Juventus Player Ratings vs. Roma: Cristiano Ronaldo shines again
After what as a hard-fought ninety-minutes of football, Juventus, thanks to a left-footed strike from Cristiano Ronaldo and an own goal from Roger Ibanez, managed to garner all three points in a 2-0 win over AS Roma.
On the back of an enthralling 2-1 victory in the Derby d’Italia, Juventus hosted AS Roma in a bid to climb up to 3rd on the Serie A points table. Andrea Pirlo fielded his conventional 4-4-2 formation.
Apart from Alex Sandro getting picked ahead of Juan Cuadrado and Adrien Rabiot replacing Rodrigo Bentancur—suspended for the game, there was no change in personnel from the Juventus side the recorded a 2-0 league triumph over Sampdoria.
Here are the player ratings from Bianconeri’s 2-0 win over the Giallorossi.
GK: Wojciech Szczesny (7.5/10)
Szczesny was one of the best players on the pitch for the Old Lady tonight. A commanding figure under Juve’s goal, the Polish professional was very astute with his decision making, saving three shots and making two high claims throughout the entirety of the game.
LB: Alex Sandro (7.5/10)
Playing Alex Sandro at the left-back position instead of regular Cuadrado was the touch of a tactical tweak from Juve’s Italian gaffer. Sandro played a pivotal part in Juventus’ opening goal, carrying the ball through the left-hand side, then sliding it to Morata, who found Ronaldo, the crafter of another outstanding finish.
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CB: Leonardo Bonucci (7/10)
Bonucci’s presence in Juventus’ backline has turned out to be a valuable asset for the Bianconeri. And on Saturday, he was no stranger to the persisting threats provided by a well-run attack of AS Roma. While playing his part cunningly, Bonucci made two clearances and blocked two shots.
CB: Giorgio Chiellini (7.5/10)
Juventus secured another clean sheet in Serie A. And it was Giorgio Chiellini who with his partner in crimes, Bonucci, made that happen. Patrolling their defensive area astutely, Chiellini made six clearances, and there were some nervy moments where Chiellini’s cool head was called upon to restore the peace.
RB: Danilo (7/10)
Playing more as a right-sided centre-back rather than an offensive full-back, Danilo played his part perfectly, blocking two shots in the process. The Brazilain could demand a fair share of credit given to Chiellini and Bonucci for keeping the clean sheet.
LM: Weston McKennie (6/10)
It was an average game for McKennie. On the left side of the pitch, he was playing more of a third midfielder lurking around the inside of the midfield. He failed to influence the game in the way he would have imagined to do.
CM: Adrien Rabiot (7/10)
With Bentancur suspended, Pirlo turned towards the former PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot to fill the void. He actually filled it very professionally, completing 53 passes throughout the game with 100 per cent accuracy. He had one of his better games in the white and black colours.
CM: Arthur Melo (6/10)
Just like McKennie, Arthur was outrun several times by his counterparts. He lost possession 13 times in the game and got booked easily following a silly foul in the 37th-minute of the encounter.
RM: Federico Chiesa (6.5/10)
Despite losing possession 7 times on the night, Chiesa was proving to be an attacking threat against Roma, making those deadly runs down the right channel. He got whacked on his head several times on the night and eventually got replaced by Bernardeschi 25 minutes before the final whistle.
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (8/10)
It was another blistering game for the Portuguese. He broke the deadlock in the 13th-minute of the game with a left-footed shot that rifled past Roma goalkeeper Pau Lopez. In total, the 36-year-old took three shots and two of them were on target to bother the Roma shot-stopper.
As Ronaldo racked up yet another goal, he now needs 12 goals from 11 games to match the record of scoring the fastest 100 goals for the Bianconeri. The current holder of the record is Omar Sivori, who made the century from 124 games only.
FW: Alvaro Morata (7/10 )
When a team fields two forwards, one is ought to lead the line, while the other makes sure that his partner gets enough scorable opportunities. Morata’s task or the implementation of the task was more of the latter one.
He was the assist provider for Juventus’ first goal. With another contribution, he has now 7 assists in Serie A 2020-21. He was on the pitch for 65 minutes and registered two key passes to his name.