Juventus vs. Sampdoria: Winners and Losers from Serie A
The final day of the Serie A season saw Juventus take on Sampdoria, with neither team having any pressing need to take all three points as the hosts had already secured the league title and the visitors knew they were safe from relegation.
It would end with the Bianconeri picking off their Genoa-based opponents with ease, running out 5-0 winners. The manner in which they did so will have pleased Massimiliano Allegri, the coach using his pre-match press conference to stress the importance of taking momentum into their cup clash with AC Milan next week.
“Tomorrow’s aim is to sign off our Serie A campaign in style, celebrate in front of our fans and get back on the right track from a psychological point of view ahead of our Coppa Italia final on 21 May,“ Allegri told reporters on Friday afternoon.
His players did exactly that in what was eventually their biggest win of the season, and what follows is a look at some of the individual contributions in this clash, highlighting the best and worst performances from this Serie A encounter at Juventus Stadium.
Winner: Patrice Evra (Juventus)
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This game began in superb fashion for Juventus, with Patrice Evra heading home Paulo Dybala’s corner in the fifth minute. According to this tweet from Opta, that marked the fastest goal of the season for the Bianconeri and may well see the France international start the Coppa Italia final ahead of Alex Sandro.
Yet beyond that, it remains to be seen how long Evra will stay with the Turin giants, with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign.
Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio wrote on his own website this week that a deal is close, but the former Manchester United defender has so far failed to sign off on a new deal.
Loser: Milan Skriniar (Sampdoria)
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If that goal from Evra broke this tie open, it was not long before Milan Skriniar effectively ended Sampdoria’s hopes of taking anything positive from it. The 21-year-old defender—making just his second start for the club—fouled Mario Mandzukic in the 14th minute, and the referee awarded a penalty to Juventus as a result.
He also showed Skriniar a red card, making it unlikely that Sampdoria could avoid what would be their 11th away defeat in a hugely disappointing season for coach Vincenzo Montella’s underperforming side.
Winner: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
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Having already laid on Evra’s opening goal, Paulo Dybala’s influence would only grow as the Argentina international repeatedly carved open the Sampdoria defence. Dispatching that aforementioned spot-kick with ease, the 22-year-old striker would then net Juve’s third goal before half-time.
That took his tally for 2015/16 to 23—plus nine assists—in all competitions, an impressive return for his debut campaign with the Bianconeri.
Loser: Roberto Pereyra (Juventus)
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Had Massimiliano Allegri had any doubts over his starting XI for Coppa Italia showpiece, the coach will not have been swayed by the 66-minute display from Roberto Pereyra against Sampdoria.
The 25-year-old—making only his eighth start of the season—had little impact on the game, with statistics from WhoScored.com showing he failed to take a single shot or create a chance for a team-mate, and he also committed three fouls.
Winner: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
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While Pereyra did himself no favours, Giorgio Chiellini did just what his coach had asked of him before the game and capped it off with a second half goal, netting a wonderfully timed effort from outside the box.
Insisting at his pre-match press conference that Chiellini “needs at least one hour on the pitch,” Allegri will have been delighted to see the 31-year-old last the entire 90 minutes, looking completely at ease throughout.
