Randal Kolo Muani continued his strong start in Italy, helping Juventus secure a 4-1 win over 10-man Empoli with two goals in the second half. This defeat marked Empoli’s eighth consecutive match without a win in Serie A.
Former Juventus player Mattia De Sciglio shocked the Allianz Stadium with his first league goal in three years, heading in a corner from Liam Henderson that left him completely unmarked at the far post. This early setback left Juventus looking worried, as they hadn’t won any of their last 13 league matches when conceding first, with their last win in such situations coming in January 2024 against US Salernitana. Empoli nearly doubled their advantage when goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio collided with Youssef Maleh in the penalty area, but a handball in the build-up led to the penalty claim being overturned.
As the game went on, Juventus started to take control. Nicolás González forced Empoli keeper Devis Vásquez into a fingertip save from an acrobatic shot, and Timothy Weah and Kenan Yildiz both came close to scoring. Despite their increasing pressure, Empoli held onto their lead at half-time, leaving Juventus with work to do to end their two-game losing streak.
Juventus didn’t disappoint their fans, with Kolo Muani taking centre stage by scoring twice within minutes after the hour mark. First, he capitalised on a mistake by De Sciglio, sprinting down the left and firing a powerful shot past Vásquez. A few minutes later, he benefited from a lucky deflection off Weah’s close-range shot that found the back of the net, leaving the goalkeeper powerless. Kolo Muani’s quick-fire goals seemed to crush Empoli’s spirit, and things got worse for them when Maleh was sent off with a second yellow card in the 84th minute.
Juventus sealed the win when Dušan Vlahović struck an unstoppable shot from outside the box into the roof of the net. Francisco Conceição then made it 4-1 with a composed finish after a clever pass from Khephren Thuram. Empoli now face their fourth straight away defeat, and their struggles leave them just one point above the relegation zone. On the other hand, Juventus bounced back from their first defeat of the season to SSC Napoli, maintaining their unbeaten record at home this campaign with this comeback win.
