October 21, (THEWILL) – On Wednesday evening, Juventus won a tense 1-0 match against Zenit St Petersburg to maintain their lead in Champions League Group H.
Wojciech Szczesny had to be alert early on to palm Claudinho’s swerving strike away from goal. However, there were few chances in the first half, as both teams were able to cancel each other out and go into the halftime break level.
In the second half, Juventus came out with a bit more pep in their step, almost breaking the deadlock through Weston McKennie, who raced onto Alvaro Morata’s incisive pass. The midfielder only had to beat the keeper, but Zenit’s shot-stopper, Stanislav Kritsyuk, parried his attempt.
Soon after, Mckennie had another chance, charging into the box and glancing a header towards goal, but his effort fizzed past the far post, and Zenit escaped going behind.
But, in the 86th minute, substitute Dejan Kulusevski flicked Mattia De Sciglio’s cross into the far corner of the net, propelling Massimiliano Allegri’s side onto nine points in the group and sending them home with another 1-0 victory.
The Bianconeri had a little more ball and perhaps a little more poise – and they just about came up with the goods. They will be grateful for that late header because it meant they could keep their distance from the Blues and avoided an immediate scrap for first place, for now.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
