04 January 2023
Juventus picked up 2023 where they had left off 2022. Winning. And winning without conceding.
A seventh straight win was collected at the Giovanni Zini stadium thanks to an inch-perfect Arek Milik free-kick just as the 90 minutes had elapsed. It was Juve’s eighth effort on target from their 19 shot total - enough to earn the team all three points against battling Cremonese and continue Juve’s march in Serie A.
The home side started aggressively, backed by the vociferous support. Cyriel Dessers had the first chance but flashed his close-range volley off target, while Emanuel Valeri thought he had scored on 15 minutes. Instead, even without analysing the goal-line clearance from Bremer, the play was halted because of offside against the Cremonese full-back.
Juventus took the measure of their opponents, who played with five across the back. The defensive line kept the Bianconeri outside of the penalty area, which meant inspiration had to come from distance.
Matias Soulé provided the first threat, cutting inside from the right flank twice. Both his efforts were aimed for the far corner and both were intercepted by the outstretched hand of home goalkeeper Marco Carnsecchi.
On the half hour, Fabio Miretti followed in the footsteps of his fellow Next Gen graduate, when he dropped the shoulder to cut in from the left. His effort dipped just wide. As did Filip Kostić's shot after he invented something out of nothing, but again the curler fell just the wrong side of the far post.
It would be a shot from outside the box, though, that would decide the game. But before then...
10 minutes into the second half Massimiiano Allegri decided to freshen his side. Federico Chiesa and Moise Kean were brought on to add some spark to the attack. Another Miretti effort parried out for a corner almost brought the opening goal as Federico Gatti retrieved the ball from the corner inside the box, to fire just wide.
Then Chiesa lashed a shot into the side netting as the match opened up. In fact, at the other end, Dessers sneaked in behind the Juve defence only to smash his shot off the post. Juve responded, first through Adrien Rabiot, another player introduced by the coach, whose volley was once again saved by Carnsesecchi, who outdid himself from the resulting corner, blocking a point-blank effort from Kean.
Again Cremonese hit the upright when Felix Afena Gyan drove in a cross from the byline. Kean then attempted a dipping shot, again saved by the home keeper.
Just as the 90 minutes were almost up, Rabiot was brought down as he powered forward. From the resulting free-kick, up stepped Milik, whose precise left-footed curler hit the post on its way into the net. Finally, the deadlock was broken.
The Bianconeri saw out the seven minutes of time added on to clinch a seventh straight Serie A win, all obtained without a goal conceded.
