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Juventus secured a narrow 1-2 away win against Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (SPAL) tonight at the charged Stadio Paolo Mazza, Ferrera. The Serie A leaders fielded a strong squad despite a big Champions League fixture in mid-week and only made three changes to their squad from their win over Brescia last week.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the starting XI and proved decisive on his return to the squad in what was his landmark 1000th appearance for club and country.
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Juventus never looked out of control against the league's bottom-placed side and despite conceding a goal in the second half, did not give many chances to the hosts to launch a comeback.
It was their first win against the home side in their backyard which they secured through goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Aaron Ramsey. Ronaldo saw his first attempt at goal ruled out by an offside call in the fifth minute but got his goal in the 39th minute following an exquisite Juan Cuadrado cross, found the back of the net.
Ramsey doubled the lead in the 60th minute with a cheeky finish and it looked as though they were set for a comfortable 2-0 win over SPAL before on-loan Napoli striker Andrea Petagna pulled one back for the hosts from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, with VAR coming into play once again.
So as The Old Lady secured all the three points from the game to stay at the top of the Serie A standings for another week, here are the hits and flops form the game.
Hit: Paulo Dybala
Paulo Dybala has carved up a special place for himself in the Juventus squad under Maurizio Sarri. He has emerged as one of the key players for the Italian manager this season and proved his worth as the No.10 of the club with yet another inspiring performance.
Every time he had his ball in his possession in the opposition half, he always tried to make something happen and almost succeeded within five minutes of kick-off when his strike partner Ronaldo found the back of the net from his pass, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
He came tantalisingly close to making it two goals in two games in the 37th minute when he managed to beat Etrit Berisha from outside of the box, but his curling effort bounced off the inside of the post. Dybala did get the assist for Ramsey's second goal in the second half. He was extremely skilful and proved unplayable at times for the SPAL defenders.
Flop: Rodrigo Bentancur
Sarri opted for a four-man midfield tonight where Rodrigo Bentancur was utilized as a left-central midfielder. It would be suffice to say that the player struggled in the position, while his other mid-field partners had an impressive outing. He was dispossessed too often and too easily while his passing accuracy was also not up to the mark in the game. He did not have any contributions in the build-up of the two goals and failed to match the tempo of his teammates.
It seems a three-man midfield with him playing the role of a deep-lying central midfielder suits his game better.
Hit: Andrea Petagna
On-loan Napoli forward Andrea Petagna was the best player for SPAL on the pitch. He scored the lone goal for the home side and was the only real threat for the Juventus defence throughout the game.
He created all sorts of problem for the Juve back four with his movement and physical presence. Though the hosts did not have much to offer in the attacking department, when they were awarded the penalty after a prolonged pause due to VAR consultations, he held his nerves to calmly beat Wojciech Szczęsny to score his 10th goal of the season.
Hit: Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado was one of the best players for Juventus tonight and was involved in a goal for the second game running as he set up Ronaldo's opener late in the first half.
He was extremely effective in his runs from the right-hand side of the pitch and proved a constant threat that needed to be dealt with by the SPAL defence. He also switched to the left flank often, while also making runs from the centre of the pitch. His versatility was a key attribute of Juve's attacking play of the game.
Hit: Cristiano Ronaldo
After being rested by Sarri in their home win over Brescia last week Ronaldo rejoined the squad and marked his return with yet another goal. In the 1000th appearance of his career, he equalled not one but two Serie A records. He scored in his 11th consecutive appearance, becoming only the third player to do so in the history of Italian top-flight behind Gabriel Batistua and Fabio Quagliarella.
Also, it was his 42nd goal in league competitions for Juventus, which means he has now equalled Rui Costa as the Portuguese player with the most goals in Serie A, achieving the feat in just 52 appearances.
Also See: 5 Things Cristiano Ronaldo needs to do to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020
