Ángel Di Maria, a recent acquisition stood out for Juventus as the Bianconeri defeated Sassuolo 3-0 to start the season on Monday.
Ángel Di Maria scored the first goal and set up the club’s third for Dusan Vlahovic, who not only won but also converted a penalty. The 34-year-old Di Maria’s superb performance will only heighten the alarm after he hobbled off in the 66th minute with a suspected injury to his left adductor muscle as well as a pained look.
Di Maria arrived on a free transfer from PSG, just days after Pogba finalized his return to Juventus. However, Pogba was among the players who did not play in the first game. Wojciech Szczsny, Federico Chiesa, and Kaio Jorge were also injured, and Moise Kean and Adrien Rabiot were suspended. Weston McKennie, on the other hand, had recovered from his injury and had begun. Juventus got off to a poor start, with little indication of what was about to follow as Sassuolo had multiple chances to grab the lead. But it’s the Biaconeri who broke the stalemate in the 26th minute, when Alex Sandro drifted in a cross and Di Maria’s scuffed volley bounced into the upper left corner.
After being taken down by Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari, Vlahovic blasted a penalty right down the middle to extend Juventus’ lead three minutes before halftime. Di Maria nearly doubled his tally immediately after the break, racing from inside his own half into the penalty box before curling an effort put just wide of the left post. Instead, he set up a third goal moments later when Sassuolo’s sloppy defending saw defender Kaan Ayhan give the ball direct to Di Maria, who picked out Vlahovic, who scored from close range.
Juventus makes a strong start to the new Serie A season, taking all three points against a Sassuolo team that struggled to penetrate the hosts’ penalty area during the 90 minutes. Still reeling from the loss of last season’s explosive front four, the visitors were limited to a succession of long-range pot attempts, while Juve were much more precise with the opportunities they created. Juve, like all of their primary Scudetto competitors, starts with a win thanks to Vlahovic and Di Maria.
Read More;