Montella beats Pirlo in the Italian derby in Turkey and troubles him – Corriere.it

Andrea Pirlo’s Turkish adventure did not start as auspiciously. And the Christmas derby against Vincenzo Montella didn’t even bring him a gift. On the contrary. His Karagumruk lost 2-1 against Adana Demirspor (in which Balotelli also played until a few months ago) and continues to swim in the quicksand of the relegation zone, with the safety quota still within reach (currently at 2 points). For the former Juventus coach, this is the third defeat in the last four games. On the other hand, Montella’s team finds the way to success again (after three draws in a row), hooking Galatasaray in second place (which, however, played one game less) and gnawing at another 3 points from Fenerbahce.

Everything was decided in the first half with a brace from midfielder Emre Akbaba, interspersed with a goal from ex Milan Fabio Borini. It would have been a pleasure to play with Vincenzo – Pirlo said before the match – he was one of the most technical Italian forwards of recent years. The tones of the opposing coach were also joking: I received a photo in which Andrea was trying to take the ball from me, chasing me. The Turkish experience, especially for Pirlo who has recently embarked on a new career as a coach: Often – he says – they call us to get information on the Turkish championship, even if then we always play with 22 players and two goals.