Juventus vs. Bologna: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Juventus welcomed newly promoted Bologna to Turin on Sunday, just four days after handily despatching Sevilla in the Champions League. Unlike that European encounter however, they would hand their opponents the initiative here before eventually pulling themselves back and going on to win by a 3-1 scoreline.
That first match saw the Bianconeri return to the impressive form that has seen them dominate Serie A in recent seasons, perhaps providing an ominous sign for their struggling visitors. Indeed, the Felsinei had just three points from their opening six matches, already stuck in the relegation places and facing a difficult campaign.
Yet the home side had also encountered difficulties of their own, having yet to win a domestic match in their own stadium this term. Coach Massimiliano Allegri was determined to see that run come to an end and told reporters at his pre-match press conference how team would approach the clash.
“We need to win tomorrow, and in order to do so we have to put in a convincing display,” he said via the club’s official website. "We have to approach tomorrow’s match against Bologna as one of the most important games of the campaign."
They would not begin well once the game began and fell behind to an early goal, but they then battled back into a match from which they needed to take all three points to improve their league position.
What follows is a look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s encounter, identifying the best and worst performers from a hotly contested meeting.
Winner: Alvaro Morata (Juventus)
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Just as he had against Sevilla in midweek, Alvaro Morata continued his impressive scoring run against Bologna to level the score at 1-1.
That took the Spanish striker’s 2015/16 tally to four goals, and he continued to look dangerous throughout the rest of the match, delivering another excellent performance.
Loser: Gigi Buffon (Juventus)
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Previously having saved his side on numerous occasions already this term, Gigi Buffon will have been disappointed not to prevent Bologna’s opening goal.
The Juventus captain should have comfortably kept out Anthony Mounier's tame effort, but his failure to do so saw the Bianconeri once again make a poor start to a Serie A match.
Winner: Anthony Mounier (Bologna)
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The Bologna midfielder could not have expected to make such an immediate impact in this game, latching on to Adam Masina’s cross and seeing the ball somehow squirm underneath Gigi Buffon.
It was a rare mistake from the Juventus goalkeeper, but it marked the Frenchman’s third strike of the campaign in just his fifth appearance since joining the club from Montpellier.
Winner: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
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On numerous occasions, Paulo Dybala suffered some harsh fouls from Bologna, with the visiting defence unable to contain Juve’s Argentinian striker throughout the game and repeatedly resorting to tripping him.
Constantly dancing past opponents only to be hacked down, the former Palermo man did well to remain calm and will have enjoyed netting the second-half penalty which gave them the lead.
Winner: Sami Khedira (Juventus)
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Having turned in a man-of-the-match performance on his Juventus debut against Sevilla, Sami Khedira took the opportunity to net his first goal for the club on Sunday evening.
Bologna failed to track his run from midfield, and the Germany international climbed highest to head home an inviting cross from Alvaro Morata. Before the break, it was Khedira’s assist to the Spanish striker which brought the Bianconeri back into the game.
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