MY ACCOUNT
Paulo Dybala left the pitch in tears after scoring the opening goal as Juventus beat Sampdoria 3-2 in Massimiliano Allegri’s 400th Serie A game in charge.
Dybala showed his class with a great finish but was forced off midway through the first half three days before a Champions League clash with Chelsea, having seemingly sustained a muscular problem.
Leonardo Bonucci doubled Juve’s lead from the penalty spot, but Maya Yoshida’s header gave Samp hope just before half-time at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Manuel Locatelli’s first goal for the Bianconeri gave them breathing space and although Antonio Candreva’s strike set up a tense finale, the Turin giants secured a back-to-back Serie A home wins – and their first at home this season – in boss Allegri’s landmark match.
Dybala put Juve in front with a fine finish in the 10th minute, rifling into the bottom-right corner with his left foot from outside the penalty area after Locatelli had set him up.
Alvaro Morata failed to beat Emil Audero when he went one-on-one with the Samp goalkeeper after being slipped in by Dybala, who was the best player on the pitch before he was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski just 22 minutes in.
Bonucci took the armband from an emotional Dybala and he doubled Juve’s lead in the 43rd minute after Nicola Murru handled Federico Chiesa’s shot.
The Bianconeri had only just finished celebrating when Yoshida rose to nod in Antonio Candreva’s inviting cross to half the deficit just before the break.
Locatelli restored Juve’s two-goal advantage 12 minutes into the second half, though, slotting Kulusevski’s cutback into the empty net to punish Omar Colley for a terrible pass inside his own area.
Audero showed sharp reflexes to palm over Rodrigo Bentancur’s rasping drive and Morata failed to round off a swift break when he fired wide.
Candreva finished clinically with his left foot against his former club when Adrien Silva picked him out seven minutes from time, but Juve held on to secure three much-needed points.
What does it mean? Juve turning the corner but must tighten up
That is four matches without defeat for Juve and victory moves them into the top half, although they could slip down to ninth depending on results later in the day.
They beat Spezia 3-2 for a first win in midweek and although Allegri will be delighted with this repeat of that scoreline, he will be eager to tighten up at the back and Dybala’s injury will be a concern.
Locatelli up and running
Allegri would have been expecting goals from Locatelli following his move from Sassuolo and he was on hand to get off the mark with what proved to be the decisive third goal.
Locatelli also showed great awareness to set up Dybala and made 32 passes in the Samp half, more than any other Juve player in an all-action display from the Italy midfielder.
Morata misfires
Spain striker Morata had scored three goals in his previous four games and he should have added to that tally.
Morata hit the target with two of his three shots, but ought to have found the back of the net at least once.
Key Opta Facts
– Juventus have conceded goals in each of their last 20 Serie A games; only in 1955 they had a longest such streak (21).
– Paulo Dybala has scored eight goals against Sampdoria; only against Udinese he had found the net more times (9) in Serie A.
– Dybala has been directly involved in six goals (three goals, three assists) in his seven league matches; as many as in his previous 23.
– Sixteen of Dybala’s 22 Serie A goals from outside the box have come in home games.
What’s next?
Juve face a huge Champions League showdown at home to holders Chelsea on Wednesday, while Samp entertain Udinese in Serie A next Sunday.
