It was a relatively easy evening for Juventus at Stadio Olimpico and they had no problems to defeat Lazio by 2-0 in the game that kicked things off in the Round 15 of Serie A. An early own goal scored by defender Santiago Gentiletti helped The Old Lady take control and they sealed the deal before the break thanks to Paulo Dybala's strike in the 32nd minute. Lazio tried to shake things up in the second half but they lacked quality in the final meters while Juventus simply cruised their way to secure three vital points on their quest to move up the Serie A standings.
Two goals in the first half sealed the deal
Juventus always looked like the better side in the first half and they had no problems to jump to an early lead before the 10th minute, when a low cross from Dybala was deflected by Gentiletti who, unfortunately, sent the ball straight into his own net leaving Federico Marchetti helpless and giving the visitors an early advantage.
Juventus continued to generate the best chances to find the back of the net and while they got close in the 20th minute with an effort from Kwadwo Asamoah that was blocked by a sliding defender, they had to wait until the 32nd minute when Dybala found the back of the net. The former Palermo star launched a rocket strike from 25 yards out and placed the ball into the right post to give his side a two-goal lead.
Lazio tried to react but they weren't able to pose much of a threat in the final meters. The trio of Antonio Candreva, Miroslav Klose and Ricardo Kishna weren't very accurate in the final third and they struggled to create clear scoring opportunities so the first half ended with a comfortable 2-0 lead for the current Serie A champions.
Lazio made some changes but they weren't effective
The hosts tried to shake things up in the second half when Candreva and Kishna both left the pitch making way for Felipe Anderson and Balde Keita. While the Brazilian added clarity in the final third, he wasn't able to change things on his own and he ended fading away thanks to Juventus' solid performance on the defensive end. Lazio's best chance to score came in the 58th minute but Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ultimately wasn't able to find the target.
Juventus, on the other hand, opted to take control of the game and they moved the lines into a more defensive stance but always looking to hit their rivals on the counter. Mario Mandzukic, Asamoah and Dybala all had some good chances but there weren't any more goals for the visitors.
Lazio's final chance to score arrived in the 87th minute but Miroslav Klose saw his header from close range being deflected by a defender at the last minute.
The game ended with a 2-0 win for Juventus and in all honesty the three points were completely deserved for Juventus. The visitors were clearly the better team while Lazio simply couldn't get it going and at times they looked massively outplayed.
Up next
Lazio will play against Sampdoria on December 14th while Juventus will take on Fiorentina on December 13th. Both games will be played at 19.45 BST.