Juventus rise to third in Serie A with a scrappy win over Sampdoria. Sampdoria made the champions work hard for their victory, albeit without threatening them too much. Chiesa’s first-half strike looked to be enough for Juve until substitute Ramsey sealed the deal late on.
90′ + 5′ FULL-TIME: SAMPDORIA 0-2 JUVENTUS
90′ + 4′ Juve’s corner comes in. It’s aimed towards Cuadrado but Sampdoria clear and that will be all!
90′ + 3′ Juve get a corner down their left. Cuadrado has Bernardeschi nearby but nobly chooses not to keep it near the corner flag, passing instead further out. Juve force another corner.
90′ + 2′ Cuadrado was within his rights to shoot there. Thankfully for Juve he had the peace of mind to find Ramsey and kill the game. Sampdoria have done well to keep things close.
A. Ramsey
Goal
90′ + 1′ GOAL! SAMPDORIA 0-2 JUVENTUS! That’s that then. Sampdoria overcommit upfield and Juve catch them out on the counter. Cuadrado draws out Audero and lays off to Ramsey who’s left with a tap-in. What a way to mark his 300th senior top-flight appearance.
90′ Ronaldo’s offside from Ramsey’s pass. There’ll be five more minutes of this after that clash of heads between Augello and Cuadrado earlier.
F. Bernardeschi
Yellow Card
89′ Bernardeschi gets booked for losing a footrace with Ramirez and stamping on the winger’s foot. The number of fouls is getting ridiculous.
88′ A word on Ramsey. This is the Welshman’s 300th appearance in the top five European leagues. He’s the second youngest midfielder to have scored and assisted in each of the last 10 seasons on those leagues, older only than Philippe Coutinho. He’s enjoying a good career.
M. Damsgaard
Yellow Card
87′ Damsgaard is the newest Sampdoria player to be booked for a late challenge. That’s Sampdoria’s fourth yellow card now.
86′ Ramirez’s left-footed cross is well-cleared by Juventus. Jankto tries to send the ball back into the danger area but that’s headed out too.
85′ This game has dissolved into a series of niggly, frustrating fouls. Ramirez tries to beat Alex Sandro down the right but is pushed off the pitch by the wing-back, handing Sampdoria a free-kick near the byline.
Alex Sandro
F. Chiesa
84′ Chiesa also goes off. Alex Sandro comes on for Juventus.
A. Ramsey
Arthur
83′ More Juventus changes on the way. Ramsey is the next entrant to the game. Arthur makes way.
82′ Two Juventus players are left on the turf from Sampdoria challenges but play continues. Juve eventually put the ball out as Bernardeschi is still down.
J. Jankto
A. Candreva
81′ Sampdoria substitution. Jankto replaces the ineffectual Candreva.
80′ Now it’s Damsgaard’s turn to fling a cross into Juventus’ box. Sampdoria appeal for a penalty as Torregrossa goes down but the free-kick goes the other way as the forward’s offside.
79′ Sampdoria are finding a second wind. Augello sends a dangerous cross into the box. Once again, Chiellini’s head is on the end of it. The Juventus captain’s been magnificent.
F. Bernardeschi
Morata
78′ Juventus make another change. Bernardeschi is on for Morata.
76′ Chiesa receives the ball from Arthur and fires wide from outside the box. Sampdoria aren’t really threatening to score an equaliser now.
A. Rabiot
R. Bentancur
75′ Juventus make a change. Rabiot is on for the hardworking Bentancur. After this is done, Juventus have a corner.
73′ Candreva is seeing the most space of all of Sampdoria’s players but he can’t make any of his deliveries count at the monent. The winger tries to trouble Juventus’ defence again with a ball in and this time Szczesny is able to catch it.
72′ Sampdoria’s corner is a non-event. Candreva sends another dangerous cross towards Torregrossa but Chiellini stands firm again.
71′ Bentancur is pickpocketed by Ekdal. Candreva crosses in twice unsuccessfully. His third cross is kept in play on the opposite side. Augello has a try now and Chiellini puts it out for a corner.
70′ Bentancur carelessly puts a dinked pass out of play. Sampdoria waste the throw-in and Juventus are back on the attack.
E. Torregrossa
K. Baldé
69′ The Brescia loanee Torregrossa comes on next for Sampdoria. Keita makes way.
G. Ramírez
F. Quagliarella
68′ Sampdoria make another two changes, replacing their entire strike force. Ramirez is on first for Quagliarella, who’s been the hosts’ biggest threat.
66′ Cuadrado’s corner is headed out for a throw-in on the opposite side. Juve aren’t playing great but neither are Sampdoria.
65′ Yoshida blocks Chiesa’s cross and it’ll be a Juventus corner. Cuadrado comes across to take it.
64′ Cuadrado has plenty of time to send in a dangerous cross from deep. Yoshida does enough to put Ronaldo off the header.
M. Damsgaard
Adrien Silva
63′ Sampdoria make a substitution. Damsgaard comes on for Silva in midfield.
62′ That Ronaldo shot was Juventus’ first of this half. Juve have started this second half slowly but they haven’t been punished for it yet.
