Socrates

Juventus 2 - Bologna 0: Initial reaction and random observations The first two days of Matchday 33 have been very kind for Juventus’ potential standing in fourth place — and that was even before the Bianconeri stepped foot onto the field for Sunday night’s matchup against Bologna. Every single domino they needed to fall their way did, and they had the chance to put some serious breathing room between themselves and the two teams directly behind them in the standings. ............ Juventus got up early against Bologna thanks to Jonathan David’s goal within two minutes. They extended their lead early in the second half through another header, this one from Khephren Thuram all of 11 minutes after he came on. The result was a 2-0 win that, combined with Como and Roma both dropping points on Friday and Saturday, respectively, allowed Luciano Spalletti’s squad to extend their lead over their closest competition for fourth place to five points with five points to go. For the first time in a long time, Juve have the breathing room they had absolutely none of when the March international break arrived four weeks ago. Opportunity offered up and opportunity seized upon. Sn now, just a few weeks after looking like Juventus were in serious danger of not making the Champions League, they’re suddenly just three points off second-place AC Milan. And guess who’s next up on the schedule? Ah, you guessed it — it’s that crazy corto muso-loving man who just saw his team win 1-0 on Sunday despite being outshot by more than a 2-to-1 margin by the 19th-place team in the league. Even more the wild: Juventus are now closer to second place (three points) than they are fifth place (five points). Even the most optimistic of people — and sometimes I like to think of myself as one of those that try to be of that ilk rather than the alternative as much as this club tries to make it the opposite kind of situation — couldn’t have seen this sudden changing of the tides coming. Of course, it’s nowhere near over and to actually think it’s over would be a huge mistake, but this is huge swing of both how we’re looking at Juventus’ final stretch of games and the entire scope of the race for the top four. Did you think that in the final weekend of April that Juventus could go into the San Siro and potentially move level on points with second-place Milan after we saw this same team struggle to get a draw against Sassuolo right before the March international break? Because I didn’t! ............ The early goal was a huge boon, but just the way they came out and really took it to Bologna early on was reflective of a team that knew that they head to take full advantage of what was in front of them. There was no loitering around. They got the lead, they kept pushing forward and really should have been up by two or three goals heading into the half. A little bit better finishing and they would have been. But, this is still Juventus in 2026, so we can’t always have nice things when it comes to wins being of the simple and straightforward variety. The good thing is that we’re not sitting here being totally down because Juventus smoked their chance to go five points clear of Como and Roma. They didn’t fumble away the 1-0 lead like a Gigio Donnarumma howler. (Timely reference!) They didn’t allow Bologna to get back in the game and score on their first shot on goal of the game like we’ve seen so many teams do against Juve this season. This was another instance of Good Juventus showing up. And it’s showing up at the right time of the season. This isn’t over and we know that things can change quickly again, but Spalletti has managed these last few weeks as well as he has all season. As other teams are faltering, Juve are just getting stuff (or another word) done — and that’s all we can continue to ask of them entering the final month of the season. You know, just like they did against Bologna. RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS I really am just glad that the 20-minute Kenan Yildiz cameo when Juve were already up 2-0 and in complete control didn’t end up in anything bad based on how he’s been a big worry throughout the week. ............ I can’t be the only one who was getting extremely emotional even before kickoff thanks to that tribute to former Juve goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who tragically died at age 48 after a traffic accident earlier this week. The whole thing was extremely well done by the club on short notice. To bring out five of his teammates — Gigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio, Leonardo Bonucci and Antonio Chimenti — and then put down flowers and his No. 13 jersey right at the top of the penalty area as the entire stadium clapped in applause shows you what kind of respect Manninger had at the club despite being there for a relatively short amount of time (four years). In conclusion, Manninger Face forever, folks. ............ Thankfully, after there were clearly plenty of emotions going through the Allianz Stadium, there pops up Jonathan David with his first goal in 2 1/2 months. That was just a brilliant cross from Pierre Kalulu (again) and a nice finish from a striker in David who you don’t really associate with his ability to finish crosses in the air. Yet he found a nice little pocket of space and headed the Kalulu cross perfectly. Just a great start to such an important game. And Thuram’s header? Same type of deal. Really is amazing that Juventus scored two great headers off equally impressive crosses for what feels like the first time in quite a while. The man who assisted Thuram’s goal? Weston McKennie. Because that’s just what Wes does. THAT GOAL CELEBRATION WAS FUN AND YOU CAN’T TELL ME OTHERWISE. Oh, he also covers more ground than anybody because he’s an absolute machine and just runs and runs and runs and runs. And runs. And runs. You get the picture by now. The man is a bulldog. Give Kalulu a contract extension. Do it now and don’t look back. You’ve gotten new deals for Yildiz, McKennie, Spalletti and Manuel Locatelli out of the way, so now make Kalulu next up on the list. ............ Bremer was just everywhere and giving nobody much of any sort of room to operate. No yellow card for Bremer (and Lloyd Kelly, who was also quite good against Bologna!), so that means he’s available to face Milan next weekend. This is just about some of the best news we could get. ............ Jérémie Boga has to be one of the absolute transfer steals of the 2025-26 season, right? That boy good. Emil Holm was also done a pretty solid job until he had to be subbed off at the half. While it sounds more precautionary than a major concern, hopefully he isn’t going to be suddenly stopped by another injury like he was after making his Juventus debut a couple of months ago. That shot from Holm that crashed off the bar, my goodness. That woulda been an absolute beauty if he scored it. Instantly a Goal of the Season candidate if he scored it. Poor Federico Bernardeschi having to come off just minutes after making his first appearance at the Allianz since he left Juventus. At least the crowd gave him a very nice reception both during warmups and then as he was first subbed on. Good on them. ............ In hindsight, how big is that Gatti goal against Roma looking right about now? That’s looking like it was the start of something. ............ Good to see Spalletti and Joao Mario hug it out heading into the tunnel. Spalletti was also spotted chatting up Jhon Lucumi after the final whistle. Was the summer recruiting starting early? Maybe, we shall see for a player who has been looked to Juve a handful of times before. Good win. I am happy. You get a result against Milan next weekend and things are looking nice heading into the final month of the season when the schedule, on paper, eases up a bit. Nice way to spend a Sunday. Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/previews-reviews/37833/juventus-bologna-2026-serie-a-matchday-33-final-score-result-initial-reaction-random-observations

