Alvaro Morata produced a late attacking masterclass as Juventus came back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 against AS Roma.
Juventus registered their first win of 2022 by securing a famous 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico. It was a rollercoaster of a game, offering entertainment, drama and controversy.
Roma were the better side in the initial stages of the game. They looked energetic going forward, making life difficult for the opposition with a flurry of attacks. Juventus struggled to weather the early storm from the home side as Tammy Abraham found the opener in the 11th minute. Jose Mourinho’s men were close to securing a second as well, but their appeal for a penalty was waved off.
After a period of early dominance, though, things soon started turning sour for Roma. In response to a shoddy start to the game, Juventus slowly began to settle into the proceedings, especially after Paulo Dybala’s equaliser in the 18th minute. The Bianconeri continued to pile on the pressure and should have gotten at least another goal before half-time.
Shortly after the restart, Roma regained their lead thanks to a deflected strike from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It was shortly followed up by a stunning free-kick effort from Lorenzo Pellegrini, a goal that seemed to have sealed three points for the home side. But an improved display from Juventus during the final phase of the game saw the game turn on its head.
The visitors pulled one back in the 70th minute thanks to a moment of magic from substitute Alvaro Morata to supply Manuel Locatelli. The goal was enough to unsettle the Roma backline as the Giallorossi struggled to remain disciplined in defence, eventually ending up conceding the equaliser minutes later through Dejan Kulusevski.
Juventus completed their comeback in the 77th minute when Mattia De Sciglio blasted home after capitalising on a lucky break. But there was still drama in store at Stadio Olimpico as Matthijs de Ligt conceded a penalty minutes later. Fortunately for the visitors, Wojciech Szczesny was on hand to brilliantly save Pellegrini’s penalty, thereby securing all three points for his team. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over Juventus players in their victory over Roma.
Wojciech Szczesny: 7.5/10
Wojciech Szczesny had to remain alert right from the start. He couldn’t have done much to save any of the first two goals and looked helpless for Pellegrini’s free-kick. But the Juventus goalkeeper redeemed himself with a wonderful display during the final phase of the game, including a penalty save to deny a late equaliser for AS Roma. It was truly a heroic display in goal from the Pole.
Juan Cuadrado: 6/10
Juan Cuadrado was not the most solid defensive outlet for Juventus in this contest. The right-back had troubles keeping with Felix-Afena Gyan’s blistering pace and trickery out wide. On a more important note, he offered very little going forward, even ending up receiving a booking that rules him out of the next match.
Matthijs de Ligt: 4/10
It was a nightmare of a game for Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutchman looked troubled in dealing with the early pressure from Roma, often struggling to keep up with the attackers. On top of his shoddy defensive work, the highly-rated centre-back was a subject of two penalty calls, one of which was waved off by the referee while the other led to the spot-kick that could have helped Roma seal a point late in the game.
De Ligt deservedly picked up two yellow cards that will see him miss the important Supercopa Italiana final against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
I love De Ligt, but that feels like handball pen #82 since he arrived. Plus the yellow so he gets sent off.
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) January 9, 2022
Daniele Rugani: 4/10
Daniele Rugani couldn’t offer any defensive resistance at the heart of the Juventus backline. He had difficulties keeping up with the dynamic Tammy Abraham. The centre-back looked passive on most occasions, which is always not the best approach when facing a robust team like Roma.
Mattia De Sciglio: 6.5/10
It was a mixed performance from Mattia De Sciglio on the left flank. The former AC Milan starlet wasn’t quite influential in terms of chance creation, but he deserves credit for making full use of a lucky break to blast the ball into the back of the net in the second half. The full-back made full use of an unsettled Roma backline during the final stage of the game.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 5/10
Rodrigo Bentancur had a poor first half. He wasn’t able to offer anything substantial in the middle of the park and was simply way too slow to deal with the midfield trifecta of Bryan Cristante, Jordan Veretout and Lorenzo Pellegrini. He was subbed off around the hour-mark.
Manuel Locatelli: 6.5/10
? La Juventus perdía 3-1 contra la Roma y en menos de 10 minutos la 'Vecchia Signora' le dio la vuelta al marcador en la #SerieA y ganando el partido 4-3
⚽️⏱ 70' Manuel Locatelli
⚽️⏱ 72' Dejan Kulusevski
⚽️⏱ 77' Mattia De Sciglio pic.twitter.com/k5JsRGuBOY— AS México (@ASMexico) January 9, 2022
Manuel Locatelli didn’t make much of an impact in central midfield. He was lumbering against the opposition for large parts of the game, but a slight tactical tweak by Allegri allowed him to move forward more often during the final phase of the proceedings. It turned out to be a real game-changer as the Italian scored the all-important second goal for Juventus.
Weston McKennie: 6/10
Weston McKennie showed glimpses of his talent, at times exhibiting his nifty footwork and skill on the ball to squeeze through the opposition press. Overall, the American was far from effective, even though he played a crucial role in De Sciglio’s goal in the second half.
Paulo Dybala: 7.5/10
Paulo Dybala is by far the most gifted player in this Juventus team, and the Argentine established it as a fact when he scored the equaliser in the first half, seemingly out of nowhere. In addition to the superb curling effort from range, the playmaker created one or two chances for the Juventus team. His creative prowess was crucial in helping his team make a stunning comeback late in the proceedings.
What a finish from Paulo Dybala! ?
He just places the ball into the far corner to equalise for Juventus against Roma!
The slow-mo angle… ? pic.twitter.com/XhAekKbguq
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 9, 2022
Moise Kean: 5/10
Moise Kean looked anonymous for a large portion of the game. He had difficulties finding his bearing up against an intense Roma defence that did not give him much space to operate. The forward is clearly not an ideal fit for Juventus, given his lack of involvement in most matches. He was subbed around the hour mark.
Federico Chiesa: 6.5/10
Federico Chiesa didn’t play for long as he picked up an injury during the half-hour mark. But while he was on, the Italian fought for every ball and tried his best to make things happen in the final third. He might have hoped for a bit more impact, although the winger did register the assist for Dybala’s first-half equaliser.
Substitutes
Dejan Kulusevski: 6.5/10
Dejan Kulusevski replaced the injured Chiesa around the half-hour mark. The young Swede didn’t disappoint either, offering energy and commitment in the final third. He most notably scored the third for Juventus, producing a neat finish that deceived Rui Patricio.
Alvaro Morata: 8/10
Alvaro Morata was by far the most impactful player for Juventus in this stunning comeback win. It was his introduction that changed the complexion of the game, with the Spaniard notably producing a brilliant turn and cross to deliver the assist for Locatelli. He was influential in Juventus’ chance creation and tried to test Patricio at every opportunity.
Morata with the skill and cross ?
Locatelli with the finish ?
Comeback on for Juventus ? pic.twitter.com/cFcaUroAu3
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 9, 2022
Arthur Melo: 7/10
Arthur offered more stability and organisation in the Juventus midfield after coming on for the struggling Bentancur. It will be interesting to see if the Brazilian starts in the upcoming game against Inter this midweek.
Giorgio Chiellini: N/A
A late replacement for Dybala. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
