MY ACCOUNT
Two first-half goals for Monza proved enough to give them their second win of the season against Juventus to add to the Bianconeri’s problems.
Patrick Ciurria and Dany Mota struck for Raffaele Palladino’s men as they secured a 2-0 win at Allianz Stadium on Sunday to follow up their 1-0 win earlier in the season in Palladino’s first game in charge.
Juve only beat Monza 2-1 in the Coppa Italia 10 days prior but struggled to deal with their energetic visitors here, as they had done in their defeat at Stadio Brianteo in the reverse league fixture in September.
It is a further blow to Juve’s hopes of Champions League qualification following their 15-point penalty related to the club’s transfer dealings imposed earlier this month.
Monza were denied the lead when Gianluca Caprari’s strike was ruled out for offside after a VAR check, but they were not made to wait long to rectify that as Ciurria raced onto a pass from Jose Machin before firing into the roof of the net in the 18th minute.
It was two for the visitors six minutes before half-time as Carlos Augusto went on a mazy run through the Juve defence before feeding Mota, who rounded Wojciech Szczesny and finished calmly.
Massimiliano Allegri opted to bring Arkadiusz Milik on for Moise Kean early in the second half as the hosts looked to find a way back into the game, and Michele Di Gregorio did well to keep out a fierce effort from the Pole.
The 25-year-old stopper produced his finest save of the game in the 74th minute when he tipped an Angel Di Maria effort from long range wide when it had been arrowing towards to top corner of his goal.
Gleison Bremer had a goal disallowed with just over 10 minutes remaining as Juve toiled and ultimately failed to get back into the contest.
What does it mean? Things go from bad to worse for Juve
Former Juve player Palladino masterminded their downfall in his first game after his surprise appointment earlier in the season, and did so again here.
Monza became only the second team in the history of Serie A to win both their first two matches against Juventus in the top flight, after Inter in 1930.
It was still a one-sided contest in terms of attempts, with the Bianconeri having 22 shots to Monza’s three, but it rarely felt like Allegri’s men would get back into it.
Attack is the best form of defence
One of the main issues for the hosts in the first half was that they had no idea where the next threat would come from.
No defender has been involved in more goals than Carlos Augusto in Serie A this season: six (four goals and two assists), level with Napoli’s Mario Rui.
Monza possess the key to Juve’s demise
Although the hosts had far more shots, Palladino’s men actually had more possession in Turin, calmly passing the ball around to see out the game at times in the second half.
The visitors ended with 54 per cent of the ball while completing 448 passes to their glamourous opponents’ 348.
Key Opta Facts:
– Juventus are winless in three Serie A games in a row for the first time since last September.
– Allegri’s side have conceded 10 goals in their past three league matches. They had only conceded seven goals in each of their previous 17 games in Serie A this season.
– Juventus have lost a Serie A home match for the first time since last April, against Inter; they had gone 13 matches since then without defeat (W8 D5).
– Monza have won two successive Serie A games on the road for the first time.
– Dusan Vlahovic played a Serie A match 100 days since his last game in the top flight, against Empoli on October 21, while Adrien Rabiot played his 150th game for Juventus.
What’s next?
Juventus take on Lazio at Allianz Stadium in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Thursday, while Monza host Sampdoria in Serie A a week on Monday.
