Juventus got the better of struggling Genoa to move to fifth place in Serie A and boost their chances of a top-four finish.
Italian giants Juventus made short work of struggling Genoa in their Serie A clash at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday night. The Bianconeri dominated from start to finish in a game where Genoa failed to take a single shot.
Juan Cuadrado scored directly from a corner in the ninth minute to hand Juventus the lead on the night. After that, the Old Lady had plenty of chances but failed to make them count. Paulo Dybala’s 82nd-minute strike gave the home side the cushion they needed to see the game out comfortably.
The win will come as a relief to Massimiliano Allegri, whose side have been less than convincing this season. Juventus trail fourth-placed Atalanta by seven points after 16 games played. While there is enough time to turn it around, the performances will have to pick up.
After all, not every team they play will be Genoa. The Grifone went into the game short of form, and it showed. The scoreline could have been much worse had it not been for Salvatore Sirigu, who single-handedly denied Juventus numerous times. The Juventus defence also held Genoa all night, preventing them from taking a single shot at goal.
It was a thoroughly dominant display that could perhaps serve as a rallying point for Allegri and his men to turn their season around. The Hard Tackle now looks at how the Juventus players performed on the night.
Wojciech Szczesny (5/10)
The Polish goalkeeper had little to nothing to do all night and was a complete non-factor. There have not been many games this season where Szczesny hasn’t been called into action, and this is one of them. He could as well have taken the night off or brought along a book to keep himself occupied.
Juan Cuadrado (7/10)
The Colombian put in an impactful performance, full of intent and purpose, down the right flank. In the ninth minute, he opened the scoring with a spectacular corner that beat everyone to go right in. While Sirigu could have done better, Cuadrado’s delivery did him no favours. The Colombian was a constant thorn in Genoa’s side all night and could have scored another if not for Sirigu.
8 – Juan Cuadrado is the eighth player to have scored a Serie A goal directly from the corner since the start of the last decade, after:
Di Natale (2010)
M. Rigoni (2012)
Papu Gómez (2015)
de Paul (2017)
Callejón (2017)
Pulgar (2018)
Calhanoglu (2021)Incredible.#JuveGenoa
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) December 5, 2021
Matthijs de Ligt (7/10)
The Dutchman was comfortable for most of the game as he had little to do against a Genoa side that was pegged back all night. He, however, was alert at first sight of danger and responded effectively. De Ligt also helped bring the ball out of defence and keep the Juventus attacks going.
Giorgio Chiellini (7/10)
The veteran had an easy day in the office but was available when called upon. Chiellini made a few key interceptions over the course of the game but had little to do otherwise.
Luca Pellegrini (6/10)
The 22-year-old put up a solid display on the night, using his physicality and ability on the ball to good effect. However, he was taken off at halftime after picking up a yellow card. He won the corner that led to Juventus’ opening goal.
Rodrigo Bentancur (7/10)
The Uruguayan was all over the Genoa midfield, winning balls and breaking up attacks from start to finish. He even made a few forays forward as Juventus grew more into the game. Bentancur will have played a few easier games than this in his career.
Manuel Locatelli (7/10)
The summer signing connected the dots from the defence to the attack well and was a constant source of outlet for the Old Lady all night. While he perhaps should have done more to get himself on the scoresheet, there was little to take away from what was a dominant display in the middle of the park.
Paulo Dybala (8/10)
Grazie a tutti ?? pic.twitter.com/mXvwixiV99
— Paulo Dybala (@PauDybala_JR) December 5, 2021
The Argentine was Juventus’ go-to superstar once again and put the result beyond any doubt with an 82nd-minute strike to ensure a two-goal cushion. He was also not afraid to put in the work and ran his socks off all night. Could have scored a couple more had it not been for the sensational Sirigu.
Dejan Kulusevski (5/10)
The Swede will need to do much better if he is to become a viable alternative to Federico Chiesa on the right-wing. While Kulusevski did not lack effort, his final ball was found wanting. He was amongst Juventus’ poorest players on the night and failed to take the initiative against an admittedly poor Genoa side.
Alvaro Morata (4/10)
Morata can be either sensational or abject on his night. He should have ideally had a hat-trick on the night but saw three good chances come to nothing. Whether it be Sirigu’s good form or his profligacy, the ball refused to go into the back of the net. His frustration boiled over when he had a touchline spat with Allegri upon being taken off.
Massimiliano Allegri ? Alvaro Morata pic.twitter.com/FJVHPadOu4
— FootballWTF (@FootballWTF247) December 5, 2021
Federico Bernardeschi (5/10)
The Italian winger’s search for a goal contribution continues following yet another poor display on the wing. He failed to take advantage of Genoa’s inability to compete and was largely stoic all game.
Substitutes
Alex Sandro (6/10)
The Brazilian replaced Pellegrini at halftime and put in a professional performance. He caused minimal fuss and did the job expected of him.
Moise Kean (5/10)
A poor cameo from Kean failed to add to anything Morata could have offered on the field. The 21-year-old’s only contribution was to earn himself a yellow card seconds after coming on.
Adrien Rabiot (N/A)
He replaced Bernardeschi after Juventus’ second goal but had little to do on the night.
Kaio Jorge (N/A)
A stoppage-time replacement for the excellent Dybala. Little to no time to make an impact.
