Juventus-Empoli 4-0: goals from Kean, McKennie and double from Rabiot

After Turin, Empoli. Juventus wins two games in a row in the league for the first time and, taking advantage of a day with direct clashes between teams in front of them (Atalanta-Lazio and Rome-Naples), shortens the ranking even before knowing the results of the others. At the Stadium it ends 4-0, with a starting goal from Moise Kean, the starter also due to the need for turnover (on Tuesday the match from inside or outside against Benfica in the Champions League), a doubling by Weston McKennie and a double in the final by Rabiot. Juve weren’t winning with four goals in the league since winning over Parma in 2020-21, with Andrea Pirlo on the bench.

Goal, but then …

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Massimiliano Allegri leaves Alex Sandro, Paredes and Milik out, throwing Rugani, Locatelli and Kean from 1 ‘. Zanetti, for his part, chooses the former Pjaca (badly) behind Destro and Satriano in attack. In defense, the young De Winter, owned by Juve. Kean is the absolute protagonist of the first few bars. The first part of the class 2000 throws in rest, driven by an unfortunate back pass of Pjaca, but raises his aim too much from a tight angle. Then he slips Vicario on 8 ‘opening the pot on a nice cross from the left by Kostic, after De Winter’s hole in a slip. Finally, on the fly, he shoots against De Winter himself on McKennie’s valuable cross. Empoli, however, after a first quarter of an hour as a simple sparring partner, begins to rise in tone. At 18 ‘Marin tries from afar: he blocks Szczesny safely. The Tuscans take possession of the ball (66% at half-time) and Juve are struggling to trigger the strikers. In particular Vlahovic, who is practically never seen in the first 45 ‘. At 32 ‘Kean headed again to slightly widen McKennie’s cross. Same minute, another goal, Destro does not angola enough from inside the penalty area, served by Bandinelli on a bloody turnover by Cuadrado: Szczesny good at blocking. It is the moment of greatest Juventus suffering: Parisi’s long-range shot finds Destro’s foot, but the ball is lost on the bottom. To break the attempts of the guests we think McKennie at 36 ‘, at the invitation of Cuadrado, but this time it is Vicar who opposes with the body.

At the corner

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In the second half we start again with the same eleven and always with Empoli trying to make the game. On the first occasion, however, Juve closes the game. Kean is good at winning a corner on the restart, from the flag goes Cuadrado, who draws the winning pumpkin from McKennie. It’s the 56th minute and Zanetti’s team goes even further ahead by two goals. The visiting coach shortly after removes Satriano and Pjaca to throw Bajrami and Baldanzi into the fray. Allegri responds with Paredes and Milik for McKennie and Vlahovic, also thinking about Benfica. In the 66th minute the Kostic-Kean combo produced another goal, but the striker was offside by centimeters before heading the ball to the bottom of the bag. Empoli, however, is now out of the game. Zanetti tries to keep him on track with other changes (inside Henderson and Lammers), but Juve is now in control. Indeed, he also has fun. And, again on a corner from Cuadrado, he found the 3-0 in the 82nd minute with Rabiot and in the recovery the 4-0 again by the Frenchman on an assist from Danilo. There is also time to see the young Iling (good personality and leg) and a couple of occasions devoured by Milik (header out) and Miretti (good Vicar). With this success, Allegri rises to 19 points. One more than Inter, three less than Roma fourth in the standings. For Empoli a defeat that is there, even if the fragility on the inactive balls and the lack of concreteness in attack can give Zanetti some concern.