Thanks for following along for Juventus' win away to Bologna 2-0 here at VAVEL.
I'm Drew Pells. And I'll catch you guys on the next one.
Juventus Comfortable Win
It was a feisty 90 minutes between Bologna and Juventus, filled with lots of fouls and aggression, as well as a penalty, brilliant bit of magic, and a red card.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the first half with a penalty after a needless foul from Stefano Denswil on a corner kick.
A few minutes later, Federico Bernardeschi combined with Paulo Dybala for a fantastic second goal, a back heel from the Italian with the Argentine powering it home.
Left back Danilo subbed on for Mattia De Sciglio who needed to exit due to an apparent hamstring injury. Before the final whistle, Danilo collected two yellow cards and got sent off, leaving his team to see out the final few minutes of stoppage time down a man.
Bologna's young right back Takehiro Tomiyasu put in a valiant effort trying to contain Ronaldo. The Japanese international showed a bit of poise and skill at some moments, but then also some naivety and immaturity at others. But considering the opposition, he should walk away with a smile on his face.
Juventus extended their league lead over second place Lazio to four points, with 11 games remaining and 12 for Lazio.
Bologna remain five points off a Europa League spot with the loss, but have plenty of time to make up ground and qualify for Europe.
Full Time: Bologna 0-2 Juventus
A comfortable second half sees Juventus take all three points and extend their lead atop the table, taking another step closer to the Serie A title
90+3' Poli shot from inside the 6 blocked by Bonucci following a free kick sent into the box and flicked on by Tomiyasu
Danilo 2nd Yellow And Sent Off
90+1' Juve's Danilo with a late challenge on Juwara and receives a second yellow after subbing on less than 30 minutes ago.
He is sent off and Juve will have to play the final few minutes down to 10 men
5 Added Minutes
5 stoppage times minutes are added on to the end of the game
Ronaldo goal! Offside!
89' Szczesny sends a ball over the top to Douglas Costa on the left wing in behind the defenders. He centers the ball for Ronaldo in the box who shoots and scores, but it was immediately ruled offside
87' Juventus slowing down the game with their passes, not taking free kicks quickly, trying to see out the win
Danilo yellow card
82' Juventus' Danilo receives a yellow card for a rash challenge
81' Andrea Poli, Musa Juwara, Gianmarco Cangiani on for Gary Medel, Riccardo Orsolini, and Nicola Sansone
80' Orsolini shoots wide of the far post from the right side of the box
79' Douglas Costa on for Paulo Dybala
75' Nicolas Dominguez subs on for Roberto Soriano
73' Ronaldo shot wide!
Ronaldo from the left side cut centrally and shoots from just outside the D, but it goes wide of the near post
71' Bernardeschi shot from the D well high over the bar
70' Blaise Matuidi and Aaron Ramsey on for Andrien Rabiot and Miralem Pjanic
Yellow card Bentacour
69' Bentancour gets a yellow for a tactical foul on Palacio, pulling him down to stop the counter attack
67' Orsolini free kick into the box isn't cleared right away and after a bit of a scramble gets booted out
66' Danilo subs on for De Sciglio
Yellow card De Sciglio
65' De Sciglio gets a yellow for coming back on to the field to prevent the restart of play as he's injured
65' De Sciglio chases a pass sent his way towards the byline and he pulls up, grabbing his hamstring
62' Bernardeschi shot from the D blocked by Tomiyasu
61' Orsolini shot wide!
Orsolini cuts across the box from right to left and shoots from the top of the box centrally, but his momentum takes his left footed shot wide
59' Barrow shot wide!
Sansone's corner flicked on by Palacio at the near post and Barrow shoots wide from the right side of the box, challenged on his attempt
57' Rodrigo Palacio enters for Mattias Svanberg
55' Dybala shoots wide!
Cutting across the top of the box from left to right, he shoots back across his body with his right just wide of the left post
54' Soriano fouls Pjanic just outside the D, dangerous area for a free kick from any of Ronaldo, Pjanic, or Dybala Pjanic free kick hits the wall
53' Off the post! Bernardeschi curls a shot from the top, right side of the box and shoots for the far post and rattles it with the keeper getting a touch to deflect it just enough.
