Jvuentus turn heat up on Serie A pacesetters with victory over 10-man AC Milan

By Sports Desk October 22, 2023

Juventus applied pressure at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro thanks to a deflected goal from former Rossoneri midfielder Manuel Locatelli.

Milan were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute when defender Malick Thiaw brought down Moise Kean, who was through on goal, and was shown a straight red.

And Juve took advantage of the extra man to net a 63rd-minute winner through Locatelli, whose long-range shot cannoned off Milan substitute Rade Krunic and past Antonio Mirante

Juve’s win leaves them a point behind second-placed AC Milan, and two behind leaders Inter.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma claimed a third successive league win with a 1-0 victory over Monza courtesy of Stephan El Shaarawy’s 90th-minute strike.

Bottom two Salernitana and Cagliari drew 2-2 in a game where all four strikes came in the final 11 minutes, including a stoppage-time Boulaye Dia penalty to secure a point for the hosts.

Bologna’s Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson and Lorenzo De Silvestri both struck in the space of three first-half minutes to earn their side a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.

Atalanta bounced back after last week’s defeat at Lazio with a 2-0 win over Genoa through goals from Ademola Lookman and Ederson.

In Spain, Barcelona left it late to claim a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in Montjuic, with teenager Marc Guiu netting a fairytale winner on his debut.

The hosts were frustrated by the stubborn visitors before 17-year-old Guiu scored seconds after coming off the bench in the 80th minute to give Xavi’s team the win.

Girona hit back from two goals down to thrash Almeria 5-2 and continue their remarkable start to the LaLiga season which sees them level on 25 points with leaders Real Madrid after 10 games.

Leo Baptistao’s early brace had Almeria dreaming of an upset but Girona, aided by two Artem Dovbyk goals, roared back to lead 3-2 at half-time before finishing the job after the break.

Rayo Vallecano claimed a last-gasp 1-0 victory at Las Palmas after Bebe converted a stoppage-time penalty before the visitors lost Oscar Valentin to a red card.

Villareal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Alaves, with Gerard Moreno’s penalty cancelling out Samu Omorodion’s strike.

In France, Monaco regained their position at the top of Ligue 1 after Aleksandr Golovin’s double saw them claim a 2-1 comeback win over Metz and move one point clear of second-placed Nice, who won on Saturday night.

Lorient recorded only their second win of the season with a 2-1 victory at home to Rennes.

Lille beat Brest 1-0 which saw them replace their opponents in fourth spot and Toulouse were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Reims.

Nantes continued to climb the table as they saw off Montpellier 2-0 with goals from Florent Mollet and Kader Bamba – the club’s fourth win in five games .

In Germany, Augsburg recovered from 2-0 down after 18 minutes to beat Heidenheim 5-2 away from home while Cologne picked up their first win of the season after defeating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1, Florian Kainz netting twice from the penalty spot.

Related items

  • Everton to 'assess all options' as 777 Partners takeover falls through Everton to 'assess all options' as 777 Partners takeover falls through

    Everton will "assess all options" regarding the club's ownership after a proposed takeover by 777 Partners fell through on Saturday.

    Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri agreed to sell his 94 per cent stake in the club to the US-based consortium last September, but the Premier League refused to sign off on the takeover.

    The deal was repeatedly delayed as 777 failed to meet the Premier League's required conditions of ownership, though the consortium provided financial support to the club for several months. 

    Everton lost eight points to two deductions in 2023-24 for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, but still finished 14 points clear of the relegation zone.

    Moshiri is now looking for alternative buyers to come forward, with Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor having expressed an interest in investing last month.

    The club said in a statement: "The agreement between 777 Partners and Blue Heaven Holdings Limited for the sale and purchase of the majority shareholding in the club expired today. 

    "The board of directors recognises the considerable level of financial support 777 Partners has provided the club over recent months and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for this.

    "The club will continue to operate as usual while it works with Blue Heaven Holdings to assess all options for the club's future ownership.

    "The board of directors would like to thank everyone connected to Everton for their patience over recent months and reiterate its commitment to providing further updates when it is appropriate to do so through the club's official communication channels."

  • Nashville SC v New England Revolution: Porter still seeking improvements in Rev's final third Nashville SC v New England Revolution: Porter still seeking improvements in Rev's final third

    Caleb Porter has praised New England Revolution's performances in recent weeks but admitted they are still working hard to improve their finishing, as they prepare to travel to Nashville SC.

    New England sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with seven points having won just two of their 13 games so far this season.

