MY ACCOUNT
Moise Kean fired Juventus to a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions with a 1-0 win against Verona at Allianz Stadium.
A relatively quiet game offered little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, Danilo hitting the frame of the goal in the best chance of the first half.
However, Kean ensured the home fans would have something to celebrate after capping off a fine Juve move.
Though far from a vintage performance, Juve have moved four points behind fifth-placed Atalanta and three behind sixth-placed Roma, who play on Sunday.
Verona almost broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, Kevin Lasagna pulling a dangerous cross to the far post for Fabio Depaoli to smash a volley narrowly wide of Wojciech Szczesny’s goal.
Danilo came closest before the break, his free-kick clipping the top-left corner of the crossbar.
Juve got their winner in the 55th minute. An excellent move culminated in Manuel Locatelli playing in Kean, who smashed home to take his tally of league goals for the season to six.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side were not home and dry, however, with Szczesny charging off his line to push a loose ball away with Lasagna lurking after his defence left him in the lurch.
Juve had Szczesny to again thank when he kept out Filippo Terracciano’s fierce effort.
Bremer squandered a golden opportunity to wrap up the points late on, somehow bundling an attempt over from inside the six-yard box, though fortunately for the defender, Verona could not make Juve pay for his miss.
What does it mean? Juve keep up the hunt
Allegri’s side have hit their form at the right stage of the season, with two trophies to chase and European football to secure in the final months of the season.
Unlike the cup competitions, Juventus’ fate in Serie A is not fully in their hands if they are to claw their way into the European spots, but they are doing everything they can to keep themselves in the picture.
Kean’s mean streak
Now on six Serie A goals for the season, five of Kean’s efforts have opened the scoring in matches to help Juve get on their way.
The winning goal came despite the forward seeing very little of the ball. Kean just 26 touches – the lowest of any starting outfielder for Juve.
Szczesny earns his corn
Relegation-threatened Verona offered far more of a threat than many would have anticipated, equalling Juventus when it came to attempts (10).
Szczesny was forced into three solid saves, while Lorenzo Montipo faced just two shots on target, one of which was Kean’s goal.
Key Opta Facts
– Juan Cuadrado made his 300th appearance for Juve, becoming the third player in the squad to hit that milestone, after Alex Sandro (302) and Leonardo Bonucci (497).
– Juve have won three straight Serie A matches against Verona, keeping a clean sheet each time.
– Juve have scored in all of their last 20 league games against Verona.
– Locatelli has managed at least one assist in each of his last five Serie A seasons.
– For the second time this season, Juve failed to have a single shot on target in the first half of a league match.
What’s next?
Juventus turn their attention to the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday, while Verona host Sassuolo next Saturday.
