Spalletti threatens Cabal with punch after AZ defensive errors

Luciano Spalletti lost his temper with defender Cabal in the closing minutes of Juventus’ 2-1 Europa League win at AZ Alkmaar, after two late defensive lapses nearly reopened a match that appeared safely in the visitors’ hands, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported. The confrontation came moments after Cabal was caught out of position on an AZ attack that would have leveled the score, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.

The match, played in Alkmaar, Netherlands, in the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League phase, ended with goals from Teun Koopmeiners and Randal Kolo Muani securing three points for Juventus, while Meerdink scored AZ’s consolation goal at 2-1.

The two late errors that angered Spalletti

La Gazzetta dello Sport detailed the sequence: the first mistake came when Kelly lost possession in a dangerous area near the touchline in Juventus’ own half, allowing AZ to launch a counterattack. The defense was caught flat as Meerdink made a run into the box and beat the goalkeeper to make it 2-1.

Moments later, Cabal was completely out of position, opening the door to another AZ incursion that produced an equalizer — subsequently annulled for offside, Corriere dello Sport reported. Both episodes drew Spalletti’s fury, with the coach already irritated by his team’s lack of concentration at various points in the match.

“I’ll punch you if you don’t pay attention”

At the end of the action, Spalletti confronted Cabal face to face. La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted the exchange as: “Ti do un pugno se non fai attenzione” — “I’ll give you a punch if you don’t pay attention.” Corriere dello Sport rendered the same moment slightly differently, quoting Spalletti as saying: “Ti do un cazzotto, capito? Capito?” — “I’ll give you a smack, got it? Got it?” The situation quickly calmed down.

Spalletti later addressed the late drama in his post-match interview with Sky Sport, as carried by Eurosport.it. “In the finale we risked: if the match had lasted another five minutes, I don’t think we would have managed to bring it home,” he said. “Given how we played and conducted the game, we should have scored a third goal.”

Why the win matters for Juventus’ Europa League campaign

The three points leave Juventus with qualification to the round of 16 looking increasingly clear, La Gazzetta dello Sport noted. Spalletti used the post-match platform to push back against critics who he said dismiss his team’s wins as coming against weak opposition: “When we beat NEC, many people laughed in our faces. Today, though, NEC have seven points. I think there’s something to reconsider in the way we’re regarded and in the value given to what we do.”

He added: “When we win, it always seems to be down to the weakness of our opponents. Tonight, instead, we won a great match, playing great football.” On the team’s performance at AZ’s ground, he said: “When you manage to play a match like this on a pitch like this, it means you have authority, strength, quality and courage. The credit isn’t down to one individual.”

What Spalletti wants changed going forward

The Juventus coach said he was satisfied when the team shows the right attitude, but flagged the closing stages as a concern. “The end of the match worries me: we should have managed the ball better, keeping it longer in the opponent’s half,” he said, according to Eurosport.it. “Overall, though, we played a serious match.”

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