Empoli v Juventus Live Commentary & Result, 22/05/2023, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	NAP Napoli	38	28	6	4	77	28	+49	90	W D W L W
2	LAZ Lazio	38	22	8	8	60	30	+30	74	W W W D L
3	INT Internazionale	38	23	3	12	71	42	+29	72	W W L W W
4	MIL Milan	38	20	10	8	64	43	+21	70	W W W L W
5	ATA Atalanta	38	19	7	12	66	48	+18	64	W L W L L
6	ROM Roma	38	18	9	11	50	38	+12	63	W L D D L
7	JUV Juventus	38	22	6	10	56	33	+23	62	W L L W W
8	FIO Fiorentina	38	15	11	12	53	43	+10	56	W W D W L
9	BOL Bologna	38	14	12	12	53	49	+4	54	W D W D D
10	TOR Torino	38	14	11	13	42	41	+1	53	L W D W D
11	MON Monza	38	14	10	14	48	52	-4	52	L L W W D
12	UDI Udinese	38	11	13	14	47	48	-1	46	L L L L W
13	SAS Sassuolo	38	12	9	17	47	61	-14	45	L D L L D
14	EMP Empoli	38	10	13	15	37	49	-12	43	L D W D W
15	SAL Salernitana	38	9	15	14	48	62	-14	42	L W D W L
16	LEC Lecce	38	8	12	18	33	46	-13	36	L W D D L
17	SPE Spezia	38	6	13	19	31	62	-31	31	L L D W L
18	VER Hellas Verona	38	7	10	21	31	59	-28	31	L D L L W
19	CRE Cremonese	38	5	12	21	36	69	-33	27	W L L L W
20	SAM Sampdoria	38	3	10	25	24	71	-47	19	L D L D L

That's all for today, goodbye!

The win does not affect Empoli a lot in terms of league position, but they managed to celebrate their safety in the top flight with a famous win at home. Juventus, on the other hand, are now seventh following their 10-point deduction. They are five points off a Champions League place with just two games to go in Serie A. The Bianconeri face Milan in their next game while Empoli travel to Verona.

Juventus got off to a decent start in the match but Empoli quickly piled the pressure onto their visitors. Caputo scored from the spot after Milik conceded a penalty, while Luperto netted his first league goal in five years to make it 2-0 after 21 minutes. Juventus tried to respond before the break but they barely troubled Vicario. The hosts then started the second half perfectly as Caputo scored his second in the 48th minute, lobbing Szczesny from close range. Empoli were comfortable enough for the rest of the match until Chiesa pulled a goal back for Juventus in the 85th minute. The home side still had the last laugh, however, as Piccoli drilled home in additional time to secure a 4-1 win.

90' + 6' FULL-TIME: EMPOLI 4-1 JUVENTUS

90' + 5' The Juventus players are still running about and pushing for another goal, but the Empoli fans know this game is over as they begin celebrating in the stands.

N. Haas

Assist

90' + 3' Empoli take a short corner and pass to Haas on the edge of the box. He lays the ball off for Piccoli in the middle, who is able to compose himself and finish past the goalkeeper to make it 4-1.

R. Piccoli

Goal

90' + 3' GOALLL!!! 4-1 EMPOLI!! PICCOLI!! This time Piccoli does score as he puts the game to bed once and for all! Empoli work a short corner and the striker ends up with the ball in the box. He takes a touch before wrong-footing Szczesny and finishing inside the near post. Game over!

90' + 2' SAVE! Szczesny makes a good stop to keep out a powerful effort from Piccoli. The striker blasts the ball at goal, but the goalkeeper keeps his hands strong to turn the shot behind for a corner.

90' + 2' Parisi dribbles into the box and opts to shoot rather than pick out a team-mate, and it ends up being the wrong option as he fires the ball over the goal.

90' There will be a minimum of six additional minutes.

P. Stojanović

J. Akpa Akpro

88' Stojanovic replaces Akpa Akpro as Empoli do not want to concede another goal and cause a nervous ending.

R. Piccoli

F. Caputo

88' Piccoli comes on for Caputo to add more pace to the Empoli attack in the closing stages of the game.

A. Rabiot

Assist

85' Rabiot seems to get a touch on a cross from a short corner, taking the ball through to Chiesa. The Italy international then smashes the ball past Vicario to give Juventus a glimmer of hope.

F. Chiesa

Goal

85' GOALL!!! JUVENTUS!!! CHIESA!! The visitors pull a goal back through Chiesa! The ball goes through to him on the far side of the box following a short corner, and he volleys it through the legs of Vicario. It is now 3-1 to Empoli.

83' Empoli are unbeaten in their last five matches played on Monday in Serie A, with four victories and one draw; 37 per cent of their total Monday Serie A games have been the current season (7/19).

81' Juventus are not giving up here, but it has been a long time since they last had a clear sight of goal. Empoli should secure all three points in this match.

