Juventus defeated Napoli 1-0 at the Juventus Stadium in their Saturday evening Serie A fixture.
The Bianconeri huffed and puffed and yet couldn’t beat a resilient Azzurri defence in the first half, but had greater luck in the second half when Simone Zaza finally beat Pepe Reina in the second half.
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Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon – 6.5 – Unfazed
Called on to make a heroic save to deny Raul Albiol, even if the Spaniard was offside. Tested early in the second half when Lorenzo Insigne shot from a tight angle.
Stefan Lichtsteiner – 6.5 – Conservative
An abrasive display from the Swiss international, putting in a shift on the wing but didn’t involve himself as much in attack; paying closer attention to his defensive duties. Had no complaints over his role marking Lorenzo Insigne.
Andrea Barzagli – 6.5 – Rock
Covered the injured Giorgio Chiellini admirably, kept Gonzalo Higuain quiet and limited any Napoli possession in their own half. Marshaled the young Rugani when he entered the field, sharing the burden of thwarting the Napoli strikers.
Leonardo Bonucci – 6 – Unfortunate
Involved in a collision with Sami Khedira that saw him floored briefly, made a crucial interception to deny Gonzalo Higuain scoring a tap in. Picked up a knock in the second half and had to leave the field, with Daniele Rugani replacing him.
Patrice Evra – 6 – Competent
Struggled initially with the speed and trickery of Jose Callejon, but seemed to settle. Had a shot in the box in the second half but sent it skyward.
Juan Cuadrado – 6 – Wiley
Engaged in an early tussle with Kalidou Koulibaly, moved more centrally when attacks broke down to good effect. Faded as the game advanced and struggled with the stamina of Faouzi Ghoulam.
Sami Khedira – 6 – Average
The surprise inclusion performed well in breaking up play, tried to create passages of attack with balls over the top. A decent showing for the German on his return to the starting-eleven, but could have had more of an impact in the attacking phases.
Claudio Marchisio – 6 – Reserved
Thought he may have wrong-footed Pepe Reina in the Napoli goal, but the Spaniard dived on his deflected effort. Picked up a booking late on.
Paul Pogba – 6.5 – Enigmatic
Came close with a curling effort from a free kick, only narrowly missing. Picked out Dybala brilliantly but the Argentine sent his shot over the bar. Booked for a late challenge on Jose Callejon.
Alvaro Morata – 5.5 – Disinterested
Saw precious little of the ball and appeared wasteful in the brief periods he had the ball. Replaced in the second-half by Zaza.
Paulo Dybala – 5.5 – Wasteful
Not one of the mercurial displays that have dominated the Argentinian’s season, had his first clear sight of goal in the second half but couldn’t direct his finish on target. Withdrawn to allow Alex Sandro a late cameo appearance.
Substitutes
Daniele Rugani – 6 – Undeterred
Replaced the stricken Bonucci in the second half, stayed close to Gonzalo Higuain and was mindful of his movement.
Simone Zaza – 7 – Hero
Took the place of Morata up front, brought an enthusiasm and physicality to the game. Came to the rescue for the Old Lady when his shot from distance deflected off Raul Albiol and beyond Pepe Reina.
Alex Sandro – N/A
Late cameo for the Brazilian in the place of Dybala. Credited with the assist for Zaza when he won the ball in the midfield.
Napoli
Pepe Reina – 6 – Shocked
Made a smart save to deny Marchisio after the midfielder had his shot deflected, but was blown away by the strike from Zaza in the second half; the ball taking a slight deflection on it’s way.
Elseid Hysaj – 6 – Dangerous
Thought he’d created the first goal for the visitors, but saw Bonucci toe his cross away from Higuain.
Raul Albiol – 6 – Wary
Thought he may have put his side in front, but saw his effort saved from the corner; the official then flagging for offside. Created some distance between himself and the Juventus strikers, allowing time to anticipate their movements. Unfortunate to have the ball deflect off him when Simone Zaza opened the score.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 6.5 – Brash
Had a great early surge into the Juventus half, but ran out of steam in the penalty area. Kept both Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala away from the penalty area for prolonged periods of the game. Booked for a late challenge on Juan Cuadrado.
Faouzi Ghoulam – 6.5 – Prepared
The Algerian had been prepped for a one-on-one dual for Juan Cuadrado and seemed to benefit, keeping the Colombian reasonably quiet and forcing him to go central.
Allan – 6.5 – Enforcer
Carried his side with important challenges and clever passing, had a few shots but saw them closed down by the Juventus defenders. Brought off for Manolo Gabbiadini when they went a goal down.
Jorginho – 6.5 – Playmaker
Moved the ball around efficiently, trying to break down the defenders with balls over the top. Always ready to recycle possession and restart the attack instantly.
Marek Hamsik – 6.5 – Spirited
Dropped deep to receive the ball and launch an attack with a precise pass, didn’t have the impact he was hoping to make. Tried time and time again to drive his side forward. Had a strike from distance that had Buffon beaten, but it sailed over.
Jose Callejon – 6 – Tricky
Quick and agile on the wing, giving Patrice Evra a few problems, picked up a booking for striking Evra as the two both ran for the ball.
Gonzalo Higuain – 5.5 – Isolated
Had two efforts pass him by in the first half, firstly when Bonucci poked away the cross from Hysaj and then couldn’t stretch himself to meet the ball from Callejon. A frustrating game for the league’s top scorer.
Lorenzo Insigne – 5.5 – Ineffective
Early opportunity in the second half, shooting from a tight angle but Gianluigi Buffon beat it away. Tried desperately to pick out his strike partner Higuain, but the Juventus defenders anticipated his passes. Made way for Mertens in the second half.
Substitutes
Dries Mertens – 6 – Rusty
Replaced Insigne with 15 minutes to go, didn’t really get going and added little more than the Italian managed during his time on the pitch.
Manolo Gabbiadini – N/A
Brought on having gone a goal down.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com