Spalletti: ‘Juventus on right track, they care and share the burden’ Luciano Spalletti recognises Juventus are ‘on the right track’ after moving closer to second than fifth place. ‘The players care for each other and share the burden.’ The Bianconeri came flying out the blocks and took the lead within 90 seconds thanks to Jonathan David’s glancing header, then substitute Khephren Thuram made sure after the restart by nodding in Weston McKennie’s cross. Emil Holm and Bologna’s Jonathan Rowe also rattled the frame of the goal, while Francisco Conceicao had an effort ruled offside for the final 2-0 result. ............ “I don’t know what they cooked up between them, but seeing them celebrate like that together is wonderful,” smiled Spalletti on DAZN Italia. “It’s marvellous to see a player score and want to share his joy with his team-mates and the fans. It all comes from the affection, the rapport between players, and when you give that friendship, you receive it in return. They say if you want to find a friend, then behave like a friend.” ............ This is a big win for Juventus, who take advantage of Como, Roma and Atalanta results by opening up a five-point cushion in fourth place. Even more remarkable, they are now within three points of both Milan and Napoli in joint second, with a showdown against the Rossoneri coming up next week. ............ “What we absolutely could not do wrong, seeing the other results, was dropping our intensity because we could see ourselves maintaining this position regardless of our performance. That was the risk, so we needed to have the right attitude from the start and maintain it. “We knew that Bologna had a tough week with travel and the Europa League, so we knew that if we maintained the intensity, it would give us a significant advantage. Everyone did that really well, and we scored early, there were times when the quality of Bologna forced us back, but that’s inevitable with a strong side like Vincenzo Italiano’s.” ............ It feels as if the season took a turning point on March 1 when Juve came back from 3-1 down to hold Roma 3-3 at the Stadio Olimpico, as they’ve won five of the six games since then, while the Giallorossi visibly faltered. ............ “There is certainly a lot of responsibility and pressure here, but the team is trying to play good football, the players care for each other and are ready to share the burden, that is fundamental for a coach. “We are on the right track and every day I see something more, so we want to keep going like this.” . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/spalletti-juventus-on-right-track-they-care/

