Nico Gonzalez and Koopmeiners: Unexpected Heroes as Juve Defeats Parma. Boos for David
The most unexpected heroes gave Juventus something to celebrate: Nico Gonzalez and Koopmeiners—who have been at the center of transfer rumors—scored the goals that allowed the Bianconeri to defeat Parma 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium in their Serie A Matchday 2 fixture. The Old Lady, now up to 6 points and still with a perfect record, still showed some weaknesses on offense—with too many missed chances in front of the net by David and Kolo Muani—but remained solid on defense. Parma remains stuck at zero points.
Juve dominated play in the first half, but Spalletti’s men lacked finishing in front of the goal. The Tuscan coach made a surprise move by starting David from the 1st minute in the attacking midfield alongside Boga and Conceiçao, behind Kolo Muani. After a sluggish start, the Old Lady took control of the field and hit the post in the 33rd minute with a shot by Conceiçao: it was the biggest chance of the first half.
In the second half, the home team created chances more easily but squandered them one after another: Kolo Muani missed in front of the goal in the 50th and 56th minutes. David also had a great chance in the 53rd minute but squandered it, infuriating the fans, who booed him when he was substituted for Nico Gonzalez.
It was precisely the entry of the Argentine—who is rumored to be on his way out—that proved to be Spalletti’s winning move: the former Atlético player forced Corvi into a spectacular save with a shot from outside the box in the 60th minute. But in the 63rd minute, Gonzalez finally scored the long-awaited 1-0: after hitting the post, he capitalized on the rebound to make it 1-0, thanks in part to a deflection off Troilo. In the 78th minute, Parma protested for a possible penalty on Keita, but after a VAR review, the referee let play continue. Nico Gonzalez remained the most active player and was a threat from distance, while Parma failed to find openings in the Bianconeri defense or create any real danger.
A bittersweet ending for Spalletti: in the 86th minute, Cambiaso, who had just entered the game, was forced to leave due to a foot injury. But shortly afterward, his replacement, Koopmeiners, scored the insurance goal in the 88th minute with a precise left-footed shot, thanks to an assist from Locatelli, who capitalized on a previous mistake by Konate. Second game and second win for Juve.
