Juventus end win drought in Serie A

Totti reaches 300 as Roma draw with Sassuolo

MILAN: Frenchman Paul Pogba created one goal and scored another as Juventus finally claimed their first Serie A win of the season, while Francesco Totti hit his 300th goal for Roma in a 2-2 draw with Sassuolo.

Amid their worst start to the season in several decades, Juventus travelled to Genoa hoping to build on an impressive 2-1 Champions League victory over Manchester City in midweek.

Pogba helped break the deadlock in the 37th minute when he got on the end of Roberto Pereyra’s cross at the back post to fire a volley off the bar and into the net after the ball bounced off goalkeeper Eugenio Lamanna for an own-goal.

Juventus were given a boost when Armando Izzo saw red on the stroke of half-time after being cautioned for a second time when he pulled Juan Cuadrado to the ground.

But it took a penalty decision to see Juventus ease towards safety, Pogba stepping up to beat Lamanna on the hour after defender Giorgio Chiellini had been impeded by Diogo Figueiras.

Juve’s first league win of the season came at the fourth attempt but the champions are still eight points adrift of early pacesetters Inter, who had Mauro Icardi’s first-half winner — the Argentinian’s first goal of the season — to thank for a patchy 1-0 win at Chievo.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri said as far as the league is concerned, his side is taking nothing for granted.

“It’s been strange to see Juventus near the bottom of the table. We’re on our way back, but we’re taking it slowly,” said Allegri, who was forced to replace Alvaro Morata with Pereyra after the Spanish striker suffered a first-half injury. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd,   2015.

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