Goals: Cagliari—65’; Juventus—Tevez 3’ - Vidal 15’ - Llorente 50’
Recap: Ninety minutes of comprehensive football saw Juventus capture a 3-1 victory over Cagliari on Thursday.
It took all of three minutes for an advantageous Carlos Tevez to open the affair, polishing off a rebounded save from Alessio Cragno. Arturo Vidal doubled the score moments later. An inch-perfect bender from distance left Cragno helpless, his feet fastened to the turf. Fernando Llorente extended the lead in the second half.
Luca Rossettini would pull one back for Cagliari, but it proved to be too little too late. With the victory, Juventus extend their lead atop Serie A to four points.
Key Moment: Key moments are few and far between in comprehensive victories, but Cagliari did have the opportunity to respond following Tevez’s opener. Unfortunately for the hosts, Abin Ekdal’s header was parried safely by Gigi Buffon.
Man of the Match: Vidal was masterful on both sides of the ball. In addition to his scorching goal, the 27-year-old finished with five tackles and three aerials won.
Lesson Learned: Angel Di Maria was named Argentina’s foreign-based Player of the Year for 2014 on Thursday, but Carlos Tevez is an early favorite to capture the award in 2015. The 30-year-old has been in astronomical form for Juventus, boasting 12 goals and five assists across domestic and European competition. Always a threat on the ball, his average of 2.1 dribbles highlight the totality of his game. With his national team status reconciled, the opportunity is there for Tevez to return to the forefront of Argentine football.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play on Jan. 6, with Juventus hosting Inter Milan and Cagliari battling Cesena.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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