Igor Tudor began his tenure as Juventus manager with a narrow 1-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Saturday, March 29th, thanks to a first-half solo goal from Kenan Yıldız. The win, though unconvincing, provides a much-needed three points for Juventus in their pursuit of a Champions League place.
Tudor, appointed last Sunday to replace the sacked Thiago Motta, made immediate tactical changes, switching to a three-man defence and restoring Dusan Vlahović to the starting lineup. “We have to start strong and do well, get a result. We have to win,” Tudor stated before kickoff.
Despite Juventus starting brightly, Genoa created the early chances. Morten Frendrup tested the Juventus goalkeeper [Note: likely Perin or Szczesny, not Di Gregorio as stated in the source text] with a volley and later had a weaker effort saved. After Teun Koopmeiners missed a chance for Juventus, Yıldız broke the deadlock in the 25th minute. The 19-year-old Turkish forward embarked on a driving run from outside the area, evaded a defender, and finished powerfully from a narrow angle past Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali.
Neither side created significant opportunities for the remainder of the first half. Shortly after the break, Genoa’s Andrea Pinamonti volleyed narrowly wide. Juventus struggled to create clear openings to extend their lead, with Timothy Weah seeing a late shot saved by Leali in stoppage time.
The victory moves Juventus back to within one point of fourth-placed Bologna, who won 1-0 at Venezia earlier on Saturday. Juventus sit fifth with 55 points, while Genoa remain 12th with 35 points.3 The win provides a positive, albeit nervy, start for Tudor as he aims to guide Juventus back into the Champions League spots following recent poor results and cup eliminations under Motta.
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