Juventus beat Lecce 2-0 as Douglas Luiz revival sparks climb up Serie A table

Juventus beat Lecce to climb the Serie A table

Juventus revived their Serie A campaign with a 2-0 victory over Lecce, a result the Italian press framed as the beginning of a fightback under coach Lucio.

Douglas Luiz and Weston McKennie did the damage inside the opening 41 minutes, settling a controlled first half for the Bianconeri. La Gazzetta dello Sport hailed Douglas Luiz for lighting up Juve, while Tuttosport described the Brazilian as returning “as a protagonist and seals the victory along with McKennie, resurrecting … the supporters.”

The win lifted Juventus to 14 points and seventh place, according to Corriere dello Sport, with Tuttosport noting they are back on level points in sixth with Frosinone, who claimed a sensational 4-4 draw against Atalanta.

“We need to give more.” — Juventus coach Lucio, in Corriere dello Sport

Lucio stressed the significance of the result despite a threadbare squad: “We win for those who have this club in their hearts.” Juventus were missing nine players through injury and suspension yet kept things simple against a Lecce side managed by DiFra.

On the performance, Lucio was candid about the two halves: “A serious first-half performance, but we went backwards in the second.” He also pointed to the tactical setup: “We don’t concede goals on the counter attack in a 3-5-2, I hope to get some sleep now, but I’ll be wide awake again if I think about the second half.”

The forwards Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani did not make an impact, but Juventus focused on the basics and avoided any nonsense, as Tuttosport put it. Attention now turns to a test at the Stadio Marassi on Wednesday.