Heading into Matchday 10 on October 29, 2005, Fabio Capello’s Juventus looked practically invulnerable. The Black and White faithful were watching a team operating at peak efficiency: a flawless 9-0-0 record, 22 goals scored, just six conceded, and a commanding five-point cushion over second-placed AC Milan. But a trip to San Siro against Carlo Ancelotti’s stars provided the ultimate litmus test for Juve’s domestic ambitions — and ultimately produced the lone league defeat of an otherwise pristine
campaign.
Juventus took the pitch without Gianluigi Buffon as he continued his recovery from shoulder surgery. In a decision that drew immediate scrutiny, Capello opted for nominal third-string keeper Antonio Chimenti over Milan loan-in Christian Abbiati. Behind a familiar backline of Gianluca Zambrotta, Lilian Thuram, Fabio Cannavaro, and Gianluca Pessotta, Juve’s spine appeared solid on paper, flanked by Mauro Camoranesi, Emerson, Patrick Vieira, and Pavel Nedvěd supporting David Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Yet from the opening whistle, the match spun entirely out of Juve’s control. Ancelotti’s tactical blueprint was clear: defend in numbers, choke the midfield through relentless double-teams, and unleash lightning-fast counter-attacks the moment possession was overturned — either by launching long balls into space for Filippo Inzaghi or through swift, vertical combinations with Kakà.
Juve’s luck was compounded by costly missteps and defensive chaos. In the 14th minute, Clarence Seedorf’s long-range attempt took a wicked deflection off Thuram, looping high over Chimenti for the opener. In the 26th minute, off a scrambled set piece, a blocked attempt and a mishit deflection fell straight to Kakà, who struck a clean, turning volley into the net to make it 2-0. Then, on the stroke of halftime, Andrea Pirlo capped off a nightmare first 45 minutes by bending a long-range free kick directly on target — a shot Chimenti failed to hold, allowing it to slip through his hands and put Juve down 3-0 heading into the tunnel.
The Italian press reacted with dramatic fervor the following morning, treating the rare stumble by Capello’s leviathan like a seismic event. Turin’s own La Stampa splashed across its front page with a stark, operatic headline: “The fall of the gods.”
Meanwhile, La Gazzetta dello Sport focused on the tactical dismantling in the center of the pitch, noting in its match analysis:
Ancelotti tactically outmaneuvered Capello by taking control of the midfield from the opening whistle. Gattuso and Pirlo dictated the tempo, while Kakà was completely uncontainable in space. Capello tried to adjust by bringing on Pessotto and switching tactics, but Juve’s midfield failed to respond.
Ratings across the squad were predictably low—no Juve player earned higher than a 6.0, with Chimenti receiving the lowest mark at 4.5. While Pavel Nedvěd joined three teammates with a 5.0 rating, Gazzetta’s accompanying Promossi e Bocciati column took a harsher, more macro view of the 33-year-old Czech star’s form:
Nedved: The former Ballon d’Or winner no longer impacts. The negative wave of last season continues. Capello continues to wait for him trustfully. Perhaps it’s time the coach from Pinerolo starts thinking about an alternative.
Juventus remained under siege early in the second half and were fortunate not to concede a fourth as Milan continued to push on the break. Capello attempted to alter the attack by introducing Adrian Mutu for Camoranesi in the 58th minute, followed by Alessandro Del Piero replacing Nedvěd in the 71st. Juve finally pulled one back in the 76th minute when Trezeguet reacted quickest to turn home a volley from close range, but the damage was already done. The final whistle confirmed a 3-1 setback.
Though painful in the moment, that autumn evening in Milan proved to be an anomaly rather than a blueprint. Capello’s side rebounded immediately, remaining unbeaten across the remaining 28 league matches to amass 91 points by May. October 29, 2005, stands as a compelling snapshot in history—the night the unstoppable force met an immovable scheme, providing a rare moment of vulnerability in an otherwise dominant season.
