Juventus moved on from their first Serie A loss in two seasons in the best way possible as they crushed Pescara 6-1 with a Fabio Quagliarella hat trick on Saturday.
Arturo Vidal and Quagliarella put Juventus in front, before Emmanuel Cascione pulled one back for Pescara shortly after Juan Quintero hit the post.
However, a sensational overhead kick from Kwadwo Asamoah and goals from Sebastian Giovinco and Quagliarella gave Juventus a healthy halftime lead.
Quagliarella completed his hat trick eight minutes into the second half with an overhead kick to give Pescara goalkeeper Mattia Perin a 20th birthday to forget.
It was Pescara’s worst home defeat in the top flight.
Serie A leaders Juventus were four points clear of Inter Milan, who were to play Atalanta yesterday.
Earlier, Cagliari were held to a goalless draw at home by Catania.
After falling 3-1 to Inter to end their 49-match unbeaten run, Juventus beat Danish side Nordsjaelland 4-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Teenage striker Paul Pogba, who has been in great form of late, was dropped for the visit to Pescara as punishment for turning up late to training twice.
The last time Pescara met Juventus, they won 5-1, in 1993. However, they knew a similar result would be near impossible.
Juventus signaled their intent in the opening seconds with a fierce shot from Giovinco from the edge of the area that Perin did well to keep out.
The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute, when Giovinco swiveled on the edge of the area and slotted the ball through for Vidal to smash into the far left corner.
Quagliarella almost doubled Juve’s lead seconds later with an effort that flew narrowly wide. He did score in the 22nd, after he gathered Mauricio Isla’s pass and carved out some space before unleashing an angled effort across into the bottom left corner.
Pescara hit the post moments later through a ferocious free-kick from Quintero, who fainted in training during the week.
The home side grabbed one back in the 25th. Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon got a hand to Cascione’s diving header, but could only touch it onto his right post and in.
Juventus restored their two-goal advantage with a stunning goal. Under pressure from two Pescara players, Quagliarella managed to get the ball to Asamoah with a backheel flick and the Ghana midfielder acrobatically turned it in with an overhead kick.
Quagliarella was again the provider when he set up Giovinco to volley in a fourth.
Pescara thought it got a second three minutes from halftime, but Claudio Marchisio hooked Cascione’s header off the line.
Quagliarella extended Juve’s lead on the stroke of halftime. It is the first time Juve have scored five goals in the first half of a Serie A match since 1947.
Quagliarella completed his first top-flight hat trick eight minutes into the second half with another spectacular overhead strike from Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick.
Pescara coach Giovanni Stroppa was sent to the stands for dissent in the 73rd minute after calling for a penalty for Simone Padoin’s challenge on Vladimir Weiss.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS