Juventus secured a fifth straight Serie A (SA) win for the first time since 2020, as they edged past rock-bottom Hellas Verona 1-0 at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, to extend the hosts’ dismal losing streak in the league to nine matches.
Despite seeing little of the ball, Verona continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides during an uneventful opening half-hour, with Mattia Perin doing well to hold a curled effort from Kevin Lasagna.
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With HT approaching, Juventus pressed for a breakthrough, but Manuel Locatelli saw a promising effort palmed around the post by Lorenzo Montipo, while Gleison Bremer thundered a strike over the bar when well-placed inside the box.
However, the hosts stepped it up even further immediately after HT, and almost took a shock lead when Paweł Dawidowicz got on the end of a dangerous free kick, only to divert a close-range effort wide of the target.
The Italian international picked up a clever ball from Adrien Rabiot, before confidently finishing beyond Montipo via the aid of a slight deflection, for his second match-winning opener from just two goals in 2022/23.
With less than 15 minutes remaining, the hosts thought they’d been awarded a vital lifeline when Leonardo Bonucci was penalised for a clumsy challenge inside the box.
