Despite a dull first half, Juventus recover from their disappointing loss against Hellas Verona with a 3-0 win against Spezia. With goals from Morata, Chiesa, and Ronaldo, the Bianconeri now get ready to face Lazio at home at the Allianz.
STARTING XI
4-4-2
#1- Szczesny
#13- Danilo
#28- Demiral
#4- De Ligt
#12- Alex Sandro
#22- Chiesa
#30- Bentancur
#25- Rabiot
#14- McKennie
#44- Kulusevski
#7- Ronaldo
Frabotta (#38) replaced De Ligt last minute due to the latter being unfit to start.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
The first half was uninspiring for the Bianconeri, with Spezia getting a good amount of possession as well as attacking chances. Juve did not create too many threatening chances until the 41st minute, but the post denied Ronaldo’s shot. At halftime, the score remains 0-0.
Super subs! The second half started with a slightly better pace, but things only changed in the 61st minute when Pirlo subbed McKennie and Frabotta off for Morata and Bernardeschi. They made an immediate impact. Just one minute later, Danilo makes a long ball to Bernardeschi on the left, the Italian passes inward to Morata, and the Spaniard scores. Though the referee initially calls for offside, the goal is counted after a long VAR check. Juve lead 1-0.
The substitutes obviously did well for the team, as the situation on the field finally took a change for the better. Chiesa soon makes it 2-0 for Juve. Again it is Bernardeschi that makes the pass to the goal-scorer. Chiesa’s first shot is saved by Spezia’s goalkeeper, but Chiesa doesn’t miss the rebound and smashes it in goal as he goes to the ground.
At this point, Juve had basically secured the win, but Ronaldo wasn’t going to let the match finish without making an impact. The 89th minute, Bentancur passes the ball to Ronaldo who goes 1v1 with the opponent keeper. CR7 tucks it in the bottom right corner, 3-0.
The match does not end there, however, as Demiral comes in contact with Spezia’s player inside the box in the final minutes. A penalty was awarded, and Juve’s clean sheet was at stake. Szczesny, however, makes a nonchalant save and the whistle is blown immediately thereafter. 3-0, Juve win at the Allianz!
AFTER-MATCH THOUGHTS
Pirlo:
“We didn’t make a brilliant start, which is normal when you’re playing every three days. We tried to manage the game and also created some chances in the first half. In the second half, thanks to some fresh faces, we were able to be more threatening and change the contest, with the wingers and midfielders making good runs into the box. ”
Szczesny:
“As for the penalty, I expected it to go down the middle and it wasn’t a difficult save… I’ll take the result this evening, but we certainly must improve and understand the importance of this period because the whole season will be defined by our next few games. We have a fantastic squad with clear ideas about what we need to do, also thanks to what the coach gets across to us.”
JUVENTINA'S THOUGHTS
The injuries in the team really are taking a toll, as could be seen with Morata’s impact as soon as he was subbed on. With this current level of performance, it will unfortunately be tough to beat Porto. Hopefully, more players will return and be fit by next Wednesday, since Juve has been failing to go past the Champion’s League quarter-finals since 2017. Chiesa was once again in top shape this match; Ronaldo, Bernardeschi, Morata, Kulusevski, Danilo, and Szczesny had a good performance as well.
