Juventus resumed their campaign against a club they had never lost to at home in the league, but it was Verona who looked the more likely to make the breakthrough.
On 15 minutes, the ball was stood up at the back post and Fabio Depaoli ghosted in, but his well-struck volley flashed narrowly wide of the far post.
Hellas started the game with only four wins to their name all season - and none away from home - so even the most optimistic of Verona fans were not expecting a result at the Allianz Stadium.
All that good work early on, however, was almost undone by a moment of fortuity as halftime approached. A well-worked free-kick saw Danilo’s shot flick up off the defender and nearly divert into the visitors’ net, but the crossbar spared the blushes of the stranded Lorenzo Montipo in goal.
There is no guarantee that Juventus’s reduced points will be restored following an appeal, and there are even reports of further sanctions, but it is clear it is within their best interests to secure a top-four finish regardless of the outside noise and Moise Kean clearly agreed.
10 minutes after the restart, Manuel Locatelli split the Verona defence to find Kean whose first touch and finish was not that of a man with a meagre six goals this season.
A Scudetto push was already well out of the question, especially with the 15-point deduction and Napoli’s scintillating form, but having won five of their last six games, Massimiliano Allegri’s men are primed to assault the top four spots and ensure they are mixing it with Europe’s elite once again next season.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)
