Massimiliano Allegri’s boys dug deep to grind out a 2-1 win over a highly energetic Napoli side at home. It was a tactical game where both teams waited for the opposition blink.
Gonzalo Higuain grabbed the headlines by scoring the winner against his former employers in the 75th minute. Leonardo Bonucci opened the scoring for the hosts as he punished a miscued clearance by Napoli defence. Jose Callejon brought the visitors back on level terms albeit for a brief interval.
Sarri’s team now are seven points adrift the current league leaders and reigning champions Juventus after tonight’s agonizing defeat.
Juventus
Gigi Buffon – 8/10
The legendary Italian was at his imperious best as he marshaled his troops with grit to keep a spirited Napoli at bay. He made quite a few telling saves to deny the visitors a deserved lead in both the halves. Gigi tonight didn’t disappoint anyone with his display at the Juventus Stadium.
Andrea Barzagli – 7/10
Calm, composed and collected are the words which sum up Barzagli’s evening. He did well to keep a slimy Insigne in check and shut out the right side channel with his astute vigil. In fact, he was more effective when Allegri switched to a back four as he completely dominated Mertens in the second half.
Leonardo Bonucci – 9/10
Once again he rose to the occasion and haunted Napoli by scoring a scratchy goal to change the tide of the game. He not only influenced the game with his goal but also ran the show from the heart of defense as he played some exquisite balls from the back. His distribution today was simply brilliant along with his smart tackling and tactical superiority. No wonder he is world’s most sought after centre-half!
Giorgio Chiellini – 5/10
The injury-plagued Italian defender had a patchy 35 minutes before succumbing to yet another injury. The Juve veteran struggled to cope with the pace and slick passing of Jose Callejon down the left-sided channel. He also got himself needlessly booked when he drove forward during one of his attacking adventures. It was a performance which was miles away from his quintessential best.
Stephan Lichtsteiner – 7/10
The Swiss wingback had a dodgy first half where he caught in two minds regarding everything. But he got his act together in the second half and was reminiscent of his older self with some marauding runs down the right flank.
Sami Khedira – 8/10
Khedira was one of the few Bianconneri men who had a decent first half and took their game up a couple of notches in the second half. The former Real Madrid man was smart with his direct passing and surging runs but he too at times was left reeling by Napoli’s high-intensity pressing. It was his vision and creativity which gave the Italian champions their winner.
Hernanes – 7/10
The Brazilian dynamo had a subdued first half but his fortunes flipped dramatically as soon as the Bianconneri switched to a back four. With his smart positioning, his influence on the game grew exponentially in the second half. Although he ran out of gas by the 75th minute, Hernanes surely did his bit to bring his team back in the ascendancy.
Miralem Pjanic – 6/10
He was effortlessly bullied by Napoli midfielders for most of the game as they reduced him to a mere periphery figure in the first half and a considerable part of the second as well. The summer recruit failed to tick the Juve midfield as he was unable to deal with the intense press of Napoli midfield.
Alex Sandro – 6/10
He, like his fellow teammates, had a tentative beginning. He seemed clueless every time he faced Callejon, who tormented the left back at every possible instant. The Brazilian was so occupied with his defensive duties that he rarely bombed forward. It was only after the hour mark, when he began to reinvent his game.
Mario Mandzukic – 7/10
The Croat impressed one and all with his relentlessness especially in the second half where he operated from wings as opposed to his favored central position. He unlucky to not register himself on the scoresheet but it was more of his teammates’ fault who failed to create clear cut chances for him on a regular basis.
Gonzalo Higuain – 7.5/10
The Argentine completed the script with his inglorious winner at the Juventus Stadium. The Argentine was simply awful in the first half and pedestrian in the second as he wasted tons of chances to seal the game for the Old Lady. Soon, his class bailed him out as he scored what came to be the winning goal with a thunderous finish from 15 yards, which was more of a hopeful pop at the goal rather than a well etched out strike.
Substitutes
Juan Cuadrado – 7/10
The Chelsea loanee was pivotal in Juventus’ revival in the second half as it was his accommodation in the lineup which prompted Allegri to switch to a back four. He put in a shift down the wings to provide much-needed respite to the home team from Napoli’s pressing.
Claudio Marchisio – 7/10
The Juve stalwart announced his arrival in style as his presence freed up Khedira, who in turn laid the foundations for the winner. Coming back from a lengthy injury layoff, the Italian looked just fine against a boisterous visitors’ midfield.
