Moise Kean fired Juventus into third place in Serie A with two goals against Lazio as the 2022/23 campaign paused for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and became our Player of the Week for Matchday 15.
The Biancocelesti were two points ahead of their rivals from Turin when the sides met at the Juventus Stadium on Sunday night, but a double from the Italian international and a late goal from Arkadiusz Milik brushed the Romans aside.
Crucial Kean
With the Bianconeri chasing down a Champions League qualification place and still hopeful to challenge for the Scudetto, the 22-year-old striker has stepped up in recent weeks to help spearhead that charge, scoring in two consecutive Serie A games for the first time since April 2019.
Just before half-time in Turin, the ex-Everton frontman raced on to a lofted ball from Adrien Rabiot and, although taking a poor touch initially, showed great instinct to loft the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper Ivan Provedel to give Juventus the lead.
Kean was quick to add to that strike on 54 minutes, to take his goal-scoring tally to four goals in his last four league outings, when sweeping the ball into an empty net, after Provedel had failed to hold a Filip Kostic shot. That brought the youngster his first Serie A double since March 2019, versus Udinese, and saw Lazio conceded more than one goal away from Rome in the league since facing the Old Lady last May.
Defence the key for the Bianconeri
Defensive solidity has been crucial in Juventus’ recent good form, having now kept clean sheets in each of their last six Serie A matches. Coach Massimiliano Allegri in charge when they last achieved that feat in December 2018.
However, more importantly, since losing 2-0 to AC Milan at San Siro, the Bianconeri have won each of those six games to rise up the league standings and now sit just two points from the Rossoneri in second place.
