Juventus grabbed the opportunity to climb to third in Serie A with a 1-0 win at struggling Verona.
Moise Kean scored the only goal of the game after an hour as his deflected effort earned the Old Lady a crucial three points.
Verona had a penalty chalked off by VAR, and Juventus substitute Alex Sandro was sent off in an action-packed second half.
The opening 45 minutes offered little action, with both sides struggling to find a way through well-drilled defences.
Juventus controlled the majority of the half but failed to create anything offensively, while Verona enjoyed the best half-chances of the half.
Verona captain Pawel Dawidowicz had a great chance to put the hosts ahead early on in the second half but squandered his chance when he latched onto a cross at the back post unmarked.
Juventus made the breakthrough on the hour mark when Kean’s slotted effort took a cruel deflection off of Dawidowicz’s leg and over goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo.
Verona wanted a penalty when Miguel Veloso’s fired the ball into the box struck the arm of Danilo after it had deflected off of Dawidowicz, but it was waved away by the referee after a short VAR check.
VAR was involved once more when Verona were awarded a penalty. Leonardo Bonucci’s high foot caught Simone Verdi as the striker looked to pull the trigger, but after a quick VAR check, it was chalked off as the defender managed to get a touch on the ball first.
Juventus substitute Sandro was sent off for a last-man challenge on Kevin Lasagna as the forward ran through on goal with minutes to go.
The challenge was just outside the penalty area, and Simone Verdi wasted the chance to salvage a point as he fired the free-kick over the bar in the last minute of added time.
The win for Juventus is their fifth straight league win and moves them up to third in the table, whilst Verona remain bottom of the pile.
TALKING POINT – JUVENTUS CLIMB TO THIRD
It wasn’t pretty for Juventus, but they managed to get the all-important three points to launch themselves into the top three. They’ve not enjoyed the best of seasons, especially being dumped out of the Champions League and losing their last four games in the competition, so they’ll be delighted to be back in the Champions League spots with one game to go before the break for the World Cup.
Verona on the other hand, can’t buy a win. It’s their ninth straight defeat in Serie A, and they’re in serious trouble of facing relegation. They’re already five points from safety, managing only one win and two draws in their 14 matches, but they’ll take positives from today as they gave Juventus a good game.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – JUAN CUADRADO (JUVENTUS)
The wing-back, best known for his offensive makeup, put in one hell of a shift defensively to keep tricky Scotsman Josh Doig quiet. He worked tirelessly on the night at both ends of the pitch, producing big challenges, interceptions, recoveries, and clearances as he played his part in a hard-fought Juventus clean sheet.
He made the most tackles in the match, winning four out of five attempts, and made six clearances, three being headed. The Columbian won 70% of his ground duals, and 100% in the air (3).
MATCH RATINGS
VERONA: Montipo 7, Dawidowicz 7, Hien 7, Ceccherini 7, Sulemana 6, Terracciano 7, Hongla 6, Doig 6, Djuric 6, Kallon 5, Lasagna 6
Subs: Gunter 6, Veloso 6, Verdi 6, Lazovic 6, Henry 6
JUVENTUS: Perin 7, Danilo, Bonucci 7, Bremer 7, Cuadrado 8, Fagioli 7, Locatelli 7, Rabiot 8, Kostic 7, Kean 7, Milik 7
Subs: Sandro 4, Miretti 6, Paredes 6, Di Maria 6
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
48’ – CHANCE VERONA! That’s the best chance of the game so far. A deep free kick is delivered at the back post, and Dawidowicz shrugs his man off and meets the ball all alone, but can’t get a good connection on it as it goes wide.
60’ – GOAL! VERONA 0-1 JUVENTUS (KEAN) – Juventus are off the mark! Kean does well to get forward and in behind the Verona defence with one diagonal run, but he’s helped out massively by a deflection. He looks to slot the ball home to the goalkeeper’s left, but it bounces off the recovering Dawidowicz’s leg and pops over Montipo. Juventus lead!
75’ – BIG SHOUT FOR HANDBALL! Verona want a penalty! And it will be checked. Veloso fires the ball into the box and takes a deflection off of Dawidowicz before it looks to strike Danilo’s arm.
84’ – PENALTY VERONA! Drama! Bonucci’s high boot catches Verdi’s boot as he looks to pull the trigger! VAR is checking.
85’ – NO PENALTY! The referee chalks it off after consulting the monitor. Replay’s show Bonucci – ever so slightly – got the first touch. He’s a lucky boy, but it’s probably the right call.
90’+2 – RED CARD JUVENTUS! Substitute Sandro is sent off for a last-man challenge on Lasagna! It’s just outside the box, so just a free kick for Verona.