Stefano Sturaro – 6/10
He was brought on to protect Juve’s one goal lead and followed his boss’ instructions to the tee. He was compact and energetic in his 10-minute cameo.
Napoli
Pepe Reina – 7/10
Reina didn’t do much wrong to concede two goals to a Juventus side which was tentative in the attack at its best. He made quite a few Neuer-esque clearances off his line to foil Juve’s attacking forays. Sadly, for both the goals conceded he couldn’t have done much to save them as both were the results of glaring defensive lapses.
Elseid Hysaj – 7/10
Napoli’s right back had a solid first half to keep Sandro and Chiellini in check. He really struggled against the dynamism and pace of Cuadrado yet he somehow hangs on to his defensive pride. It was a performance which was just enough to save the day.
Vlad Chiriches – 6/10
The Romanian captain had a serious lapse of concentration which led to Bonucci’s opening goal. He committed the fundamental crime of ball watching instead of keeping a tight leash on his man in a set-piece situation. For someone with his quality and experience, the expectations are much higher than his display in Turin tonight.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 7/10
He was rock-solid to keep a lethal duo of Higuain and Mandzukic quiet for almost 70 minutes. He looked at ease against his former teammate Higuain, who had difficulty in dealing with him. Nonetheless, it was a day where fortune didn’t favor his team but surely was on his side.
Faouzi Ghoulam – 5/10
It was a nightmare in Turin for the Napoli’s left back. The Algerian defender was taken to the cleaners by Juve’s deadly duo of Mandzukic and Higuain who switched their positions frequently. And he was the major guilty party in orchestrating Higuain’s second goal. Awful positioning coupled with abstract marking will be Ghoulam’s 90 minute summary in Turin.
Marques Allan – 7/10
Allan was very effusive in the first half where he along with Hamsik ran the Juve midfield ragged with some intense pressing and quick passing. He lacked energy at times in the second half to sustain his crazy pressing and was rightly substituted. The complexion of the tie would have been a bit different if he had lasted the entire match at full strength.
Amadou Diawara – 8/10
The teenage midfield prodigy showed us why he is one of the most highly rated youngsters in Europe. He was the perfect shield to Napoli’s defense with his tenacity and strong tackling. His ability to win the ball quickly gave Napoli’s ferocious midfield a strong plinth to harass their Bianconneri counterparts.
Marek Hamsik – 7.5/10
The Gli Azzurri captain had a sizzling first half as he effortlessly ran the show in midfield. He was pivotal in Napoli’s slick and dizzying passing which troubled the hosts for large swathes of the game. Sadly he couldn’t match up to the Juve’s revamped midfield in the last quarter of the game. It was an inspiring performance by the Slovakian midfield dynamo.
Jose Callejon – 8/10
He was by far the best player for the visitors in the Juventus stadium and he deservedly scored Napoli’s only goal of the game. His slippery movement, ability to run at the defenders almost at will and a pure striker’s instincts gave Napoli that cutting edge in absence of Milik. If his other attacking counterparts had stepped up then it would’ve been a tad too much even for this Juventus defence to handle. It was a sharp display by the Spaniard against the best team in the league.
Dries Mertens – 6/10
He looked lost against the burly presence of Juve’s three centre-backs. The Belgian who deployed in the central role in a front three lacked physical as well as the tactical presence to lead an attacking line comprising of two fluid inverted wingers. He failed miserably in filling Milik’s goalscoring shoes.
Lorenzo Insigne – 6/10
The Neapolitan winger was at his erratic best as he washed all his hard work off with his flimsy passing. He gave Lichsteiner and Barzagli a run for their money with his sly movement but his miserable end product made all his lethal movement and guile benign. He was non-existent in the second half.
Substitutes
Emanuele Giaccherini – 6/10
The most memorable part of his time on the field was the rousing reception he received from the home fans. It was a quiet performance by the former Juventus man who had dazzled the very ground with his skills.
Piotr Zielinski – 6/10
Post his arrival; Allegri’s boys had snatched the control of the game from Napoli. And he barely did anything to stem the rotting tide.
Omar El Kaddouri – 6/10
Another Napoli substitute who got lost in the melee. The Moroccan midfielder couldn’t match up to a patched up Juventus midfield in the final ten minutes of the game.