The rebound comes to Ronaldo, but his follow up shot is blocked
53' Ronaldo shoots wide with the outside of his right foot
Tomiyasu vacats the space and Ronaldo gets in to the left side of the box, but can't get any power on the shoot and it goes a couple yards wide right of the post
52' Ronaldo miscontrols a cross ball centered to him in the box and nothing comes of it
50' Svanberg drives centrally and shoots from outside the D, De Light sticks his foot and and blocks the shot, deflecting it away
49' Bernardeschi shoots with no power from the right wing and it rolls right into Skorupski's hands without threatening goal
49' The intensity picks right back up with some rough tackles and challenges in the first couple minutes
2nd Half Begins
Bologna kick us off
Half Time: Bologna 0-2 Juventus
Lots of ebbs and flows to the game. Bologna started brightly, making a game of the early stages. However, a silly foul from Denswil gave away a penalty that turned the game as Ronaldo easily slotted it home. Juventus had been starting to take control bit by bit, with the goal cementing it.
The second goal was a bit of pure magic from Bernardeschi and Dybala combining to double the lead.
Bologna will need a strong start to the second half to both wrestle the game back and inspire themselves
45+1 Svanberg shoots from the middle outside the box high over the bar
45+1 Sansone free kick from the left half space easily punched awya by Szczesny
2 Added Minutes
Stoppage time of 2 minute
45' Orsolini shoots from the top of the box, blocked by Bonucci
40' Dybala shot wide!
Ronaldo crosses from the left side of the box up and over to Dybala on the right side of the 6, tries to volley it, but hits it wide with his weaker right foot
38' Sansone shoots from 25 yards out in the left half space and worries the keeper. It's wide, but close enough to concern Szczesny
36' Dybala Goal! 2-0 Juve!
36' Dybala rockets a shot into the top left corner.
Bernardeschi back heels a pass to Dybala at the top of the box and the Argentine takes a couple touches and shoots from the D and the keeper had no chance
Juve 2 up
35' Szczesny tries to play out of the back and gives it straight to Medel who shoots from the D, but has no power and nothing comes of it
Yellow card to Soriano
35' Soriano with a hard foul on Pjanic, cutting out his legs, and he gets a yellow card
34' Barrow's corner to the near post finds Dijks, but he heads it out for a goal kick
33' The fouls continue to add up, another one by Rabiot on Medel and then a few seconds later, Cuadadro fouls Dijks on a 50-50 ball
Red Card To Coach
30' One of Juve's assistant coaches receives a red card from the referee, likely for dissent, and exits the field
30' With the fouls adding up, plus some challenges not called, the game is getting a bit tense on the field following a foul on Medel by Rabiot
28' The pace of the game has slowed a bit with Juve passing without intent.
Some fouls from each team in the midfield have the game stagnating a bit
Ronaldo Goal! 1-0 Juve
23' Ronaldo converts the penalty, shooting straight down the middle
1-0 Juve
Penalty to Juve!
22' Penalty given after VAR check! Ref goes to VAR monitor to check a foul on Denswill for pulling down De Ligt on previous corner. Awards the penalty
20' Dybala corner falls in the box near the penalty spot, Denswill clears it
16' Ronaldo wins a free kick near the left corner of the box, foul by Orsolini. Poor free kick shot well wide and high
13' Svanberg shots from outside the box on the left side, easily blocked
12' De Sciglio cross from the left flank blocked by Tomiyasu for a throw in
11' Sansone cross from the left flank, De Ligt heads it out for a corner
9' Sansone with a shot outside the box easily blocked. Ball falls to Medel who also shoots from outside the box, easily blocked
7' Ronaldo shot saved!
Collects the ball near midfield and drives all the way to the box in the left half space, cuts centrally inside the box and shoots from the middle. Keeper saves and parries it away
6' Barrow shoots from outside the box, easily blocked
5' Cuadrado wins a free kick on the right flank near midfield in the attacking half for Juve
3' Pjanic free kick from the right half space goes straight to the keeper's hands
2' Skorupski slow to clear the ball with Bernardesci putting pressure on the keeper and deflects the clearance, but nothing comes of it
2' Skorupski slow to clear the ball with Bernardesci putting pressure on the keeper and deflects the clearance, but nothing comes of it
1' Scary moment as De Ligt's back pass goes over Szczesny's head and towards net, but he's able to clear it
Juventus Kick Us Off
And away we go
Bonucci leads the team out of the tunnel
Sinisa Mihajlovic looking sharp and happy to be back after almost four months off
Warm Ups
The players are out and warming up at the majestic Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
Juventus XI
📝 Tonight’s ⚪️⚫️ XI! #BolognaJuve #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/sti8AUSSoq
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) June 22, 2020
Bologna XI
🔔 | FORMAZIONE
— Bologna Fc 1909 (@BfcOfficialPage) June 22, 2020
Ecco gli 1️⃣1️⃣ scelti da mister Mihajlovic 💪#BolognaJuventus #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/dErMWwJltu
We're live!
