Juventus may still not be back in their full form, but perhaps Dusan Vlahovic is. The Serbian striker scored his sixth Serie A goal this season to sink Torino down in the Derby della Mole and give his coach Massimiliano Allegri a break from troubles.
It was not the most memorable edition of the Turin derby but Juventus ultimately showed that they wanted the W more than their counterparts. Ivan Juric’s Torino put together another solid performance but, despite taking the initiative for long stretches of the game, they almost never managed to trouble Wojciech Szczesny.
It was Vlahovic’s countryman Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, on the other hand, to keep the Granata afloat with a string of spectacular saves before the former Fiorentina man would find the back of the net with a close-range tap in.
And so, the most happy about tonight’s game must have been the Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic, who was on the stands of the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino and saw both his jewels shine ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
The Derby della Mole was perhaps the last chance for Max Allegri to put the Juventus’ season back on track. He chose to partner Moise Kean with Vlahovic upfront, leaving Arek Milik on the bench. At the back, there were much expectations on Gleison Bremer who faced his former club for the first time. However, the Brazilian center-back had to leave the pitch early into the second half due to an injury.
For Torino, Ivan Juric tried to build up on the good season start his club has been enjoying. He chose a 4-3-2-1 setup where Nikola Vlasic was the offensive terminal, playing as a false nine. Behind him, Alexei Miranchuk had his first cap as a starter since recovering from an injury.
The Granata appeared more proactive and aggressive in the first half but their efforts only resulted in a Miranchuk shot that gave Szczesny no reason for concern. Juventus shook their tension off only around the half hour mark. They took advantage of a Ricardo Rodriguez mistake in his defensive third, which gave Vlahovic a chance to go one-on-one with Milinkovic-Savic.
It was the Torino goalkeeper, however, to win the all-Serbian duel as he blocked Vlahovic’s effort with his body. Milinkovic-Savic also saved from Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot to keep the score at 0-0 at half time.
After the break, Juventus continued to build up on their good momentum but the Torino goalkeeper denied again Locatelli on 50 minutes. Ivan Juric’s side answered with two Vlasic and Valentino Lazaro conclusions that came to no avail.
On 62 minutes, Kean wasted a golden counterattack chance. It was the signal that Allegri needed to change something, so he sent in Milk for the young Azzurro. It came right after the Granata coach had made his first substitution, bringing in Pietro Pellegri.
The Derby della Mole was decided on 75 minutes. First, Milinkovic-Savic deflected in corner a Vlahovic header. From the subsequent set piece, however, he couldn’t do anything as the striker tapped the ball in from close range from a Danilo headed effort.
Torino defender Ola Aina appeared to blame in the occasion as he was caught by surprise by the Serbian, whom he was expected to mark.
Juventus then switched to cruise control mode as Torino appeared tired and never came close to an equalizer. It was not the prettiest victory for the Bianconeri but, in times like these, it was an overly welcome one.
MATCH SCORECARD
October 15, 2022 – Serie A 2022-2023 Round 10
TORINO – JUVENTUS 0-1
SCORER: 74′ Vlahovic
 |
TORINO (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji (79′ Zima), Schuurs, Rodriguez; Aina (34′ st Singo), Linetty (78′ Karamoh), Lukic, Lazaro; Miranchuk, Radonjic (70′ Pellegri); Vlasic (Berisha, Gemello, Bayeye, Buongiorno, Ilkhan, Adopo, Seck, Vojvoda, Ricci, Garbett) Coach: Juric |
 |
JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Szczesny; Cuadrado, Danilo, Bremer (52′ Bonucci), Alex Sandro; McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic (90′ Paredes), Kean (73′ Milik) (Pinsoglio, Perin, Gatti, Miretti, Rugani, Soulé, Iling-Junior, Fagioli) Coach: Allegri |
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Linetty, Lazaro (T); Added Time: 1st Half 0′, 2nd Half 5′
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |