Juventus bounced back from last week’s defeat in Naples by edging past Bologna thanks to a solitary second-half strike from Juan Cabal.
Luciano Spalletti kept his 3-4-2-1 system, with Jonathan David spearheading the lineup, supported by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao. In midfield, Khephren Thuram connected with Manuel Locatelli, while Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso started on the wings.
Bologna & Juventus trade blows in goalless first half
Bologna were the better side in the opening minutes, but Michele Di Gregorio produced a double save to prevent an early goal.
Nevertheless, the Bianconeri grew as the game progressed, creating a flurry of chances. Yildiz found himself in front of the goal on a few occasions, but was impeded by Nadir Zortea.
Juventus thought they had broken the deadlock in the 35th minute, when Federico Ravaglia’s attempted clearance was blocked by McKennie, who unselfishly laid it into David’s path. The Canadian scored with a simple tap-in, but the goal was disallowed for an offside on McKennie in the buildup.
The first half eventually ended goalless, but only because Zortea’s last-minute attempt struck the woodwork following a slight finger-tip touch from Di Gregorio.
Juan Cabal’s goal separated the two sides
Juventus eventually found the breakthrough in the second half from an unexpected source. Yildiz’s promising shot was blocked by Torbjørn Heggem, but he made amends from the ensuing corner kick. The Turk played a give-and-go with Conceicao before sending a sublime cross to the box that was met by Juan Cabal, whose low header left Ravaglia stranded.
The Colombian wasn’t the only second-half introduction who made a swift impact, as fellow substitute Lois Openda was equally effective.
The Belgian striker won an aerial ball against Hegem and charged towards Ravaglia’s goal, forcing the Norwegian defender to bring him down from the back. The referee had no other choice but to show the latter a straight red that left Bologna with a man down.
Afterwards, it was all Juventus, but Yildiz and Openda wasted a few glorious opportunities to double the visitors’ lead.
But in the end, it was job done for the Bianconeri, who returned to Turin with three vital points in the bag, thus rounding off a positive week that began with a Champions League win over Pafos.
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