Manuel Locatelli looked reborn against Hellas Verona, but Nicolò Savona and Dusan Vlahovic inspired Juventus‘ 3-0 win against Hellas Verona.
Juventus are the Serie A leaders after two games and the only team with six points after 180 minutes.
The Bianconeri dominated Verona on Monday night and scored two goals again in the first half. Vlahovic opened the account from a Kenan Yildiz assist after 28 minutes. Juventus’ goal was inspired by a reborn Locatelli (7.5), who pressed high and stole the ball from Ondrej Duda (4).
Serie A | Verona 0-3 Juventus: Vlahovic and new face Savona for perfect start
Nicolò Savona (8) started a Serie A match for the first time ever and found the net at minute 39 with a header at the far post. Vlahovic seemingly touched the ball before it crossed the line, but multiple replays clarified that the goal belonged to the promising defender, who was promoted to the first team from the NextGen squad.
The assist-maker was Samuel Bangula, who also earned a spot kick converted by Vlahovic early in the second half. Bangula started for the second time in a row and was once again among the best players on the pitch for Juve.
Verona had a couple of chances in the first half, but Gleison Bremer (7) was always in the right place at the right time and blocked absolutely everything.
Verona vs Juventus – player ratings
Verona: Montipò 6.5; Dawidowicz 4.5, Coppola 4.5, Magnani 4.5 (56′ Frese 5.5); Tchatchoua 5, Belahyane 5, Duda 4, Lazovic 4.5 (64′ Harroui 6); Suslov 5, Livramento 5.5 (56′ Alidou 5.5); Mosquera 5.5 (56′ Tengstedt 5.5).
Best Verona player: Montipò 6.5 – A great save to deny Locatelli in the first half. His defenders are to be blamed for Juventus’ goals.
Lowest Verona rating: Duda 4 – One of the best players against Napoli, he lost possession in a dangerous area tonight, leading to Juventus’ opening goal.
Coach: Zanetti 5 – He switched to a three-man defence and it didn’t pay off. Verona collapsed after Vlahovic’s opener.
Juventus: Di Gregorio 6; Savona 8 (77′ Kalulu N/A), Bremer 7, Gatti 6.5 (85′ Danilo N/A), Cabal 6.5 (77′ Rouhi N/A); Locatelli 7.5, Fagioli 6.5; Cambiaso 7.5 (85′ Anghele N/A), Yildiz 7.5, Mbangula 8 (68′ Douglas Luiz 6); Vlahovic 8.
Best Juventus player: Savona 8 – Dusan Vlahovic may have scored a brace, but Savona played with great personality and scored a goal that he’ll remember forever. First Serie A start and first goal. Like Mbangula last week. Impressive.
Coach: Thiago Motta 7—Juventus are the table leaders after two games. They are the only team with six points, but that’s not even the point. The Bianconeri look reborn, like many of their players, especially Locatelli. Make no mistake. They are completing many new signings, but tonight’s starting XI was not necessarily stronger than Juventus’ ideal XI last season. It’s still early, but the early signs are promising. Very promising.
