Juventus climbed into Serie A’s Champions League places on Saturday after a dominant 2-0 victory over AC Milan, while leaders Napoli prepare for a critical clash with title rivals Atalanta.
Goals in five second-half minutes from Samuel Mbangula and Timothy Weah secured the win in Turin, lifting Juve to fourth, a point ahead of Lazio, who face Verona on Sunday.
The victory ended a streak of three successive draws for Juve, marking their eighth win in 21 Serie A matches this season. Manager Thiago Motta praised his team, saying, “The boys are growing and working hard every day… today’s win is the reward.”
AC Milan remain eighth, six points adrift of the top four, but hold a game in hand against Bologna, postponed in October due to flooding. Despite their struggles, Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan remained defiant: “Nothing is over as long as there are games to play.”
Milan had their chances early, with Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao coming close, but Juve dominated after the break. Mbangula’s deflected strike broke the deadlock in the 59th minute, and substitute Weah sealed the victory with a historic goal 25 years after his father, George Weah, scored for Milan against Juve.
Elsewhere, Bologna continued their resurgence with a 3-1 win over Monza, moving up to sixth. Napoli, on a five-match winning streak, face Atalanta later as the title race heats up.