Juventus delivered a statement 3-0 victory over Napoli, dealing a catastrophic blow to their title defense. Goals from Jonathan David, rising star Kenan Yildiz, and a late rocket from Filip Kostic ensured a miserable return for Antonio Conte to his former stomping ground.
While Jonathan David opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a clinical finish from a Manuel Locatelli flick, the night belonged to Kenan Yildiz. The Turkish international doubled the lead in the 77th minute, coolly slotting home a pass from Fabio Miretti just seconds after the latter had entered the pitch.
By finding the net, Yildiz achieved a rare feat, becoming only the fifth Juventus player in the three-points-for-a-win era to score in both Serie A matches against Napoli in a single season, joining legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Alessandro Del Piero.
Antonio Conte’s side arrived in Turin severely depleted. With Kevin De Bruyne, David Neres, and Billy Gilmour already sidelined, the pre-match loss of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to a muscle injury proved insurmountable.
Despite flashes of threat from Rasmus Hojlund and Antonio Vergara, Napoli struggled to test Michele Di Gregorio, finishing the match with an expected goals (xG) of just 0.73 compared to Juventus’s 1.09.
Both sides must quickly turn their attention to Europe. On Wednesday:
Juventus travels to the Mediterranean to face Monaco.
Napoli hosts Chelsea, setting up another emotional reunion for Conte with one of his former clubs.