We are live with Bologna v Juventus set to kick off in about 45 minutes
Prediction Time
Juventus have won their last eight matches against Bologna in all competitions.
Juventus have won 9 of their last 11 matches in Serie A.
Juventus have kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 7 away matches against Bologna in all competitions.
Score prediction: Bologna 1-2 Juventus
Juve Key Players
Ronaldo. Of course. He has had a slow restart, not making an impact in either of Juve's Coppa Italia matches. But, he's also had a slow start to seasons in recent years both with the Old Lady and his previous club Real Madrid. Will two games be enough for him to get back on track?
Also, be on the lookout for Paulo Dybala as he tries to improve on his disappointing seven goals and nine assists in Serie A this year.
Bologna Key Players
Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini is the man to watch for the home side. He has contributed to 11 of Bologna's 38 goals in the league this year (7 goals, 4 assists), more than anyone else for the I Rossoblù.
Juventus Roster Notes
Juventus will also be without some key members of their squad. Defender Alex Sandro and midfielder Sami Khedira will miss due to injuries they picked up midweek.
Giorgio Chiellini and Merih Demiral are out with long term injuries.
Aaron Ramsey and Gonzalo Higuain are reportedly fit enough to at least make the bench, if not start.
Bologna Roster Notes
Despite the long layoff, Bologna will be without some members of the squad for the match.
Winger Andreas Skov Olsen picked up an injury during training recently. Striker Federico Santander, midfielder Jerdy Schouten, and centre back Mattia Bani will all miss due to yellow card accumulation.
Sarri Under Pressure
Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri is under immense pressure in his first season with the Old Lady. Juve only have a one point lead on Lazio at the top of the table and failed to win the Coppa for the second year in a row.
But on top of that, the squad has still not quite perfected "Sarriball," his style of play which depends on fast movement of the ball all stemming from the central midfielder.
And reports this week in Italy suggest he's had a falling out with central midfielder Miralem Pjanic, although Sarri has denied those rumors.
It's dark times at Juve and Sarri is without a shadow of a doubt under pressure.
Juventus Recent Form And Coppa Loss
Unlike their opponents, Juventus have already played two competitive games since the restart. Last weekend, they played a boring Coppa Italia second leg against vs AC Milan which ended 0-0, with Juve advancing 1-0 on aggregate to the final.
Then midweek, they played another boring 0-0 final against Napoli, losing on penalties, one in which Cristiano Ronaldo didn't even shoot as they had already lost before he could take the fifth spot kick.
They'll be desperate for a good performance, let alone a win.
Tough At Home, Bound For Europe?
Bologna have proven to be a tough nut to crack at home this season, losing only four times.
Manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has his side just four points below 7th place Verona in the fight for Thursday night soccer next year.
With European ambitions, Bologna will want at least a point against Juventus if they want qualify for the Europa League.
Bologna Coming In Cold
Bologna haven't played a competitive match in almost four months due to the Coronavirus stoppage. They last hit the field on February 29th, a 2-0 home loss to title challengers Lazio.
With such a long layoff, "recent" form means practically nothing.
This is a new "mini" season for them that begins against the league leaders.
Kick Off And How To Watch
Bologna will host the match at their home venue, Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
Normally, the stadium holds slightly more than 31,000 fans. However, due to the Coronavirus, no fans will attend the game.
The game kicks off at 3:45 pm EST and is available to watch on ESPN+. But if you can't watch the match, VAVEL is the best place for live play by play coverage
Kick Off And How To Watch
What's going on everybody. Welcome to minute by minute coverage of the 2020 Serie A match: Bologna v Juventus My name is Drew Pells and I’ll be your host for this game. I'll have pre-game news, updates, and analysis, plus roster updates and everything else leading up to the game as it happens here on VAVEL.