Juventus claimed a slender 1-0 victory over Malmo to conclude their Champions League group stage, but Chelsea’s 3-3 draw with Zenit meant it was enough to win Group H.
It appeared that Juve would saunter to victory on Wednesday, but the Bianconeri’s performance got flatter as the contest wore on with their performance in front of goal abhorrent.
An early Moise Kean header was enough to hand Juve the all-important win, but there’s no doubting that Massimiliano Allegri will be somewhat concerned about his side’s performance against a poor Malmo side.
Here are the Juventus player ratings from their Champions League win on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Mattia Perin (GK) – 6/10 – Stepping in for Wojciech Szczesny, Perin only had to deal with tame long-range efforts on a rare start.
Koni De Winter (RB) – 7/10 – The Belgian became the youngest starter for Juventus in Champions League history on Wednesday. De Winter was assured as he saw plenty of the ball in the first half with Bernardeschi and Dybala occupying zones down the right. The youngster ventured forward when necessary with his pass selection safe and smart. His performance suggested we’ll see plenty more of the teenager moving forward.
Daniele Rugani (CB) – 6.5/10 – Rugani won several duels in the opening period that enabled his side to sustain pressure. He also made a timely intervention late on in the first half to deny Antonio Čolak from having a sniff at goal. The Italian was assertive throughout despite rarely being tested.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6.5/10 – The Italian returned to the side for a comfortable defensive outing. He didn’t have to exert himself in this one at all, with his performance in possession typically cool and efficient.
Alex Sandro (LB) – 5.5/10 – The Brazilian started brightly with a pair of successful one-vs-one sequences high down the left touchline. However, that was as aggressive as we saw the left-back all evening. The veteran wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t the reliable source of width Juve needed when Allegri switched to the 4-4-2 after the restart.