Canada forward responds to criticism, inspires Juventus to emphatic Serie A victory
Milan
Jonathan David silenced his critics with a decisive second-half performance, scoring a goal and providing an assist as Juventus cruised to a 3-0 victory over Sassuolo in Serie A on Tuesday.
The Canada international had come under scrutiny after missing a crucial penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 home draw against Lecce, but coach Luciano Spalletti kept faith in the forward by naming him in the starting lineup. David repaid that confidence in style, playing a central role as Juventus pulled away after a cagey first half.
An own goal from Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic shortly before the interval gave Juventus a slender advantage at the break, but the contest was effectively settled in the space of two minutes early in the second half. In the 62nd minute, David showed great awareness to set up Fabio Miretti, whose composed finish doubled Juve’s lead. Just a minute later, David capped his display by getting on the scoresheet himself, sparking jubilant celebrations that saw the entire Juventus squad, including substitutes and Spalletti, rush to embrace him.
The win kept fourth-placed Juventus level on points with Roma, who also recorded a 2-0 victory away to Lecce. Both sides sit three points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan, although Juventus, Roma and Inter have all played two matches fewer than the teams above them.
Elsewhere, Roma bounced back from weekend disappointment with a composed performance in Lecce. Evan Ferguson opened the scoring in the 14th minute after a clever exchange involving Paulo Dybala, while Artem Dovbyk sealed the win in the 71st minute by tapping in from close range following a corner. Dovbyk later limped off with a leg issue, though Lecce remained 16th in the standings.
In another match, Como strengthened their push toward the Champions League places with a 3-0 win over Pisa. Goals from Máximo Perrone and Anastasios Douvikas put Como in control, while goalkeeper Jean Butez saved a penalty before Douvikas converted from the spot in stoppage time to complete the victory.
