As FC Barcelona discovered last Wednesday, one does not simply mess with the Juventus defense. On Sunday, Juve hosted lowly Genoa at Juventus Stadium with the opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of Serie A to 11 points before Monday’s meeting between Roma and Pescara.
Their lineup was heavily changed from the starting XI that had held Barcelona to a scoreless Champions League second leg at the Camp Nou, but that didn’t stop Juve from all but securing their sixth straight Scudetto by hammering Genoa 4-0.
Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic were among the goal scorers, but it was central defender Leonardo Bonucci who scored the goal of the match, and perhaps Italy’s goal of the season, when he advanced forward with the ball from his own half.
With the Genoa midfield backing off in anticipation of a pass, Bonucci simply breezed through them and bore down on the backline. He took a couple touches before unleashing an unstoppable drive that the goalkeeper could only watch whistle into the corner.
Take a bow, @bonucci_leo19 #JuveGenoa pic.twitter.com/6ft2EDKC9v
— Serie A News (@TransfersCalcio) April 23, 2017
It’s obvious as to why Antonio Conte wants to be reunited with the player at Chelsea and why Bonucci is apparently at the top of Pep Guardiola’s summer wish list at Manchester City.
But regardless of summer transfer nonsense, Juve’s Champions League semifinal against the all-out attacking style of Monaco is going to be an instant classic.