The struggling Genoa played hosts for Juventus in the 11th round of the season. Paulo Dybala managed to finally break his duck in Serie A, before a trio of former Bianconeri players leveled the score for the Grifone. But luckily for Andrea Pirlo, two Cristiano Ronaldo spot-kicks saved the day and secured a 3-1 win for the champions. Here are our player ratings for Genoa versus Juventus.
Genoa XI
Mattia Perin – 6
The Genoa captain tried his best to deny his former Juventus teammates, and made two decent saves on McKennie and Ronaldo’s headers, and yet he was beaten by a cheeky Dybala strike and twice from the spot.
Edoardo Goldaniga – 6.5
An impressive display from the former Palermo defender who made several key interceptions to prevent Chiesa’s dangerous runs from the left.
Mattia Bani – 6
The Genoa defender was mostly solid, but his teammates left him all exposed against Dybala for the Juventus opener, and the Argentine star easily won the duel.
Andrea Masiello – 6.5
Another solid performer at the Rossoblu back. The veteran defender was crucial in maintaining a tight defensive line.
Luca Pellegrini – 7
The young left-back had a point to prove against his parent club who’s repeatedly loaning him out. Held his own against Cuadrado and McKennie despite getting physically beaten, and provided a sublime assist for his side’s loan goal.
Lukas Lerager – 5.5
The Dane was largely ineffective today. Got easily beaten by Chiesa on the wings, and couldn’t help his team in bringing the ball forward.
Ivan Radovanović – 5.5
The veteran Genoa man worked hard for his team, but the midfield battle was entirely lost as Juventus completely dominated the match.
Nicolò Rovella – 6
The teenager showcased his warrior character throughout the match, and won the ball back several times. However, he’ll be remembered for his naive foul on Cuadrado that gifted the visitors their first penalty.
Stefano Sturaro – 6.5
Another player who made his return to Genoa after a stint at Juventus. The midfielder managed to score with the first dangerous chance for the Grifone with a brilliant volley finish.
Gianluca Scamacca – 6
The young Genoa striker wasn’t provided with any opportunity in front of the Juventus goal, but his physicality proved helpful as he dropped back to assist his side in the midfield battle.
Marko Pjaca – 6
The Bianconeri loanee was supposed to help the hosts in the counter-attacks with his speed, but that never really happened. However, the Croatian winger was one of the contributors in the Genoa goal.
Genoa Substitutes
Valon Behrami – 5.5
The Swiss veteran couldn’t do much to help his side in maintaining the ball in midfield.
Mattia Destro – 5
The former Roma man was barely witnessed.
Eldor Shomurodov – N/A
Goran Pandev – N/A
Giuseppe Caso – N/A
2 – Stefano #Sturaro has scored 2 goals (out of 6 in total in the competition) vs Juventus in Serie A, his favourite target in the top italian league (only 4 apps vs the Bianconeri). Ex.#GenoaJuventus
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 13, 2020
Juventus XI
Wojciech Szczęsny – 6
The Polish shot-stopper was beaten by Sturaro from a tight angle, and beside a save on a cheeky Rovella effort, didn’t have much to do all night.
Matthijs De Ligt – 6
The former Ajax captain had an almost boring night with the Genoa forwards barely able to enter the Juventus box.
Leonardo Bonucci – 6.5
Another Juve defender who had a calm night. The captain assisted the midfielders with his usual distribution from the back.
Alex Sandro – 5.5
The Brazilian left-back was mostly wasteful on the overlaps, and allowed Sturaro just enough space to score the equalizer.
Juan Cuadrado – 7.5
The man of the hour! The Colombian continues his golden run, as he once again proved to be a menace for the opposition with his drizzling runs. And right when Juventus were about to enter panic-time, he saved the day by earning a foul inside the Genoa penalty box.
Weston McKennie – 7
The American’s role within Andrea Pirlo’s midfield is rapidly increasing. Almost opened the score in the first half, and created Dybala’s goal with smart header. A generous performance as usual.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6.5
The former Boca Juniors man is slowly gaining back his form from last season. Spread the ball well with some smart passing and fought hard to gain possession as fast as possible.
Adrien Rabiot – 5.5
The Frenchman was unlucky to receive a very early yellow card which might have effected his performance. Didn’t add much to his side and was rightly taken off for Morata.
Federico Chiesa – 7
The former Fiorentina man lit-up the left flank with his drizzling runs and made an inch-perfect cross that Ronaldo couldn’t head home. Scored one of the three Juventus goals that were disallowed.
Paulo Dybala – 7
La Joya was finally able to score his first Serie A goal, and it was a typical effort from the Argentine who beat his marker before unleashing a low drive that the goalkeeper couldn’t deny. Unfortunately, his bicycle-kick from the goal-line was disallowed for a minimal offside call.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 7
The Portuguese legend wasn’t at his very best today, perhaps exhausted from his Camp Nou efforts. However, Ronaldo wouldn’t allow his 100th Juventus match to pass by without scoring a brace of penalty-kicks in the Genoa net.
Juventus Substitutes
Alvaro Morata – 6.5
The Spaniard’s introduction was once again fruitful, as he pounced on a poor Genoa pass at the back to earn a second spot-kick for Juventus.
Federico Bernardeschi – N/A
Dejan Kulusevski – N/A
