After catapulting Juventus to a crucial 2-0 away win over Lazio on Saturday afternoon, Leonardo Bonucci has taken a dig at his Italy teammate Jorginho. Despite playing as a center-back, the 34-year-old took responsibility and slotted home two penalties to hand the Bianconeri a victory at the Stadio Olimpico.
The encounter in the capital was anything but an action-packed affair, with chances on both sides at a premium. But Lazio’s blunders inside the own penalty area either side of half-time eventually came back to haunt them.
Danilo Cataldi brought Alvaro Morata down to the ground in the 23rd minute to send Bonucci to the spot. The experienced defender made no mistake, firing Juventus to a slender half-time lead.
Though the visitors dropped back, a blistering counter-attack carried by lightning-fast Federico Chiesa led to another spot-kick in the 83rd minute. Once again, Bonucci approached the ball and sent Pepe Reina to the wrong side to seal the deal for Juventus.
After a dreadful start to the new Serie A season, Massimiliano Allegri’s men are now level on points with fifth-placed Lazio and only four adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta. Aware of the importance of the victory in Rome, Bonucci praised Juventus’ display in the post-match interview.
“It was a fundamental victory, as it’s always tough after the break for international duty,” he told DAZN, as cited by TUTTOmercatoWEB. “We know with this spirit of sacrifice, the games depend on us. We really did well to limit Lazio, allow them nothing and score two goals of our own.
“We know the coach gets very agitated in the final 10 minutes and focuses on keeping the tension high, especially when the lead is slender. We must give our all to take Juventus back to battling for every objective.“
After converting both penalties, Bonucci was asked why he had not taken the spot-kick in Italy’s pivotal World Cup qualifier against Switzerland. Chelsea ace Jorginho skied the ball in the dying moments of his side’s 1-1 home draw that eventually resulted in Italy’s shift to the dreaded play-offs.
“A week ago, Jorginho was the penalty specialist and it was only right that he take it. If I had been asked to take the penalty, it would not have been a problem,” he replied.