Juventus 3-1 Bologna
The Bianconeri showed their championship poise in hacking out a come-from-behind victory over Bologna to move one step closer to their seventh straight Serie A title.
Juventus’ championship bid isn’t over just yet, at least mathematically. However, it seems inevitable now after football betting darlings Napoli played out a 2-2 draw with Torino. That result means the Old Lady are six points ahead of the Partenopei with two games to go in Italy’s top football competition.
Not to mention that the reigning champions have a massive goal difference compared to their closest title rivals.
Highlights of the game
Three second-half goals made the difference for Juventus who were down by one at halftime. Super-sub Douglas Costa dazzled for the team as he came off the bench after the break and sparked a huge turnaround.
Juventus knew they needed the win to pull away from Napoli in the title race and take command of the football odds for good. Unfortunately, their first half was marred with individual errors as they found themselves trailing at the half hour.
Bologna took advantage of the Old Lady’s errors and won a controversial penalty after Daniele Rugani pushed Lorenzo Crisetig inside the box. Simone Verdi stepped up for the spot-kick and calmly fired the ball home past keeper Gianluigi Buffon who went the wrong way.
The Bianconeri struggled to find their footing and were clearly lacking in creativity and intensity. Nonetheless, Costa’s arrival in the second half injected the team with some vigour and much-needed individual brilliance.
The Brazilian ran and passed relentlessly to destroy the Bologna defence and create chances for his teammates.
Juventus were able to equalise five minutes after the restart following an error from Bologna defender Sebastien De Maio. The 31-year-old met a Juan Cuadrado cross and thought he had deflected it nicely, but the ball instead flicked into his own net to the frustration of the Greyhounds.
Costa then started the Juventus rampage and set up two goals to put them in the driver’s seat. The 27-year-old midfielder delivered deep from the left field on 63 minutes and the unmarked Sami Khedira met his brilliant cross for an easy tap-in.
Six minutes later, Costa was back at it again, this time teeing up Paulo Dybala with a low cross to complete their comeback and put the result beyond doubt.
It was a trouble-free stretch for the champions from there as Bologna failed to find clear-cut opportunities to mount a fightback.
Key statistics
Juventus dominated possession (67 percent) and had six shots on target. For Costa, he could have had more than just two assists had his teammates converted the chances he created. The club had a total of nine goal-scoring opportunities.
The win is Juventus’ second in a row after their 0-1 defeat to Napoli last month that sent shockwaves to the top betting sites.
Meanwhile, Bologna were clearly outclassed in all aspects, particularly on the offensive end where they finished with only five shots (three on target) and four real goal-scoring chances. Nonetheless, they did damage control pretty well, having registered four saves including two crucial ones.
The result left Bologna with only one win in their last 10 matches, though the team can relax a bit as they are virtually safe from relegation with 18th-placed Cagliari still six points behind after falling 0-1 to Roma—fresh from a respectable finish in the Champions League.
What’s next?
The Bianconeri now need just one point in their last two games to secure the Scudetto, which would be another record after making history last year with their sixth successive Serie A championship.
Napoli need everything to go their way in their remaining games, but a comeback is unlikely at this stage, no thanks to their goal difference. Hence, the Partenopei is all but set to finish second in another failed bid to get the title which they last had when Diego Maradona is still playing at Naples.
Moreover, Juve have a shot at bagging the domestic double for the fourth season running under manager Max Allegri. They won the double last year after beating Lazio in the Coppa Italia.
Juve are set to face AC Milan in this week’s cup final, but it’s not looking easy for them as Gennaro Gattuso’s men are on a good form lately with only one defeat in seven.
The Rossoneri also warmed up for the big affair in style after sending Hellas Verona back to Serie B with a 4-1 drubbing at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
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