Juventus remain perfect after gliding past Udinese

Date: 6th October 2018 at 7:53pm
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Udinese did little to stop Juventus’ dominant start to the Serie A season, as the Old Lady cruised to a 2-0 victory at the Dacia Arena on Saturday.

Goals from Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristiano Ronaldo – who started amidst allegations of rape – in the first half killed off any chance of an upset, as Massimiliano Allegri’s men remain perfect with 10 wins from as many matches in all competitions.

Included in that run is eight Serie A victories, which already puts Juventus nine points up on nearest rivals Napoli ahead of the Partenopei’s match with Sassuolo on Sunday.

Juventus had the better of proceedings early on, as they controlled the contest with relative ease.

Miralem Pjanic sent an effort just wide of the top corner before their pressure paid off in the 33rd minute, as the Old Lady made the most of an Udinese corner. The away side broke away on the counter, with Joao Cancelo’s cross finding the head of Bentancur for his first goal with the Bianconeri.

Mario Mandzukic was stopped point-blank by Simone Scuffet, but the Croatian turned assist-man soon after. He collected a loose ball and laid it off for Ronaldo, who lashed a left-footed effort to the far post to double Juve’s advantage.

Udinese’s lone opportunity came just before half-time, but Antonin Barak’s strike only clipped the outside of the post.

The home side should have pulled one back five minutes after the break. Rodrigo De Paul’s freekick into the box eventually fell for Kevin Lasagna, but the Italian scuffed the shot, allowing Alex Sandro to clear off the line.

From there the lone sight to see was whether Juventus would add to their lead, as they put a strangle hold on the contest.

First Paulo Dybala blasted high from close range, while Federico Bernardeschi and Ronaldo forced great saves out of Scuffet. Cancelo blasted a strike off the bar in the 85th minute – the last noteworthy moment of the contest before referee Rosario Abisso blew an end to proceedings.

Juventus train can’t be derailed

Udinese provided little resistance on Saturday, and it’s hard to criticize them for it. That’s because Juventus are on a roll that isn’t likely to end anytime soon.

Massimiliano Allegri’s men cruised to a 2-0 victory, but it felt more like 5-0 given how easily they controlled proceedings. When you look at their upcoming schedule, it’s very possible – in fact, it’s likely – they’ll be on full points heading into their Week 12 match at AC Milan. A scary thought for the rest of Serie A.

Mario Mandzukic – unsung hero

He didn’t score, but the Croatian’s influence can’t be understated. His passion, determination and intelligence are apparent every time he steps on the pitch.

His assist for Ronaldo’s goal underlined his selflessness, and it’s no surprise Massimiliano Allegri pushed to keep Mandzukic over Gonzalo Higuain this summer.

 

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