Lazio vs. Juventus: Winners and Losers from Serie A Match

Juventus ventured south on Friday evening, heading to the Italian capital to take on a Lazio side that had failed to win any of their five previous Serie A meetings. They would add to that misery, emerging with a comfortable 2-0 victory that puts the Turin giants firmly back among this year’s title contenders.

The Bianconeri had last lost to the Rome-based side back in January 2013, but coach Stefano Pioli refused to acknowledge the significance of that in his pre-match press conference, stressing the need to return to winning ways as quickly as possible

“The opponent is not that important, we can’t waste any time in picking up a result,” he said, per Football Italia. “We’re facing a great team, but I’m not interested in the past, every game is a story in itself, I’m looking at tomorrow night and we need a positive result.”

Meanwhile, four consecutive league victories before this clash had seen an air of optimism return to Juve, but boss Massimiliano Allegri was quick to guard against over-confidence as he too addressed the media this week.

“We still haven’t achieved anything,” he told reporters, per the club’s official website. “Thinking otherwise could result in a dip in focus and we mustn’t allow that to happen.” Having done secured three vital points, Juventus will now hope for other results to fall their way as they continue to chase the early leaders.

What follows is a look at the winners and losers from this encounter at the Stadio Olimpico, highlighting the best and worst performances from the two teams in a match that could prove decisive for both by the end of the campaign.

Winner: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)

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Paulo Dybala continued his excellent recent form here, one shot resulting in an own goal, another in a wonderfully taken goal that secured the points for the Bianconeri. That 32nd-minute strike took his tally for the campaign to eight in all competitions, with three further assists only serving to highlight his importance.

Loser: Santiago Gentiletti (Lazio)

Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press

While there was an element of misfortune to his touch, there is little doubt that Santiago Gentiletti’s own goal contributed significantly to the final result here. Turning Paulo Dybala’s shot past his own goalkeeper, the Lazio defender made the task for his team-mates impossible, and the Biancocelesti would find no way back into this encounter.

Winner: Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

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Juventus undoubtedly dominated this encounter, but Claudio Marchisio’s midfield performance was undoubtedly a decisive factor. According to statistics from WhoScored.com, the 29-year-old Turin native recorded no fewer than two tackles and four interceptions, snuffing out Lazio’s attacks before they could truly begin.

The same source shows that Marchisio completed 87.2 percent of his pass attempts, keeping the game flowing whenever Juventus were in possession and contributing to their overall dominance of this match.

Loser: Stefano Pioli (Lazio)

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

A former defender for Juventus during his own playing days, Lazio boss Stefano Pioli is likely to find himself under huge pressure following this latest defeat. The result means the Rome-based club have not tasted victory in any of their last six Serie A outings and can surely expect to find his position come into question in the days to come.

Winner: Marco Parolo (Lazio)

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If Lazio struggled to gain a foothold in this match, it was little fault of Marco Parolo, the Italian international doing all he could to help his side control proceedings.

According to figures courtesy of WhoScored.com, the former Parma man notched a staggering eight tackles and five interceptions, working tirelessly to win back the ball whenever his side lost possession.