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Juventus moved closer to winning their eighth Serie A title in a row on Tuesday, beating Cagliari 2-0 on the road without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo. Leonardo Bonucci scored the opening goal on his 250th league appearance for the club:

The Bianconeri were without a host of injured players, including Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic, but managed Cagliari handily. Bonucci headed home the first goal of the match off a Federico Bernardeschi corner in the first half.

Moise Kean continued his scorching form after the break, doubling the lead and securing the win.

The match was marred by racist chants aimed at scorer Kean, as reported by Italian football writer Chloe Beresford:

Per Football Italia, things got so bad Cagliari captain Luca Ceppitelli tried to protect the 19-year-old at one point:

Cagliari had won three in a row at home and only lost twice in Sardinia this season prior to Tuesday's contest, but Juventus' sheer quality was too much to handle.

Juve Must Lean on Bernardeschi if Ronaldo Can't Face Ajax

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri fielded a surprisingly strong XI on Tuesday, given the rash of injuries the team is dealing with and what's on the schedule in the coming weeks. The likes of Bonucci, Bernardeschi, Miralem Pjanic and Alex Sandro all started, in what turned out to be another routine win for the defending champions.

With no Ronaldo or Mandzukic to aim crosses at ―Juventus' most effective strategy this season―the Bianconeri were forced to find other ways to score. They eventually got the opener off a set-piece situation, courtesy of a superb corner from Bernardeschi:

The former Fiorentina man can be a frustrating player to watch at times, as consistency eludes him. He was phenomenal in the 3-0 comeback win over Atletico Madrid, but even in that match he had short stretches where he seemingly couldn't get anything right.

The same pattern played out on Tuesday. Bernardeschi lost the ball in a promising position several times, but he also created chances out of thin air, went close with a great strike and could have scored if Kean didn't get in the way:

His movement and ability to play on either wing or through the centre are his best assets and make him exceptionally difficult to defend. Atletico found that out the hard way, and if Ronaldo misses Juventus' April 10 date with Ajax in the Champions League, Allegri should look to unleash the 25-year-old once again.

Others may be more consistent with the ball at their feet, but no one can break open a contest with a moment of genius―or madness―quite like Bernardeschi. If Ronaldo can't be the focal point of the team due to injury, the Italy international should take his place.

What's Next?

Juventus host rivals AC Milan in a marquee clash on Saturday, while Cagliari host SPAL on Sunday.