22 February 2024
Juventus and Frosinone have already faced off in 2024, the Bianconeri emerging 4-0 winners in their Coppa Italia quarter-final clash thanks to Arek Milik's hat-trick and a superb Kenan Yildiz strike. Yet it was the young Turkish talent who had shone just weeks earlier in the first league meeting of the two sides this season, the 18-year-old firing home his very first senior goal in black and white after less than a quarter of an hour. Let's take a dive into the recent past ahead of the upcoming league match that awaits the Bianconeri against Frosinone, taking place at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, 25 February.
YILDIZ'S FIRST
Without the injured Federico Chiesa, who had remained in Turin, Coach Max Allegri decided to field Kenan Yildiz from the first minute in his very first start for the senior team. The youngster repaid the coach's faith by putting his side ahead after 12 minutes, dribbling past defenders on the left-side of the box before firing home. Alongside him in attack was Milik, forming an unprecedented pair for the Bianconeri who repeatedly tried the double lead, but with no end product. Frosinone refused to lie down, and at the beginning of the second half, Di Francesco's side found the leveller, re-opening the match that Juventus had hoped to close.
SUPER DUSAN
Thereafter, Coach Allegri decided to play the Vlahovic card, bringing on the Serbian striker who immediately went close. On the half-hour mark comes, Rabiot accelerated down the left and put in an excellent ball which deflected into McKennie's path, the American connecting with a sweet volley that crashed against the crossbar. Yet this was the prelude to the play that decided the match, which started from the feet of the American: his perfect cross was met by Vlahovic who rose highest and headed home to make it 2-1 for Juve.
CHRISTMAS SAVED
Fielding Vlahovic from the bench worked out in the best possible way after a difficult period for the Serbian, as noted by Coach Allegri: "Starting on the bench has calmed Vlahovic, after the criticism of the last challenges. I knew he could give us a hand in the last 30 minutes, and he did. He is also growing mentally." All's well that ends well, then - above all, the best way to make Coach Allegri happy, who has always, since the days of the Carpi away match in 2015 (when his jacket flew off for the first time), been very attentive to the result of the last fixture before the holidays: "We must always win the last match before the break, otherwise we ruin Christmas." This year in Frosinone, things went in the best possible way.
