Juventus put four past Zenit and qualify for knockouts

Juventus have won their 4th Champions League match with 4-2 against Zenit in the Allianz Stadium. Big performances by Dybala, Chiesa and McKennie secure a spot in the Champions League knockout phase. Max Statman gives you a quick breakdown and player ratings.

Juventus started the first half well. They showed the desire to win, something that has been missing in the past couple of matches. The big star of the first half was captain Paulo Dybala. First he tried to curl the ball into the left bottom corner from outside the box, but it hit the post. Then, a Zenit defender headed away a corner. It fell for the feet of Dybala, who smashed it into the goal. The Dybala show wasn’t over yet. He dribbled past two Zenit defenders and delivered it to Morata. The Spanish striker’s shot went over the bar.

Out of nowhere Zenit equalised. Bonucci headed a cross behind his own goalkeeper. If he did it at the other end, it would’ve been a fantastic goal. Juventus briefly got the lead back with a goal by Morata, but it was clearly offside and canceled. McKennie came close as well before halftime, but his header was saved by Zenit’s goalkeeper.

Finally Fede

Juventus continued their hunt for the lead in the second half. Locatelli reached Chiesa with an incredible pass. The Italian winger got fouled in the box by Claudinho and Juventus were rewarded a penalty. Dybala stepped up to take it, but missed. Luckily for ‘La Joya’, the penalty had to be retaken, because multiple Zenit players were in the box before the penalty was taken. Dybala didn’t fail on the second occasion and gave Juve a deserved lead.

Zenit had their chances too. Claudinho and Malcolm forced good saves out of Szczęsny. McKennie almost got the goal he deserved after an awesome solo, but his attempt hit the bar. Federico Chiesa put an end to Zenit’s aspirations, when he dribbled past Lovren and put the ball in the bottom right corner. Chiesa almost scored again, but his attempt was saved on the line by a defender. Juve’s fourth goal came when a Zenit defender misjudged a pass. Dybala gave the ball to Morata, who made no mistake. Azmoun made it 4-2, but his goal only was for the statistics, as there was too little time for a comeback.

Player ratings

Szczęsny 6.5;

Danilo 6, De Ligt 6.5, Bonucci 5.5, Alex Sandro 5.5;

Chiesa 7.5, McKennie 7, Locatelli 6.5, Bernardeschi 6.5;

Morata 6, Dybala 8

Substitutes: Arthur (-), Rabiot (-), Kulusevski (-), Rugani (-)