da poker： Weston McKennie came so close to grabbing his first goal of the 2023-24 campaign as Juve claimed all three points in a 2-1 win over Cagliari.
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Juve get the job done against CagliariMcKennie plays & almost scores first goal of seasonWeah misses out again with hamstring injuryGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Juventus found life tough against struggling Cagliari and despite dominating for large parts of the game, could only scrape a narrow win that takes them back to the Serie A summit. USMNT midfielder McKennie missed arguably the best chance of the first half, side-footing an effort wide of Simone Scuffet's far post, and at that point it looked like it was going to be an evening full of frustration for Massimiliano Allegri's side.
The hosts' finishing improved in the second half, however, with Brazilian centre-back Gleison Bremer heading home the opening goal before another defender, Daniele Rugani, bundled into the net to put Juve two up. Alberto Dossena pulled one back for Cagliari, and he almost grabbed a dramatic late equaliser only for Wojciech Szczesny to divert his headed effort onto the post.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It was far from convincing but Juventus did what they had to do: get all three points to ensure they took top spot in the Serie A table. They may end up being second heading into the international break – with Inter facing Frosinone at San Siro on Sunday – but given the discontent surrounding Allegri following last season's disappointing seventh-placed finish, it was a vital victory.
McKennie's miss in the first half summed up the hosts' difficulties in front of goal, and it was ultimately two of their central defenders that bailed them out here, with Cagliari edging the possession and having as many as 11 shots during a game that Juve failed to put to bed. That said, it's hard to argue with five wins from their last five, with Allegri and his side starting to build some real momentum in Italy's top flight.
Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT
McKennie was deployed on the right of a midfield three and will be left kicking himself that he didn't manage to score the opening goal late on in the first half. The USMNT star drifted into the box and guided a first-time effort just wide of the far post following Moise Kean's cross. It was a big – but difficult – chance and fortunately for Juventus it didn't cost them.
Finishing may not be McKennie's forte but he certainly likes a tackle. Indeed, he was shown a deserved yellow card for a late challenge that saw him hack down Zito Luvumbo after racing back to try to stop the Cagliari forward escaping on the counter. Still, Juve held on for the win and it's another 90 minutes in the tank for the former Leeds United man, who made the second highest accurate passes (33) of all players involved from the home side.
Getty ImagesGOAL'S RATINGS
Weston McKennie: 6/10
He'll be so disappointed that he didn't manage to convert that huge first-half chance but his industry and energy remains important to Massimiliano Allegri's side and he should keep his place in the Juve staring XI after the international break.