“More of a red card”: Controversy flares up again over Teun Koopmeiners’ foul in Juventus vs. Napoli
Controversy is flaring up again over what happened at Allianz Stadium in the first half of the game: an incident involving Teun Koopmeiners and André-Frank Anguissa. According to *Corriere dello Sport*, the Dutch player’s ejection was certainly justified. “A late tackle by Koopmeiners on Anguissa, with his leg outstretched and cleats exposed: True, it wasn’t a ‘charge’ but a ‘brush,’ which in some ways gives the ‘innocent’ side an opening, but going from a possible red card to not even calling a foul (or a yellow card) indicates a mistake on the field and confusion in the referee’s mind,” the article states. And the headline reads “More of a red card.”
The incident occurred in the 12th minute, when Anguissa remained on the ground after the tackle by the Juventus midfielder, forcing the referee to stop play to allow the medical staff to attend to him. For a few minutes, Napoli were down a man, while Juventus tried to increase the pressure. The first half, played in a tense atmosphere—with a section of the Juventus fans having booed the team from the start—ended 0-0.
The match, a rescheduled fixture from the 10th round of Serie A, was won by Juventus 2-0 with goals from Alajbegovic and Boga, both in the second half. In the 70th minute, Alajbegovic broke the deadlock with a powerful and precise left-footed shot from distance, while Boga’s second goal—also from outside the box—came with Napoli already down to ten men after Marianucci received his second yellow card; he had been booked for the first time in the 37th minute for dangerous play. Both teams were tied at 14 points, seven points behind the Champions League spots. Allegri, who was suspended, watched the match from the stands, with assistant coach Marco Landucci on the bench.
Spalletti has some cause for concern from the infirmary: Weston McKennie was replaced at halftime by Federico Gatti due to a physical issue. The American midfielder reportedly felt pain in the adductor muscle of his right leg and was taken off as a precaution; the extent of the injury will be determined by further medical examinations. His potential absence would be another blow for the Juventus coach, who is already without several players in midfield and the attacking midfield. Napoli, on the other hand, took the field without Højlund—who remained at the hotel with mild flu-like symptoms—and without Milinkovic-Savic, who was sidelined due to muscle fatigue.
