Juan Cabal forced Mario Gila to an own goal, inspiring Juventus’ 1-0 win against a Lazio side reduced to ten men, but the Bianconeri didn’t have a shot on target until minute 81.
Juventus kept another clean sheet in Serie A but needed a late own goal from Lazio defender Gila to beat the Biancocelesti, who had been reduced to ten men for over one hour.
Alessio Romagnoli was sent off at minute 24 for a foul on Pierre Kalulu, one of the best Juventus players tonight alongside Cabal.
Player Ratings: Juventus 1-0 Lazio – Cabal, Kalulu and not much more
The Colombia international was decisive as Mario Gila deflected his cross from the left inside the Lazio goal.
The Biancocelesti inevitably played a defensive game, but Juventus’ first shot on target only came at minute 81 with a Dusan Vlahovic attempt from outside the box.
The Serbia international had hit the crossbar only a few minutes earlier but, technically, that does not count as a shot on target.
The likes of Mattia Zaccagni and Taty Castellanos mostly helped Lazio defenders, while Boulaye Dia was subbed off after the Romagnoli red card to make room for another centre-back.
Juventus vs Lazio – player ratings
Juventus: Di Gregorio 6; Savona 5.5 (54′ Weah 6), Gatti 6 (72′ Danilo 6), Kalulu 6.5, Cabal 6.5; Locatelli 5.5 (54′ Fagioli 6), Thuram 6 (72′ Adzic 6); Cambiaso 6, Douglas Luiz 6, Yildiz 5.5; Vlahovic 6. Coach: Thiago Motta 6.
Best Juventus player: Cabal 6.5 – Started for the first time in over a month and after spending six consecutive games on the bench. His pass deflected by Gila gave Juventus three vital points.
Lowest Juventus rating: Yildiz 5.5 – Same rating as Savona and Locatelli, but the Turkey international had more responsibility in helping Juventus hurt their opponents. No key passes, 81% accuracy. Lost possession 11 times. He looked exhausted.
Coach: Thiago Motta 6 – The best result with the minimum effort. Juventus had two chances with Vlahovic and one with Douglas Luiz before Gila’s goal. Nevertheless, they still struggle to create goal-scoring opportunities consistently against teams that sit deep.
Lazio: Provedel 6.5; Marusic 6, Gila 5, Romagnoli 4.5, Tavares 6.5 (78′ Pellegrini 6); Guendouzi 5.5 (67′ Vecino 6), Rovella 6; Isaksen 6 (67′ Pedro 6), Dia 6 (27′ Patric 6), Zaccagni 5.5 (67′ Castrovilli 6); Castellanos 6. Coach: Baroni 6.
Best Lazio Player: Provedel 6.5 – Frustrated Vlahovic and Fagioli’s attempts from outside the box in the second half. He would have also blocked Cabal’s pass if it wasn’t for Gila…
Lowest Lazio rating: Romagnoli 4.5 – True, Gila scored the late own goal, but the whole Lazio performance was ruined by that red card.
Lazio Coach: Baroni 6 – Lazio didn’t suffer much despite playing in numerical disadvantage for over an hour. A good, organised team, that could not show their quality tonight.