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Kean gives resurgent Juve away victory at Verona

Moise Kean was the difference between Juve and Verona
Moise Kean was the difference between Juve and VeronaProfimedia
Moise Kean lifted Juventus to third in the Serie A with one game to go before the winter break as the Old Lady beat bottom-of-the-table Verona 1-0 for their fifth consecutive league win.

Coming into the contest 13 points adrift of runaway leaders Napoli, the visitors made a shaky start, and nearly found themselves behind within just five minutes, as Ibrahim Sulemana powered a long-range strike narrowly wide.

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.

With half-time 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 the break, and almost took a shock lead when Pawel Dawidowicz got on the end of a dangerous free kick, only to divert a close-range effort wide of the target.

As has been the case so often this season, Verona were left to rue their missed opportunities when Kean fired Juventus ahead on the hour mark.

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, Verona went in pursuit of a late equaliser, and the hosts thought they’d been awarded a vital lifeline when Leonardo Bonucci was penalised for a clumsy challenge inside the box.

However the referee correctly overturned his original decision after reviewing the footage, allowing Juventus to comfortably see out the closing exchanges, despite a late dismissal for Alex Sandro, and secure an important victory which takes them up to third in the table.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)

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