Juventus bounced back from two disappointing results with a 2-0 win at Lecce on Sunday. Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz scored in the first half at the Via del Mare, and Lecce defender Kialonda Gaspar was sent off in stoppage time.
Match facts
- Result: Lecce 0-2 Juventus (half-time 0-2)
- Competition: Serie A, Matchday 8
- Venue: Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce (kick-off 17:00 UK)
- Scorers: Lecce - none; Juventus - McKennie 29', Douglas Luiz 41'
- Red cards: Kialonda Gaspar (Lecce) 90+4'
- Next: Genoa v Juventus (19:45 UK), Serie A, Wednesday 28 October; Frosinone v Lecce (17:30 UK), Serie A, Thursday 29 October
How the match unfolded
Luciano Spalletti's side arrived under pressure. Their last league game was the 3-0 home defeat by Lazio, and on Thursday they had to come from behind to draw 2-2 with Rennes in the Europa League, a result ESPN reported was met with boos in Turin.
Play was held up in the 16th minute for treatment to a Lecce player. Juventus went ahead in the 29th minute from a set piece: Douglas Luiz played the ball over the top of the Lecce defence and McKennie finished with his right foot into the bottom-left corner. According to ESPN, it was the American's first Serie A goal of the season and his first for Juventus in any competition since April, ending a 13-game drought.
Four minutes before the break, Douglas Luiz added the second himself. Federico Gatti set him up, and the Brazilian struck a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom-left corner.
Eusebio Di Francesco made two changes at half-time, and Lecce pushed forward after the restart. Gaspar's header from Antonino Gallo's cross in the 49th minute was saved by Guglielmo Vicario. Lecce lost Tiago Gabriel to injury on the hour, while Spalletti sent on Juan Cabal and Jérémie Boga for Andrea Cambiaso and Randal Kolo Muani in the 68th minute.
Gaspar was booked for a foul in the 76th minute and shown a red card in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Douglas Luiz and McKennie were replaced late on by Pape Matar Sarr and Kerim Alajbegović.
What it means
Lecce finished with 16 shots to Juventus' eight, and four on target to two, but could not beat Vicario. The win lifts Juventus to seventh on 14 points. Di Francesco's side, who won 3-0 at Udinese earlier this month, stay 12th on nine points.
Inter, top on goal difference from Lazio after beating Fiorentina 2-1 earlier on Sunday with two stoppage-time goals, are eight points clear of Juventus.
What's next
Juventus travel to Genoa on Wednesday and host Napoli next Sunday. Lecce visit Frosinone on Thursday before hosting Genoa.
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