Youth team, Roma-Juventus 5-2: only the international break can stop us

No one understood why the Under 19 italian league decided to stop during the World Cup. Matches like the one at the Tre Fontane, between the two more than likely finalists of the 2022-23 championship, in periods of Serie A abstinence would have fully satisfied even fans who have never cast their eyes on the most important of the youth leagues, the closest to the soccer of the big boys. Good for Roma, however, that the league has decided to make a date for January. They will spend a much more than a serene break with Federico Guidi and his boys. The magnificent 5-2 win against Juventus lessened the gap (which could have been wider: the Giallorossi missed a penalty, the referee forgot to kick out the Bianconeri goalkeeper at the beginning of the second half) from the opponents, who have been scouting the leagues of Europe for years (not only youth: Tommaso Mancini played in B, with Vicenza) to set up a Primavera team that within a year should be able to do well in C with the second team. They will be renamed Juve Next Gen starting this year. For now, they are second, but they are beginning to be a bit detached. They were tied on points with Frosinone-Roma 1-3 last matchday, and now they are at -5. In 12 days, that's no small feat. Mourinho, who was in the stands in the first half, must have appreciated it. 

In regards to Guidi's proven formation, with the confirmation of Pagano at left halfback instead of Tahirovic who was in the stands, ready for Roma-Torino, and the usual Cassano-Satriano-Cherubini trident. Juventus also adapted to the 4-3-3, leaving behind the usual 4-4-2 with double center-forwards. This time Nicolò Turco went on the right wing with former Bayern Turk Yldiz on the left. The much-anticipated Mancini was in the center and a fourth striker, the brevilinear half Albanian-half Ciociarian Hasa, was reinvented as a halfback. Ripani was going in the direction of the hugely talented Belgian Noge Boende at right halfback. Scaglia is aggregated to the U23, and between the posts was Daffara, a second goalkeeper who is already on his fourth appearance. He will make an excellent appearance, despite all the goals. Juve, one step away from the lead in as early as 2 minutes had a cross by Nicolò Turco from the right, followed by Keramitsis missing Mancini, who popped up at the second post and struck with a slide. The ball was slow, and with Baldi caught off-guard it seemed destined to end up in the net at the far post. Instead, he grazed it and went out. A minute later the lead came from a free kick from Hasa's three-quarter. The ball slammed into Faticanti's back and stayed a fraction too long off the line. The central defender Dellavalle arrived and pushed it into the net. Roma responded with a cross from Missori. Satriano tried with a heel, and Dellavalle's own rebound repelled. In the 20th minute, there was another cross by the Giallorossi's fullback, a lob from quarters that found Pisilli's fine coordination on the volley with the ball high. On the goal-kick from the back, goalkeeper Daffara lost a bit of time and rested the ball to kick it. Satriano took it away from him, sidestepped him and put it in the net, but the Juventino had a hand on it. So it was considered in possession and an attacking foul. A minute later Rouhi brought down Cassano, who had just entered the box. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. Pagano came up, with a low shot. Daffara guessed the angle and stretched well, neutralizing the conclusion of the number 10. In the 28th minute, a nice ball was put in by Pisilli for Cherubini. Daffara was good and brave to come out against him. He risked a kick, but the ball stayed there. Satriano was lurking and anticipated Dellavalle and put it in the back of the net with his left. It was Roma's best moment when Cassano got away from Ripani, forcing him into a caution foul, which came after the lead. As this was happening, Pisilli went for the shot on the bottom. Like Cherubini's diagonal, served by a lateral touch from Faticanti: powerful and very close to the post. In the 34th minute, Juventus came out of its shell with a good cue on the left by Rouhi who jumped a man and went back to the right with his low shot going just wide. A shot by Cassano, after two dribbles were turned away by a defender. A cross by Olivares was turned away with his fists by Daffara, then again Rouhi was dangerous with a cross from the back, which Nicolo Turco kicked counter-attacking, left-footed, engaging Baldi. But in the 41st minute, the Juventus' number 3 ruined everything by kicking the air instead of Oliveras' low cross, causing the ball to arrive to Cassano who put in a flat right-footed shot, placing it in the crossbar. Satriano tried from outside, but the ball was high, on the second right footer recovery from the limit by Pisilli, who blocked Daffara two times with some difficulty. 

At the beginning of the second half, Turco did not return. At his place was former Spal's player Valdesi, in place of the striker there is Mbangula, who arrived two years ago from Anderlecht. And it was precisely the newcomer, after 3 minutes, who took advantage of the overconfidence of Oliveras, who controled a ball just outside the box, and took it away from him. He came in front of Baldi and beat him easily, with a right-footed low shot. But three minutes later Cassano went over Daffara, who put him down. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, forgetting to pull out a card (there could very well have been a red, the yellow was sacrosanct), which indeed ended up booking Koffi, from the bench, for protests. Pagano took the ball again, then left it to his friend Cherubini. The conclusion was central. Daffara, who had thrown himself on his right, guessed it and put his hands on it. But it was too powerful, so it ended up in the net anyway. In the 13th minute, Cherubini rendered the favor to his friend, launching Pagano toward the goal, the number 10 twice bypassed Dellavalle, who hung onto his shoulder and pulled him down. If the Roma player let go, it would have been a penalty and an ejection. Perhaps he thought that the third penalty in the same match against Juventus, however sunny, would be a bit too much. Perhaps he thought that after the mistake he wouldn't shoot it. Perhaps he just doesn't think, and instinctively, falling down, he stretched the plate, preying on the goalkeeper on the counterattack. The result was a resounding goal, with the ball in the low corner. Juve tried to change, taking off first the cautioned Ripani for Strijdonck, then Mancini for Galante. Roma came close to a fifth goal with a powerful right-footed shot by Cassano, well served by Olivares, with Daffara good at getting his hands on it to take it out of the corner. But the 5-2 came anyway. Even with a great filtering ball from outside by Pisilli, Satriano kicked it with his right, on his first try, and found the double. And then it was off to the missing changes (the first had been Foubert-Jacquemin for the injured Keramitsis): 11' for D'Alessio, and Polish Majchrzak for Pagano and Satriano, less than half for Falasca and Ciuferri, who took over for Oliveras and Cassano with 5' to go. But they both would in time put themselves in the spotlight. The fullback had a perfect defensive diagonal, on the first ball touched. The other had a nice slalom on the three-quarter, double dribbling and left-footed from outside, looking with personality for the goal on his debut in the category. It ended 5-2. Roma is on the run, and they will have a great break. They are waiting to start again in Florence, on January 7th, against Aquilani and his men. Montero would have never expected such a lesson, even knowing he was going up against the leader.