Following another defeat in the weekend, Juventus were adamant on putting their domestic troubles behind them, as they kicked off their European campaign with a Scandinavian trip. Despite their decent start to the match, Malmo were unable to maintain their tempo, as the Bianconeri punished them with three unanswered goals. Alex Sandro opened the scoring with a sliding header, Paulo Dybala added the second from the spot, and Alvaro Morata killed what little remained of the Swedish hopes with the third just before the half time whistle. So here are the player ratings for Juventus players following their 3-0 victory at the expense of Malmo.
Juventus XI
Wojciech Szczesny – 6.5
The Pole is desperate to overcome his recent woes, and although he was rarely troubled, he appeared to be calm and alarmed whenever called upon, as he made some decent clearances.
Danilo – 6.5
The former Real Madrid man put on a solid performance at the back, while allowing his compatriot Sandro to support the attacks as he remained closer to the two center backs.
Matthijs de Ligt – 6.5
A confident display from the young Dutch defender who enjoyed a relatively quiet night with Juventus dominating the play from start to finish, although he got himself needlessly booked.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7
The Euro 2020 winner marshalled the backline in the absence of Giorgio Chiellini, and also helped in bringing the ball forward with his confident passing. Found Sandro in a marvelous long ball that put the Brazilian one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Alex Sandro – 7.5
The former Porto man rolled back the years with an impressive display. Broke the deadlock with a well-taken sliding header, and almost scored the second following a great run but his shot went just off target. Had a much quieter second half, but his defensive contribution was noticeable.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
A hard-working display from the Uruguay international who retrieved the ball on several occasions, but was mostly wasteful with his crosses.
Manuel Locatelli – 7
Massimiliano Allegri’s midfield looks much more compact in the presence of the former Sassuolo man. Dropped deep to help in the build-up and made some crucial interceptions.
Adrien Rabiot – 7.5
The Frenchman put up one of his most impressive performances since joining the club. He was a burst of energy on the left flank, and made some great runs with the ball, while also providing the assist for Morata’s goal.
Juan Cuadrado – 7.5
After ending the last campaign as the best assist provider in the competition, the Colombian quickly opened his account for the new season with a sublime cross that found Sandro’s head. He was everywhere on the pitch.
Alvaro Morata – 8
The Spain international put Dybala through early on with a fabulous through ball, before earning the penalty that was converted by the Argentine. Few minutes later, he deservedly put his name on the scoresheet with a smart finish. Could have punished Malmo with more goals but he still earns the highest grade in our player ratings for Juventus.
Paulo Dybala – 7
The argentine started slow, as he scuffed a one-on-one chance early on, but his confidence grew with the game. Scored the Old Lady’s second from the spot, and put up a show in the second half with some thrilling flicks and tricks.
3 – Juventus have scored three goals in a #UCL first half for the first time since November 2012 against Nordsjælland. Awakening.#MalmoeJuventus
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) September 14, 2021
Juventus Substitutes
Moise Kean – 6.5
He was visibly eager to score, but was denied once by the linesman, and another time by the Malmo goalkeeper.
Weston McKennie – 6
An energetic display as always. Put Kean through with a smart pass but the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside call.
Dejan Kulusevski – N/A
Aaron Ramsey – N/A
Daniele Rugani – N/A
FT | ⌛️ | STARTING OUR #JUVEUCL NIGHTS RIGHT! ???#MFFJuve #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/WPONh99RPw
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 14, 2021