Bologna 1-4 Juventus: Player ratings as Juve claim Champions League spot

Juventus claimed a spot in next season’s Champions League following an impressive 4-1 victory against Bologna and Napoli’s 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona.

The Bianconeri continued their imperious form from the second half of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia triumph as they blitzed by the hapless hosts. Federico Chiesa scored twice with a pair of Alvaro Morata goals arriving either side of an Adrien Rabiot finish.

The visitors were denied a clean sheet late on, however, as Riccardo Orsolini converted smartly.

Here are the Juventus player ratings from Sunday night.

GK – Wojciech Szczesny

The Juve number one finished an indifferent season with an easy night in Bologna. Szczesny had little to do before he was replaced by Carlo Pinsoglio in the second half.

Rating: 5.5/10

RB – Juan Cuadrado

The Colombian still produced three key passes in what felt like a fairly restrained attacking performance from right-back. Cuadrado offered stern defensive resilience and impressed one-v-one against Rodrigo Palacio early on in proceedings.

Rating: 7/10

CB – Matthijs de Ligt

The Dutchman was in the wars throughout the first half and was forced off at half-time. Overall, it wasn’t the cleanest of 45 minutes from de Ligt.

Rating: 5/10

CB – Giorgio Chiellini

A quiet outing for the dogged veteran in what was quite possibly his final game for the Bianconeri. I wish I could write a little more for such an occasion but the Italian’s inactivity makes it impossible.

Rating: 5.5/10

LB – Alex Sandro

Alex Sandro tends to go about his business in silence, and he was quietly great tonight. The Brazilian’s three interceptions led the Juve starters and after mastering his left-back function, he adeptly filled in at centre-back as he often has this season.

Rating: 7.5/10

RM – Dejan Kulusevski

Kulu’s playing with an infectious swagger and that will undoubtedly please Swedish fans ahead of the imminent Euros. He combined wonderfully with the irresistible Dybala and notched a Juve-high four key passes – one of which being the assist for Rabiot – while also being denied a peach of a strike due to that pesky offside rule.

Rating: 7/10

CM – Danilo

Rodrigo Bentancur’s suspension facilitated the return of the Danilo midfield experiment. Then, after proving a competent stabiliser in the middle of the park (despite appearing a little flustered under pressure), the Brazilian deputised at centre-back following Chiellini’s withdrawal. His versatility knows no bounds!

However, his time at the heart of defence was brief as he was replaced by Federico Bernardeschi.

Rating: 6.5/10

CM – Adrien Rabiot

The Frenchman’s been in fine form as of late and he got on the scoresheet tonight, rounding off a flowing Juve move (a slick up-back-and-through sequence) coolly after advancing from his midfield position to exploit a gaping void in Bologna’s compromised backline.

Rabiot’s impressive conclusion to the campaign may well trigger a reevaluation of his transfer status this summer.

Rating: 7/10

LM – Federico Chiesa

The Italian’s ninth Serie A goal of the season came by way of a poacher’s effort for the game’s opener. Chiesa was bright throughout but didn’t star. His energy out of possession, however, was once again remarkable.

His stellar debut season came to a close before the hour mark as Arthur Melo was introduced.

Rating: 6.5/10

ST – Paulo Dybala

Sticking my neck out here, but I reckon Juve might have been just a tad better off this season had Dybala enjoyed an injury-free campaign. Just maybe.

La Joya’s form since his return has certainly been patchy, with fleeting moments of magic often undermined by anonymity. However, the Argentine was immense tonight, offering a constant source of innovation throughout the 90 minutes. His work for Morata’s first was simply majestic and there’s no doubting a 2:20 minute compilation video of this showing will be circulating on Twitter post-match.

Rating: 9/10

ST – Alvaro Morata

Well, that was some way to justify a controversial selection. The Spaniard effused energy from the outset and after playing a selfless, industrious role in Chiesa’s opener, Morata went on to grab a brace.

His first was a simple header and while his second had plenty to do with Łukasz Skorupski’s weak wrists, the chance was made possible by a quite incredible touch to bring down a Szczesny clearance (or pass, as I’m sure he’ll claim).

Morata’s movement was of the highest order tonight, with his timing spot on and intelligence laid bare.

Rating: 8/10