Van Marwijk in awe of Juventus

An indication of the serious challenge posed by Juventus FC to their three rivals in Group E of the UEFA Champions League was underlined by Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk following the 1-1 draw in Rotterdam.

'Absolute maximum'
Van Marwijk said his team played as well as they possibly could. "We gave the absolute maximum that we could do and we had to because of the strength of the Juventus side," he said. "They are the best team in the section and we had to play very well to hold them."

Trademark Van Hooijdonk
Until 15 minutes from time it looked as if the Dutch side would be starting the campaign with a defeat. Then Pierre van Hooijdonk bent a trademark free-kick into the net to give his team a valuable point. It came at the third attempt after the Spanish referee had twice ordered that he retake it after encroachment by the defensive wall.

'Good eye'
"It is the first time that I have seen a referee do that," added Van Marwijk. "He had a very good eye for the wall which came in too early."

Impressive strike rate
Van Hooijdonk had failed with earlier attempts but he is always worth persevering with from set-pieces because his success rate is so impressive. He scored goals this way en route to Feyenoord's UEFA Cup victory last season - including a free-kick and a penalty in the final triumph over BV Borussia Dortmund.

'Strong team'
Van Hooijdonk said: "Of course I am aware of the expectations with these free-kicks. I had other chances tonight but I was not successful so I was glad when this one went in especially as Juventus are a very strong team."

Fitting finale
It was a dramatic and fitting finale to a confrontation that fizzed back and forth between the penalty areas. Additional goals would more properly have reflected the attacking verve on display but some of the finishing left a lot to be desired.

Missed chances
Van Hooijdonk, set up by his young partner Tomas Buffel, got badly under a shot and then wasted a good opportunity to seal all three points near the end. Buffel was also at fault when Chong-Gug Song set him up while for Juventus Alessandro Del Piero dragged a shot wide as did their expensive newcomer Marco Di Vaio who toiled hard all night long.

Outstanding strike
Juventus were given their first-half lead through an outstanding volley from another summer signing, the Argentinian midfielder Mauro Camoranesi. The goal delighted coach Marcello Lippi but he was not entirely happy with the overall performance. "We played well but not too well because I think we could have won this game. Still, I am satisfied with 1-1," he said.

Improvement sought
Not outright joy for Lippi then but his rival coaches in Group E will reflect that the result mirrors Juventus status as the most likely winners of the section. Champions in 1996, their immediate target this year is to improve on last season's second round demise.