Juventus defeats Lecce, challenges Milan for third place
Juventus climbed to third place temporarily after their 1-0 victory over Lecce on Saturday in the 36th round of the Italian Serie A.
Juventus now has 68 points, two points behind second-placed Napoli and one ahead of fourth-placed Milan, who will face Atalanta in the same round.
Meanwhile, Lecce remains on 32 points in 17th place, four points clear of Cremonese (18th), the first relegation spot, with two rounds remaining.
Serbian Dusan Vlahovic scored the only goal of the match for Juventus in the first minute, just 12 seconds after receiving a cross from Andrea Cambiasso on the right wing. He skillfully controlled the ball amidst the Lecce defense and slotted it into the net. Juventus continued their pressure after scoring the opening goal, while Lecce sat back to protect their goal from conceding an early second that could complicate matters.
Vlahovic spearheaded Juventus' attacks, alongside Portuguese winger Francisco Conceição on the right and Turkish winger Kenan Yıldız on the left, searching for a second goal, but they were unable to find the net, and the first half ended with Juventus leading 1-0.
In the second half, the team continued their efforts to breach the net of their hosts, who posed no real threat to goalkeeper Michele De Gregorio.
Juventus' Pierre Kalulu scored another goal, but it was disallowed for offside in the 58th minute. They continued to press Lecce's goal, but goalkeeper Vladimiro Falcon made several crucial saves.
Juventus managed the remainder of the match in their favor, and the referee blew the final whistle, securing the victory.