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Vlahovic put in an inspired display that Troost-Ekong and his Salernitana teammates could not deal with
Juventus’ period of tribulation seems to have gone with the month of January as they made it two wins from two in February thanks to a thorough thrashing of Salernitana in Serie A
Two goals from Dusan Vlahovic and and another from Filip Kostic were enough to get the Old Lady feeling like herself again in a dominant 3-0 away win over Salernitana.
The win leaves Juventus 11th on the Serie A log with 14 points separating them and Roma in third, meaning that if the appeal against their 15-point deduction is successful, they will be back in contention for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
How it happened
Juventus started the game determined to continue from where they left off against Lazio in the Coppa Italia, and they took the initiative to the home side looking to get an early breakthrough.
The breakthrough eventually came, when they were handed the opportunity to go in front thanks to a dubious penalty call after 25 minutes.
Juventus youngster Fabio Miretti stepped in front of Salernitana’s Hans Nicolussi Caviglia in the penalty area and went down after minimal contact to earn his side an opening.
Vlahovic, starting his first Serie A match since the World Cup break, stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, hitting a ferocious effort that no goalkeeper in a million years could stop.
After the first goal, Juventus eased into the game and continued to pepper the Salernitana goal with shots, showing that they were the better team despite Miretti’s injury and replacement by Niccolo Fagioli in the first half.
Before the break, Kostic doubled Juventus’ lead. Taking advantage of a mix-up in the Salernitana area following a mishit shot from Vlahovic, Kostic stole in to toe-poke the ball into an unguarded net to give Juventus a 2-0 lead going into the break.
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The second half started as the first had ended, and it took only two minutes for Juventus to extend their lead further.
That man Vlahovic again, this time with an accomplished finish assisted by a through pass from the substitute Fagioli.
The rest of the game was a procession, as Juventus tightened their defence and held on to their massive lead. They were barely troubled by Salernitana, who did not manage a shot on target in the second period.
Vlahovic back in business
The biggest victory for Juventus outside the three points will be Vlahovic’s return to full fitness and form as he showed his best qualities in the 3-0 win.
A constant source of worry for the Salernitana defence, Vlahovic looked dangerous with every touch of the ball, and the Juventini would have been elated to see him find form once again.
Vlahovic has struggled with injuries since the World Cup and had missed five of Juventus’ previous seven games in the new year, only returning as a substitute in the 2-0 loss to Monza.
With his brace today, Vlahovic has now scored eight goals in 11 starts and Juventus will be happy to have their leading marksman back to full fitness.
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