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It indeed was deja vu for Maurizio Sarri, as he witnessed his Juventus side battle from a goal deficit to take all three points for the second time in a row. The defending champions made it 2 consecutive wins, as they saw off a resilient Brescia side at Stadio Mario Rigamonti, temporarily moving to the top of the Serie A standings.
Cristiano Ronaldo was rested for this one, and Brescia had an early lead when Alfredo Donnarumma blasted the ball beyond Wojciech Szczesny in the 4th minute. However, Juve pulled level before halftime, courtesy of an own goal, as Jhon Chancellor obliviously bundled the ball over the line.
Juve continued to pepper the Brescia defence, forcing a save out of Jesse Joronen and seeing Adrien Rabiot's effort cleared off the line by Chancellor. The Old Lady eventually took the lead courtesy of Miralem Pjanic, as he fired a loose ball home from just outside the box.
Juve may have been without Ronaldo, but they dug deep to overcome a very resilient Brescia. The Old lady's quest for a ninth Scudetto won't be an easy ride, and they will have to produce even more dogged performances like this.
In this article, we try to make sense of Juventus' victory at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti.
#3 An unfit Mario Balotelli
On a night in which Brescia was without the ball more often than not, Le Rondinelle had to make the best of their opportunities. However, Eugenio Corini's men fired blanks time and again, with just 3 of their 16 shots hitting the target.
Balotelli made his Brescia bow for this one, but he failed to trouble Juve's goalmouth from open play. Balotelli lacked sharpness in front of goal but we saw glimpses of his artistry, especially from setpieces.
It was evident for much of the game that Balotelli is the key man for Le Rondinelle, and perhaps with a little more match fitness, Balotelli would have buried some of the chances he had.
#2 Fortuitous own goal
As they say, fortune favours the brave, and Juventus certainly put themselves out there in a bid to draw level. They kept plugging away till the 40th minute when Brescia's Jhon Chancellor, unfortunately (and fortunately for the Bianconeri) bundled Paulo Dybala's corner kick over the line.
That equaliser came at a perfect period in the game, as it gave the champions a breather ahead of halftime, and Maurizio Sarri was able to fire up his charges ahead of the 2nd half.
#1 Miralem Pjanic's moment of magic
Cometh the hour, cometh the man! Juventus were without Cristiano Ronaldo, and Juventus were expected to miss their Portuguese talisman somewhat. However, Miralem Pjanic had other ideas.
The Old Lady was on the verge of another draw, as the resilient Brescia defence continually brushed off the champions' constant incursions into their box.
Eventually, Paulo Dybala was awarded a freekick from 20 yards out. The Argentine took the freekick and his effort hit the wall, rebounding onto the path of Miralem Pjanic who sent a precise shot into the bottom left corner and past a bewildered Jesse Joronen for the winner.
