A primary-half purpose from Alvaro Morata was sufficient to offer Juventus a slim 1-0 victory at dwelling to Spezia in Serie A on Sunday as they tightened their grip on a Champions League spot.
In a sport the place each side struggled for rhythm, Juve seemed nervy at instances however coach Massimilano Allegri praised his aspect’s grit by profitable ugly.
“We wanted to have scored a second within the first half. After the break we had been drained, we got here from intense matches and I could not make modifications,” Allegri informed DAZN.
“But in order to reach our objectives, this team needs to win ugly and suffer and that’s what we did.”
The hosts, who went shut on the quarter-hour mark by midfielder Arthur Melo, took the lead after 21 minutes when the Brazilian latched on to a poor clearance from Spezia goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, choosing out Manuel Locatelli on the sting of the field earlier than the Italian fed Morata, who netted his first league purpose since December.
Emmanuel Gyasi and Kevin Agudelo had been each denied by Wojciech Szczesny from shut vary after the break as Spezia sought a means again into issues.
Morata, in the meantime, missed a gilt-edged probability to seal the victory in stoppage time on the finish of the sport as Juventus held on to safe the win.
Juve transfer onto 53 factors within the fourth and last Champions League spot, the place they sit six factors above fifth-placed Atalanta, who’ve a sport in hand.
Defeat is a fourth-consecutive for Thiago Motta’s aspect, who’re sixteenth – 4 factors and two locations above Venezia within the third and last relegation berth.
Earlier on Sunday Venezia had been thrashed 4-1 at dwelling by Sassuolo in a sport that noticed 4 penalties awarded – three, all scored, to the guests and one to Venezia, who missed.
Second-bottom Genoa drew their sixth consecutive sport in Serie A, taking part in out a 0-0 at dwelling towards Empoli.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
