A double blitzkrieg for the Old Lady's triumph

The Old Lady failed to live up to its role as the favorite in the first half and went into the break with a one-goal deficit. However, Kolo Muani, Dusan Vlahovic, and Francisco Conceicao made sure of the 4-1 victory in the end.

The players barely had time to properly warm up before there was already something to see. After a brief period of feeling each other out, it was Empoli who struck first in the 4th minute. A corner kick from the left side saw the ball fly over everyone in the box, landing perfectly for Mattia De Sciglio, who was completely unmarked at the far post. It was an easy task for him to head the ball past Di Gregorio and into the net. This was De Sciglio’s goal against the very team that had loaned him to Empoli, so there was no celebration.

Fueled by the early goal, Empoli continued to attack, and in the 14th minute, Sebastiano Esposito found himself in a promising position, but Federico Gatti was in the right place to block the shot with his head. A minute later, a penalty was awarded to the visitors after a brilliant combination between Esposito and Youssef Maleh, followed by Di Gregorio’s challenge. However, after reviewing the footage, Luca Zufferli overturned the decision due to Faustino Anjorin’s handball at the start of the play.

Thiago Motta’s team only woke up in the second part of the first half—and in spectacular fashion. After a cross, Nico Gonzalez attempted a stunning bicycle kick, but Devis Vasquez managed to deny what could have been the goal of the season in Serie A.

Juventus kept attacking until the end of the half, mainly delivering crosses from the left side. Their only real chance before halftime came through Teun Koopmeiners. Kenan Yildiz made an excellent solo run down the left flank and sent the ball into the box, but luck was not on the Old Lady’s side this time either, as the Dutchman’s shot struck Weston McKennie, who inadvertently prevented the equalizer and essentially saved Empoli from conceding.

As the first half ended, the second half picked up right where it left off. Juventus continued pressing, besieging Vasquez’s goal, but the Empoli goalkeeper managed to deny Gonzalez on two occasions.

Perhaps the key moment for Empoli was the injury to their captain, Ismajli. Just two minutes after the Albanian was replaced by Saba Goglichidze, Kolo Muani demonstrated his strength in a duel with the Georgian, brushing him off with ease and finding himself one-on-one with Di Gregorio. It was then a simple task for him to slot the ball home and level the score. With this, Muani became the second player after Carlos Tevez to score in both of his first two matches after joining the club.

Empoli’s players barely had time to recover from the first goal before the Frenchman struck again. The brilliant move was initiated by the young Yildiz, who skillfully turned past two opposing players before passing to Timothy Weah. The Serbian fired a powerful shot from distance, and on its way to goal, the ball deflected off Kolo Muani, sealing a rapid turnaround at the Allianz Stadium.

By the end of the match, a notable moment was Maleh’s red card, but it was Dusan Vlahovic and Francisco Conceicao who secured Juventus' victory. The Serbian striker extended the Old Lady’s lead to 3-1 in the 90th minute with a powerful torpedo-like shot after a brilliant solo run, while the Portuguese winger sealed the win in the 92nd minute.

With this victory, Juventus ends its losing streak and continues its fight for a Champions League spot, while Empoli remains in the battle for survival.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 23

Friday

Parma - Lecce 1-3 (1-1)

/Valeri 34 pen - Krstovic 36, Pierotti 63, 90+3/

Saturday

Monza - Verona 0-1 (0-1)

/Lekovic 13 og/

Udinese - Venezia 3-2 (0-0)

/Lucca 47, Lovric 52, Bravo 84 - Nicolussi 64, Gytkjaer 78/

Atalanta - Torino 1-1 (1-1)

/Djimsiti 35 - Maripan 40/

Bologna - Como 2-0 (1-0)

/De Silvestri 25, Fabbian 66/

Sunday

Juventus - Empoli 4-1 (0-1)

/Kolo Muani 61, 64, Vlahovic 90, Conceicao 90+2 - De Sciglio 4/

17.00: (1.75) Fiorentina (3.70) Genoa (5.50)

20.00: (4.00) Milan (3.60) Inter (2.00)

22.45: (3.00) Roma (3.30) Napoli (2.40)

Monday

22.45: (3.90) Cagliari (3.50) Lazio (2.05)

***odds are subject to change***