For about 10 minutes, Roma were the best team on the pitch. But then Arturo Vidal opened the scoring, and Juventus took complete control of the ‘match of the season’ completing a 3-0 win with goals from Leonardo Bonucci and Mirko Vucinic, while Daniele De Rossi and Leonardo Castan got sent off as the runners-up completely fell apart in the second half.
Last chance to stop Juventus from winning another championship? Not far from that, as they open an 8 point lead over Roma, losing for the first time this season. It’s the 10th consecutive win for Juventus since losing that match to Fiorentina, and it was yet another example of just how much better the Italian champions are from the rest of the Serie A.
Roma pressed with some quick ball movement and attacking from the wings with Dodo and Gervinho causing quite a lot of problems for the home side. However, Juventus were having things go according to plan – pressure from Roma and having their excellent defense soak up the pressure and lead on counter attacks in the trusted feet of the fantastic Paul Pogba.
From the moment Arturo Vidal scored the opening goal in the 17th minute, Roma were stunned. The players no longer pressed high, and Juventus had no problem taking over from all sides, getting Lichtsteiner and Asamoah a lot more involved. That didn’t get Juventus more goals in the first half, but it was clearly only a matter of time.
The second half? More of the same. Leonardo Bonucci scored the second goal and it seemed that we’re entering a long period of garbage time. However, Roma usually get players sent off when they visit Turin, and this time was no different.
Daniele De Rossi vented his anger by trying to break a leg or two off of Leonardo Bonucci, getting a red card. Juventus crossed into the box, and Castan deliberately denied a Juventus player from reaching the ball by using his hand. A second red card, a penalty kick, 3-0, and the game was over. Maybe the season as well.