'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A Cristiano Ronaldo strike and Roger Ibanez own goal were enough to give Juventus a 2-0 victory over AS Roma in the SerieA.
Andrea Pirlo named a vastly different side to the one that saw off Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinal on Tuesday. Just four players retained their place in the starting line-up from that San Siro clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave the hosts the lead in the 13th minute. He showed great composure and technique to fire past Pau Lopez after he had been played in by Alvaro Morata.
The Portugal international had another chance soon after, but he saw his well-taken shot rattle the crossbar off a deflection by Roger Ibanez.
Ronaldo's goal proved to be the difference at the break, with Juventus heading into the dressing room with a narrow one goal lead.
The second half saw the visitors up the ante but they failed to make the pressure count before going two goals down.
Substitute Dejan Kulusevski embarked on a now-trademark run down the flank, before sending a pin-point cross into the box.
Cramped for space, Ibanez turned the ball into the back of his net with Cristiano Ronaldo breathing down his neck.
That goal took out the bite from Roma's game and Juventus held on for the win.
The victory takes them up to third on the Serie A table, five points behind table-toppers Inter Milan and with a game in hand.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Juventus getting into top gear at the right time
Much was made of Juventus's inconsistent start to the season, with many writing them off in the title race.
However, this side have proved their mettle time and again in the last decade and their winning mentality has proven essential to their unprecedented dominance.
The Turin giants came into this game having defeated Inter Milan in the semifinal of the Coppa Italia away from home.
Their win over Roma means that Juventus have now won six games in all competitions on the bounce and it gives them added impetus entering the homerun stage of the campaign.
#4 Poor AS Roma fail to apply themselves in Turin
AS Roma came into this game in third place, one point above Juventus on the Serie A standing.
The last time these two sides met, they played out a four-goal thriller that saw the sides share the spoils in a 2-2 draw.
Given what was at stake in this fixture, similar fireworks were expected. But a low-key affair saw an experienced performance from Juventus fire them to glory.
Much of this owed to the underperformance of their visitors, as the capital outfit failed to get going in front of goal.
They managed just two shots on target across the 90 minutes with Wojciech Szczesny a relative spectator for most of the game.
This was especially disappointing, considering the quality of players available to Paulo Fonseca.
The result of this defeat means that the Giallorossi dropped down into 4th place, while Napoli could also overtake them if they pick up a win against Genoa in Saturday's late kickoff.
#3 Defensive solidity becoming a hallmark of Juventus once again
Most of Juventus's success of the last decade was founded upon an almost impenetrable backline.
But this season saw a deviation from the norm, with opposition attacks breaching the Bianconeri rearguard almost at will.
However, the return to full fitness of club captain Giorgio Chiellini has coincided with a marked improvement in the team's defensive solidity.
This shutout against Roma means that Juventus have kept three consecutive Serie A clean sheets for the first time under the management of Andrea Pirlo.
Furthermore, it is their fifth clean sheet in their last six games in all competitions.
It is a well-worn maxim that a good attack win games, but a good defense wins titles.
With Juventus back at their defensive best, fans of the club would fancy their chances of achieving their season objectives.
#2 Edin Dzeko returns to the fold for Roma
The last days of the winter transfer window was rife with rumors that Roma and Inter Milan were interested in making a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez and Edin Dzeko.
This might have come as a surprise to many, considering the Bosnian's role as captain and chief goal threat of the Stadio Olimpico outfit.
However, the root cause of the problem could be traced to when he had a fallout with manager Paulo Fonseca in the aftermath of the Coppa clash with Spezia.
An administrative error had seen Roma make six substitutes in the game, leading to a 3-0 forfeiture of the clash.
This was the second time such error was happening this season, and Fonseca demanded the sack of first team manager Gianluca Gombar.
Dzeko reportedly clashed with his coach after the decision was made, leading to his exclusion from the team, as well as proposed transfer.
However, the failure of the deal to materialize means that he must now spend the rest of the season at Roma.
The 34-year-old has been stripped off the captaincy, but was summoned off the bench against Juventus after being left out of two matchday squads.
#1 Incredible Cristiano Ronaldo continues to defy expectation
Having put Inter Milan to the sword with a brace in midweek, Cristiano Ronaldo continued from where he left off with another well-taken goal in Serie A.
His first-half goal put Juventus in the driving sit and send them on their way to securing all three points. This was his 23rd goal of the season from just 24 games in all competitions.
Sixteen of those have come in Serie A, making him the clear favorite for a maiden Capocannoniere crown.
It came a day after he celebrated his 36th birthday, which underlies the Madeira native's amazing longevity.
Incredibly, this goal was Ronaldo's 300th career goal since he turned 30. Which is scarcely believable, considering that several top-class strikers would be happy to score 300 goals in the entirety of their career.
The only blemish on his game was the yellow card he received in the 62nd minute for dissent.
Nevertheless, it was another season-defining performance from Cristiano Ronaldo, who proved to be the difference-maker for Juventus yet again.
