Kean's winner moves Juventus closer to the Champions League

Posted April 25, 2022 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Juventus' Paulo Dybala, left, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Monday April 25, 2022. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

REGGIO EMILIA, Italy (AP) - Moise Kean's 89th-minute winner earned Juventus a 2-1 comeback win in a tricky visit to a talented Sassuolo side on Monday - marking a major step in Serie A for the Bianconeri toward securing a Champions League spot.

Kean, a substitute, controlled a pass with his back to the goal then turned his defender before shooting in through the goalkeeper's legs.

With four matches remaining, fourth-placed Juventus moved within one point of third-placed Napoli and eight points ahead of fifth-placed Roma - with the top four qualifying for the Champions League.

Sassuolo, which features Italy forwards Domenico Berardi, Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca, had its range on full display when it took the lead in the 39th.

Berardi used his heel to flick on a through ball from Georgios Kyriakopoulos and Raspadori pounded it in from a sharp angle.

Raspadori became the first Italian player born since 2000 to score 10 goals in a single Serie A.

Juventus equalized six minutes later with a solo display of talent from Paulo Dybala, who unleashed a quickfire strike that was clocked at 110 kph (68 mph), which Sassuolo's defense appeared unprepared for.

It was Dybala's 81st goal in Serie A with Juventus, matching Cristiano Ronaldo for 10th place on the club scoring list.

Sassuolo remained 10th.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Sassuolo's Giacomo Raspadori, right, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Monday April 25, 2022. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Juventus' Alvaro Morata and Sassuolo's Vlad Chiriches, left, battle for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Monday April 25, 2022. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.