60′ Sampdoria can’t create a shooting chance from this corner. They’re still coming though as Keita’s caught offside from Audero’s direct pass. Ronaldo has a shot blocked shortly before.
58′ Candreva swings in the corner and Keita’s header rebounds off Bentancur for another Sampdoria corner. The hosts are enjoying their best spell of the game.
57′ Sampdoria, meanwhile, force a corner down their right as Quagliarella’s shot from a difficult angle at the near post is saved by Szczesny.
56′ Morata puts the ball in the net as he dashes onto Ronaldo’s pass and slots past Audero but he’s offside. It’s a close call but VAR is never wrong.
55′ Candreva’s ball in is put out of play for another Sampdoria corner. This time Juventus end up winning a free-kick.
53′ The two injured players are back on now. Augello fires a cross into the box for Quagliarella who takes it down brilliantly and has his shot blocked by Chiellini at the near post! It’s a great stop. Sampdoria have a corner.
51′ Amazingly, Augello is able to walk off the pitch albeit with his head bloodied and heavily bandaged. The incident looks worse with repeat viewing. Both Augello and Cuadrado will be rejoining the action shortly.
50′ There’s a nasty clash of heads between Cuadrado and Augello. Cuadrado has an ice pack held to his head and looks to be able to continue, but Augello seems in a bad way. The Sampdoria man might have to be taken off on a stretcher.
48′ Juve patiently build an attack with Bentancur curling a ball over the top for Ronaldo. Audero spots the danger and races off his line to catch it.
46′ Chiesa crudely brings down Candreva as the Sampdoria winger is scampering down the right. The referee keeps his cards in his pocket.
46′ Juventus get the second half started. No changes by either side at the break.
Keita looks Sampdoria’s most likely scorer, having scored 14 goals in his last 16 Serie A starts. The Senegal striker has worried Juventus with his dribbling ability, although his decision making has let him down at times. Sampdoria will need to try to find him more in the second half.
Juventus lead Sampdoria at the break thanks to Chiesa’s well-taken goal. Juve probably deserve their lead as they’ve been the more progressive side, but Sampdoria have threatened at times through Keita and Quagliarella. The hosts have Yoshida to thank for denying Ronaldo a great chance close to half-time.
45′ + 2′ HALF-TIME: SAMPDORIA 0-1 JUVENTUS
45′ + 2′ Candreva cuts inside on his weaker left foot and curls a cross towards goal that’s claimed by Szczesny. That’ll be that for now.
45′ + 1′ Quagliarella picks up the ball down the inside-left channel and passes inside for Keita whose path to goal is blocked.
45′ Cuadrado hobbles off the pitch briefly as he receives some treatment. There’ll be two added minutes in this first half.
43′ Juventus win a corner off Yoshida. Again, Sampdoria defend the set-piece successfully.
42′ Ronaldo races through on goal with Sampdoria’s defence playing too high up the pitch. Yoshida makes a fantastic interception to prevent Ronaldo from shooting which leaves the Portuguese forward on the turf.
41′ Quagliarella and Keita combine to try to create a chance for Sampdoria but Juventus end up winning a free-kick. Sampdoria are looking for a strong end to the half.
39′ Juventus’ corner is underwhelming and ends with Ronaldo firing high and wide from the right of the box. Maybe it’s due to the damp conditions but this game hasn’t truly set alight yet.
38′ McKennie tries to find Morata’s run but Ekdal is well-placed to block it. Juve come again and Ronaldo fizzes a shot towards goal from distance. It’s tipped over the bar by Audero, although it may have been going over anyway.
R. Bentancur
Yellow Card
37′ Bentancur is next to find himself in the book for a foul on Keita. This referee seems a little card-happy.
36′ Keita bundles Cuadrado off the ball and surprisingly play continues with Keita bearing down on the box. Unfortunately for Sampdoria, he ends up trying an ambitious pass which doesn’t threaten Szczesny.
34′ Bentancur plays an eye-of-the-needle pass for Cuadrado who’s darting in behind Augello. It doesn’t work out but Juventus are looking bright.
32′ Keita causes Juve’s defence some issues as he dribbles into the box. Sampdoria’s captain Quagliarella ends up with a shooting opportunity but it’s blocked and loops nicely into the arms of Szczesny.
31′ Ronaldo takes his distinctive run-up and smashes the free-kick against Sampdoria’s wall. It’s a corner for Juve which Sampdoria clear.
J. Jankto
Yellow Card
30′ Sampdoria substitute La Gumina, who’s warming up by the side of the pitch, also sees a yellow card, presumably for wasting time.
A. Ekdal
Yellow Card
30′ Ekdal is the next Sampdoria player to get a booking for an ill-disciplined challenge. Ronaldo will of course take the free-kick which is some way out.
28′ Sampdoria waste the free-kick and Juve counter. It ends up leading to nothing though as the offside flag goes up against Morata..
27′ Keita gets the free-kick as Bentancur slides in. It’s a little unnecessary as Keita was heading away from goal.
