Juventus 2-0 Sampdoria: 5 talking points as the Bianconeri claim their ninth consecutive Scudetto | Serie A 2019-20
Juventus made it an unprecedented nine Serie A titles in a row after comfortably dispatching Sampdoria on Sunday, with goals in each half by Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi giving the hosts a 2-0 victory.
The game started out slowly with little in terms of goalmouth action. Several rash challenges forced stoppages for treatment and Maurizio Sarri was even forced into making two first-half substitutions after Paulo Dybala and Danilo got injured. This would be a cause of concern for the 60-year-old with Juventus set to resume Champions League duties soon.
Just before half time, a well-worked routine saw the Bianconeri break the deadlock when Miralem Pjanic set up Ronaldo on the edge of the area from a freekick, with the Portuguese ace hitting the back of the net with a first-time finish.
Bernardeschi doubled his side's lead when he reacted the quickest after Emil Audero parried Ronaldo's strike into his path midway through the second half. Sampdoria soon found their work cut out when Morten Thorsby received his marching orders for two bookable offences in the 77th minute.
Juventus missed two great chances to get a three-goal lead when Gonzalo Higuain first inexplicably missed from six yards out after being teed up by Ronaldo. The former Real Madrid man himself could only rattle the post from the penalty post.
There were joyful scenes at the full-time whistle, with the Juventus players understandably in party mood after ending the gruelling campaign in victory.
Let us now take a look at the five major talking points from the Serie A fixture.
#5 Juventus crowned champions for a ninth consecutive season
Juventus came into the season as eight-time defending champions and overwhelming favourites to defend their title but unfancied sides like Lazio and Atalanta rose to give them a run for their money.
As the season progressed, the Bianconeri saw their rivals' title challenge fritter away and despite stuttering themselves, they came into matchday 36 with a seven-point advantage.
A victory in this fixture would have given Juventus an unassailable lead and despite not performing at their optimum, they did enough to ensure their stronghold of Serie A continues.
With their Serie A triumph, Maurizio Sarri and his wards can now turn their attention to the Champions League where they would attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit to Lyon.
#4 Federico Bernardeschi ends goal drought
While Federico Bernardeschi might earn plenty of plaudits for his industry and commitment, a major criticism of the 26-year-old has been his low return in front of goal.
This has seen him fail to nail down a regular spot under Sarri and only an injury to Danilo midway through the first half saw him take to the field.
When Bernardeschi pounced on a loose ball in the area, it was the first goal that he had scored since September 2018. Since his last goal, the Italian international attempted 43 shots. Having ended his drought, fans of Juventus would hope that this becomes a regular sight.