Juventus 2-1 Bologna: Report, Ratings & Reaction as I Bianconeri Edge Past I Rossoblu
By Max Cooper
Juventus continued their steady progress under Maurizio Sarri with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bologna, stretching their lead at the top of Serie A to four points.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave the hosts the lead after 20 minutes, shifting the ball onto his right foot and rifling past the Bologna goalkeeper. The visitors then shocked the Allianz Stadium with an excellent equaliser, centre-back Danilo hammering a vicious strike into the far corner beyond Gianluigi Buffon.
Juve restored their advantage early in the second half when Miralem Pjanic capitalised on an awful defensive mix-up and cooly slotted beyond Łukasz Skorupski, settling the nerves in Turin.
The home side survived a late scare when Federico Santander crashed a header against the crossbar and Buffon clawed out an incredible overhead kick with the last action of the match, leaving Sarri's men to claim all three points.
Juventus
Key Talking Point
Juventus' decision to sell Joao Cancelo to Manchester City and replace him with Brazilian full-back Danilo continues to appear ever-more puzzling as the weeks pass. I Bianconeri have looked particularly susceptible to attacks from wide areas this season, and they conceded plenty of chances during their battle with Bologna.
Juan Cuadrado is Juve's deputy right-back but the Colombian looks out of his depth, even against the weaker sides in Serie A. It's hard to criticise a player when he is being shifted out of his comfort zone, but the Old Lady's belief that a top quality right-back was not needed may prove to be very costly in the long run.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Buffon (8); Cuadrado (6), De Ligt (6), Bonucci (7), Alex Sandro (7); Khedira (7), Pjanić (9*), Rabiot (6); Bernardeschi (7); Higuaín (8), Ronaldo (8)
Substitutes: Bentancur (6), Matuidi (6), Dybala (5)
STAR MAN - The human metronome himself picks up the star man award. Pjanic is beginning to thrive in a more advanced role under Sarri, having provided the shield to the Juventus' defence over the past couple of years.
The Bosnian midfielder is able to dictate the tempo of play with ease, but he is also starting to add goals to his already well-rounded game. Pjanic bagged an excellent second-half strike, stroking the ball past the Bologna keeper, and continued to drive forward with the ball in search of more blood.
Sarri helped N'Golo Kante add a dynamic, offensive element to his play, and the Italian maestro may be the man to aid Pjanic in taking his game to another level.
Bologna
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Skorupski (8); Mbaye (7), Danilo (8), Bani (7), Krejčí (7); Svanberg (7), Poli (8); Orsolini (7), Soriano (7), Sansone (7); Palacio (8)
Substitutes: Santander (6), Skov Olsen (6), Dzemaili (5)
Looking Ahead
Juventus will be keen to improve on Saturday evening's performance when they entertain Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League before travelling to Lecce on Saturday afternoon.
Bologna follow up their impressive display in Turin with a home fixture against bottom of the table Sampdoria on Sunday afternoon.