    More worryingly, the Revolution have scored just nine goals this campaign, and have failed to score in either of their last two defeats.

    Porter said he is pleased with the progress his team are showing in their performances, but it would not matter if they could not hit the back of the net.

    "It's easier when you can show them the film and there are a lot of positives, but it's tough when you're not getting results because the confidence isn't sky high," the Revs head coach said.

    "These guys have had a great mentality and great attitude. They've come every day to training to work and improve, and we've focused a lot this week on the final third. I really feel that's the missing piece right now.

    "The players know we're playing well from box-to-box, but to win games, you have to actually score a goal."

    Nashville, meanwhile, sit in ninth, occupying one of the playoff spots after a four-game unbeaten run.

    Interim head coach Rumbani Munthali earned his first win in charge with a 2-0 victory over FC Cincinnati in midweek.

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Nashville – Hany Mukhtar

    The Revolution are one of just five teams Hany Mukhtar has faced but never scored against in MLS.

    He has only played more games against Cincinnati (six) and Philadelphia (five) without scoring against them than he has against New England (four).

    New England – Carles Gil

    New England's goal difference dropped to -17 following their defeat to New York City FC last Saturday.

    The Revs have scored just nine goals all season, split among four players, with Gil their top scorer on four.

    MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE SC WIN

    Nashville defeated New England 3-2 in the last meeting between the sides in October 2023. The first five encounters featured five total goals - also split 3-2 - in favour of the Boys in Gold.

    Nashville are unbeaten in four straight MLS matches (won two, drawn two) following a 2-0 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday.

    It has been nearly a year since the Coyotes have won consecutive league matches, last doing so during a four-match winning run between May and June last season.

    The Revolution are the fifth team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to lose 10 of their first 13 matches of a season, and the first since Montreal in 2018.

    No team in the post-shootout era has recorded 11 defeats in their first 14 matches of a season.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Nashville – 51.2%

    Draw – 24.8%

    New England – 24%

  • Vancouver Whitecaps v Colorado Rapids: Sartini relishing preparing for Rapids after morale-boosting win Vancouver Whitecaps v Colorado Rapids: Sartini relishing preparing for Rapids after morale-boosting win

    Vanni Sartini enjoys being able to take a different approach to their match against Colorado Rapids, as he does so following a win.

    The Whitecaps snapped a six-match winless run in MLS last time out, seeing out a 2-1 victory against Sporting Kansas City in midweek.

    It moves them up to sixth in the Western Conference, where they will have the chance to keep their name in the mix at the top with another win.

    Sartini was upbeat following their victory, but was quick to point out they would not be thinking about that result for too long.

    "The good vibes [after the win] ended on Friday morning. Then we start thinking about Colorado, but we think about it in a completely different way after a win," Sartini said.

    "If we beat them, we get away from them [in the table] and it would put us in a good position going into the [international] break. It's a completely different feeling, but we're very happy to approach the game in this way."

    Colorado are also on 26 points, only behind Vancouver due to their inferior goal difference.

    The Rapids have won only one of their last five outings, and head coach Chris Armas admits there is still work to be done if they want to get back to winning ways.

    "We're a work in progress," he said. "We're going to make mistakes, we have a fairly young squad, so we will make mistakes, and we need to work on that."

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

    Gauld scored his fourth regular-season brace in Vancouver's win at Kansas City on Wednesday.

    That saw him equal Eric Hassli, Fredy Montero, and Pedro Morales for the second-most multi-goal games for the Whitecaps, behind only Camilo Sanvezzo (eight).

    Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic

    Mihailovic has been involved in a goal in five of his last six MLS appearances (two goals, three assists), including the last three in a row.

    The American has recorded a goal contribution in four straight appearances once before in his MLS career, doing so with CF Montreal between September and October 2021.

    MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

    The Whitecaps have lost only one of their last nine matches against the Rapids in Vancouver (won four, drawn four) dating back to October 2014, including going unbeaten in the last three at BC Place (won one, drawn two).

    However, Vancouver have lost two of their last three home matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Inter Miami on Saturday.

    The Whitecaps have suffered back-to-back home defeats in MLS only once since returning to BC Place in 2021, doing so in July 2022 against Minnesota United and Chicago Fire.

    Colorado have lost their last two away matches, conceding eight goals along the way. The Rapids had lost only one of their previous six on the road (won three, drawn two), allowing a total of six goals in those games.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Vancouver Whitecaps – 50.3%

    Draw – 25.1%

    Colorado Rapids – 24.5%

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.