Juventus rebounded from their disappointing draw at home against lowly Lecce with a 3-0 victory at Sassuolo on Tuesday, reclaiming fourth place in Serie A.
Canadian forward Jonathan David played a key role
in Juve’s triumph, contributing a goal and an assist, securing the team’s fourth win in five matches.
Despite being dominant yet wasteful, Juventus capitalized on a mistake by Sassuolo’s Tarik Muharemovic, who scored an own goal after 16 minutes.
David redeemed himself for a missed penalty in the 1-1 draw against Lecce by assisting Fabio Miretti for the second goal after 62 minutes. A minute later, David scored the third goal following a poor clearance by Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
Luciano Spalletti’s side now sits fourth with 36 points from 19 games but has played two more matches than the top three: Inter Milan with 39 points, AC Milan on 38 points, and champions Napoli on 37 points.
“It’s a win that comes at the right time for me, but the most important thing is that we’re back to winning ways,” David said.
“He played a very good match; his game against Lecce was already very good, right up until his penalty, but for us, he had nothing to prove. We know the player he is,” said Spalletti.
However, Juve’s fourth spot is under threat from Roma, who also have 36 points, and Como, on 33 points, with both teams winning their matches on Tuesday.
Attacking duo Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk scored for Roma in a 2-0 win at Lecce after Como had earlier defeated struggling Pisa 3-0 for their third consecutive league win.
Roma secured their first away win since November 23, thanks to on-loan Irish forward Ferguson after 14 minutes, with Ukrainian Dovbyk adding a second after 71 minutes.
Both Juventus and Roma must also be cautious of Como, who have played one less game as they aim for a Champions League qualifying spot.
“I never look at the standings, even though a member of my staff told me to look at them today after our victory. I’m not interested in them,” Como’s Spanish coach Cesc Fabregas insisted.
Maximo Perrone put Como ahead after 68 minutes, with Anastasios Douvikas adding two more on 76 minutes and a late penalty after 96 minutes.
Como’s French goalkeeper Jean Butez, one of the season’s revelations in Italy, saved a penalty six minutes from time.
The Lombardy club, owned by Indonesian billionaires the Hartono brothers, returned to the top flight in 2024 after a 21-year absence. They have a game in hand against AC Milan, which they will play on March 15.
Newly-promoted Pisa, who have won only once in 19 matches, remain bottom of the table with 12 points, the same as Fiorentina and Verona.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
