Juventus warmed up for a crucial UEFA Champions League date at Bayern Munich with a precious 1-0 win over US Sassuolo that saw veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and striker Paulo Dybala shine.
The win moved Juventus six points clear of Serie A rivals SSC Napoli ahead of their trip to US Citta di Palermo today, keeping the Old Lady unbeaten for 19 games and recording a new league record of 10 consecutive clean sheets.
Days before seeing their Champions League fate decided, Buffon and Dybala reached milestones.
Photo: EPA
However, although Dybala’s 14th goal of the season saw him overtake his previous best of 13 last season with Palermo, it paled in comparison with Buffon’s achievement.
If Juve are marching confidently toward equaling their 1935 record of five consecutive titles, much of it is down to the 38-year-old Italy veteran, who has kept a clean sheet for 10 games to put another career-defining record within his grasp.
Already considered one of the world’s greatest-ever goalkeepers, Buffon’s status in his native Italy was cemented with a performance that saw him overtake the legendary Dino Zoff’s 903-minute unbeaten tally in the league at the 67th minute mark.
Buffon is now unbeaten in Serie A for 926 minutes of soccer, and is just four minutes away from overtaking Sebastiano Rossi’s all-time record of 929 minutes for AC Milan in 1994.
On-loan Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado provided a superb assist for Dybala’s 36th-minute winner.
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