Juventus 3-1 Bologna

Scorers: Mounier 5 (B), Morata 33 (J), Dybala pen 52 (J), Khedira 63 (J)

Serie A Week 7 –  Sunday, 4th October- 12:00 GMT – Juventus Stadium

Juventus had an early scare but comfortably saw off Bologna 3-1 with goals from Alvaro Morata, Paulo Dybala and Sami Khedira

The Bianconeri were heading into this match with just one win so far from the Serie A season despite strong performances in the Champions League. Stephan Lichtsteiner, Claudio Marchisio, Stefano Sturaro, Roberto Pereyra and Claudio Marchisio were all out through injury while Martin Caceres was still suspended following a drink-driving incident last week.

Juve started the game strongly but it was the away side who went ahead after just 6 minutes when Anthony Mounier beat the offside trap to fire an effort under Gigi Buffon.

Patrice Evra headed wide shortly after, while Juan Cuadrado was menacing down the right flank, linking up well with Dybala who had his effort charged down.

The Bianconeri took hold of the game as the half progressed and Alvaro Morata bought them level, heading home from Sami Khedira’s perfect cross.

Morata had a number of chances after the restart, his best chance coming from a Cuadrado cut-back pass. His hard work paid off shortly after when he was bought down inside the box by Ferrari and Dybala converted from the penalty spot to put Juventus ahead.

Juve looked in control and man of the match Morata was on hand again to provide the perfect cross for an unmarked Khedira to head home at the back post.

With the result confirmed, there was a nice touch at the close of the game when Kwadwo Asamoah came on for the final minutes of the game. His first appearance this year in a Juve shirt.

 5 Positives:

1. Sami Khedira – A fantastic debut for the midfielder who showed in a week, exactly what Juve have been missing so far this season. Hard tackling, quick to get the team moving forward and he capped off his display with an assist and a goal on his first league appearance.

2. Paulo Dybala – Another fine display from the youngster. His free kicks were on target, his corners were perfect, he never stopped running and he converted cooly from the penalty spot.

3. Alvaro Morata – Man of the match ? A goal, an assist and a penalty won to earn Juve all three points. He’s starting to develop a good understanding with Dybala which means exciting times ahead.

4. Tactics – The same formation and the same lineup for two games in a row, and the difference told. Good work from Allegri to stick with a winning formula

5. Asamoah returns ! – It may have been just 90 seconds, but it was great to see Kwadwo back on the pitch. Here’s hoping he gets to make up for lost time.

 Statistics:

Man of the Match: Alvaro Morata

  Flop of the Match: N/A

  Corners: 5

  Pass Accuracy: 89%

  Shots on Target: 8

  Total Shots: 19

  Ball Possession: 66%

  Formation:  4-3-3/3-5-2

 Formation:

Lineups:

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Evra, Khedira (Asamoah 92), Hernanes (Lemina 67), Pogba, Cuadrado; Dybala, Morata (Zaza 76)

Bologna: Mirante; Ferrari, Oikonomou, Gastaldello (Rossettini 48), Masina; Rizzo, Diawara, Pulgar (Brighi 70); Brienza (Falco 75), Destro, Mounier

Ref: Celi

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