Dusan Vlahovic ended his goal drought to give Juventus a much-needed victory over plucky Lecce, but it was a real struggle in Turin.
Match Report
The Bianconeri badly needed a boost after one point from the last four rounds, so while Adrien Rabiot was rested and Moise Kean still injured, Angel Di Maria and Dusan Vlahovic returned to the starting XI. Lecce were fresh from beating Udinese 1-0 after one point in eight games to take them away from the drop zone, but Gabriel Strefezza sat out a ban with injured Marin Pongracic and Kastriot Dermaku.
Within two minutes, Assane Ceesay went sliding in at the back post to meet a Remy Oudin ball rolled across the face of goal, but it was ruled offside.
Filip Kostic attempted an audacious lob after running onto Leonardo Bonucci’s long ball and Juventus took the lead with their first genuine attempt, a Leandro Paredes free kick that went around the misplaced wall to surprise Wladimiro Falcone at the near bottom corner.
Moments later, a crucial Ricardo Rodriguez interception prevented Fabio Miretti meeting the Mattia De Sciglio ball across the face of goal, while Danilo did just enough to stop Ceesay meeting another cross.
The two NextGen talents combined to create a well-worked team goal, Nicolò Fagioli dinking a ball over the top for Miretti to come sliding in on the half-volley from six yards, but it was ruled marginally offside. Juve also lost Mattia De Sciglio, stretchered off with a knee injury.
Lecce received a penalty when Danilo flapped his arm around and caught the ball on the way down from a joint header, it was too obvious to be ignored. Ceesay converted with a very long run-up from outside the box to beat Wojciech Szczesny.
It didn’t last long, as Juventus restored their advantage with Vlahovic breaking his goal drought. A Kostic cross came in from the left, he let it bounce and from just inside the box thumped a perfect left-foot half-volley. He had not found the net in 773 minutes of Serie A football.
Danilo’s free header from a corner flashed wide of the far post, while after the restart Miretti missed a sitter from a Bremer flicked-on free kick.
Lecce refused to give in and Szczesny had his gloves stung by Federico Baschirotto from the edge of the box, the follow-up charged down, while Ceesay’s header skimmed the upright from a corner.
Danilo was unlucky not to extend Juve’s lead with a powerful header from a corner that smacked against the upright, but moments later Lameck Banda surged away from Cuadrado to pull across the face of goal with nobody ready for the tap-in.
Leonardo Bonucci had a large bandage for a cut to his eyebrow, but still made a perfectly-timed sliding tackle to stop Ceesay scoring on the Oudin through ball.
Ceesay really should’ve scored with a totally free header from six yards on the counter saved by Szczesny, and the follow-up from Baschirotto was also straight at the goalkeeper.
Falcone pushed a long-range Kostic strike around the far bottom corner and Juve had to hang on in the final moments as Lecce poured forward.
Line-ups
Juventus XI: Bonucci, Szczesny, Di Maria, Danilo, Kostic, De Sciglio, Paredes, Dusan Vlahovic, Gleison, Nicolò Fagioli, Fabio Miretti
Subs: Cuadrado, Sandro, Pinsoglio, Perin, Rugani, Pogba, Milik, Locatelli, Kean, Chiesa, Samuel Iling Junior, Federico Gatti, Matías Soulé
Lecce XI: Simone Romagnoli, Umtiti, Wladimiro Falcone, Assan Ceesay, Federico Baschirotto, Pezzella, Rémi Oudin, Youssef Maleh, Lameck Banda, Morten Hjulmand, Joan González
Subs: Alessandro Tuia, Marco Bleve, Blin, Di Francesco, Pietro Ceccaroni, Federico Brancolini, Thórir Jóhann Helgason, Valentin Gendrey, Lorenzo Colombo, Tommaso Cassandro, Joel Voelkerling Persson
Lababidi
220
what a poor ugly win. 3511 against a team fighting against relegation!? bravo Allegri