SAN FRANCISCO, December 06, (THEWILL) – A scarcely deserved 2-1 win went the way of Juventus as they scored twice inside the final 13 minutes to beat Torino in the Derby della Mole on Saturday.
The Old Lady had cruised past Dynamo Kiev 3-0 in the Champions League in midweek, but they were badly off the pace against a Torino side who had only won once in Serie A prior to their visit to the Allianz Stadium.
For the best part of the first half, the hosts were dismal. It was only deserving that they found themselves a goal down after nine minutes. Centre back Nicolas N’Koulou half-volleyed home from six yards after Cristian Ansaldi’s corner had fallen kindly for him.
Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny denied a clean through Simone Zaza soon after, while Lyanco flashed wide from distance shortly after the half-hour mark.
Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt headed over from a free-kick at the other end as Juve ended a dire first half with just a solitary shot on target, Paulo Dybala tamely curling into Salvatore Sirigu’s hands from outside the penalty area.
Andrea Pirlo’s men started the second half brightly and thought they had drawn level after 57 minutes, but Juan Cuadrado’s deflected long-range effort was ruled out for offside against Leonardo Bonucci.
Right midfielder Federico Chiesa was denied a goal by Sirigu as the game entered the final 15 minutes. However, there was nothing Sirigu could do about Weston McKennie’s first Juve goal moments later. The American rose highest to head home Cuadrado’s cross from close range.
The right-back Cuadrado was again the provider for Juve’s dramatic late winner. The Colombian’s cross in from the right was powered past Sirigu by Bonucci to spark wild celebrations from the hosts, resulting in a red card for backup goalie Carlo Pinsoglio.
The win moves Juve up to second, three points behind Milan, but Stefano Piloi’s side, as well as the two sides they overtook – Inter and Sassuolo – are yet to play this weekend.
Juve next travel to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and although they have qualified, only a big win will see them win the group. On Saturday, Torino host Udinese for their next match.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
