Juventus-Sassuolo: 3-1 - Serie A 2020/2021. Final result and commentary from the game

Where the match is played:
Stadium: Allianz Stadium
City: Torino
Capacity for: 41507 people20:12

Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Serie A fixture between Juventus and Sassuolo!20:12

A win today puts Juventus into the top four having played a match less than those above them. Back-to-back victories against Udinese and Milan have given Andrea Pirlo’s side reason to believe they can challenge for the title, though they’ll have to successfully navigate a tough upcoming schedule, with a trip to Inter following their match with Sassuolo in Serie A.20:14

One place and one point back of Juventus, Sassuolo can get into fourth place in their own right with the three points today; though they haven’t beaten the Bianconeri since 2015. If last year's two thrilling and high-scoring draws were anything to go by, we can expect this fixture to be laden with goals.21:21

With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s take a look at how the two sides are lining up today - starting with the hosts!20:29

JUVENTUS XI (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Gianluca Frabotta, Merih Demiral, Leonardo Bonucci, Danilo; Weston McKennie, Arthur, Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Chiesa; Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala.20:29

JUVENTUS SUBS: Alessandro Di Pardo, Gianluigi Buffon, Federico Bernardeschi, Nicolo Fagiolo, Giorgio Chiellini, Alvaro Morata, Manolo Portanova, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey, Carlo Pinsoglio. 20:29

SASSUOLO XI (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli; Mert Muldur, Vlad Chiriches, Gian Marco Ferrari, Georgios Kyriakopolous; Pedro Obiang, Manuel Locatelli; Gregoire Defrel, Filip Djuricic, Hamed Junior Traore; Francesco Caputo.20:29

SASSUOLO SUBS: Francesco Magnanelli, Gianluca Pegolo, Marlon Santos, Giacomo Raspadori, Jeremie Boga, Nicolas Schiappacasse, Federico Peluso, Rogerio, Jeremy Toljan, Kaan Ayhan, Brian Oddei, Maxime Lopez. 20:29

Juventus make three changes from their 3-1 win over Milan in midweek. A positive COVID-19 test for Matthijs de Ligt sees Demiral enter the defence, while Ramsey and Rabiot are dropped to the bench in favour of McKennie and Arthur in midfield.21:24

Sassuolo make five changes from their 2-1 win over Genoa last Wednesday. The back four sees two changes as Ayhan and Rogerio make way for Chiriches and Kyriakopoulos at centre-back and left-back respectively. Magnanelli is dropped to the bench in favour of Obiang, who partners captain Locatelli in midfield. An injury to Domenico Berardi sees Defrel play the right wing, while Traore is preferred to Boga on the other flank. 20:34

Sassuolo get the match under way from the kick-off! 21:24

Djuricic has time to set himself before firing a shot from outside the area after Traore’s deflected cross - but Bonucci gets in the way and puts it behind for a corner. 20:50

The corner is dangerous as it’s flighted into Ferrari, but the centre-back is unable to take his chance as he fails to turn his effort towards Szczesny. 20:50

Dybala puts a cross into the area from the right, but Ronaldo is beaten to the ball by Ferrari, who leaves the striker down on the pitch as he clears the danger. 20:52

Kyriakopolous uses his left foot to put a low cross into the area, but both Juventus centre-backs are well-placed to handle the danger.20:54

Dybala attempts to find Ronaldo from the corner, but it’s Djuricic who rises highest - clearing the danger temporarily.20:56

Juventus work a lovely opportunity to shoot after Bentancur’s chip over the top of the defence falls to McKennie on the 18-yard line. A clever backheel gets Frabotta free, but his shot is blazed over the crossbar!20:58

A ball launched over the top from Consigli finds Caputo goal-side of Bonucci in a chase for the pass, but the centre-back grabs hold of the striker to impede his progress. It’s a yellow card for the captain, but it really could have been worse.21:01

The ensuing free-kick is tapped short by Locatelli to Traore, but the latter’s attempted strike is very poor and fails to test Szczesny at all.21:01

Chiesa is immediately swarmed by three defenders as Juventus attempt to work some room down the right. The winger had an exceptional match in midweek against Milan, scoring twice in their 3-1 win.21:03

Bentancur is pushed to the ground by Ferrari’s stray arm during a tussle for the ball. It’s a yellow card for the centre-back; the second booking of the match.21:04

An early injury forces McKennie out of the match after just 19 minutes. It’s unclear what the issue is, but he won’t be able to carry on. Ramsey is his replacement.21:06

Juventus have only lost one of their 14 Serie A meetings with Sassuolo (W10 D3) and have beaten them the most often in the competition (10) with 35 goals conceded by the Neroverdi.21:26

