Weston McKennie had a relatively short and uneventful evening for Juventus in their late win over Cremonese, while Sergiño Dest’s late sub appearance for AC Milan almost saw what would have been his first goal for the club.
US Cremonese 0 – 1 Juventus
Weston McKennie momentarily quieted rumors of an imminent departure from Juventus with a start in Wednesday’s match against Cremonese, however a subdued performance saw him exit midway through the second half before the team finally pulled out the win.
the American lined up to the left of central midfielder Manuel Locatelli, as Juve head coach Massimiliano Allegri opted for a five-man line against their relegation bound hosts.
During his time on the field, McKennie completed just 79% of his 20 passing attempts, had 39 touches, didn’t take any shots or set up any chances, although he did connect on three of five long-ball attempts.
Cremonese put the ball into the Juve net twice before the midway point of the first half, however Emanuele Valeri’s header in the 15th minute was called back for offside, and David Okereke’s effort six minutes later was waved off for a foul in the buildup.
Second half sub Federico Chiesa came close with a shot from the left of the box, just missing the opening and hitting only the side netting. Moments later, McKennie was pulled along with Fabio Miretti in favor of Adrien Rabiot and Leandro Paredes as a part of double-switch by Allegri.
The move by the coach ended up paying off, albeit not until the final seconds of the game.
Barely over a minute before the end of regulation, Rabiot’s forward run was ended when Valeri’s lunging tackle took out his legs from behind. Valeri received a yellow card for his efforts, and Juve was given a prime free-kick opportunity from 30 yards.
Arkadiusz Milik took the shot just after the 90-minute mark, looping his low, bouncing attempt around the three-man wall, and just inside the right upright for the winner.
Juve will finish the round in third place, two points behind AC Milan, and a daunting seven points behind leaders Napoli. They are back on the field on Saturday, when Udinese visit Turin.
Notes
Sergiño Dest was an 85th-minute substitute for AC Milan on Wednesday afternoon with the team already leading Salernitana by a 2-1 margin. Dest only had four touches in his limited role, although he did force opposing keeper Guillermo Ochoa into a fine save in the final seconds as the second-place Rossoneri held on for the win.
