Torino 0-1 Juventus
Juventus maintained top spot in the Serie A table following a hard-fought 0-1 win over rivals Torino in the Derby della Mole.
Matthijs De Ligt scored his first goal for the Bianconeri, which proved to be the decisive strike in what was another closely contested derby.
With De Ligt’s goal, Juve reasserted their dominance over Torino and condemned their rivals to a sixth straight league match without a win (four losses, two draws).
Meanwhile, Juve remain unbeaten in the league and are one point ahead of Inter, whom they beat in the Derby d’Italia. The Serie A odds still favour the Bianconeri to bring home another title this year and based on how they continue to grind out results in these tricky matches, it’s not hard to see why.
Talking Points
Torino got off to the brighter start as they created a couple of chances off set plays. The first came after less than a minute in from a corner, but centre-back Bremer’s header was straight at Wojciech Szczesny. And on eight minutes, Simone Verdi’s strike from the edge of the box went way over the bar.
It took Juve over half an hour to grab their first shot on target. After making a purposeful run into the box, Paulo Dybala’s shot was well-saved by Salvatore Sirigu.
Torino then fashioned another decent chance a few minutes later. Captain Andrea Belotti laid the ball off to Souahilo Meite, who was unable to get his shot on target.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally got into the act on 42 minutes, but his relatively tame left-footed strike was easily collected by Sirigu.
Juve had one final chance on the stroke of half-time as Leonardo Bonucci was left unmarked for a header off a free-kick. Sirigu was on hand to tip the ball over.
Sirigu was called into action again 11 minutes after the break. A well-worked Juve counterattack saw Paulo Dybala release Ronaldo, whose shot was brilliantly saved by the Torino keeper.
Juve then forced another nice save from Sirigu on 69 minutes. Gonzalo Higuain executed a perfect volley off a free-kick, but Sirigu was once again equal to it.
However, the Torino keeper was finally beaten on the ensuing corner. Higuain played the ball across the six-yard box, where Matthijs De Ligt was on hand to volley it home from point-blank range.
It was the Dutch defender’s first goal for his new club, and what a time to score it. De Ligt has had his struggles early in Italy, but that goal should go some way toward earning the support of the Juve faithful.
Torino tried to hit back right away, and they very nearly did through Cristian Ansaldi. The Torino wing-back wriggled away from several Juventus defenders and got his shot off, but Szczesny made a crucial save on his near post.
Juventus had a couple of chances to extend their lead through Higuain and Ronaldo, although neither gave Sirigu too much trouble.
And the hosts very nearly gifted Juve that clinching goal on 85 minutes. A misdirected header from a Torino defender saw Aaron Ramsey with a clear path to goal, but Sirigu stood tall to pull off another great save.
The ball broke to Sami Khedira, who turned and set up Higuain, but the Argentine failed to keep his composure and blazed his effort high and wide.
But in the end, Juventus didn’t need that second goal as they held on for the narrow victory over their fierce crosstown rivals.
Key Statistics
As expected, Juventus dominated the match statistically. They controlled 60 per cent of possession and had a significant shot advantage, 19-9, including a 10-4 edge on shots on target.
Sirigu was simply brilliant for Torino as he made nine saves overall. This match wouldn’t have been as close as it was if it wasn’t for his heroics.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo was his usual productive self as he finished with seven shots, three on target. Ronaldo has continued to provide Serie A 2019 highlights; he’s produced at least six shots in each of his last six league matches.
What’s next?
Juventus’ next assignment will see them host AC Milan, who are still trying to get their season back on track. However, the SBOBET odds will be heavily against them to pick up a win at the Allianz Stadium.
As for Torino, their search for a desperately needed win will take them to fellow strugglers Brescia, who are currently second from bottom having lost four out of their last five matches.
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