Juventus 4-1 Empoli: Kolo Muani shines as Juve cruise to comfortable victory

Juventus climbed into the Serie A top four with a commanding 4-1 comeback victory over Empoli, as new signing Randal Kolo Muani delivered a quick-fire brace to inspire the home side at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday. The win marked a crucial turnaround for Juventus, who had been struggling with just one victory in their previous eight matches across all competitions.

Empoli took a shock early lead in the fourth minute, when Mattia De Sciglio, on loan from Juventus, headed home from a Liam Henderson corner. The visitors had a golden opportunity to double their advantage when they were awarded a penalty in the 15th minute following Michele Di Gregorio's challenge on Youssef Maleh. However, after a VAR review confirmed a handball in the buildup, the referee overturned the decision, keeping the scoreline at 1-0.

Juventus, struggling to create clear chances in the first half, registered just one shot on target before the break. However, they shifted gears in the second half, with Empoli goalkeeper Devis Vasquez forced into crucial saves against Nicolas Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners.

Kolo Muani, who joined Juventus on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last month, delivered the equalizer on the hour mark, calmly slotting the ball into the near post after a well-placed long pass from Koopmeiners. Just three minutes later, he put Juve in front in fortuitous fashion, as a long-range effort from Timothy Weah deflected off the French striker and found the bottom corner.

The 26-year-old has now netted three goals in just two matches for Juventus, making an immediate impact. As Empoli pushed forward in search of an equalizer, Juventus punished them on the counter, with Dusan Vlahovic firing in a powerful strike under the bar in the 90th minute, before Francisco Conceicao sealed the win in stoppage time, finishing brilliantly after a long ball from Khephren Thuram.

Empoli’s hopes of staging a late fightback were dashed when Maleh received a second yellow card in the 84th minute, reducing them to 10 men.

With this victory, Juventus moved up to fourth place in Serie A with 40 points, overtaking Lazio, who play Cagliari on Monday. Meanwhile, Empoli remain 17th, just one point above the relegation zone.

Up next, Juventus will travel to face 15th-placed Como on Friday, while Empoli host AC Milan on Saturday, hoping to avoid slipping into the relegation places.

SportsLigue