27 May 2017
Juventus ended a historic 2016/17 campaign on a high on Saturday evening, closing their season with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dell’Ara thanks to goals from Paulo Dybala and Moise Kean, the youngster’s first ever senior strike in the top flight.
The Bianconeri were perhaps unfortunate to fall behind to Saphir Taider’s spectacular right-footed curler shortly after the interval but found the goals their dominance deserved late on as Dybala slammed home from close range on the rebound and Kean steered Miralem Pjanic’s free-kick into the corner with the last kick of the game.
Despite kicking off proceedings with a near uninterrupted 10-minute spell of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s men perhaps need not have waited for the 17 year old’s dramatic late entrance had they not taken a host of first-half chances in Bologna.
With Emil Audero making his debut in goal, Juve began brightly, immediately taking the game to their lacklustre opponents, Stefano Sturaro and Gonzalo Higuain both going close before the hour-mark.
The former was rightly flagged offside as he tucked a loose ball home in the penalty area before Higuain was unfortunate to see his smart turn and shot kept out by home goalkeeper Angelo Da Costa.
Sturaro was through on goal again moments later, this time denied by a lunging block from defender Emil Krafth as the opening period ended goalless.
The deadlock would be broken shortly after the break and it spectacular style too. Having barely got out of their own half neither with or without the ball in the first half, home side Bologna suddenly found themselves in front seven minutes after the restart, Saphir Taider curling an unstoppable shot into the top corner from the edge of the box; nothing to be done for debutant Audero.
Back came the Bianconeri who deservedly sourced an equaliser 20 minutes from time through Dybala. A flying stop by keeper Da Costa had kept out the Argentine’s sweetly struck drive from distance in the previous phase of play but Juve’s number 21 made sure he would not be denied twice in quick succession, ramming home from close range on the rebound to level the scores.
The late introduction of academy product Kean had already swung November’s critical Champions League tie in Seville in Juve’s favour early in the season and coach Allegri surely had the same thing in mind when he sent the striker on to replace Dybala 12 minutes from the conclusion of a rapidly fading encounter.
Fate would have it that the youngster would be on the end of fellow substitute Miralem Pjanic’s floated free-kick from the right, showing the purest of poacher’s instinct to guide a diving header inside the far post with the last kick of the game.
A dramatic ending to a legendary Serie A season. Next up? Real Madrid and the Champions League final.