Juventus 2-0 Bologna – Player Ratings as McKennie & Thuram make difference in the middle Juventus secured a vital 2-0 home victory over Bologna, with goals from Jonathan David and Khephren Thuram proving the difference as Luciano Spalletti’s side kept the pressure on their Champions League rivals with a professional and controlled display at the Allianz Stadium. Football Italia’s Man of the Match was shared between Weston McKennie, who helped dominate the engine room and gave Juventus the platform from which his teammates could do the damage. ............ Serie A – Juventus 2-0 Bologna – Player Ratings Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio 6; Kalulu 6.5, Bremer 6.5, Kelly 6.5; Holm 6.5 (Thuram K. 7), Locatelli 6.5, McKennie 7, Cambiaso 6 (Gatti N/A); Conceicao 6 (Zhegrova 6), Boga 6.5 (Openda N/A); David 7 (Yildiz 6) Best Juventus player: Weston McKennie – McKennie was dominant from start to finish, covering every blade of grass and providing both defensive solidity and driving runs forward, picked up an assist. Lowest Juventus rating: Francisco Conceicao – A quiet evening from the versatile winger before his withdrawal with twenty minutes to play, unable to make the usual impact. Coach: Luciano Spalletti 6.5 – A controlled and measured performance from his side when it mattered most. Got his substitutions right and will be delighted with the clean sheet as much as the goals. Bologna (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia 6; Zortea 6, Helland 5 (Heggem 6), Lucumì 5.5, Miranda 5.5; Freuler 5.5, Pobega 5.5 (Moro 6); Orsolini 6, Sohm 5 (Ferguson 6), Cambiaghi 5.5 (Rowe 5.5); Castro 5 (Bernardeschi N/A) Best Bologna player: Riccardo Orsolini – ............ Lowest Bologna rating: Santiago Castro – ............ Coach: Vincenzo Italiano 5 – A poor night for the Bologna head coach, whose side were second best in virtually every department. With European ambitions now over too, this was a performance that will concern him heading into the final weeks of the season. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/juventus-2-0-bologna-player-ratings-mckennie/

Juventus 2-0 Bologna: Dominant Old Lady closes in on second place Juventus made a major leap towards Champions League qualification after beating Bologna at the Allianz Stadium by two unanswered goals. Luciano Spalletti started with a 3-4-2-1 formation spearheaded by Jonathan David, with Jeremie Boga and Francisco Conceicao in support, as Kenan Yildiz wasn’t deemed fit enough to start. The same goes to Khephren Thuram, who was replaced by Weston McKennie in the double pivot alongside Manuel Locatelli, while Emil Holm and Andrea Cambiaso occupied the wing-back slots. ............ The Bianconeri had a sensational start to the match, breaking the deadlock after 90 seconds, having already created two previous chances. Conciceico managed to keep the ball alive, allowing Pierre Kalulu to send an exquisite inswinger to the box. David slipped past his marker and only needed a slight touch to direct it towards the far post. ............ Juventus dominated the action for the rest of the first half while producing delightful football. Conceicao thought he had doubled the lead after being put through on goal, but the linesman raised his flag for offside. On the second occasion, the Portuguese was onside, but couldn’t beat Federico Ravaglia. Holm came agonisingly close to scoring a screamer against his parent club, but his vicious mid-range rocket crashed against the woodwork. Finally, David had a golden opportunity to bag a brace thanks to a lovely through ball from Conceicao, but his attempt whistled past the post. After the break, Khephren Thuram replaced Holm, and turned out to be the author of the second goal. Conceicao’s shot was blocked by the backline, but McKennie, who had moved to the right flank to fill in for Holm, sent a sublime cross towards the mouth of the goal, and Thuram rose above his marker to head the ball past Ravaglia. ............ Afterwards, the home side kept dominating the action, but the rhythm had expectedly dropped. On the other hand, Bologna were only able to forge one dangerous chance, and it ended with Jonathan Rowe hitting the post. At the final whistle, the Juventus fans celebrated a crucial win that came on the back of a convincing performance. Spalletti’s men remain in fourth place, but they have put five points between them and Como, while reducing the gap with Milan and Napoli to just three points before next weekend’s trip to San Siro. Juventus 2-0 Bologna Goals: 2′ David (J), 57′ Thuram (J). Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; Holm (46′ Thuram), McKennie, Locatelli, Cambiaso (79′ Gatti); Conceicao (70′ Zhegrova), Boga (85′ Openda); David (70′ Yildiz). Bologna (4-2-3-1) : Ravaglia; Zortea, Lucumì, Helland (67′ Heggem), Miranda; Freuler, Pobega (58′ Moro); Orsolini, Sohm (58′ Ferguson), Cambiaghi (58′ Rowe); Castro (75′ Bernardeschi). Yellow cards: 60′ Locatelli (J). . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-2-0-bologna-dominant-old-lady-closes-in-on-second-place/

