Juventus secured back-to-back wins in Serie A as they edged past Sampdoria 3-2 at the Allianz Stadium.
The hosts started sharply and were a constant threat in transition before Paulo Dybala, who’d soon exit the field in tears with a reported hamstring issue, opened the scoring with a vintage strike. Juventus then doubled the lead from the spot through Leonardo Bonucci, but Sampdoria responded almost immediately through Maya Yoshida.
A nervy second half was in store but Manuel Locatelli eased the tension by tapping in his first Juve goal to give the Bianconeri a 3-1 lead. Samp just wouldn’t go away, though, and they pulled another goal back through Antonio Candreva.
There was no grandstand finish, however, as Juve held on for a 3-2 win.
Here are our Juventus player ratings from Sunday’s victory.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Mattia Perin (GK) – 6/10 – A change of goalkeeper couldn’t halt Juve’s clean sheet curse. That’s now 20 games without one. Nevertheless, on his first Juve start since 2019, Perin wasn’t terribly busy despite conceding twice. They were strikes he could do little to prevent.
Juan Cuadrado (RB) – 5.5/10 – The Colombian returned to the back four on Sunday after starting the season in a more advanced role. He was perhaps more conservative than anticipated from right-back, although he did produce one magnificent cross in the first half. However, Cuadrado was certainly at fault for Candreva’s goal.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) – 7.5/10 – He’s just so good. De Ligt was brilliant again. Dominant in the air and all-encompassing on the ground. The Dutchman read the game superbly today, with the vast majority of his defensive actions executed to the highest order. Little to fault.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6/10 – A mixed bag from Bonucci. After dispatching a penalty, he was beaten in the air by Yoshida for Sampdoria’s first. It certainly wasn’t the most convincing of displays.
Alex Sandro (LB) – 6.5/10 – The Brazilian returned to his conservative self in possession, although his aggressive pressing paid dividends in the first half. His timing was perfect at times, with Juve seeking to trap Samp in wide areas. Sandro also produced one or two timely defensive interventions.
Midfielders
Federico Chiesa (RM) – 6/10 – A quiet outing for Chiesa. Once again, he was disconnected from Juve’s attack when utilised on the right, with his teammates struggling to support or overload his flank. He switched over to the left before his 70th-minute withdrawal, from where he played a major role in Juve’s third.
Manuel Locatelli (CM) – 7/10 – Those switches of play, man. Locatelli continues to impress and he was rewarded with his first Juventus goal in Sunday’s victory. Even the weight of pass to tee up Dybala for the opener was perfect.
Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) – 7.5/10 – A return to a box-to-box role facilitated a sound Bentancur display. His industry ensured Samp had trouble progressing through the centre as he snapped into challenges throughout. His impact wasn’t huge in possession although he did come close to scoring a rare goal after receiving nicely between the lines.
Federico Bernardeschi (LM) – 5/10 – Bernardeschi deserved his start in this one after impressing off the bench against Spezia. However, the Italian international failed to assert himself in what was a huge missed opportunity on his behalf.
Forwards
Paulo Dybala (CF) – 7/10 – What a shame. La Joya was purring before he left the field in tears with a non-contact injury. Dybala opened the scoring with a sumptuous half-volley and should’ve had a pair of assists in the opening 20 minutes. He was Juve’s focal point in transition. Let’s hope the injury isn’t as sinister as it seems.
Alvaro Morata (ST) – 5.5/10 – Things just didn’t click for Morata after he missed an early one-v-one. His technical level was sub-par and the game often passed him by before his late withdrawal. Juventus will be sweating over his fitness for Wednesday, it seems.
Substitutes
Dejan Kulusevski – 5.5/10 – Produced a fine assist in an otherwise disappointing display.
Giorgio Chiellini – 6/10
Aaron Ramsey – 5/10
Weston McKennie – N/A
Moise Kean – N/A