At the Stadio Carlo Castellani in Tuscany, Empoli hosted Juventus for what turned out to be an entertaining fixture. The visitors broke the deadlock thanks to Moise Kean’s header in the 32nd minute, but the hosts found an equalizer through Szymon Zurkowski following a goalmouth scramble just eight minutes later. Nevertheless, Dusan Vlahovic restored the Old Lady’s lead just before the halftime whistle. The Serbian added another goal in the second period with a fabulous chip, but Andrea La Mantia came off the bench to reignite the Azzurri’s hopes. However, the Bianconeri managed to hold on to their slim lead. So here are our player ratings for the five-goal thriller between Empoli and Juventus which ended in a 3-2 win in favor of Massimiliano Allegri’s men.
Empoli (4-3-2-1)
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
The Italian shot-stopper pulled off an excellent save to deny Zakaria’s shot early on before being beaten on three occasions. However, it’s hard to blame him for any of Juve’s goal.
Petar Stojanovic – 5.5
The Slovenian caused little danger to the opposition when bursting forward, and couldn’t prevent Rabiot from delivering the assist for the first Juventus goal.
Adrian Ismajili – 5.5
The Albanian had a back-and-fourth battle against Kean. He came out on top on some occasions, but the Italian gave him a headache, as well as yellow card.
Sebastiano Luperto – 5
A forgettable display from the former Napoli defender who allowed Kean to nod home the opener untroubled. Also failed to contain the runs of Vlahovic who left him in his wake.
Liberato Cacace – 5.5
The New Zealander tried to limit Cuadrado’s danger but found little success. Although none of the Juventus goals were particularly his fault, he could have aided the center backs on some occasions.
Szymon Zurkowski – 6.5
The Pole was Empoli’s best performer in the middle of the park with his energetic performance. Pounced on a goalmouth scramble to snatch the equalizer from close range.
Kristjan Asllani – 6
The 19-year-old Regista tried to help the defenders in their quest to stop Vlahovic and Kean, but it remains to be seen if he’s done enough to impress the Juventus scouts who were reportedly keeping an eye on him.
Filippo Bandinelli – 5.5
The Italian midfielder provided some decent crosses from the left side, but his impact remained limited.
Nedim Bajrami – 5.5
The attacking midfielder is one of the main revelations for the Serie A campaign, but he found it hard against the Bianconeri’s organized defenses.
Federico Di Francesco – 5.5
The former Bologna winger ran hard and tried to put himself on the receiving end of every cross, but never truly threatened with anything noteworthy.
Andrea Pinamonti – 5.5
The Inter loanee failed to please his parent club with a goal against Juventus. Beside one or two half chances, he was left starving for service.
Empoli Substitutes
Fabiano Parisi – 6.5
A game-changing substitute from Aurelio Andreazzoli. Immediately improved Empoli’s performance as he set the left flank on fire. His cross led to La Mantia’s goal.
Marco Benassi – 5.5
Replaced Bandinelli but without making himself noticed.
Andrea La Mantia – 6.5
The veteran striker brought the hosts back to the match with a simple yet clinical left-foot shot.
Liam Henderson – N/A
Valerio Verre – N/A
2 – Dusan #Vlahovic has just become the second player in the #SerieA history to have scored for two different teams against #Empoli in a single campaign, after Krzysztof Piatek in 2018/19 (Genoa and AC Milan). Decided. pic.twitter.com/bGguXMoVZ4
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) February 26, 2022
Juventus (4-4-2)
Wojciech Szczesny – 5.5
The former Roma goalkeeper was faultless on Empoli’s first goal, but perhaps could have done better to prevent the second. However, the power behind La Mantia’s shot beat him at his near post.
Danilo – 5.5
The Brazilian is one of the most consistent players at Massimiliano Allegri’s disposal, but it just wasn’t his best performance. He was one of the defenders who failed to clear the ball ahead of Empoli’s equalizer, and was occasionally wasteful on the ball.
Leonardo Bonucci – 6.5
It was a generally brilliant performance from the veteran who made some vital clearances from start to finish. But his display was marred by the hosts’ first goal where he and his teammates failed to make the clearance.
Matthijs de Ligt – 6.5
The Dutchman provided his usual solid performance, frustrating the opposition strikers with his sheer strength and defensive prowess.
Luca Pellegrini – 6
The Italian left-back had his ups and downs, but he was mostly able to contain the danger of Empoli’s dangerous right flank, and played a vital part in the opener, picking up Rabiot with a smart pass.
Juan Cuadrado – 6.5
If it wasn’t for some poor passing on a few occasions, the Colombian’s grade would have been much higher. Worked his socks off while helping his teammates at the back, and provided the assist for the first of Vlahovic’s goal.
Denis Zakaria – 6
The Swiss international did well in retrieving the ball, and almost broke the deadlock when his run was picked up by Vlahovic, but Vicario made just enough contact to deny his shot. Had to leave the pitch in the first half as the injuries continue to pile up at Juventus.
Arthur Melo – 6.5
A convincing performance from the Brazilian who’s beginning to master the deep-lying playmaker role. Won back the ball that led the Old Lady’s second goal, while also orchestrating the counter attack that led to the third.
Adrien Rabiot – 6.5
The much-maligned Frenchman made up for his under-par performance against Villarreal with a considerably improved outing. Provided the assist for Kean’s opener with a sublime assist and instigated the counter attack that allowed Vlahovic to complete his personal brace.
Dusan Vlahovic – 8.5
A simply stunning showing from the Serbian bomber. Should have got himself an assist when he picked up Zakaria’s run, but he then started the play that led to the first Juventus goal, before taking over the show. Scored his first personal goal after a fake that left Empoli players on the ground, and then sealed his second with a confident chip.
Moise Kean – 7
The young striker ended his drought by heading home the first goal of the match with a nice finish. Looked inspired and comfortable on the ball for the first time in a while.
Juventus Substitutes
Manuel Locatelli – 6
An industrial performance from the Euro 2020 winner who acted as a box-to-box midfielder after coming in for the injured Zakaria.
Alvaro Morata – 6.5
Came in the second half to provide the assist for Vlahovic on the third Juventus goal with a smart through ball.