Lazio saw their 19-match unbeaten home record ended by a pair of Leonardo Bonucci penalties, as Juventus took revenge on Maurizio Sarri at the Stadio Olimpico.
It was a special game for Sarri against the side that sacked him 18 months ago, despite winning the Scudetto, but Ciro Immobile was injured with Adam Marusic testing positive for COVID-19. Juve missed Paulo Dybala, Giorgio Chiellini, Mattia De Sciglio, Aaron Ramsey and Federico Bernardeschi, while Alex Sandro was rested after returning from Brazil, making way for Luca Pellegrini.
Lazio had a very aggressive start and things got worse for Juve when Danilo was stretchered off after a knock to the inside of the thigh from Elseid Hysaj.
That seemed to shake up the game and Juventus received a penalty after the VAR on-field review, as Danilo Cataldi went into a risky sliding tackle and Alvaro Morata just moved the ball a moment earlier. Leonardo Bonucci converted calmly to put the visitors in front.
Juan Cuadrado floated in a cross for Alvaro Morata’s acrobatic volley over the bar from 10 yards, while Luiz Felipe charged down Dejan Kulusevski’s attempt after an Adrien Rabiot fresh-air volley.
Pepe Reina used his boot to parry a Kulusevski solo effort at the near post, then did just enough to put off Bonucci on the resulting corner.
Francesco Acerbi made a decisive block on Moise Kean, while Vedat Muriqi couldn’t get his head to a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic knockdown.
However, Reina was entirely at fault for the second goal, as he first was way off his line, then brought down Federico Chiesa from behind while desperately trying to make up for the error. It was an inevitable penalty and Bonucci converted again.
Kean nearly added a third on the counter from his own half, denied by a Reina save, but Juventus still catch Lazio in fifth place.
Lazio 0-2 Juventus
Bonucci pens 23, 83 (J)
An important win and we controlled the match but our build up play is still shocking. We cannot pass the ball quick enough, precisely and on the counter we are too slow barring Chiesa. I enjoyed Allegri really showed his passion in the closing moments and hopefully we can get scrape out the win against Atalanta.
Controlled by sticking 11 behind the ball and relying on two penalties? Man Juve have fallen! Var did you a favour tonight
@Mr Lazio, Lazio barely created 2 good chances whilst Juve could’ve scored more than 2, maybe even 3 or 4, so yes, Juve controlled the game. Controlling a game doesn’t always mean having 70% possession and 20 shots on goal, it means limiting your opponents and taking your chances which Juve did.
If only Bonucci had taken those penalties for Italia 🙁
Var did favor juve?
Check again. In previous games, how easy lazio gets those penalties.
Even contact between immobile’s foot vs buffon’s penis, made immobile falls in pain, which resulted as penalty for lazio.
This time it was a mad tackle from behind, trying to injure chiesa’s ankle.
And u think it’s not a pen?