Juventus 2-0 Genoa: Bremer & McKennie give Old Lady a UCL boost | OneFootball

At the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Juventus earned a vital win over Genoa to boost their Champions League hopes.

Luciano Spalletti decided to restore Jonathan David to his starting lineup. The Canadian spearheaded the 4-2-3-1 formation, supported by Francisco Conceicao, Weston McKennie, and Kenan Yildiz.

Manuel Locatelli linked up with Khephren Thuram in the double pivot, while the backline in front of Mattia Perin consisted of Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly, and Andrea Cambiaso.

Juventus strike early

The Bianconeri didn’t waste any time before laying their siege towers, and it took them less than four minutes to seize the lead.

Genoa tried to clear the corner kick, but Thuram kept the ball alive by redirecting the header towards the box. This was followed by a second header from Kelly, and then a third from Bremer. While the Brazilian couldn’t put much power behind it, the deflection wrong-footed Justin Bijlow.

In the 17th minute, Juventus doubled their advantage through a smooth counter-attack. Cambiaso picked up McKennie in midfield, and the latter found Conceicao on the right wing. The Portuguese stormed to the box before completing the give-and-go with the American, who beat the goalkeeper with a clinical low drive from the middle of the box.

The home side continued to dominate the action for the rest of the first half, and McKennie almost completed a personal brace, but couldn’t connect well with Yildiz’s headed cut-back, wasting a golden chance from a couple of yards.

Michele Di Gregorio beats Aaron Martin from the spot

Juventus kept pressing for a third after the break, but McKennie squandered another chance, while David’s formidable effort crashed against the post.

Genoa improved as the match progressed, and were awarded a spot-kick for a Bremer challenge on Aaron Martin. The Spaniard converted it himself, but Michele Di Gregorio, who had replaced Perin at the interval, produced a terrific save and doubled down with another stop on the follow-up.

The two sides traded blows in the final stages of the contest, with Arek Milik coming close with an audacious attempt from the middle of the pitch, but the result remained 2-0.

Spalletti’s men have thus managed to cut the deficit with fourth-placed Como to a single point on what was a positive Easter Weekend for the Old Lady.

Juventus 2-0 Genoa

Goals: 5′ Bremer, 17′ (J), McKennie (J)

Juventus (4-3-3) : Perin (45′ Di Gregorio); Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso (82′ Holm); McKennie, Locatelli (C), Thuram; Conceicao (82′ Miretti), David (65′ Milik), Yildiz (89′ Boga).

Genoa (3-4-2-1) : Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez (C); Ellertsson, Frendrup (82′ Ekhator), Malinovskyi (64′ Masini), Martin; Messias (51′ Baldanzi), Vitinha; Colombo (64′ Ekuban).

Yellow cards: Locatelli 13′ (J), McKennie 26′ (J), Frendrup 50′ (G), Bremer 71′ (J), Thuram 78′ (J).