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Juventus beat Atalanta in Serie A’s early fixture to move up to second on the table
Juventus claimed a routine 2-0 win over Atalanta on Sunday afternoon to consolidate their place in the Serie A top four and get a strong footing in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.
Two second-half goals from Samuel Iling Junior and Dusan Vlahovic were enough to earn the Old Lady a vital win.
The win takes Juventus to 66 points on the Serie A table, moving them above Lazio and Inter to second place.
How it happened
A tense first half saw both teams enter the break on level terms after they failed to break the deadlock.
There were no shots on target in the first half, despite both teams firing 18 shots on goal, with Atalanta having the best chance of the opening 45 minutes.
The home side could have taken the lead in the closing stages of the first half, but Mario Pasalic failed to convert La Dea’s best chance of the entire game in first-half stoppage time, while Giorgio Scalvini also managed to hit the post from a corner kick.
Juventus’ best chance in the opening game fell to Angel Di Maria, but his effort went just wide of the Atalanta goal.
Juventus took an early lead in the second half, scoring 11 minutes after the restart through 20-year-old Samuel Iling Junior, who became only the third English player to score for the Old Lady after David Platt (in 1992/93) and William John Jordan (in 1948/49).
Juventus defended their lead resolutely and restricted Atalanta to zero shots on target in the second half as well, despite the hosts firing 11 more shots on goal.
Atalanta were unable to create any clear chances against Juventus in the second half, as the visitors eventually rounded off the win with a goal in extra time from Dusan Vlahovic as the Serbian capped a perfect counter-attack by the Old Lady.
The 2-0 win was Juventus’ 21st win without conceding in all competitions this season and helped them put a five-point gap between them and Milan in fifth place with four games to go, leaving them in good stead to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.
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