26′ Sampdoria sloppily concede possession and find themselves outnumbered at the back. The hosts quickly regroup though and manage to crowd Chiesa out with Morata and Ronaldo waiting for the pass.
25′ Morata’s caught offside from Bonucci’s throughball. Candreva flings a cross towards Juventus’ box but it’s headed away.
24′ Juventus scored with the only shot on target in this game so far. It hasn’t been the best game but it’s still engaging.
M. Thorsby
Yellow Card
24′ Thorsby’s booked for that foul on Danilo. The Norwegian will have to be careful now.
22′ Candreva sets Bereszynski free on the overlap and the full-back crosses in low. Danilo gets a foot in in time to clear and buy a free-kick off the challenging Thorsby.
Morata
Assist
21′ That was great peace of mind from Morata who’s started this game well, as have Juventus generally.
F. Chiesa
Goal
20′ GOAL! SAMPDORIA 0-1 JUVENTUS! Morata and Ronaldo play a nice one-two to send Morata scampering into the box. Morata rolls the ball across for Chiesa to smash it in from close range.
18′ Keita gets a clear run at goal and drags in two defenders, laying it off in the box. Danilo sticks a foot out to prevent it from reaching its intended target. That’s an important interception.
16′ Cuadrado races after a ball over the top. There’s too much power on the pass for the Colombian to control it, though, and Sampdoria soon get rid.
15′ The corner comes in and it doesn’t worry Sampdoria too much. They end up getting a throw-in out of it.
14′ McKennie muscles Keita off the ball and sends Juventus upfield. The visitors end up getting their first corner of the game.
13′ Juventus are starting to find gaps in Sampdoria’s defence. Cuadrado gets down the right and cuts back for Ronaldo who can’t get a clean shot away despite his best efforts. Ronaldo hasn’t scored in his last two league games. For him, that’s a drought.
11′ Ronaldo gets into the box and shows some fancy footwork to retain possession. Danilo flings a cross into the box intended for McKennie but the American is unable to control it.
10′ Cuadrado takes on Thorsby for pace but can’t get past the Norwegian winger. Audero ends up claiming the ball.
9′ Quagliarella decides to have a go from over 35 yards out and isn’t too far off. Up the other end, Danilo has the same idea and is equally off target.
7′ Chiesa finds space down the left and tries to beat his counterpart Bereszynski to get into the box. The Polish international positions himself well though and successfully intercepts.
5′ Sampdoria’s right-back Bereszynski reaches the byline and flings in a high cross that Szczesny pushes out. It lands to Silva who fires high and wide from outside the box.
3′ Juventus start to get settled on the ball. It’s lofted forward for Morata but the Spaniard can’t win the header. Juve keep possession but Cuadrado can’t keep a crossfield pass in play.
1′ Keita wins an early free-kick for Sampdoria as he challenges Bentancur for a header in the air. The Monaco loanee was clattered by two orange-clad Juve players.
1′ Sampdoria get this game underway!
The players are walking out onto the pitch on what is a rainy evening in Genoa. Pirlo and Ranieri share a warm embrace and a handshake.
Juve have won their last two league matches against Sampdoria without conceding. The last time they did that three times in a row though was way back in 1977. Either way there is likely to be a winner here. This pair haven’t drawn in their last eight meetings here in Genoa, a record dating back to January 2011.
Sampdoria make one change from their 2-0 away win over Parma as Ekdal starts ahead of Ramirez. There are two changes to Juventus as they switch to a 3-5-2. Chiesa comes in while Morata replaces the suspended Dejan Kulusevski up front.
SUBS: Federico Bernardeschi, Merih Demiral, Nicolo Fagioli, Radu Dragusin, Gianluca Frabotta, Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Sandro, Gianluigi Buffon, Carlo Pinsoglio, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot.
JUVENTUS (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Giorgio Chiellini (c), Leonardo Bonucci, Danilo; Juan Cuadrado, Weston McKennie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Arthur, Federico Chiesa; Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo.
SUBS: Ernesto Torregrossa, Vasco Regini, Kristoffer Askildsen, Mikkel Damsgaard, Lorenzo Tonelli, Jakub Jankto, Mehdi Leris, Alex Ferrari, Valerio Verre, Gaston Ramirez, Antonino La Gumina, Karlo Letica.
SAMPDORIA (4-4-2): Emil Audero; Bartosz Bereszynski, Maya Yoshida, Omar Colley, Tommaso Augello; Antonio Candreva, Adrien Silva, Albin Ekdal, Morten Thorsby; Keita, Fabio Quagliarella (c).
Juventus’ 2-0 victory over Bologna set them back on winning ways after a damaging defeat to Inter two weeks ago. Andrea Pirlo’s men are still just about in the mix in the title race and will rise to third with a victory here, for a day at least.
Sampdoria are on the up after winning their last two Serie A games without conceding. Claudio Ranieri’s team sit 10th and can still dream of a spot in Europe next season but need to keep this run going. In that sense it’s a bad time for them to face defending champions Juventus.
Hello! Welcome to our live text commentary of this Serie A match between Sampdoria and Juventus at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
J. Cuadrado
Assist