively on the right lane.
The Portuguese full-back was also the protagonist in the Conceiçao-branded doubling: a soft touch with the left validated after a VAR check for a possible handball. The real gem, however, was the shot from twenty meters by Yildiz - who came off in the second half to applause to make room for Koopmeiners - who received from Thuram, got rid of an opponent and put it in the corner with his right.
In the second half, Tudor sends in Weah and Douglas Luiz (for Cambiaso and Thuram) and Al Ain immediately comes close to scoring with Laba (the best of Al Ain), stopped with one hand by Di Gregorio. Rui Patricio also saves, denying Kolo Muani a hat-trick, but before that there was the second celebration of an unleashed Conceiçao after a low diagonal shot. In the final stages there is also room for Vlahovic and Gatti, but the last thrill is the post hit by Douglas Luiz. Moral of the story: the Juventus of the second half is less lively than that of the first 45' but that's okay, a bit of the sticky heat (very high humidity levels) and a bit of the result invite you to manage yourself and save your strength. The team concedes something at the back but overall wins and convinces, widening the pitch well and exploiting the depth in addition to the defensive lapses of the Emiratis, and puts in a nice brick for the passage of the round. Next stop Philadelphia, next Sunday against Wydad Casablanca.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
