Juventus made it five straight wins in Serie A by overcoming Hellas Verona in front of their home supporters at the Allianz Stadium.
Thiago Motta started with a 4-2-3-1 formation spearheaded by Randal Kolo Muani who was flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Nicolas Gonzalez, while Weston McKennie played in midfield in front of Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram. The backline was constituted of Timothy Weah, Federico Gatti, Lloyd Kelly and Andrea Cambiaso.
Eager to reconcile with their angry supporters, the Bianconeri looked determined to score from the get-go. Motta’s men displayed fluid and progressive football in the first half, but they found an impregnable Lorenzo Montipo in their path.
The Verona goalkeeper was absolutely imperious in his goal, pulling off a string of saves to deny Manuel Locatelli on a couple of occasions, as well as Kenan Yildiz, Weston McKennie and Khephren Thuram who squandered a glorious chance from close range.
At the end of the first half, the visitors thought they had snatched the lead with their first real chance of the match as Tomas Suslov’s astonishing long-range effort left Michele Di Gregorio stranded in his goal, but it was disallowed by an offside call.
After the break, the Bianconeri resumed their onslaught, and were eventually rewarded for their efforts in the 72nd minute. Locatelli picked up Cambiaso on the left flank and the latter played a back-pass to Thuram who sent a shot through a crowd of players to finally beat Montipo.
Juventus Player Ratings vs Verona: Khephren Thuram Ends Montipo’s Resistance
In the final minute of normal time, a trio of substitutes combined to score the second goal for Juventus. Alberto Costa won back the ball and brought it forward to Samuel Mbangula who in his turn freed up Teun Koopmeiners. The Dutchman’s shot wasn’t the most powerful, but it somehow evaded the goalkeeper.
Hence, Juve gained a crucial victory that restored their fourth place, and more importantly, launched them back into title contention, as they’re only six points adrift from league leaders Inter.
