Mario Mandzukic scored twice as Juventus secured an important 3-1 victory over 10-man Serie A title rivals Napoli at the Allianz Stadium.
2018/2019 Serie A
3-1
Match Events
10' GOAL! Juventus 0-1 Napoli (Mertens)
A lovely throughball is served up on a platter for Callejon on the right of the Juve box, and he squares across to his teammate to clip in behind Szczesny at the left post.
26' GOAL! Juventus 1-1 Napoli (Mandzukic)
MANDZUKIC LEVELS FOR JUVENTUS! 1-1! It's a peach of a cross from Ronaldo out on the left of the box, after he sends the defender the wrong way - and the Croatia striker leaps up to nestle a wonderful header low past Ospina. All square again, inside half-an-hour.
49' GOAL! Juventus 2-1 Napoli (Mandzukic)
Juventus snatch the lead in the opening exchanges of the second half through a little bit of luck. Ronaldo launches a low shot towards the bottom-left corner from outside the box, and Ospina dives to stop it. The keeper lands a glove on the ball, only to push it into his own post, from where it deflects back out into an open box for the Croatia man to duly knock home.
58' Second Yellow Card! Mario Rui sent off
Napoli are down to 10 men! A second yellow card for Mario Rui, who catches Dybala with a crunching challenge that leaves the Juve man down on the floor. Both sets of players come together in a fairly ugly mess and the referee shows Rui a second yellow to send him off.
76' GOAL! Juventus 3-1 Napoli (Bonucci)
YES THEY CAN! BONUCCI FOR JUVENTUS! 3-1! That is very likely the ball game as the defender pokes in Ronaldo's low header, knocked towards the far post from the set-piece. The champions look like they will keep their perfect start to the Serie A season intact.
Match Report
After Pitor Zielinski hit the upright, Napoli broke the deadlock in the 10th minute by punishing Bonucci's sloppy pass with an incisive move that resulted in Mertens sliding Jose Callejon's cross into an unguarded net.
Juve drew level in the 26th minute when Ronaldo turned Elseid Hysaj inside out before whipping a fine cross into Mandzukic, who headed past David Ospina.
Ospina did brilliantly to push Ronaldo's 20-yard strike onto the post four minutes after the restart, but Mandzukic was on hand to slot the rebound home.
Napoli's hopes of finding a way back into the game were dealt a huge blow shortly before the hour mark when Mario Rui received a second yellow card for an ugly tackle on Paulo Dybala.
Bonucci prodded home Ronaldo's header off a corner at the back post to ensure Juve claimed yet another maximum haul, but the Portugal star spurned a great opportunity to make the scoreline more emphatic.
Line-ups
Juventus XI: Cristiano Ronaldo, B. Matuidi, Bonucci, W. Szczęsny, Chiellini, M. Mandžukić, Pjanic, A.Sandro, E.Can, Cancelo, P. Dybala
Subs: Barzagli, M. Benatia, Juan Cuadrado, Carlo Pinsoglio, M. Perin, Rugani, Bernardeschi, R. Bentancur, M.Kean
Napoli XI: Albiol, Hamsik, D. Ospina, D. Mertens, Callejón, Allan, Insigne, Mário Rui, K. Koulibaly, Hysaj, P. Zieliński
Subs: Orestis Karnezis, Maksimovic, Verdi, Malcuit, A. Milik, Sebastiano Luperto, Rog, Ounas, F.Ruiz, A.Diawara, Alessandro D'Andrea