Crucial win
Chiesa at the double as Juve end Milan’s unbeaten streak
Federico Chiesa scored a brace as Juventus inflicted a first league defeat this season on Serie A leaders AC Milan, ending their 27-match unbeaten run with a 3-1 win on Wednesday.
Stefano Pioli’s side maintained their one-point advantage over city rivals Inter Milan who missed a chance to go top with a 2-1 loss at Sampdoria.
AC Milan had been unbeaten since before the coronavirus lockdown last March, with a run of 12 matches without defeat to complete last season where they finished sixth, and 15 games this campaign.
But Chiesa, who joined from Fiorentina last October, bagged his first brace for the champions, scoring on 18 and 62 minutes in the San Siro with Weston McKennie getting a third with quarter of an hour to go.
“This defeat hurts,” said Pioli.
“If there is an opponent against whom we have suffered it is Juventus, who have won the Scudetto for nine years in a row.
“But understanding how bad you feel after a defeat will also help us grow.”
The hosts, chasing their first ‘Scudetto’ since 2011, had been hit hours before kick-off with the news that forward Ante Rebic and midfielder Rade Krunic had tested positive for Covid-19.
The absence of the pair was a blow for the side already without key players including their injured top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic for an eighth league game.
Juventus pair Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado were also out with coronavirus as the champions moved up to fourth, seven points behind Milan, but having played a game less.
“I saw the spirit of a team that wants to lead and win,” said Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo. “This match was crucial for us.”
Chiesa has come into his own for Pirlo’s side who had been dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals this campaign.
Paulo Dybala provided the assists for both Chiesa’s goals.
Inter’s eight-match winning streak came to a halt earlier under the rain in Genoa.
Alexis Sanchez missed an early penalty for Antonio Conte’s side who were tripped up by goals from former Inter players Antonio Candreva and Keita Balde.
“I’m sorry because I think we deserved something more. Lady luck was not on our side today,” said Conte after their second league defeat this season after Milan last October.
Third-placed Roma closed the gap on Inter to three points, with a 3-1 win at bottom side Crotone with Borja Mayoral scoring twice and Henrikh Mkhitaryan adding a third from the penalty spot.
Sassuolo beat Genoa 2-1 to move fifth ahead of Napoli who fell to a shock defeat by the same scoreline to 10-man Spezia, for their first loss in their newlynamed Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
RESULTS
Cagliari 1 (Joao Pedro 20) Benevento 2 (Sau 41, Tuia 44); Sassuolo 2 (Boga 52, Raspadori 83) Genoa 1 (Shomurodov 64); Crotone 1 (Golemic 71) Roma 3 (Mayoral 8, 29, Mkhitaryan 35-pen); Lazio 2 (F Caicedo 6, Immobile 75) Fiorentina 1 (Vlahovic 88-pen); Torino 1 (Bremer 84) Hellas Verona 1 (Dimarco 67); Sampdoria 2 (Candreva 23-pen, Balde 38) Inter Milan 1 (de Vrij 65); Bologna 2 (Tomiyasu 19, Svanberg 40) Udinese 2 (Pereyra 34, Arslan 90+2); Atalanta 3 (Muriel 16, Zapata 49, Gosens 61) Parma 0; Napoli 1 (Petagna 58) Spezia 2 (Nzola 68-pen, Pobega 81); AC Milan 1 (Calabria 41) Juventus 3 (Chiesa 18, 62, McKennie 76)