M. Pjaca

N. Cambiaghi

79' Former Juventus player Pjaca comes on for Cambiaghi for the final 10 minutes of this match.

L. Henderson

J. Fazzini

79' Henderson replaces Fazzini in the Empoli midfield.

78' Empoli are preparing a few more changes to help see this game through. They will want to keep a clean sheet today.

L. Paredes

Yellow Card

76' Paredes is shown a yellow card after a tactical foul on Cambiaghi.

74' The Juventus midfield and attack are very disconnected at the moment, which is why they are struggling to build attacks consistently in this half.

72' The referee gives a warning to both Akpa Akpro and Paredes after the two players clash in the middle of the pitch.

70' Juventus are finding it very difficult to retain possession and control this match. They are constantly chasing the ball despite the abundance of attacking players they have on the pitch.

N. Haas

F. Bandinelli

68' Zanetti brings on Haas for Bandinelli as he does not want the latter to be sent off after receiving a yellow card.

F. Bandinelli

Yellow Card

66' Bandinelli receives a yellow card for holding Rabiot during a counter-attack.

65' Juventus are pressing further forward now in hopes of winning possession in better areas, but Empoli are able to play around the press for the time being.

D. Rugani

Alex Sandro

63' Rugani replaces Alex Sandro as Juventus' fifth and final change of the match.

62' Paredes takes another corner, and this time he finds Gatti, but the Juventus defender does not anticipate the pass but the ball deflects off his knee and goes over the bar.

61' Juventus have just one substitute left as they are now playing with a very attacking shape. Empoli are refusing to sit back and defend as they continue to frustrate the visitors.

Á. Di María

M. Locatelli

59' Di Maria comes on for Locatelli as Juventus go all-out attack now.

M. Kean

A. Milik

58' Kean replaces Milik to lead the line along with Vlahovic.

A. Rabiot

Yellow Card

56' Rabiot forces the referee into showing a yellow card after a very bad tackle on Bandinelli.

F. Parisi

Yellow Card

54' Parisi goes into the referee's book for a late challenge on Chiesa.

54' Bandinelli runs into the box and tries to get a fourth goal for Empoli, however his shot goes over the Juventus goal.

52' Paredes takes an out-swinging corner for Juventus, but it comes to nothing for the visitors. They need to get a goal sooner rather than later if they want to leave with at least a point.

50' Juventus need to throw everything they have to try and rescue a miraculous draw now as Empoli continue to grow in confidence.

J. Akpa Akpro

Assist

47' Akpa Akpro wins the ball in a great area for Empoli and makes his way into the box. His pass to Caputo is a bit short, but the striker does well to take a touch and lob Szczesny in the Juventus goal.

F. Caputo

Goal

47' GOALL!!! 3-0 EMPOLI!!! CAPUTO!! The hosts get off to the perfect start in the second half as Caputo gets his second of the game! Akpa Akpro wins possession in a brilliant position and drives into the box. He squares the ball to his striker, who chips Szczesny with ease to make it 3-0.

46' CHANCE! Vlahovic has a decent chance to score very early in the half, but he snatches at his shot and blasts the ball over the bar.

46' Fazzini gets the second half underway for Empoli!

F. Chiesa

T. Barbieri

46' Chiesa comes on for Barbieri at the break as Juventus look to mount a comeback in the second half.

L. Paredes

F. Miretti

46' Paredes replaces Miretti at half-time for Juventus.

Juventus have to win this match to maintain any realistic hopes of making the Champions League next season following their deduction. A loss today could be too much to comeback from, something Empoli would take great pleasure in doing.

Despite a good start from Juventus, it was Empoli who took the lead in this match. Milik gave away a penalty in the 18th minute, which was dispatched by Caputo. Things quickly got worse for the Bianconeri, who have been hit with a 10-point deduction, as Luperto capitalised on poor defending to make it 2-0 three minutes after the opener. Vlahovic and Bremer both had good chances to score for the visitors, but they failed to properly test Vicario as Empoli lead 2-0 at the break.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: EMPOLI 2-0 JUVENTUS

45' + 1' WHAT A TACKLE! Vicario sprints off his line and makes a clean slide tackle on Vlahovic outside the box to stop the Juventus striker from scoring!

45' There will be a minimum of two additional minutes.

43' Zanetti is becoming frustrated on the Empoli sideline as he feels like his side are giving away cheap free-kicks in unnecessary positions.

41' Kostic bursts down the left wing and tries to find Milik in the middle with a low cross, but his pass is too weak and Vicario collects the ball.

39' Juventus are committing more bodies forward when attacking now as Empoli are sitting deeper to ensure their two-goal lead remains intact going into the break.

37' The Empoli defenders just seem to be a step ahead of the Juventus attackers so far, beating them to every ball and winning most of their duels.

35' Vlahovic shoots on the swivel after a knockdown in the box from Gatti, but the forward mistimes his attempt and fails to test Vicario in goal.

