The Juventus Men's First Team beat Genoa 2-0 on Serie A Matchday 31 thanks to first-half goals from Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie.
THE MATCH REPORT
The Bianconeri got off to a flying start, breaking the deadlock after just four minutes. Following a corner, Lloyd Kelly acted as a target man and flicked the ball into the penalty area, where Bremer was well-positioned and struck a decisive header to make it 1–0. The home side maintained control of the game and continued to push forward. First, Kenan Yildiz cut inside onto his right foot from the wing and shot, but the visiting goalkeeper was equal to it; then, shortly afterwards, Khephren Thuram tried his luck from distance following a solo run, but the ball went just wide.
Luciano Spalletti’s side, however, kept pressing and doubled their lead in the 17th minute: Andrea Cambiaso and Yildiz built the move well from the back, opening up the right flank for McKennie and Chico Conceicao. The pair linked up with precision, completing a long one-two that sent the American through into the penalty area. His finish, from the Portuguese player’s assist, was powerful and accurate, making it 2–0. Just past the half-hour mark, it was Yildiz again causing problems for the Rossoblu defence, but his right-footed shot was saved by Justin Bijlow. The final moments of the first half saw McKennie fail to convert Yildiz’s pass from an excellent position, whilst Conceicao, after a solo run, came within a whisker of making it three with a curling shot that whistled past the right-hand post.
Juventus came out for the second half with the same attacking mindset they had shown in the first. A few minutes in, following a set-piece taken by Manuel Locatelli, the Genoa defence were caught off guard. Thuram laid the ball off in the six-yard box for McKennie, who, from close range, narrowly failed to make contact with it. Moments later, Jonathan David tried his luck himself from the edge of the box, his powerful shot beat the goalkeeper but crashed against the post, denying the Bianconeri a third goal. As the minutes ticked by, the home side managed their lead, but in the 75th minute came a key moment. Michele Di Gregorio, who had come on at the start of the second half in place of Mattia Perin, reacted brilliantly to save Aaron Martin’s penalty.
The Juventus goalkeeper guessed the right way, dived to his right and saved the penalty, keeping the score at 2-0. In the 83rd minute, Arek Milik came close to scoring from 40 metres with a superb left-footed strike that was tipped over the crossbar by Bijlow, who had rushed back towards the goal line. In the closing stages, Juventus saw out their lead, securing three vital points on their return to action following the international break.
