Angel Di Maria’s hat trick sends Juventus into the Europa round of 16

Juventus avenged their 1-1 draw in the first leg of their matchup with Nantes with a convincing 3-0 win.

The Bianconeri came out strong in this one and looked like Max Allegri, who had been scrutinized for his tactical approaches to matches in 2023, adjusted well to the first-round matchup in Turin. This was a much-needed victory for a side that faced dropping out of their second European tournament this football season. It also buys Allegri time to convince management that he deserves his job for next season.

Of all the players on the pitch, none stood out more than Angel Di Maria. Di Maria turned in an exceptional performance getting a hat trick in the process. His first goal came off of a beautiful curling shot from outside the box. The shot hit the top corner and was just out of reach of Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont. His second goal came on a penalty after a handball by Nicolas Pallois which drew a straight red card from the ref. Finally, his third came in the 78th minute off of a header which secured his first hat trick at Juventus.

This proved to be an outstanding performance from the Bianconeri and now Juventus moves on to the round of 16 in dominant fashion.

This was a match that showed what this Juventus squad is actually capable of doing on the pitch. They have been incredibly inconsistent this season, especially in European competition. This, however, will hopefully be a turning point that will help propel the squad deeper into the tournament and translate to points in Serie A as well.