Juventus marched on in their pursuit of a fifth consecutive Serie A title on Sunday night in an enthralling 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Florence.
Alvaro Morata scored what eventually turned out to be the winning goal, as the Spaniard responded to Nikola Kalinic’s equaliser within minutes to restore the Bianconeri’s lead.
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That simply doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the game though, with Fiorentina left infuriated by officiating in the first half with Federico Bernardeschi wrongly having a goal ruled out for offside while Marcos Alonso should have had a penalty after being dragged to the ground by Daniele Rugani.
Nevertheless, their protests fell on deaf ears as Mandzukic gave the away side the lead after some brilliant build-up play was matched with a stunning finish from the Croatian international.
It appeared as though Juve were set to drop points as Kalinic bagged a stunning goal of his own, but Morata’s effort swung momentum back in Massimiliano Allegri’s side’s favour.
However, the drama wasn’t done there as Fiorentina were awarded a late penalty after Juan Cuadrado fouled Kalinic, but the Croatian striker couldn’t double his tally on the night with an inspired Gianluigi Buffon producing this superb double save to preserve his side’s lead.
The 38-year-old has been pivotal in Juve’s success this year despite his advanced years, as he certainly continues to silence his critics and show the class that ultimately sets him apart from the rest.
Ahead of Napoli’s clash with Roma on Monday, Juve move 12 points clear of their Scudetto rivals although it is fairly evident that the title race is over with just four games remaining for the Partenopei.
On the basis of their form since October, it is highly unlikely that Juve will slip up in their remaining fixtures, assuming Napoli win in Rome, and they certainly deserve their success for the incredible effort they’ve produced to turn their season around.