Juventus hero Manuel Locatelli refused to hide his delight after scoring a late winner to give his side a 1-0 victory over cross-town rivals Torino. The Bianconeri won the first Serie A Derby della Mole this season, courtesy of the midfielder’s 86th-minute strike at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino on Saturday evening.
Juventus prevailed in a physical, keenly-contested battle that produced very few clear-cut chances to take their winning streak in Serie A to three matches. Juve’s recent form represents a significant turnaround from their early exchanges, having started the new league campaign under Massimiliano Allegri with a four-game winless streak.
Allegri’s side dominated possession and put in the utmost effort to break down Torino’s stubborn defense, but they needed a late hero to take them over the finish line. After scoring his first Juventus goal in a 3-2 victory over Sampdoria last time out, Locatelli came up big again to salvage an all-important three points for the resurgent Turin giants.
During the post-match interview, the Euro 2020 winner waxed lyrical about Juventus’ success in the derby.
“Giorgio [Chiellini] headbutted me, so I will surely have a bruise tomorrow!” Locatelli said, as cited by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“The squad welcomed me so well, we’re a great group of friends and everyone is humble, so that’s what really matters.
“We won the derby, it’s a wonderful feeling. It’s the derby, but we also needed a step forward in the table. Now there’s the break for international duty, we can recharge our batteries and then resume where we left off.“
Locatelli’s winner kept Juventus’ form curve on an upward trajectory, as the record-time Italian champions head into November’s international window on the back of a four-match winning streak in all competitions. An array of their impressive displays in that sequence also includes a hard-earned 1-0 home win over reigning European champions Chelsea in the Champions League group stage.
What’s more important, Juventus managed to keep a clean sheet in Serie A for the first time after 20 straight failed attempts to avoid matching the club’s worst-ever such streak. Additionally, the Bianconeri have briefly bridged the gap on top-placed Napoli to seven points, though Luciano Spalletti’s side have a game in hand.