Malmo vs. Juventus: Score, Grades and Reaction from Champions League Game
Juventus kept their chances of progressing to the next round of the UEFA Champions League alive with a 2-0 win over Malmo on Wednesday, scoring twice in the second half in a dominant performance.
The fixture was overshadowed by a late scuffle that saw multiple players carded and one dismissed for protesting, but the Bianconeri were never threatened by a Malmo team incapable of producing much danger.
As the favourites, Juventus took control of the ball from the opening whistle, pinning the hosts back in their own half. The first shot on goal was for the Swedes, however, with Kiese Thelin angling his drive on the wrong side of the post.
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The opening minutes were rather dull, so FourFourTwo's Adam Digby provided a fashion update:
Malmo did an excellent job of limiting the feed to forwards Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, forcing the Bianconeri to rely on the individual brilliance of Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba. Thelin had another good look on goal, this time smashing his shot well over the bar.
Arturo Vidal's hard shot had goalkeeper Robin Olsen spilling the ball for a moment, but he was on point to deal with an Andrea Pirlo free-kick from a long way out.
Magnus Eriksson tried to emulate Pirlo's free-kick with a long shot of his own, but as shared by Football Italia, his effort turned out to be quite the hilarious one:
The Italians started to increase the pressure, and Marchisio nearly connected with one of Pirlo's patented chipped passes over the top. Juventus tried the move through Vidal minutes later, but Olsen produced a fantastic save with his foot to deny Marchisio from close range.
UEFA.com's Nicklas Vinde was impressed:
Juventus continued to dominate possession, exposing themselves to counter-attacks. Malmo had a great opportunity for a shock lead minutes before half-time, but Emil Forsberg's shot ruffled the side netting.
The score was 0-0 at half-time, with the Bianconeri dominating the ball but producing too few chances. Determined to change that, Juventus came out firing in the second half, and Olsen had to come up with another fine stop on a ranged effort from Marchisio.
Tevez nearly found himself on the end of a sneaky ball from Marchisio before his attacking partner Llorente finally broke the deadlock, rounding Olsen after a great pass from Marchisio. Here's the Vine, via Football Live Goals:
"Llorente scores Juve's first of the night! http://t.co/frV986b6rJ
— Football Live Goals (@FootyLiveVines) November 26, 2014"
The goal seemed to take the pressure off Juventus' shoulders, who started passing the ball around more freely. Seemingly desperate for a goal, Marchisio had another crack from range, firing it straight at Olsen.
An excellent cross in from Pirlo had the Bianconeri faithful thinking their team would double the lead, but the ball somehow bounced off Llorente's shoulder and out of play.
Enoch Kofi Adu nearly stunned the visitors when he was afforded too much space to shoot, but Gianluigi Buffon was well aware of the danger and snuffed out the shot.
Simone Padoin found some space on the wing to deliver a good cross for Llorente, but his powerful header was aimed straight at Olsen, who dealt with it comfortably.
Malmo couldn't produce any danger of note, and Juventus were content to take their foot off the pedal, protecting the one-goal lead. Passing the ball around with ease, the Bianconeri forced the hosts to chase the ball all over the pitch, wasting valuable energy.
Markus Rosenberg tried his hand at an overhead kick but couldn't hit it with power thanks to some great defensive work from Giorgio Chiellini, and substitute Alvaro Morata nearly iced the game minutes later, slicing a shot onto the crossbar.
The Vine, via Khaled Al Nouss, shows Morata's effort was a candidate for the list of worst misses of the year:
"Morata hits the crossbar. What a miss. #MalmoJuve #UCL https://t.co/XBIqYMGdAZ
— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) November 26, 2014"
The young Spaniard redeemed himself moments later, using his body well to get the ball to Pogba, who in turn played in Tevez for the easy finish. DiMarzio's David Amoyal just knew the in-form Argentine would score:
The hosts were furious with the official for not calling a foul on Morata, resulting in some wild scenes in front of goal. Johansson saw the red card after extended protests, while Olsen, Rosenberg and Morata were also booked during the scuffle.
Rosenberg produced one final chance for the hosts, but his effort was parried by Buffon. Amid rains of boos from the stands and even more arguments on the pitch, the official signaled the end of the match.
Grades
Claudio Marchisio: B
The Italy international sees his grade lowered for the plethora of chances he didn't convert, courtesy of a very strong Olsen. Still, Marchisio was active all night, providing plenty of danger around the box. His great pass set up Llorente for the opener, once again illustrating his wide skill set.
Giorgio Chiellini: B+
A defensive rock, Chiellini continues to show why he's one of the world's best on a weekly basis. Malmo hardly threatened in the first half, but when they did, the big Italian was usually there to make sure nothing came off it.
Robin Olsen: B
Malmo could have realistically been down two or three goals at half-time if it hadn't been for the efforts of Olsen. Frustrating Marchisio in particular, the stopper had another fine night against the Italians.
Post-Match Reaction
FourFourTwo's Adam Digby didn't see Juventus at their best, but ultimately, it didn't matter:
Nicklas Vinde believed Juventus thoroughly deserved the win:
As shared by Juventus' Twitter feed, manager Massimiliano Alergi believes his team has played better than the standings indicate, and he wants his players to rest and focus on Serie A for now:
Post-Match Outlook
The win coupled with Olympiakos' 4-0 loss against Atletico Madrid means Juventus now control their own destiny going into the final matchday. Anything but a loss at home against the Spanish champions will see the Bianconeri qualify for the next round, and a win by two goals or more means they will top Group A.
If Juventus lose, Olympiakos have to beat Malmo to qualify over the Bianconeri. The Swedes can no longer progress to the next round, but a win against Olympiakos would see Malmo leap over the Greeks in the standings and qualify for the Europa League.