33' Juventus are struggling to break Empoli down at the moment as they cannot increase the tempo of their passing in the final third.

31' There are a few appeals for a handball on Kostic in the box, but a quick VAR check shows that the Juventus player has his arm in a natural position that is close to his body.

29' Empoli look very comfortable on the ball now compared to earlier in the game and they are playing a lot more positively too when attacking.

27' Vlahovic wins possession in a good position for Juventus, however Kostic dwells on the ball for too long and brings the counter-attack to an end.

25' CHANCE! Bremer has a good opportunity to pull one back for the visitors, but he skies his effort from close range! Juventus cannot afford to keep missing good chances now.

23' Juventus have a huge mountain to climb in this game now as they need to win keep any realistic hopes of making the top four alive.

S. Luperto

Goal

21' GOALLL!!! 2-0 EMPOLI!! LUPERTO!! Incredible scenes at Stadio Carlo Castellani as Luperto doubles the lead for the home side! Juventus fail to clear their lines on three occasions from a corner, allowing the defender to blast the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

20' Juventus have won just once this season in Serie A when conceding the opening goal, losing eight times and drawing on three occasions.

F. Caputo

Penalty Goal

18' GOALLL!!! 1-0 EMPOLI!! CAPUTO!! Juventus have a tough task ahead now as Caputo fires the hosts into the lead from the penalty spot! Szczesny dives the right way, but the striker shoots low and hard into the bottom-left corner.

17' PENALTY! Empoli have a chance to score against the run of play after Milik fouls Cambiaghi in the box! The Empoli midfielder gets to the loose ball before the Poland international and draws the spot kick.

15' Juventus are certainly on the front foot in this game as Empoli are now trying to slow the game down in order to try and gain some control.

13' GOAL DISALLOWED! Gatti has a goal ruled out due to a foul on Vicario by Bremer! Milik's initial header from a corner smashes the woodwork, but the defender stops the goalkeeper from catching the rebound. Gatti scores soon after, but the referee awards a free-kick to Empoli.

11' Juventus should have even more incentive to win this match now as their 10-point deduction has been made official. They are now 7th in the Serie A table, but a win today could take them up to fifth.

9' Empoli are trying to keep possession for as long as they can, but Juventus are doing well to press high up the pitch and force errors from the home side.

7' CHANCE! Vlahovic misses a great opportunity to put Juventus ahead! Gatti dribbles into the box and finds the striker with a low pass, but Vlahovic scuffs his shot and allows Vicario to make an easy save.

5' The first five minutes of this match are being played at a very high tempo, which is not suiting either side. Juventus will want to start to play at their own pace and control the game.

3' The atmosphere inside the stadium is brilliant as the Empoli fans look to spur their side toward a famous victory over Juventus.

1' Juventus get the game underway at Stadio Carlo Castellani!

The players are making their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch!

Juventus have won the joint-most games against sides currently in the bottom half of the Serie A table this season (14 victories, level with Napoli and Inter).

Zanetti makes four changes as Ismajli, Bandinelli, Fazzinii, and Akpa Akpro all start for Empoli. Massimiliano Allegri makes six changes to the Juventus side that lost to Sevilla as Alex Sandro, Kostic, Miretti, Barbieri, Milik, Vlahovic enter the starting 11.

SUBS: Carlo Pinsoglio, Mattia Perin, Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean, Angel Di Maria, Daniele Rugani, Leandro Paredes, Samuel Iling-Junior, Alessandro Pio Riccio, Alessandro Sersanti.

JUVENTUS (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Federico Gatti, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Tommaso Barbieri, Fabio Miretti, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Arkadiusz Milik, Dusan Vlahovic.

SUBS: Samuele Perisan, Samir Ujkani, Liberato Cacace, Liam Henderson, Martin Satriano, Marko Pjaca, Mattia Destro, Lorenzo Tonelli, Petar Stojanovic, Nicolas Haas, Emanuel Vignato, Roberto Piccoli.

EMPOLI (4-2-3-1): Guglielmo Vicario; Tyronne Ebuehi, Ardian Ismajli, Sebastiano Luperto, Fabiano Parisi; Alberto Grassi, Filippo Bandinelli; Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, Jacopo Fazzini, Nicolo Cambiaghi; Francesco Caputo.

Juventus have had a tough week, that could get even worse. They were knocked out of the Europa League semi-finals by Sevilla in extra-time, ending any hope of a European trophy this season. Talk of another points deduction in the league has also emerged as the Bianconeri are set to lose another 10 points. This would see them drop to seventh in the league table and five points off a Champions League spot.

Empoli will come into this match with almost no pressure on them after they secured their Serie A status for another season last weekend. A three-game unbeaten run in May has helped them remain in the top-flight of Italian football following a difficult period between February and April. Paolo Zanetti will want to celebrate this achievement in front of their home fans with a win over today’s opponents.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the Serie A fixture between Empoli and Juventus.

Empoli v Juventus Live Commentary, 22/05/2023

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