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Four-goal Juve cruise to victory in Verona

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Four-goal Juve cruise to victory in Verona
Four-goal Juve cruise to victory in Verona
Four-goal Juve cruise to victory in Verona

Juventus romped to a 4-0 victory over Chievo on Sunday afternoon, equalling a Serie A record of 12 consecutive wins set by the club two years ago.

The Bianconeri boast the best away record in the league this season (currently 25 points) and they never looked in any mood to surrender that particular feat during a dominant display throughout.

Fresh from his midweek brace against Inter in the Coppa Italia, Morata was at the double once more at the Bentegodi Stadium, profiting from two brilliant balls into the box from Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sami Khedira respectively.

The visitors were no less ruthless after the interval, controlling proceedings with a further 13 efforts on goal, and strikes from Alex Sandro and Paul Pogba saw them race away with a win that edges them one point above Napoli ahead of this afternoon's fixtures.

Juventus made a strong start to the match, with Morata already looking lively and creating his team’s first chance of the match when his cross found Alex Sandro on the edge of the box after just four minutes, only for the Brazilian’s effort to land the wrong side of the crossbar.

Just two minutes later, however, Morata was left celebrating his third goal in four days after he got on the end of Lichtsteiner’s incisive ball from the right, burying past a helpless Albano Bizzarri.

From then on, wave after wave of Bianconeri attacks kept Chievo trapped in their own half and threatening to double their own advantage. After Pogba rifled over the bar, another powerful Morata run down the left might have seen any one of Pogba, Alex Sandro or Lichtsteiner provide the finishing touches to what emulated a game of pinball in the box.

By the 20th minute, Paulo Dybala too was beginning to feature increasingly prominently in the visitors’ forward forays. After curling an effort marginally wide of the mark, Bizzarri then managed to get his gloves to the Argentine’s close-range strike and Khedira could not capitalise once the ball had spilled out to him.

In the middle of the park, Pogba was reigning supreme, as he regularly regained and maintained possession for his side, but he also contributed plenty in advanced areas, sending a further two stinging drives in on goal that Bizzarri was equal to.

In the meantime, Chievo managed to register their very first shot on target, but Gigi Buffon was able to collect Nicola Rigoni’s centrally struck long-range effort with ease.

Then, on 40 minutes, the Bianconeri were finally rewarded for their constant pressure on the Gialloblu goal, converting the last of their 12 shots before the interval.

With Dybala beating off a couple of challenges on the edge of the box, he released Khedira down the left and the German’s cross found Morata to hit home in what was almost a carbon copy of his first goal, only set up from the opposite flank.

Finding themselves 2-0 down at the break, the hosts knew that a strong start to the second period would be paramount to their efforts in clawing their way back into the encounter, and they soon threatened to reduce the deficit when Ivan Radovanovic and Paul-Jose Mpoku were both just off target.

But Chievo’s best spell of the match was shortlived and on 61 minutes Juventus extended their lead when a fine passing move involving Dybala and Pogba worked its way from right to left, finding Alex Sandro in space to hammer past Bizzarri. For the former Porto man, this was a second strike in just three league fixtures.

Then, seven minutes later, Pogba made sure his name too was on the scoresheet, as he ghosted past two defenders before wrapping his right foot around the ball to guide with precision into the bottom-right corner.

Despite leading 4-0, Massimiliano Allegri’s charges showed no signs of taking their foot off their gas and Alex Sandro very nearly got his second goal of the afternoon, rattling the crossbar when well positioned.

As the game entered its closing stages Morata curled venomously over the top before Bizzarri was called into action once more to block efforts from the Spaniard and Alex Sandro.

The visitors might well have made it 5-0 in the second minute of stoppage time, Pogba’s ferocious drive crashing off the bar, but this near miss would scarcely detract from an utterly dominant display in Verona.

The fight for a fifth successive Scudetto goes on.

JUVENTUS
Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Barzagli; Lichtsteiner (Padoin 80), Khedira (Sturaro 46), Marchisio (Hernanes 69), Pogba, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Morata

Unused substitutes: Neto, Rubinho, Rugani, Chiellini, Pereyra, Cuadrado, Favilli, Zaza

Coach: Allegri

CHIEVO
Bizzarri; Cacciatore, Dainelli, Frey, Sardo; Rigoni, Castro, Radovanovic (Pinzi 61); Birsa (Pellissier 68); Inglese, M' Poku (Gobbi 73)

Unused substitutes: Seculin, Bressan, Spolli, Costa, Damian, Depaoli

Coach: Maran

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