Juventus closed the gap with Serie A leaders Inter Milan to just two points after a brilliant brace from Dusan Vlahovic in their 3-0 victory over Sassuolo on Tuesday. The Serbian striker scored two stunning long-range goals in the first half to give Juve the edge at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. He also praised his teammate Federico Chiesa, who sealed the win with a late goal. “We’re happy with the win, we try to prepare every match as if it were our last… I’m glad Federico scored, he’s a good friend and he deserved it,” Vlahovic told DAZN.
Vlahovic, 23, opened the scoring in the 15th minute when he found himself unmarked near the edge of the box and unleashed a dipping shot that flew past Sassuolo keeper Andrea Consigli. He doubled his tally and his league total to nine in the 37th minute with a superb free-kick that left Consigli helpless again.
Juve were not at their best but they did enough to secure their sixth consecutive win in all competitions and keep up the pressure on their fierce rivals Inter. Chiesa, who came on for the injured Kenan Yildiz just before the hour mark, added the third goal in the 89th minute with a close-range finish. It was his sixth goal of the season, despite struggling with a knee problem.
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Juve have a chance to overtake Inter at the top of the table this weekend when they visit Lecce on Sunday, while Inter will be busy with the revamped, four-team Italian Super Cup in Riyadh. Inter will face Lazio in the semi-finals on Thursday and if they lose, they will have to postpone their next league game against Atalanta until the end of February.
Inter will also have to deal with a tough trip to Fiorentina at the end of this month before a crucial clash with Juve at the San Siro in early February. That match could decide the fate of the title race, as Juve have shown great resilience and consistency, while Inter have been more erratic and flamboyant.
