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Juventus get back to winning ways with victory over Lecce

Juventus' Douglas Luiz celebrates scoring their second goal
Juventus' Douglas Luiz celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS / Alessandro Garofalo

Juventus returned to winning ways as two first-half goals helped the Bianconeri earn a 2-0 victory away to Lecce, who have now won just one of their last 21 Serie A matches against the Old Lady (D5, L15).

Pressure has been mounting on Luciano Spalletti in recent weeks, especially after their devastating home defeat to Lazio last week, but Juve were up against a Lecce side that hadn't won their last 12 head-to-head meetings, so the omens were good for an away win.

Nevertheless, while the Bianconeri dominated possession early on, they lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

That all changed on the half-hour, though, courtesy of a clever set-piece routine. Douglas Luiz caught the Lecce defence cold as his quickly taken free-kick over the hosts’ defence left Weston McKennie with the simple task of bundling home from close range. 

Lecce had now conceded in all four home games this campaign, and they struggled to gain a foothold in the contest as half-time approached.

Juve, on the other hand, were comfortable after taking the lead and added a second on the verge of half-time. The creator of the first goal, Luiz, this time powered home from the edge of the box after latching onto Federico Gatti’s lay-off. 

Eusebio Di Francesco made a double change ahead of the restart in an attempt to improve his side’s performance after they failed to register a single shot on target before the break.

The hosts’ display subsequently improved, and Guglielmo Vicario was called into action twice as the hour mark approached, but the Juve goalkeeper comfortably dealt with the tame efforts. 

Ultimately, Juve remained in total control without having to get out of second gear, and a comfortable second half ended in Juve claiming a first league win in three games.

Kialonda Gaspar was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second booking, wrapping up the result that moves Spalletti’s side up into seventh place, level on points with Frosinone in sixth, while Lecce have now won just two from the last eight home matches as they remain in 12th.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Douglas Luiz (Juventus)

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