Rome, Dec 28: Late goals from Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz earned Juventus a 2-0 win at promoted Pisa as the Bianconeri won their third straight in Serie A.
It was a challenge for Luciano Spalletti’s side, though, as Pisa threatened by twice hitting the woodwork.
Following morale-boosting victories over Bologna and Roma, Juventus moved up to third place – four places higher than when Spalletti was hired to replace the fired Igor Tudor two months ago.
Edon Zeghrova provided a burst of energy for Juventus when he came on just after the hour mark and his work down the left flank led to Kalulu finishing off a counterattack from close range.
Yildiz then added another from close range in stoppage time.
Pisa’s 17-year-old winger Louis Thomas Buffon, the son of former Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon, came on in the 85th for his fourth Serie A appearance.
Earlier, Como won 3-0 at Lecce to move up to sixth as Nico Paz netted his sixth of the season.
Jacobo Ramon and Anastasios Douvikas added goals for the visitors.
Fiorentina’s crisis deepened with a 1-0 loss at Parma that left the Viola in last place.
Oliver Sorensen scored shortly after the break for Parma, which moved five points clear of the drop zone.
Also, Udinese and Lazio drew 1-1; and Cagliari came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Torino.
The win further underlined the quiet resurgence Juventus have engineered under Spalletti, with results beginning to match the growing sense of control and maturity in their performances.
While the scoreline suggested comfort, the contest demanded patience and composure, especially against a fearless Pisa side that refused to be overawed and twice came agonisingly close to scoring.
Juventus’ ability to stay calm, absorb pressure and strike decisively late on reflected a team growing in belief and structure.
As they climb steadily up the table, the Bianconeri appear to be rediscovering the ruthlessness that had long defined them, with squad depth, youthful energy and tactical discipline starting to align. (AP)
