Juventus start the season with a win. At the Benito Stirpe stadium, the Bianconeri beat Frosinone, newly promoted to Serie A, 1-0, thanks to a goal scored by Bremer in the 22nd minute. Three well-deserved points for what was seen throughout the match, although Juve had to suffer much more than they should have, as they failed to convert the many opportunities created.
Coach Spalletti's team gradually took control of the match and took the lead midway through the first half. Conceicao sent the ball into the box and Bremer headed past Palmisani, scoring the first goal of the season for the Bianconeri. Both before and after the 1-0 lead, Juventus created several chances to secure the result, but something was always missing in the final pass or the final shot.
Juventus wastes endlessly for the second goal
Juventus's biggest limitation at Stirpe is precisely the inability to close out a match that could have been decided in their favor much earlier. Kolo Muani squanders a great opportunity in the first half and has another in extra time, while at the end of the half Kalulu hits the post and Palmisani waits for Yildiz's follow-up shot. The scenario does not change after the break. Conceicao is the most dangerous player for the Bianconeri: first he tests Palmisani, while in the 51st minute he incredibly misses the second goal, shooting over the goal one-on-one with the goalkeeper, after an assist from Celik. In the 66th minute, the Portuguese dribbles past his direct opponent and again approaches the post with a shot from about 20 meters.
Frosinone remains in the game. Alvini changes four players in a few minutes and in the last part of the match the team from Ciociaria also manages to raise the pressing line and put pressure on the Juventus defense, which is sometimes forced to remove the ball from the area in a hurry. Spalletti tries to manage the end of the game by activating Cambiaso, Zhegrova and Boga, then Koopmeiners in place of Douglas Luiz. It is the Dutchman, as soon as he enters the field, who creates another great opportunity, serving a ball to Kolo Muani, who almost manages to score the second goal.
In the end, however, there is a moment of concern for the Bianconeri. Vicario is forced to leave the field in the 90th minute, due to a physical problem, while Perin comes on for the last minutes. First impressions make you think mainly of muscle cramps, but the exit of the Bianconeri goalkeeper inevitably keeps Juventus on alert. And it is in extra time that the greatest emotion of the match comes. In the 92nd minute, after a corner kick, Calvani jumps over everyone and hits the crossbar with his head, being only a few centimeters away from an equalizer that would have severely punished Juventus' lack of concretization. The Bianconeri escape and manage to get the three points.
In the end, Bremer's goal was enough for Juventus. A victory in his debut for coach Spalletti, who can be satisfied with the number of chances created and with the control of the match for long periods, but also receives a very clear signal on where he needs to work: a match like this cannot remain open until the 92nd minute, especially after the team had so many opportunities to close it out.
VENICE 0-2 LECCE
A bitter return to Serie A for Venezia: in Penzo, in the first match of the season, Lecce wins 2-0. During the first half, it is the home team who make the play: Busio controls the midfield, looking to activate Yeboah and Correia. It is the Portuguese who opens the match, but his goal is canceled after a VAR check. The team from Puglia suffers for a long time, but in the 36th minute, they have the clearest chance of the match, with Coulibaly hitting the post. Both teams go to the locker rooms with the score 0-0, but with Stroppa's players in control of the field. At the beginning of the second half, the unexpected blow for the fans in Penzo comes when Geubbels prepares the action for Gorter's right-footed shot, who enters the area and opens the match in the 46th minute.
Even after the goal, the red and whites continued to control possession and, shortly after the hour mark, they found the equalizer with Basic. Even in this case, however, Rapuano disallowed the goal due to Adams being offside. Di Francesco brought on Stulic and Tiago Gabriel and the substitution of the defender proved decisive: in the 80th minute, the Portuguese controlled Danilo Veiga's cross and headed the ball into the net for the final score of 2-0. In the end, Stulic incredibly wasted the opportunity for the third goal, but this no longer mattered for the final score. Lecce started the season with three points taken away, while Venezia suffered a defeat.
