Juventus vs Fiorentina 1-0: Cuadrado Late Strike Secures Win

Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A as they beat Fiorentina 1-0 thanks to a late, late winner from Juan Cuadrado.

The Bianconeri were given a tough fight by the visitors, especially during the first half. Juve’s backline did a pretty good job to keep Dusan Vlahovic quiet for most of the game.

Juventus kept attacking, particularly after Nikola Milenkovic was sent off. They eventually found their winner thanks to Cuadrado, whose right-footed strike found the net.

Fiorentina might have been on the back foot for a good part of the match but they were able to put up a tough fight. At the end of the day, Juventus will be glad and relieved to take all three points from the fixture.

Starting XIs: Bonucci Benched, Fiorentina Make Two Changes 

Massimiliano Allegri made four changes to Juve’s Xi from their 4-2 win over Zenit. Mattia Perin started in his third league fixture of the season while Leonardo Bonucci was benched for only the second time in 2021/22. Replacing him was Daniele Rugani. The other change for Juve was Adrien Rabiot replacing Federico Bernardeschi in left midfield.

Fiorentina made a couple of changes from their win over Spezia with Alvaro Odriozola and Jose Callejon starting in place of Lorenzo Venuti and Riccardo Sottil respectively.

Neither Side Able to Break the Deadlock in the First Half

Juventus were eager to bag three points and looked to threaten the Fiorentina defense with Paulo Dybala trying to continue his good run of form. However, La Viola’s backline was rigid enough to prevent them from being much of a threat.

Fiorentina were in no mood to just sit back and defend as they were on the attack, particularly after the half-hour mark. Vincenzo Italiano’s side should have taken the lead in the 34th minute when Odriozola passed to Riccardo Saponara. However, the 29-year-old’s shot went over the bar.

They came close to scoring again, in the 38th minute when star-striker Dusan Vlahovic’s header from Cristiano Biraghi’s was just wide off the post. Fiorentina kept troubling the Juventus defense but were unable to find a goal. 

Cuadrado Nets Late Winner as Fiorentina Went Down to Ten

Juventus started the second half strongly and had a good chance of going ahead through Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard did well to get the better of Milenkovic and take a shot on goal but his volley hit the side-netting.

Fiorentina attacked a bit near the hour-mark but could not come up with anything that could trouble the Bianconeri defenders. Things went bad for Italiano’s side as Milenkovic was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

Juventus tried hard to make the most out of the one-man advantage and kept attacking persistently with Federico Chiesa coming agonizingly close to scoring. The former Fiorentina man did well to get past his man before taking a shot that hit the underside of the bar. A few minutes later, Alvaro Morata found the net but his goal was ruled out for offside. 

The Fiorentina backline was kept busy as the match entered the final few minutes, with goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano being forced to make a brilliant save to deny Chiesa.

Juventus eventually found their winner in stoppage time thanks to Cuadrado, who netted his second of the season. The Colombian got past Biraghi before firing in a shot that beat Terracciano.

It was a much-needed win for the Bianconeri, who rose to 8th in the Serie A table.

What’s Next for Juventus and Fiorentina?

Several players from both sides will be involved with their respective national teams in the upcoming international break. After that, Juventus will travel to Rome for what is expected to be a tough clash against Lazio on October 20.

Fiorentina have a much more difficult match as they host Milan the very same day.

 

MATCH SCORECARD

November 6, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Matchday 12
JUVENTUS – FIORENTINA 1-0

SCORER: 91′ Cuadrado