In their first game since the sad passing of club legend Gianluca Vialli, an emotional Juventus side squared off against Udinese on the cusp of entering their best form since 2018. The visitors, meanwhile, had the tough task of securing all three points in Turin for the first time since August 2015.
Even with such a contrast in form, both goalkeepers were tested early on. First, it was Wojciech Szczęsny who successfully parried Walace’s headed effort away, before Marco Silvestri did the same to deny Daniele Rugani at the other end. The latter’s task didn’t end there in the first period, either, with Moise Kean’s one-on-one effort soon needing saving late in the half.
The start of the second half saw the Juventus pressure increase further, as Kean was once again guilty of wasting a chance in front of goal - this time volleying over. The opportunities kept coming, too, with Filip Kostić breaking into the six-yard box, before seeing his strike kept out at the near post by Silvestri. As play continued, a Juventus goal began to feel inevitable, but Udinese, to their credit, remained firm whilst the clock ticked on.
Considering the fact that both sides scored seven of their 25 SA goals in the last 10 minutes of games this season, a grand finale awaited at the Allianz Stadium. The introduction of Arkadiusz Milik, Juventus’ match winner in their last game against Cremonese, only enhanced the chance of a winning goal, too. And soon enough, the hosts had yet another late winner. This time, it was Danilo with his first SA goal in almost 12 months, tapping home from substitute Federico Chiesa’s brilliantly volleyed square pass with less than five minutes of normal time remaining.
Juventus climbed to second in SA, just four points adrift of runaway leaders Napoli, while Udinese remained without a victory in nine.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
