Juve were able to continue their winning streak against tough opponents in a 3-1 home win against Sassuolo. Roma and Inter drew earlier that day, so the first four places of the table are now Milan with 40 points, Inter with 37 points, Roma with 34 points, and Juve with 33 points as well one missing match to be played later against Napoli.
STARTING XI
4-4-2
#1- Szczesny
#13- Danilo
#19- Bonucci
#28- Demiral
#38- Frabotta
#22- Chiesa
#30- Bentancur
#5- Arthur
#14- McKennie
#10- Dybala
#7- Ronaldo
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
The first half started slowly in terms of goals scored, as both sides remained goalless. However, in the first 10 minutes, the Bianconeri were able to find a couple of chances, such as a header attempt fed to Ronaldo by Dybala as well a shot from Frabotta after McKennie skillfully controlled the ball.
The first yellow was shown to Bonucci in the 13th minute after the defender holds Caputo back from making a breakthrough past the Bianconeri's defense. Unluckily, McKennie and Dybala are both subbed off in the first half for Ramsey and Kulusevski due to what seems like minor injuries. In the final minutes of the match, Sassuolo is down to 10 men after a red card to Obiang for a dangerous challenge on Chiesa. Soon after, Juve get a couple of chances to get a lead but fail to score. The first half ends 0-0.
Rabiot enters the pitch for Bentancur at the start of the second half, and Juve are able to take advantage of their extra player on-field. Danilo's super-strike from the right side of the field straight into the bottom left corner of the net sends the Bianconeri in front.
Just 8 minutes later, however, Sassuolo are able to level and threaten the home side's must-win three points. Despite some good chances, Juve miss some opportunities to lead until the 82nd minute, when Ramsey finds the back of a net from a Frabotta assist. Morata returns to the pitch in the final minutes of the game.
Ronaldo seals the deal! It looked like the match was going to end 2-1, but CR7 refused to go two matches in a row without a goal. A great long ball from Danilo all the way up the pitch is perfectly controlled by the #7. He makes the run, calmly puts the ball into the corner of the goal, and Juve win the match 3-1.
AFTER-MATCH THOUGHTS
Pirlo:
“Today’s victory is an important one. We wanted to keep our run of results going and we won a tough-fought contest. It’s what we needed, and we showed desire and character... The team has grown in confidence in recent weeks, with certain mechanisms becoming more second nature.”
Kulusevski:
“When I came on, I only had one thing on my mind: winning this match. We managed to do so, but I could have done better myself. Winning is the only thing that matters, however. I like to play close to the goal and to link up with my team-mates – I think I can do well in the role I was assigned today.”
JUVENTINA'S THOUGHTS
The team's performance this match was definitely not the best, but the result is what matters. Juve are closing the gap and slowly making their way up the Serie A table. However, the next Serie A match against Inter comes in a week from today, and the Bianconeri must play at a higher level if they want to continue the win streak. It is worth noting however that McKennie and Dybala, two players who were performing well, had to be subbed off early in the match and this surely made it harder on the team. Furthermore, with De Ligt joining the likes of Cuadrado and Alex Sandro for players who contracted COVID-19, Pirlo has a limited number of choices for players on the pitch. We should also be seeing Morata having more play-time in the next few matches. As for individual performance, Danilo had a great match- not only scoring an amazing goal but also providing a perfectly placed ball to Ronaldo for the late goal. Ronaldo once again seemed to have a mediocre match up until the very end, when he put his name back on the scoresheet. Considering the red card that gave the Bianconeri a numerical advantage, Juve should have been able to end the suspense much earlier in the match. At the end of the day, what's most important is that Juve got the three points. Nervous and excited for the next match against Inter, fino alla fine!
