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Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A with a convincing 3-1 win over Sassuolo. The good news is that they are still in contention for a top-four spot, the bad news is that all four teams above them in the league standings also recorded a win, so at the moment, they remain in fifth place with 72 points.
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It was an uncharacteristic win for the visitors, who had only 34% possession and also recorded fewer shots than the hosts. The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 14th minute but Domenico Berardi's effort was saved by Gianluigi Buffon
Adrien Rabiot opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box and Cristiano Ronaldo doubled their lead right before the half-time whistle.
Giacomo Raspadori halved the deficit with a calm finish in the 59th minute but the two-goal lead was restored within six minutes, as Paulo Dybala chipped over Andrea Consigli for the final goal of the game.
Andrea Pirlo's men kept their top-four hopes alive with a much-needed win and here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Juventus save two penalties in as many games
Juventus avoided conceding from the spot for the second game in a row as Gianluigi Buffon took a page from Wojciech Szczęsny's book and denied Berardi the opportunity to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Buffon also registered himself in the history books with that save as he became the oldest goalkeeper in the competition's history, aged 43. While Szczęsny's save against AC Milan last week did not prove that crucial, as the Turin giants lost the game 3-0 but Buffon's save proved to be very crucial for the outcome of the game, as Sassuolo only scored once in the game.
#4 Juventus fail to impress despite scoring three goals tonight
Juventus might've recorded a 3-1 win but for the majority of the game they were the second-best team on the pitch. They had just 34% possession against the hosts, which was one of the lowest figures they posted this term.
It was not just that they had less possession tonight but they also lacked the drive to go forward. At times there was not a single player in the box for Ronaldo to pass the ball into and by the time he received some support, Sassuolo players had already covered their tracks.
Also See: 10 highest-paid players in the Serie A this season (2020/21)
#3 One win, two more to go for Juventus
It was confirmed 10 days ago that Juventus had ceded the Serie A title to Inter Milan and since then a top-four finish was the objective of their campaign. While they stumbled against fellow top-four hopefuls AC Milan last time around, they returned to winning ways here.
Unfortunately, it is beyond their control whether they'll qualify for the Champions League next season. After their loss to Milan last week, they needed a win in their final three games of the season and have started well with a win here.
In the final two games of the season, too, they need a win and hope for Atalanta, AC Milan or Napoli to drop points to secure Champions League qualification. They face Inter Milan on Saturday and that game might very well decide where they end up playing in Europe next season.
#2 Adrien Rabiot scores his first goal since March and produces an impressive display
Adrien Rabiot was one of the best Juventus players on the pitch tonight. He scored the opening goal brilliantly as the ball went into the back after hitting the post. He showed great vision in finding Ronaldo with ample space in the final third for the second goal of the night and picked up his second assist in three games.
He also completed 95% of his passes and was an inspiring figure in the middle of the park, which has been a problematic area for manager Andrea Pirlo this season.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the fastest player to reach a century of goals for Juventus
It is not news for Cristiano Ronaldo to break goal-scoring records. He has reached multiple goalscoring milestones for the Old Lady and tonight added another record to his tally, with his 28th goal of the campaign.
The left-footed strike was his 100th goal across all competitions for Juventus and he has now scored a century of goals for three different clubs in three different countries.
His goal right before the half-time whistle helped the visitors head into the second half with a two-goal lead. His strike partner Paulo Dybala also got on the scoresheet later in the second half to score his 100th goal for Juventus.
However, it took the Argentine star 121 games more than Ronaldo to reach the landmark.