Sassuolo are determined to keep hold of possession from goal kicks, playing it short in an attempt to reel Juventus in. It’s a risky strategy, one that doesn’t work on this occasion as Kyriakopolous loses the ball on the wing and allows the hosts to mount another atack.21:27

Ronaldo gets on the end of a superb pass from Bonucci over the top, but Chiriches’ sliding challenge inside the penalty area blocks the shot and wins his side a goal kick.21:27

Sassuolo have the ball on the edge of the Juventus 18-yard box, but Pirlo’s side’s defensive organisation means there’s no room for the visitors to play through. It’s going to take quite the pass to unlock the block in front of Szczesny’s goal.21:16

Locatelli is calling for a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area after he’s dropped to the floor following an acrobatic pass to the flank, but the referee points to the touchline and instructs Sassuolo to resume the game from a throw-in, following a Juventus deflection on the pass.21:18

Arthur’s lazy pass from midfield out to Chiesa on the edge of the penalty area is intercepted, as Juve continue to struggle to find some rhythm. They’ve had more possession, but Pirlo’s side haven’t been able to do much with it.21:19

Ramsey gets into an argument with Chiriches as the former Arsenal and Tottenham players have a go at each other during a tussle in midfield. Juventus have won the free-kick, but it’s getting a bit feisty out there.21:20

After allowing play to continue, the referee goes back and books Bentancur for his sliding challenge on Djuricic in midfield.21:22

With just under 10 minutes remaining, it seems as though the two sides will head into the interval level. It would be a fair assessment of the first half, as neither side have done enough to put themselves ahead.21:28

Play is stopped as Dybala is down holding his knee after coming back to put in a challenge on Traore in order to dispossess him. The Juventus forward has come off the worse of the two, as the medical staff give him some treatment.21:29

Ramsey gets on the end of Arthur’s square pass outside the penalty area and hits a first-time strike - the effort dragging well wide of the target.21:29

After coming back onto the pitch, Dybala is down once again as it appears he will not be able to shake off the injury. There’s some movement on the bench, with Kulusevski appearing to prepare himself.21:29

Confirmation of the enforced change, as Dybala heads straight down the tunnel after being substituted off. Kulusevski is the man selected to come on.21:30

Concerning scenes as now Chiesa is down receiving treatment, following a challenge from Obiang. The referee has been instructed to go to the monitor to review the foul, as the yellow card he has shown may not be enough! 21:40

CHANGED TO RED! Obiang was initially shown a yellow card for his tackle that caught Chiesa by the ankle, but after a VAR review it’s been changed to red! Sassuolo are down to 10 men!21:41

CHANCE FOR JUVE! Frabotta is played into the six-yard box, which invites Consigli to fly at the full-backs feet. The Juventus defender manages to push it ahead out of the goalkeeper’s reach for Ronaldo, but the Portugal international is unable to turn the ball into the open net - as it’s played just too far ahead!21:36

KULUSEVSKI POPS IT OVER! Sassuolo are all over the place since going a man down, but they escape once again as Kulusevski misses the empty net after Ramsey’s work inside the penalty area drags Consigli off his line! How has he missed?!21:38

HALF-TIME: JUVENTUS 0-0 SASSUOLO. 21:40

The two sides head into the half-time interval deadlocked at 0-0 after an entertaining and hard-fought 45 minutes. It was an even contest, with both sides spending long periods attacking as well as defending, but there was no doubt a shift in the momentum following the VAR-led decision to award Obiang a red card for his awful tackle on Chiesa. In the ensuing eight minutes, Juve were able to mount a number of attacks, thwarted only by their inability to put the finishing touches on chances, as both Ronaldo and Kulusevski wasted open-net opportunities.21:45

With 11 men each, it would have been an extremely close and tight second half, but due to Juventus’ numerical superiority, the hosts will expect to break the deadlock early in the second half. Two enforced changes and a knock to Chiesa in the first half will curtail Pirlo’s options, but with the likes of Morata and Rabiot still available, the Bianconeri should still have enough firepower. As for Sassuolo - Roberto De Zerbi will be hoping to grab anything he can from the match, with defensive substitutions likely for the second period.21:46

Sassuolo make two changes at the half, the first of which sees right-back Toljan replace striker Caputo.21:55

The second switch for the visitors sees Lopez replace Djuricic. 21:56

Juventus make a change at half-time, as the booked Bentancur is replaced by Rabiot.21:56

Juventus get the match restarted from the kick-off!21:55

Frabotta tries to beat his man and fire in a cross, but Toljan is ready for action as he marks the full-back well, forcing him to run it out for a goal kick.22:06

Sassuolo’s short goal-kick routine lands them in trouble again as they lose possession within their own half, but a rash Bonucci shot from distance gives the visitors a chance to breathe.21:58

