Juventus, in great form, won 3-0 at Lecce on the 21st day of Serie A and took the lead in the standings ahead of Inter for at least a week. Although the Old Lady failed to find the optimal rhythm for a long time in southern Italy, Dusan Vlahovic (23) scored the three important points. Empoli’s hero is Szymon Zurkowski (26), who scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory over Monza.
The spectators had to wait until the 17th minute to witness the first serious situation, when Cheddira presented himself with a powerful shot from the right side of the field, but the visiting goalkeeper Simone Scuffet intervened brilliantly. The Moroccan striker created other chances, but the Udine native controlled the Sardinian team’s possession.
Missed opportunities were punished in the 26th minute for the home team. Andrea Petagna’s high cross into the penalty area, after a violent tackle, arrived directly at the feet of Sulemana, who gave Cagliari the advantage with a thunderous shot towards the right post. Frosinone created several chances to equalize before the end of the half. However, a Cheddira escape was blocked by Scuffet and the video referee intervened to cancel Enzo Barrenechea’s penalty for a foul.
The visitors’ bad luck continued after the change of sides. First, none of the players in yellow jerseys managed to place a shot from the left side between the three posts, then Scuffet stood out by repelling Francesco Gelli’s attempt. In the 64th minute, a well-deserved equalizer came. Captain Luca Mazzitelli did so, converting Abdou Harroui’s aerial effort into an assist with a header into the opposite corner of the goal.
A quarter of an hour from the end, the home team completed their turnaround when Soulé curled the ball with a direct kick out of Scuffet’s reach. Ultimately, Claudio Ranieri’s men could have equalized, but Stefano Turati stood in the way and twice saved with headers from outside the penalty area. In stoppage time, Kaio Jorge sealed the victory for the locals.
The home team entered the match more offensively than their opponents. After 10 minutes of play, Emmanuel Gyasi could have given them the advantage when he appeared alone against Alessandro Sorrentino, but the latter diverted his shot to the far post. But the young goalkeeper doesn’t take long to get the ball out of his net. On a beautiful volley from outside the area, Zurkowski headed the ball and placed it in the left corner.
Monza were a little more active after the goal. Lorenzo Colombo and Andrea Colpani created chances, but the Azzurri goalkeeper remained calm. The score changed again from one side to the other. Zurkowski, after a quick break, recovered the ball and placed it under the crossbar to once again delight the public.
With three new players, Mozna looked to reduce the gap after the team change, but Empoli’s runners did not give them the composure needed to finish the match. The visitors created a rare opportunity in the 55th minute when Dany Mota headed in with a dangerous header, but goalkeeper Elia Caprile saved from the goal line.
Zurkowski crowned the match of his life with his third goal. In the 73rd minute, he took advantage of poor play from the visitors, launched a quick counterattack and had the chance to score a goal moments later.
In the second minute, Martegani scored with a sharp shot under the crossbar after a cross from the left by Domagoj Bradaric. Genoa responded to the goal shortly after. A short pass from Milan Badelj reached Mateo Retegui, who shot into the wall at the near post.
In the 24th minute, Salerno captain Antonio Candreva could have given his team the lead again, but his long-range shot narrowly missed the top corner. At the other end, Retegui threatened again, but this time it was goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa who was unlucky.
The second half didn’t offer many exciting moments for long, but just before the hour mark, Matteo Lovato made a very clumsy handball just outside the area, for which Genoa demanded a penalty. This was transformed by Gudmundsson with a shot in the center.
In the 62nd minute, Candreva could have quickly equalized, playing a direct kick from outside the penalty area. But his shot crashed onto the crossbar. The home team, despite their offensive efforts, did not create another important opportunity due to Genoa’s solid defense.
The first half was surprisingly balanced, with the favorite failing to threaten their opponent in any significant way. The game took place mainly in midfield and the visitors tried in vain to conquer the Lecce defensive block. The latter had a very responsible defensive line and the visitors did not have much space to create.
One of the rare times when the Old Lady appeared threatening was in the 11th minute. Weston McKennie brilliantly found a cross from a corner kick and placed the ball at the far post, out of reach of the goalkeeper. However, Nikola Krstovic was quick to stop the joy of the goal.
The Bianconeri’s game improved considerably from the start of the second act. Increased activity allowed them to open the score as they wished. In the 59th minute, Vlahovic found himself in a good position in the penalty area and his bouncing shot into the left corner left the home goalkeeper no chance. This opening score visibly calmed the Juventus players and allowed them to start creating play with more ease.
Spectators witnessed a fine combination in the 68th minute, when McKennie diverted a long-range pass and his cross to the far post was uncompromisingly cleared by Vlahovic, once again. Bremer put the finishing touches to an excellent second half by taking advantage of a pass following a normal situation.
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2024-01-24 23:35:48
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