ROME: Juventus have returned to the Serie A top four as Arthur’s first goal for the Bianconeri helped them beat Bologna 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium in their recent meeting. Juventus were fresh off the Supercoppa victory in midweek and needed a win on Sunday to close the gap with leaders AC Milan.
The Bianconeri were without Paulo Dybala and coach Andrea Pirlo opted for Dejan Kulusevski to pair Cristiano Ronaldo at the front.
Juventus broke the deadlock in the 15th minute with a stroke of luck, as Arthur slipped on a long-range attempt but his shot deflected Jerdy Schouten and into the net, sending Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski into the wrong way.
Weston McKennie doubled the lead in the 71st minute as the American found the net with a crooked header.
Juventus still had chances to extend the lead, but Skorupski saved well to deny McKennie and Ronaldo.
Juventus are now in fourth place with 36 points with one game in progress, seven points behind AC Milan.
Elsewhere, Napoli striker Hirving Lozano made history as the Mexican put the Partenopei in the lead just nine seconds into the game, although Hellas Verona defended themselves to win the game 3-1. Francesco Caputo gave Sassuolo an early lead in the 6th minute, but a pair of strikes from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ciro Immobile helped Lazio turn things around.
Also on Sunday, Genoa beat Cagliari 1-0, while Sampdoria won 2-0 in Parma. IANS
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