Juve bag three points for Christmas!

First half goals from Weston McKennie and Nico Gonzalez were enough to seal victory for Juventus away at Monza on Serie A Matchday 17. It was also a landmark result for Juventus, as it marked the club’s 1700th victory in the Italian top-flight.

WES-KOOP COMBINE WELL

Gonzalez provided an early spark with just six minutes on the clock, forcing Stefano Turati into the first save of the match as he stretched to his right. The Argentine striker tested the Brianza defence again in the 13th minute, going close to scoring the opener as he pounced on Turati’s parry and powered a header towards the Biancorossa goal, only to be denied by Turati's last-ditch heroics. Just a minute later, Teun Koopmeiners and McKennie combined to give the Bianconeri – playing in yellow this evening –the lead. The number 8 drilled the ball in from the corner and found Weston in the six-yard box, whose emphatic finish made the score 1-0.

MONZA EQUALISE BUT NICO RESTORES JUVE’S LEAD

Just eight minutes after McKennie’s goal, however, Monza equalised through Samuele Birindelli's left-footed effort which Michele Di Gregorio was powerless to stop. Thiago Motta’s team immediately sought to regain the lead, and Francisco Conceicao’s bursts of pace on the right flank posed problems for the Brianza back line. It was Nico Gonzalez who restored the Juventus lead: Manuel Locatelli got a touch on the loose ball after McKennie had played it into the box, and the number 11 took full advantage to slot the ball past Turati. The last action of the first half saw Juve on the defensive, as Koopmeiners twice put his body on the line to close down Gianluca Caprari, then Dany Mota, and preserve the 2-1 lead.

PUSHING FOR A THIRD

Di Gregorio was involved early in the second half and had to be on his guard in the 47th minute, stretching to his left to turn away Alessandro Bianco’s dangerous effort from range. At the other end, Turati was tested by Kenan Yildiz, whose powerful attempt from the left looked to be heading under the bar. Before making way for Andrea Cambiaso, Gonzalez very nearly sealed his first brace in Juventus colours, but the Monza goalkeeper twice managed to repel his shots from outside the box. Midway through the second half, Yildiz accelerated down the left and eluded his marker, before playing an enticing ball across the penalty area for Dusan Vlahovic, who could only deflect the ball wide with his right foot.

VICTORY AND THREE POINTS

With 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Yildiz again came close to adding a third with a close-range header off Conceicao’s cross from deep, only to be denied by Turati. In the closing stages, head coach Thiago Motta introduced fresh legs from the bench to see out the game. And one of the earlier second-half substitutes – Khephren Thuram – came close to finding the third with a right-footed effort from outside the box. The last action of the match saw Yildiz make a jinking run through the opponents’ half and unleash a swerving shot towards the near post but, again, Turati was up to the task. The Bianconeri come away from Monza with the three points, thanks to goals from McKennie and Gonzalez.

MONZA 1-2 JUVENTUS

Scorers: 14’ McKennie (J), 22’ Birindelli (M), 39’ Gonzalez (J).

Monza: Turati; Pereira (71’ Ciurria), D'Ambrosio (83’ Izzo), Marì, Carboni; Birindelli (86’ Sensi), Bianco, Bondo, Kyriakopoulos; Caprari (86’ Maric), Mota. Unused subs: Pizzignacco, Mazza, Forson, Postiglione, Martins, Colombo. Coach: Nesta.

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, McKennie (90’ Fagioli); Koopmeiners (46’ Thuram), Locatelli; Conceicao (85’ Mbangula), Gonzalez (64’ Cambiaso), Yildiz; Vlahovic (85’ Adzic). Unused subs: Perin, Pinsoglio. Allenatore: Motta.

Cautions: Pereira (M), Conceicao (J).