2000/01 Hamburger SV 4-4 Juventus: Report
Sunday, August 1, 2010
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"It was a tough penalty, the whole stadium was whistling, but you just need to take responsibility." Filippo Inzaghi
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This topsy-turvy encounter was not the best advert for defensive vigilance but it was a masterclass in the art of goal poaching. The lead role was claimed by Filippo Inzaghi, an occasional pantomime villain with a habit of turning swashbuckling hero on these European nights.
With the start of the Serie A season still over a fortnight away and Antonio Conte, Michele Paramatti and Paolo Montero suspended, this Group E opener looked there for the taking for Hamburger SV. Yet the hosts quickly fell behind when a corner was allowed to bounce deep inside the penalty area and Igor Tudor headed home.
The defending was not much better 11 minutes later when Tony Yeboah, all alone at the far post, headed in Rodolfo Esteban Cardoso's free-kick. This was, however, the undercard to Inzaghi's command performance.
Zinédine Zidane acted as compare with half-time approaching, introducing the main act with a through ball brilliant in its simplicity. Inzaghi was away, already celebrating before his dink over Hans-Jörg Butt had hit the net. The 27-year-old opened up a two-goal cushion soon after the interval, collecting a chip forward and rifling into the far corner.
Then came the backlash as Mehdi Mahdavikia took centre stage. The Iranian international made it 3-2 as he held off Gianluca Pessotto to scramble in Marcel Ketelaer's low cross and then earned a penalty when Ciro Ferrara brought him down. Goalkeeper Butt coolly fired home. Eight minutes from time the rousing comeback was complete as Niko Kovač diverted Mahdavikia's drilled cross inside the far post.
The Volkspark was in dreamland but Inzaghi, their nightmare, was lurking in the shadows. He appeared with full time in sight, stealing a metre on the defence and Sergej Barbarez reacted, tugging his shirt. The upended No9 stepped up to convert the spot kick himself.