Juventus vs. Lecce Player Ratings: Douglas Costa changes the game
Juventus took down Lecce 4-0 after an inspired second half.
Although Juventus started the game slowly and failed to take advantage of a controversial red card in the first half to one of Lecce’s players, the Old Lady eventually took off in the second half and beat one of Serie A’s worst teams handily.
Paulo Dybala, once again, scored the first goal via a brilliant shot from the center edge of the penalty box. Cristiano Ronaldo put home a penalty kick, Gonzalo Higuain scored in his return off the bench, and Juve won 4-0 at the Allianz Stadium to increase their lead in the Serie A table.
Here are the full player ratings from the win.
GK Wojciech Szczesny
Once again, the former Arsenal and Roma star goalkeeper wasn’t tested at all by the opposition. It has been a quiet start to the Serie A season for him.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10
LB Blaise Matuidi
With Alex Sandro and Mattia De Sciglio injured and emergency option Danilo suspended, Blaise Matuidi drew the start at left back and played quite well. He forced a save, worked hard defensively, and did well to support the attack despite not having much in the form of midfield play in front of him.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
CB Leonardo Bonucci
Always consistent, the experienced center back won two tackles, per WhoScored.com, to lead the team defensively and played some dangerous long balls to set up attacks. Leonardo Bonucci completed 93.6 percent of his passes, including eight of eight long balls.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
CB Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt had another sensational game in Italian football’s return, even scoring a goal to seal the game at 4-0 by heading home from point-blank range after some woeful defending. The Dutch defender came close earlier with a great shot from well beyond the box that had to be saved. De Ligt showed great passing instincts and pushed up the pitch plenty with Lecce reduced to 10 men.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
RB Juan Cuadrado
Colombian wide man Juan Cuadrado worked incredibly hard defensively and did plenty to support Juve’s attack, linking up well with Douglas Costa when he entered the pitch. Cuadrado led all Juventus players with 84 passes, though he didn’t necessarily have his best final product on this day.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10