Win Against Udinese, Juventus Returns to Top Three

Juventus winger Khephren Thuram celebrates Udinese goalkeeper's own goal in the Italian Serie A match. (X/@juventusfc)

JAKARTA - Juventus finally won after defeating Udinese 2-0 in the Italian Serie A match at the Bluenergy-Friuli Stadium, Sunday, November 3, 2024 early morning WIB. The victory brought Juve back into the top three of the standings.

Poor results in the last two matches because they drew 4-4 against Inter Milan and then almost lost before holding Parma 2-2 made Juve fall out of the Champions League zone.

However, Juve managed to return to winning ways after reaping unsatisfactory results. Even in the home game, they were only able to get one point.

Despite being the only team that has never lost in domestic competition this season, Juve still have difficulty catching up with Inter and the leader of the standings Napoli. Luckily, the Bianconeri finally won when they visited Udinese's headquarters.

The victory brought Juve up to third place after collecting 21 points. Their points are the same as Inter. However, Juve is still behind on goal difference so that Inter remains in second place. Meanwhile, Napoli, who are perched at the top of the standings, have 25 points.

However, both Napoli and Inter have the opportunity to move away from Juve's pursuit because they have only played 10 matches, Napoli hosts Atalanta, Sunday night. Meanwhile, Inter faces Venezia, Monday, November 4, 2024 early morning WIB.

Juve's position is also not safe because Atalanta and Fiorentina still have the opportunity to shift them if they win the match. Both teams have 19 points.

Meanwhile, Udinese, who tend to be unstable in their performance, are still in the middle of the table. This is the second time they have lost. As a result, Udinese still have 16 points, so they are in eighth place.

Juve coach Thiago Motta showed satisfaction because the team returned to winning ways. According to him, the players were able to carry out the match instructions well so that they managed to beat their opponents.

"We finally won because we were able to translate the match very well. In the first half we should have been able to score more goals because we managed to build the game from the bottom. We did start from the bottom in building the game," said Motta.

"Next we moved and often faced interesting situations. We also lacked depth, especially on both of our wings," he said again.

"Udinese actually appeared confident. But we played more compactly," he said.

In that match, Juve completely dominated. They played offensively which made it difficult for Udinese to develop their game.

Through a wave of attacks, Juve finally managed to penetrate the home team's defense in the 19th minute. Juve managed to take the lead after Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye scored an own goal.

It started with Khephren Thuram's kick which Okoye failed to reach but still hit the goalpost. However, the ball then hit Okoye's body which made the ball roll into his own goal.

Leading 1-0 made Juve increasingly aggressive in pressing the opponent's defense. Their efforts were not in vain. Juve did not need long to increase their lead after defender Nicolo Savona scored a goal in the 37th.

The goal started with Kenan Yildiz's kick which, again, hit the goalpost. The ball then rebounded to Savona, who failed to save Okoye. Juve closed the first half with a 2-0 lead.

Entering the second half, Udinese tried to rise. Meanwhile, Juve slightly lowered the tempo of the game. Despite trying to pressure La Vecchia Signora's defense, Kosta Runjaic's team still had difficulty scoring goals.

Udinese's best chance was obtained by Lorenzo Lucca towards the end of the match. Only Lucca's header still hit the goalpost. The score did not change and Juve won the match with a 2-0 advantage.

Juventus rose and returned to winning ways after defeating Udinese 2-0 in the Italian Serie A match. The victory brought Juve back to the top three of the standings.