Juventus delivered a scintillating second-half performance to deepen Lecce’s crisis with an overwhelming 3-0 win at Stadio Via del Mare. After a scoreless halftime score, Massimiliano Allegri’s side continued their free-scoring form with a breathtaking second-half display.
With Adrien Rabiot and Federico Chiesa on the sidelines, Dusan Vlahovic was under the spotlight, and the former Fiorentina forward lived up to the billing. Following a match-winning double against Sassuolo last weekend, the 23-year-old striker struck again to open the scoring with a delightful volley on the stroke of the hour mark.
Vlahovic doubled the visitors’ lead in the 69th minute, pouncing on Weston McKennie’s cross across the face of goal to take his tally to five goals in his last three Serie A outings. Gleison Bremer’s thumping header in the dying stages capped off a stellar night for Juventus and condemned Lecce to a fourth defeat in five league games.
More importantly, Juventus have temporarily leapfrogged arch-rivals Inter at the Serie A summit. Away on Supercoppa Italiana duties, Simone Inzaghi’s men will have an opportunity to regain their place at the top of the pile after Monday’s showpiece clash against reigning holders Napoli.
Let’s look at our player ratings.
Juventus (3-5-2)
Wojciech Szczesny – 6.5
Lecce’s uneventful showing made the Polish goalkeeper’s life easy, but he still had to pull off three saves to register his 12th Serie A clean sheet of the season.
Gleison Bremer – 7.5
Not only did he score his second league goal in 2023/24, but his defensive contribution was also immense, as he kept Nikola Krstovic in his back pocket all night.
Danilo – 7
You’d expect nothing less from the Juventus captain. It was another day in the office for the reliable defender who had a field day.
Federico Gatti – 7
Playing alongside the Brazilians alleviated pressure on the Italian youngster as he had a lot more freedom to move the ball around from the back.
Andrea Cambiaso – 6.5
Despite playing on the right side, the left-footed full-back showcased his burgeoning talent on several occasions, using his blistering pace and quick feet to get rid of his markers.
Weston McKennie – 7
Even though he had a relatively quiet night by his electrifying standard, the USMNT midfielder chipped in with a crucial assist for Vlahovic to kill the game off.
Manuel Locatelli – 6.5
Though you’ll rarely see the ex-Milan man on the board, his tireless work in the middle of the park and virtually impeccable passing kept the Juventus midfield on the front foot all game.
Fabio Miretti – 6
Allegri will be pleased with the Allianz Stadium homegrown product’s commitment, but he needs to show more composure in critical areas to make a much-needed leap in quality.
Filip Kostic – 6.5
Despite working his socks off on the left-hand side, the Serbian winger was far less impactful than Cambiasso on the opposite flank.
Dusan Vlahovic – 8
His deadlock-breaking strike could be considered a fortunate piece of art, though he displayed his ‘poacher’s instincts’ to make it 2-0, latching onto McKennie’s cross as a true ‘No9.’
Kenan Yildiz – 5.5
Following a couple of promising-looking performances against Frosinone and Salernitana, the prodigious teenager failed to impact proceedings at Via del Mare.
Substitutes
Timothy Weah – 6
Arkadiusz Milik – 5.5
Samuel Iling Junior – 6.5
Alex Sandro – N/A
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