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Juventus welcomed Lokomotiv Moscow to the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday for the 3rd game of the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. The Old Lady had been at the top of the group after two games, with one win and a draw, however, Atletico Madrid had leapfrogged them to pole position after their win over Bayer Leverkusen. Juventus, as such, were looking for a victory to return to the top once again.
Maurizio Sarri’s side were on fire in the Serie A, where they were unbeaten so far. Juventus had won seven of their eight games and were top of the table once again. The Bianconeri were on a steak of six back-to-back wins in all competitions ahead of the tie and they were expected to carry forward that form against the Russian side. Lokomotiv Moscow, on the other hand, won their first game of the group stages against Bayer Leverkusen but were defeated by Atletico in the second game. However, since then, the Russian side had won both their domestic games and arrived in the tie with quite a bit of confidence.
Juventus were without Giorgio Chiellini and Douglas Costa, but Sarri still managed to field a pretty strong side for the tie.
Juventus Starting XI: Wojciech Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Sami Khedira, Miralem Pjanic, Blaise Matuidi; Rodrigo Bentancur; Paulo Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo
It was the visitors who took the lead in the 30th minute through Aleksey Miranchuk. The home side piled up the pressure but failed to find a breakthrough as the game went into the break with the score 1-0. In the second half, Juventus continued in their quest for an equalizer and were finally rewarded in the 77th minute when Paulo Dybala scored to make it 1-1. The Argentinean then sent his team ahead 2 minutes later and the game ended 2-1 in Juventus’ favor. Here are 5 men who were impressive for the home team.
#5 Alex Sandro
The Brazilian was tireless on the night, running up and down the wings and joining the attack at every opportunity. He became vital in Juventus’s search for the equalizer as the home team pegged back the opposition for much of the game. Alex Sandro was direct in the final third and eager to set the tone for the game. He played a part in the winner as his ferocious volley was parried into the path of Paulo Dybala who gave the home team the lead.
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#4 Juan Cuadrado
The Colombian’s role in the team has been modified by Sarri since his arrival. The Italian has managed to convince Juan Cuadrado to play as a makeshift right-back in the Juventus team and while his defensive contributions have been questionable, there’s no doubt that he has grown into the role in the past few games.
Cuadrado started as the right-back against Lokomotiv Moscow too and put in quite a shift for his team. He was full of running, covering the flanks well and venturing forward regularly to join the attack. His crossing was excellent on the day and had Juventus been a little more proficient in the final third, he would have set up a couple of goals from his final balls.
However, he did end up picking up an assist after he found Dybala at the edge of the box and the Argentinean scored the equalizer.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese superstar had an unusually quiet game, but his presence was enough to keep the opposition defense on their toes. Cristiano Ronaldo looked a little off the pace at the start and also missed a fantastic opportunity to put his team forward in the 19th minute. However, his movement and positioning were impeccable as ever.
Ronaldo was paid a lot of attention in the final third, which allowed Dybala to operate a little more freely. The Portuguese skipper also had a couple of freekicks that kept the pressure on the away side. He ended the game with eight shots, three of which were on target. He had 68 touches on the ball and attempted 42 passes with an 83% passing completion rate. He also registered one key pass. Ronaldo also attempted 4 dribbles with a 75% success rate.
The Portuguese superstar might not have found the back of the net, but he put in a shift and his overall performance helped Juventus win the game.
#2 Miralem Pjanic
Once again, the Bosnian ran the show for his team. Miralem Pjanic has grown in stature ever since Sarri’s arrival in Turin and has taken up an even more important role in the Juventus side this season. He had Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi for company in the middle of the park but had to carry most of the responsibilities as neither of his partners had too much of an impact on the game.
Pjanic was decisive in his passing once again, moving the ball at speed and dictating the tempo from deep. He switched play with ease and organized his team with a bird’s eye view of the game. Pjanic had 110 touches on the ball in the game – only Cuadrado, who managed 151, saw more of the ball among all the players on the pitch.
The Bosnian attempted 96 passes with a 90% success rate and also registered five key passes. He attempted two shots as well; however, none of them were on target.
#1 Paulo Dybala
The Argentinean gave a fantastic reminder of his importance in this Juventus team against Lokomotiv Moscow. There were a lot of talks about Paulo Dybala’s future in the summer after the arrival of Maurizio Sarri, but the Italian managed to convince him to stay. And it is easy to see why Sarri wants the Argentinean in his team.
Dybala had a quiet start to the game but soon took center stage. He had a free role in the final third and kept the opposition confused with his movement and positioning. He had 82 touches and was heavily involved in the build-up play. Dybala also registered five shots on the night, two of which were on target.
His first goal of the game was a piece of beauty. Taking the ball from Cuadrado at the edge of the box, Dybala curled one into the far corner to get his team back in the game. Two minutes later, he was the quickest to react when Sandro’s shot was saved by Guilherme Marinato. Dybala slotted the rebound home and won the game for his team.
