Juventus travelled to Ferencvaros on Matchday 3 of the Champions League, comfortably winning the game 4-1 to bounce back to winning ways in Europe.
Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala were on target as Juventus completed a 4-1 rout away to Ferencvaros. Juventus picked up their second win of the campaign as they embark their journey to oust Barcelona from the top spot in Group G.
Morata opened the scoring in the 7th minute, tapping in from a simple Juan Cuadrado cross. Juventus then continued to be wasteful for the remainder of the first half as the first half finished 1-0. This was something highlighted by Pirlo in his post-match press conference. Pirlo criticised the decision making of his players in the final third and labelled them as egotistical.
FT | ⏱ | IT’S A BIG THREE POINTS IN BUDAPEST! ???#FerencvarosJuve #JuveUCL #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/OacDMnFbfO
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) November 4, 2020
The second half saw Juventus put in a much-improved performance as Morata grabbed his second goal, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo assist and Weston McKennie dummy run. But, it was Paulo Dybala who capitalised on Ferencvaros’s carelessness and scored two late goals, although the second was ruled as an own goal.
Ferencvaros put in a last push in the 90th minute as substitute Franck Boli grabbed a late consolation goal from close range. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Andrea Pirlo’s men.
Wojciech Szczesny: 6/10
Szczesny did not have a busy outing between the sticks. The Polish goalkeeper made 2 saves on the night but could do very little when Boli scored the consolation. Szczesny made the first save but Boli capitalised on the rebound with the defenders ball watching.
Juan Cuadrado: 7/10
Cuadrado had an impressive game, bombing up the right flank with tenacity. He even created the first goal with a low cross for Morata to tap in. With Ramsey playing a lot more centrally, it was Cuadrado’s responsibility to provide Juventus width on the right side, and he did so with aplomb. He caused all sorts of problems to Ferencvaros full-back Botka who ended the night with a yellow card, and eventually a substitution.
Leonardo Bonucci: 7
Bonucci has started all but one game for Juventus this season and by the end of the game, those minutes started to show. Last-minute shakiness aside, Bonucci had a fantastic game. Ferencvaros were a brave side who were not afraid to attack Juventus, and Bonucci was key in keeping them at bay. He finished the game with a passing accuracy of 93% and completed 105 passes.
Giorgio Chiellini: 6/`0
The captain for the night, Chiellini made his return from injury to the team, making his first start in the Champions League. Chiellini, despite looking a little shaky, was his dependable self. He was almost as good on the ball as Bonucci and also completed 4 interceptions. Apart from losing the ball a few times, Chiellini had a good comeback.
Danilo: 5/10
Danilo did not have the best of games at the back for Juventus. The Brazilian was caught ball watching when Ferencvaros got their consolation goal on the rebound. Apart from the incident, Danilo was uninspired – he did not complete a single cross and was wasteful in possession.
Aaron Ramsey: 7/10
Ramsey returned to the side and looked lively, drifting in, creating space for Cuadrado on the right wing but also providing width himself at times. He combined well with both Cuadrado and Ronaldo, orchestrating several moves only to not get finished. Ramsey was unfortunate to pick up a muscle injury in the second half and get subbed off for the young McKennie.
Arthur Melo: 6/10
Arthur had an off-night for the Bianconeri, but Pirlo addressed the performance after the game and clarified that Arthur was not feeling well on the pitch. Pirlo explained that the staff was about to substitute him in the 20th minute, but the Brazilian insisted on finishing the first half. Arthur finished the half with 36 passes at a success rate of 97%; he only lost the ball twice.
Adrien Rabiot: 7/10
Rabiot returned to the first team after being benched in the last game and exceeded expectations. With Bentancur or Arthur in a more advanced role, Rabiot was instructed to play the role of a destroyer, which he did with aplomb. Rabiot won 8 out of 10 ground duels, the highest on the pitch. He also passed the ball at an accuracy of 90%.
Rabiot stats vs Ferencvaros
▪90% Passes accuracy
▪8/10 Ground duels won
▪5/7 Tackles succeed
▪4 Recoveries
▪1 InterceptionSolid in the midfield. pic.twitter.com/No36Jiml92
— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuveEN) November 4, 2020
Federico Chiesa: 8
Chiesa has been one of the brightest players for Juventus this season, and he justified the hype yet again. Chiesa was seen tormenting Ferencvaros from the left side, completing 2 dribbles and crosses each. His movement was extremely intelligent and he arguably should have got a goal in the first half – Ronaldo set him up in the box, but Chiesa could only find a green shirt, with the keeper caught out as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 7/10
Ronaldo made his first start in the Champions League this season but the Portuguese was unable to find the back of the net. After a terrific brace on the weekend, expectations were high for Ronaldo to score. Despite his inability to find the back of the net, Ronaldo did impact the game in different ways.
Like after missing a clear chance in the second half, Ronaldo squared the ball from the same situation next time and Morata was able to double their lead. Ronaldo played 2 key passes and also had 2 shots on target. All in all, everyone would just be glad to see him return.
Morata ➡️ Ronaldo ➡️ Morata ➡️ Ronaldo ➡️ DENIED ⛔️
Surely Morata has to shoot from there? ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/qzLdEZ1o5X
— Goal (@goal) November 4, 2020
Alvaro Morata: 9/10
After a couple of difficult years with Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, Morata has finally found his place and shooting boots. He has been in scintillating form for the Bianconeri this season and scored his second brace of the season in the Champions League. It’s funny to imagine that Morata could have had 7 goals if it were not for the offside flag.
Morata: “When I came back here that I felt like a more complete player. I matured as a person by going through the good & bad moments in my career. It was a learning experience. The motivation I want in my football is the same as any person needs in life, to feel wanted & loved.” pic.twitter.com/tkGY4ZC8pu
— Khaled Al Nouss (@khaledalnouss1) November 5, 2020
Morata scored two goals versus Ferencvaros. The first came with a clever late run into the box, and the second was a fine finish into the top right corner of the goal. Morata could have had more goals on the night or even an assist, but it was a fantastic performance by the Spaniard.
SUBSTITUTES
Paulo Dybala: 8/10
Paulo Dybala grabbed his first goal of the season and forced an own goal on a night where he looked full of confidence. Dybala has been sort of an enigma this season with inconsistent performances. He has not been at full fitness and had not convinced Pirlo of his abilities.
In recent times, however, Dybala seems to have got more minutes under his belt and has been able to influence the game more. The Argentine attempted an ambitious chip shot right after his introduction and that seemed symbolic of what Dybala is all about in the foreseeable future.
?? and to celebrate, can I have a brace today? ? https://t.co/zdd1WAG1kW
— Paulo Dybala (@PauDybala_JR) November 4, 2020
Weston McKennie: 6/10
Came on for Ramsey, but apart from his clever dummy run, McKennie failed to make much of an impact.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 6/10
Bentancur came on for Arthur at the cusp of half time and got things under control. He was more influential in the attacking phase and pulled the strings very well. One of the most promising midfielders in the Juventus camp, Bentancur had another fine game.
Federico Bernardeschi: 5/10
Came on for the lively Chiesa, but was unable to replicate the intent shown by him. His movement was sluggish and he barely got involved in the game.
Gianluca Frabotta: 5/10
Frabotta made his Champions League debut versus Ferencvaros but he seemed to be very nervous. In the 15 minutes he got, Frabotta lost the ball 4 times.
