'%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)
Maurizio Sarri's Juventus hosted Bologna at the Allianz Stadium, fresh off their important win over Inter Milan last time out. The Bianconeri saw off the Bologna challenge thanks to two well-taken strikes either side of a stunning Danilo Larangeira goal.
In the 19th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo pounced on a loose ball close to the Bologna penalty area, made a jinxing run past the opposition rearguard, then blasted the ball beyond the reach of Lukasz Skorupski and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
The Red and Blues refused to go down without a fight, and in the 26th minute, their valiant effort was rewarded. Danilo latched onto an Mbaye header, neatly controlling the ball before whipping it past Gianluigi Buffon on a half volley. The first half ended all square.
Juventus, however, continued to poke and prod the formidable Bologna defence in the second half, looking for the winner. In the 54th minute, their perseverance was rewarded as Miralem Pjanic blasted the ball beyond the reach of Skorupski after a comical scramble in the visitors' penalty area.
Juve held on to the lead despite dangerous incursions by Bologna, extending their points advantage over Inter Milan which has a game in hand. In this article, we list a few talking points from the encounter.
#1 Impressive Cristiano Ronaldo nets goal number 701
Before kickoff, Juventus celebrated Cristiano Ronaldo's 700th goal by presenting him with a commemorative jersey.
The Portuguese sensation would go on to signal his intent not to rest on his laurels by putting up an impressive performance against Bologna. Ronaldo had the most shots in the encounter, with a total of 6 pops at goal.
His efforts were rewarded early on in the encounter, as he dispossessed Bologna's Ladislav Krejci before beautifully dribbling his way into the opposition penalty box and unloading a shot beyond the outstretched arms of Lukasz Skorupski. That was his 701st career goal, and he has now scored in 6 of his last 7 matches in all competitions.
#2 Dominant Juventus made to battle till the final whistle
It was business as usual for the Bianconeri, as they bossed a very stubborn Bologna side all night. Although Juve dominated proceedings for much of the encounter, the Red and Blues put up a valiant challenge all evening, thanks to spirited counter-attacks which threatened to put a spanner in the works for Juve.
Lukasz Skorupski, in particular, was very impressive for Bologna, as he kept his club in the contest for much of the game. The goalkeeper made a series of impressive saves late in the encounter, as Juventus searched for a goal to put the contest beyond doubt. The Pole stood in the way of potentially an ugly Juventus goal procession.
#3 Gianluigi Buffon drags Juventus over the line
The veteran Gianluigi Buffon had a fairly comfortable evening, and he was forced to make just routine saves for much of the game, as Juventus dominated possession, only allowing a paltry 9 shots and 2 on target for Bologna.
However, late on in the encounter, the 41-year-old made his most telling contribution. Deep in stoppage time, Bologna's Federico Santander was denied twice, first by the woodwork, and secondly by Buffon who brilliantly defied age and gravity to reflexively pull Juventus over the finish line with all 3 points in the bag.
