Juventus Snatch The Points From Two-Penalty Cagliari

In a memorable second half at the Stadio Sant'Elia, Cagliari twice leveled the scores from the spot after close-range Juventus goals, before Chiellini grabbed all three points from the impressive home side with a last minute header...

Despite showing most of the invention, Cagliari culd only net from the spot - twice! - as a clinical Juventus side ran out 3-2 winners.

It was perhaps an ill-deserved win for the Old Lady, who all too often huffed and puffed in the face of swift breaks down the flanks from Cagliari, but they took their chances in a game none too short on drama.

Each side saw a late sending-off, and the scores seemed to be leveled following that second Rossoblu penalty, but instead a last minute goal gave Juve their second win of the campaign.

The first half was hardly excellent stuff, but Cagliari showed some nice flashes here and there.

Foggia in particular had an excellent time of it, almost putting the bustling Matri through in the third minute.

Juventus took a while to get going, and Cagliari opted to make hay while the Sardinian sun shone. On the quarter-hour mark, Larrivey turned his marker Criscito with ease, but couldn't test Buffon from an acute angle after rolling his effort wide.

Four minutes later, and the home side really should have taken the lead. Foggia once again showed his worth with a lovely deep cross, but Matri blazed his header over. The forward did well to evade his marker, but couldn't quite keep his effort down.

David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero didn't have the best of halves, the Frenchman in particular barely getting involved. The veteran Italian, though, could have had a gilt-edged chance on the half hour mark, but couldn't quite get on the end of a high ball after being played onside.

Cagliari dictated the pace of the game up to the half, with Juve offering just one (admittedly excellent) passing move, until the 44th minute, when they should have taken the lead.

Del Piero showed great vision to pounce on Bianco's fluffed header, the ball bouncing over the onrushing Cagliari 'keeper, Fortin. And with the goal at his mercy, just a defender on the line, Pinturicchio skied his effort way over the crossbar.

It was a heartbreaking way to end the half for Juve, but a goal would have been ill-deserved after a half in which the home side showed more pace, invention and imagination.

And then came the second half. It was worth the wait.

Cagliari started much as they finished the first half, Foggia once again showing his worth with two beautiful breaks down the right. From his second, he played perhaps his best cross of the match, but the luckless Larrivey couldn't do anything with it, Buffon easily scooping the ball up.

And then Juventus snatched the lead. After a goalmouth scramble, the ball broke to David Trezeguet, who showed that experience counts. His great positioning just off the line allowed him to easily tap the ball past Fortin to give the home side a lead.

He may not have had the pace of Foggia or the movement of Larrivey, but he had the wherewithal to get on the end of a loose ball after Camoranesi was hit by Conti, allowing the ball to roll free.

Three minutes later, though, and we were level.

Legrottaglie, only on the pitch eleven minutes, conceded a somewhat soft penalty after holding down the tireless Matri. Foggia duly stepped up and drilled the ball to his right. Buffon did well to reach it, but he couldn't hold the ball, which spun off him and over the line.

The game became bogged mainly in midfield for a further ten minutes - and then the drama resumed.

Chiellini slid in low on Matri in the box and, as the ball rolled past the touchline, the referee seemed to indicate a penalty. The Juve stopper was apoplectic, ranting and raving at everyone - the referee, his teammates, the linesman - until Gigi Buffon pulled him away, glove over mouth, to cool off.

Meanwhile, Foggia had trotted over to the corner flag with the ball as the referee seemed to change his mind. Apparently, the officials between them - quite correctly - ascertained that Chiellini had won the ball.

Seven minutes of swift, delightful Cagliari domination later... and Juve once again took the lead. Fortin, so dependable up until that point, was clearly to blame. He allowed Camoranesi to get on the end of a long ball on the touchline, and flight the ball across goal.

It seemed to be going in as the Cagliari 'keeper stood and watched; Del Piero, atoning for his earlier miss, made sure with a finish from twelve inches.

Four minutes later and, this time, it was a second penalty. Zebina pulled down a Cagliari attacker as Foggia launched in a free kick from the right; the ball was nowhere near them, but the eagle-eyed referee gave a penalty.

The French defender was as furious as his counterpart Chiellini from earlier; unlike last time, though, the decision stood. Foggia hit a textbook rasper to his right; Buffon, this time, guessed wrongly, and it was 2-2.

Zebina, still unable to keep his mouth shut, then saw red for his troubles. As he left the pitch, he alighted upon a pink-vested stadium official for some unknown offence. Ten seconds of remonstration later, and Zebina slapped the official before storming off down the tunnel, applauding the fans - or himself - as he went.

Cagliari might then have charged into a comeback, were they not to suffer their own red card. Del Grosso picked up a second booking just minutes later after shirt-pulling near the halfway line. The referee was clearly aiming to be consistent in his decisions, and the Rossoblu player had to walk.

Still, though, the home side showed more energy, and seemed to wish to grab it at the death. Once again, though, it was canny movement from Juventus that sealed another goal - and the win.

Del Piero, still going strong after 90 minutes of difficulty, was needlessly shoved by Bianco on the edge of the area, giving impressive substitute Camoranesi the chance to flight in a set piece.

This he did, and none other than Chiellini - still high on adrenaline after his earlier moment of excitement - strode in at the back post to bullet a header past a chanceless Fortin.

That knocked the wind right out of Sardinian sails, and the five minutes of stoppage time passed without comparable incident.

A bitter blow for a Cagliari side that provided so much excitement, but a salutary lesson that energy and movement are nothing without a final ball and a finish.

Juventus, for their part, were not beautiful to watch. But they showed the value of experience with three close-range finishes - and three invaluable points.

Cagliari 2 - 3 Juventus
0-1 Trezeguet 53'
1-1 Foggia 56' (pen.)
1-2 Del Piero 76'
2-2 Foggia 80' (pen.)
2-3 Chiellini 90'

Cagliari: Fortin; Pisano (Ferri 74), Lopez, Bianco, Del Grosso; Foggia, Conti, Parola, Fini (D'Agostino 79); Matri (Acquafresca 66), Larrivey.
Yellow Cards: Del Grosso 36, Conti 73, Del Grosso 83
Red Cards: Del Grosso 83

Juventus: Buffon; Chiellini, Andrade, Criscito (Legrottaglie 46), Zebina; Salihamidzic (Camoranesi 49), Almiron, Zanetti, Nedved; Trezeguet, Del Piero.
Yellow Cards: Zannetti 33, Zebina 43, Nedved 62, Legrottaglie 78, Zebina 82
Red Cards: Zebina 82