Serie A | Juventus 2-0 Bologna: Old Lady comfortable in top four Juventus beat Bologna with Jonathan David and Khephren Thuram goals to create a five-point cushion for fourth place, and close to within three points of Milan and Napoli in joint second. The Bianconeri were eager to take advantage of Napoli, Como and Roma all dropping points this weekend, but Kenan Yildiz was only fit for the bench, with Arek Milik, Dusan Vlahovic, Juan Cabal, Mattia Perin and Vasilije Adzic injured. Weston McKennie returned from suspension, with Emil Holm and Joao Mario facing their parent clubs after January loans. Bologna hoped to shrug off Thursday’s 4-0 Europa League quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa. ............ There was a moving tribute before kick-off for Alex Manninger, the former Juventus and Bologna goalkeeper who died in a car accident this week aged 48, as former teammates Gigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Chimenti carried out flowers with his shirt, laying them in the goal while the fans sang his chant. ............ It was a lightning fast start from the hosts, as Jeremie Boga’s pull-back forced a corner, and within 110 seconds David had got his head to the Pierre Kalulu cross from six yards, glancing it into the far bottom corner. It was even more remarkable because Bologna hadn’t conceded in the first half of a Serie A match for two months. Francisco Conceicao had the ball in the net on 12 minutes too after running onto a pass over the top, but he was offside before that precise angled drive. ............ Emil Holm against his former club almost scored a stunner, as a clearance bounced on the edge of the box, where his powerful volley smacked the underside of the bar. ............ David nearly doubled his tally before half-time, running onto the Conceicao assist for an angled drive to skim the base of the far post. ............ However, Juve substitute Khephren Thuram made an immediate impact, rising at the back stick to meet the Weston McKennie cross from the right for 2-0. ............ Nikola Moro also fired over after the Orsolini attempt was charged down, but Federico Bernardeschi limped off with a thigh problem just eight minutes after coming on. Bologna had completed their substitutions, so they played the last six minutes down to 10 men. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/serie-a-juventus-2-0-bologna-comfortable-top-4/

Juventus pay respects with touching Manninger tribute before Bologna match The Allianz Stadium fell into a moment of profound emotion before Juventus’ match against Bologna on Saturday evening, as the club paid a heartfelt tribute to former goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who tragically lost his life in a road accident in Austria earlier this week. Manninger, who also represented Fiorentina and Siena among others during his career, spent four years at Juventus between 2008 and 2012, making 42 appearances in all competitions and playing a meaningful role in the club’s return to the summit of Italian football following their relegation to Serie B. ............ All three of Juventus’ current goalkeepers, Michele Di Gregorio, Simone Scaglia and Carlo Pinsoglio, warmed up wearing the number 13 shirt bearing Manninger’s name, a simple but deeply affecting gesture that drew warm applause from around the ground. ............ Before kick-off, Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, former teammates who knew Manninger as a colleague and a friend, carried a floral wreath onto the pitch beneath the home curve, bearing the words “Ciao Alex.” The cameras caught Buffon visibly moved, his composure tested by the weight of the occasion. The former Italy captain had already expressed his grief publicly on social media in the immediate aftermath of the accident. ............ “Alex wore our shirt. He was a loyal man, an exemplary teammate, a person of enormous worth. He was one of the protagonists of a group that, step by step, returned to winning. We will never forget Alex, you will always be with us, in our home.” A minute of silence followed. The football, for a moment, could wait. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/manninger-tribute-before-juventus-bologna/

KHEPHREN THURAM 2-0

Molto bravo Holm se resta sano

Piú passano i minuti e meno correranno

JONATHAN DAVID 1-0