22 November 2015
While Gianluigi Buffon stole the pre-match statistical headlines, making his 552nd appearance for the Bianconeri to draw level with Gaetano Scirea, his team-mates more than followed suit on the pitch, producing a commanding performance to see off the challenge of Milan at Juventus Stadium.
Buffon’s was not the only bit of history to be made on Saturday however as last night’s victory was the Old Lady’s sixth in a row over their old rivals, a record in this fixture, as well as continuing their best winning run of the season so far (three).
In an encounter dominated by the home side, Massimiliano Allegri’s men had more shots on target (five to Milan’s one), saw more of the ball (54.9 per cent) and completed almost 100 more passes than their Rossoneri visitors (480 to 399).
With both teams opting to pack the midfield, Juve’s superior retention and recycling of possession ultimately allowed them to dominate the middle third of the field, thanks largely to the efforts of Claudio Marchisio whose 72 passes at an accuracy of 91.7 per cent made him the evening’s most consistent performer.
Further forward, Paulo Dybala, the scorer of the game’s only goal, his seventh in all competitions this season and his third in as many matches against Milan, was the game’s top marksman registering two shots on target, the most of any other player on the field.
Dybala’s 66th minute strike came courtesy of fellow South American Alex Sandro’s dinked cross, his second consecutive assist for Juventus, with his first memorably coming in last month’s last gasp win over city rivals Torino. The Brazilian’s pass for Dybala was the fourth chance he created in the match, a figure unrivalled by team-mates and opponents alike.
One goal, three points, 41,000 very happy Juventus fans.
