September 27, (THEWILL) – Juventus climbed to second place in Serie A on Tuesday night, thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 home victory against Lecce. Arkadiusz Milik’s 57th-minute goal was enough to end Lecce’s unbeaten start to the campaign and get Juve’s season back on track after last week’s surprise defeat to Sassuolo.
The match proved to be a stern test for Massimiliano Allegri’s side against a Lecce team punching above expectations this season. Lecce matched Juventus for long periods and restricted them to few clear openings. Milik and Federico Chiesa went close in the first half, but Lecce keeper, Wladimiro Falcone, was rarely tested.
The breakthrough came just before the hour mark when Milik converted from close range after Adrien Rabiot’s header across goal. VAR checked for offside but the goal stood. Lecce appealed for a penalty late on when substitute Mohamed Kaba went down in the box, but he was instead booked for simulation, much to the visitors’ frustration.
The three points lift Juventus to second in the standings, two behind leaders Inter Milan. For Lecce, their impressive unbeaten run comes to an end, but they remain in the top half of the table after an encouraging start to the season’s competition.
Juve were made to work hard by an organised and stubborn Lecce side, but just about did enough to claim the victory. Allegri will hope this can provide the platform to start putting real pressure on Inter at the Serie A summit.
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.
