Juventus 2-1 Monza (December 22, 2024) Match analysis

Juventus secured a 2-1 win at bottom side Monza on Sunday with first-half goals from Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez, ending a run of four draws in Serie A.

That leaves Juve in sixth place with 31 points, nine points behind leaders Atalanta, who beat Empoli 3-2, while Monza remains on 10 points, five points behind the safety zone.

Turin’s victory extended their unbeaten run in the league to 25 games, the longest streak in Europe’s five major leagues, but 10 draws left them in the title race.

Juve struck first after a dangerous scramble that Monza struggled to clear on the line before failing at the ensuing corner when McKennie volleyed home after 14 minutes.

Eight minutes later, Samuele Birindelli equalized for Monza after he perfectly met a cross and fired the ball into the bottom corner for his first Serie A goal.

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The goal had an ironic twist as Samuele is the son of Alessandro Birindelli, a former Juventus player who made 305 appearances for the club and won three league titles.

However, the visitors were back in the lead six minutes before half-time when a cross led to Monza deflecting the ball inside the penalty area and Gonzalez reacting quickly to shoot the ball into the goal.

Juve coach Thiago Motta had a problem at half-time when midfielder Teun Koopmeiners had to be replaced by Khephren Thuram after reportedly struggling with a thigh problem.

The second half was less intense, but visitors’ striker Kenan Yildiz managed a late header that was parried from point-blank range by Monza goalkeeper Stefano Turati.