Juventus 3-1 Udinese: 5 Talking points from the game | Serie A 2019-20
The giants of Turin invited Udinese to a clash that saw the visitors receive a beating at the Allianz Stadium. The Friulani are currently on a poor run of five games without a win, and they sit only one slot above relegation zone.
Juventus, on the other hand, have picked up the top spot on the Serie A table, as they continue a tug of war for first place with Inter Milan.
With the game starting with earnest attacks from the Bianconeri, it didn't take long to see the opening goal of the game. Just nine minutes in, a tackle from Troost-Ekong on Paulo Dybala pushed a loose ball right into Cristiano Ronaldo's path, and the star striker powered a one-time shot past Musso and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Udinese had no plans to attack, so they sat deep defending, and Juventus piled on the pressure. 20 minutes in, Dybala scored an excellent chip over Musso and into the net, but he was accused by the referee of handling the ball moments before his goal.
However, minutes before half-time, a classic shot by Ronaldo put the Bianconeri's in cruise control. A perfect pass from Gonzalo Higuain was all the Portuguese star needed as he received the ball, went past his marker and sent his shot past an outstretched Musso and into the net.
With their win fairly settled, Juventus slowed down the pace somewhat, but Udinese still remained unable to do much outside their own half. Right on the stroke of half-time, a poorly-cleared corner saw Merih Demiral head the ball back into the final third where Leonardo Bonucci was waiting to head it above the keeper's reach and right under the bar.
The second half started a bit differently for Udinese. The Friulani put in conceited efforts to drive forward more consistently and take more action in the final third. Manager Luca Gotti clearly tried to get something out of the game as he made two quick changes before the 70th minute. Maurizio Sarri responded by substituting Bonucci for former Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt, Dybala for Federico Bernardeschi, and Higuain for Douglas Costa. Late in the game, Gotti brought in another striker - Ilija Nestorovski - to take over from midfielder Jens Larsen.
Udinese had clearly worked much harder in the second half, and deep into injury time, they were able to pick up a consolation goal, thanks to a deflection off Demiral. The Friulani found their way from the back into the final third, and during play, the ball deflected off Demiral and landed right in front of a waiting Pussetto who hit a one-time shot past Buffon to find the goal.
Juventus will be glad to have dominated most of the game, but they will go home feeling like they should have kept a clean sheet. Udinese, on the other hand. will rue their lackadasical start to the game which quickly saw them concede three goals.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five talking points from the game.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the game
If anyone deserved a hat-trick today, it was certainly the star Portuguese forward. He was unstoppable throughout the game, and while he eventually ended up scoring a brace, the long range shot that would have been his third goal ended up hitting the post and staying out of the goal. He took seven shots at goal, with two hitting the target.
While Ronaldo was efficient and demanding in front of goal, he selflessly passed the ball when needed, and gave opportunites to his teammates. Maintaining a 90% passing accuracy, he was mostly on target in spreading the game.
The 34-year-old forward has shown no signs of slowing down as he scored his eighth and ninth goals in the Serie A during the game.