Juventus closed to within a point of the Serie A Champions League places with a composed 2–0 win over Genoa on Monday, as the race for the top four gathered pace.
The Turin side capitalised on Como’s earlier stalemate at Udinese, securing all three points thanks to an early header from Gleison Bremer and a sharp finish from Weston McKennie inside the opening 20 minutes. Bremer struck in the fourth minute, while McKennie doubled the lead soon after with a clinical effort that underlined his growing influence.
The American midfielder’s goal took his Serie A tally to five, matching his best return in a single league campaign since his debut season in 2020/21. Yet individual milestones were far from his mind post-match, as he told DAZN that “the important thing is getting into the Champions League.”
Luciano Spalletti was brought in with precisely that objective, and Juventus appear to be moving in the right direction, extending their unbeaten run to five matches. Still, the victory owed much to goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, who produced a superb double save to deny Genoa a route back into the contest, first stopping Aaron Martin’s penalty, then reacting quickly to keep out Vitinha’s follow-up volley.
It marked a timely response from Di Gregorio, who has endured a difficult second season and was only restored to the starting lineup after Mattia Perin went off injured at half-time. Bremer was quick to back his teammate, praising both his resilience and underlying quality.
The result strengthens Juventus’ grip on fifth place and opens a three-point gap to Roma in sixth, after their heavy defeat to Inter Milan. Atalanta, meanwhile, remain in contention following a comfortable win at Lecce, setting up a crucial clash with Juventus in Bergamo this weekend.
Bremer’s goal, his third of the campaign, continues a productive spell following his recent strike for Brazil during the international break. McKennie also found the net for his national team and combined neatly with Francisco Conceicao for his ninth goal in all competitions this season.
Despite the defeat, Genoa’s survival hopes remain intact. They sit six points clear of the relegation zone, where Lecce are struggling after another heavy loss. Goals from Giorgio Scalvini, Nikola Krstovic, and Giacomo Raspadori sealed Atalanta’s victory, leaving Lecce level on points with Cremonese but still inside the bottom three on head-to-head record.
With the season entering its decisive stretch, the battle for both European qualification and survival is intensifying across Serie A.
AFP
