Aston Villa v Juventus [4-3 Pen's] Peace Cup Final

Juventus signed off on a decent run in the 2009 Peace Cup with a limp performance in the final against Aston Villa. Juventus were without the injured Diego while Villa were missing a host of first team players and were forced to call up 3 youth players to bolster their ranks.

David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta started up front for the Bianconeri but they failed to capitalise on some fine crosses from the midfield. Trezeguet was particularly wasteful as he fired over the goal from point blank range and Iaquinta nodded an open header just over the bar.

The Bianconeri were left frustrated as Villa pulled men behind the ball and looked to hit Juventus on the break. Ciro Ferrara threw on Del Piero and Amauri late on in the hopes of bagging a winner but the game seemed destined for penalties.

Player Ratings

Buffon - 6.5/10. Untroubled for large parts of the game but made some nice saves when Villa did threatened. Managed his defence well and did the best he could in the penalty shootout.

Legrottaglie - 7/10. Played well next to Chiellini and judged his tackles well. A solid performance.

Chiellini - 6/10. Gave the ball away cheaply on occasion but performed well overall.

Zebina- 6/10. Seems to be having a patchy pre-season – looked off the pace and was left red-faced when he fired his shot straight at Guzan.

Grygera- 6/10. Came on to the pitch early in the game to replace Molinaro but failed to make an impact. Didn’t really present any kind of threat to the Villa defence.

Melo- 6/10. Coming on with each game he plays – performed his role well but should have been pushing forward more often.

Camoranesi- 6/10. Looked a shadow of the player he was against Real Madrid – Didn’t drift in often enough and his crosses were misplaced.

Marchisio – 5.5 /10. Had very little impact on the game and struggled with his positioning – needed to push into the opposition 3rd but seemed stuck in the middle of the pitch. Anonymous for much of the game.

Giovinco- 6.5 /10. Started well but failed to supply the forward two with any regularity. Ran all over the pitch but was intimidated out of the game by Villa’s defence.

Iaquinta- 4 /10. A very poor performance – looked disinterested for parts of the game and failed to track back to help build attacks. Wasted a few good opportunities and needs to improve a great deal before the new season.

Trezeguet- 3.5/10. Doesn’t look anything like the Trezeguet we all know and love. Normally known for his clinical finishing, Trez managed to miss a series of good chances and spent much of the game offside.

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