Sassuolo have had their backs to the wall since the restart as Juventus have piled on the pressure. The hosts are certainly deserving of their lead, though they can’t be happy with just one.22:03

Traore attempts to drag his side up the pitch, but his final delivery into the penalty area fails to find a team-mate, as Szczesny collects easily.22:04

Juventus’ corner from the left finds a rising Bonucci, but his header falls weakly to the foot of Consigli.22:05

Chiesa has scored four goals in his last five Serie A appearances; he could find the net in three successive league matches for the first time in the competition.22:07

Traore’s inviting pass from the edge of the 18-yard box goes down as the assist, though Defrel had work to do in order to finish the chance.22:10

Juventus have been stunned into alertness as Sassuolo have refused to give up, despite the circumstances. De Zerbi is yelling instructions at his side from the touchline, urging them on to what would be a phenomenal point.22:12

Frabotta fires a cross into the penalty area looking for Chiesa but Locatelli gets there first and pokes the ball to a team-mate, clearing the danger.22:14

Ronaldo is appealing for a penalty after clattering into Consigli, following Ramsey’s over-the-top pass from midfield. The striker got a touch to the ball to bring it down which invited contact from the goalkeeper just outside the six-yard box, but the referee refuses to point to the spot!22:16

Sassuolo make a change with just over 20 minutes remaining as Boga is sent on to replace Defrel, whose goal has the visitors level once again.22:17

Traore links up with Toljan just inside Juve’s penalty area, but the subsequent delivery is a weak roller that’s dealt with comfortably by Szczesny.22:19

JUST OVER! A Juventus corner is taken to Rabiot, who blazes his headed effort over the crossbar from close range!22:20

Frabotta is booked for pulling Muldur back during the full-back’s race towards Juve’s penalty area. 22:22

Kyriakopoulos is tasked with hitting the set-piece, but he sends his curling effort high and wide of the target.22:22

Oddei replaces Muldur with 17 minutes left. 22:23

WHAT A SAVE FROM CONSIGLI! Kulusevski’s reverse-pass finds both Ramsey and Ronaldo outside the six-yard box with time and space to shoot, but the goalkeeper correctly assesses that it would be the forward to hit the strike - angling his body well to make the close-range stop! 22:24

Sassuolo are posing a real threat on the counter-attack, as Boga, Oddei and Traore all have dangerous pace that can expose even the best defence. It’s going to be a close end to the match, as the visitors have put on a tremendous 10-man display.22:27

Kulusevski is booked after catching Traore with a slide tackle inside Sassuolo’s half.22:29

Oddei curls an effort into the penalty area looking for Locatelli, but the midfielder lets the cross run towards the far post. Szczesny is unsure what to do with the delivery but eventually makes an awkward save.22:32

Frabotta’s cross is the assist as Juve manage to get their noses in front for the second time.22:33

Oddei dribbles into the penalty area and wraps his foot around the ball, but his curling shot is a weak one that’s dealt with comfortably by the goalkeeper.22:34

Ramsey is replaced just four minutes after scoring, as Morata will finish the match.22:38

Chiesa will play no further part in the match as Bernardeschi is sent on to replace him.22:38

Ayhan gets an opportunity, as Chiriches is taken off.22:43

Ronaldo scored his first Serie A goals when Juventus beat Sassuolo 2-1 in September 2018 (a brace); he has scored four goals against them in four meetings in the competition.22:38

Locatelli chips a pass into the penalty area for Oddei to chase, but Szczesny steps off his line to get there first.22:40

The fourth official indicates two minutes will be added for stoppages. 22:41

Danilo adds a late assist to his earlier strike, with the pass that set up the goal coming from almost inside his own 18-yard box! 22:45

FULL-TIME: JUVENTUS 3-1 SASSUOLO.22:44

A thoroughly entertaining match at the Allianz Stadium ends with Juventus 3-1 winners thanks to Ramsey and Ronaldo, who both found the net in the last 10 minutes. Despite being down to 10 men for the entirety of the second half, Sassuolo made themselves quite a nuisance, equalising just eight minutes after Danilo’s special strike opened the scoring. The counter-attack was always a threat, with Oddei and Boga giving Szczesny work to do late in the match - but Pirlo’s side’s quality and numerical superiority shone through in the end. The Bianconeri really could have scored more than thrice, but some fantastic goalkeeping from Consigli kept the score down; which the performance deserved. The win puts Juventus into fourth, while Sassuolo stay in seventh.22:47

Juventus have a Coppa Italia match against Genoa in midweek before they travel to face Inter next Sunday. Sassuolo’s cup match is on Thursday against SPAL, before they host Parma on Sunday.22:47

That concludes our commentary of the Serie A fixture between Juventus and Sassuolo! We hope you enjoyed it!22:47