Juventus secures a victory against Roma in a Serie A match, thanks to Adrien Rabiot’s winning goal.

Adrien Rabiot of Juventus celebrated with his teammate Dusan Vlahovic after scoring the first goal of the match against AS Roma in the Serie A TIM clash on December 30, 2023, in Turin. It was a hard-fought victory for Juve, as they secured a narrow win to close the gap on the Serie A frontrunners to just one point.

Neither team was able to dominate the match, with very few clear-cut chances for either side throughout the 90 minutes. Jose Mourinho’s struggling Roma side started the game brightly, determined to disrupt the rhythm of the title challengers. They effectively nullified Juve’s attacking threat, denying them space on the wings and forcing them to play through the middle.

Vlahovic was the standout performer for Juventus, but he failed to test the goalkeeper on the few occasions he had the chance to create opportunities. Both teams defended resolutely, and neither goalkeeper was truly threatened in the first half.

The second half could have mirrored the first if not for Juve’s increased intensity. They came out of the tunnel with a higher gear, creating an early chance for Yildiz that was blocked by Bove. Moments later, Vlahovic and Rabiot combined to set up the latter with a perfect opportunity inside the box, which he duly converted.

Despite being a goal down, Mourinho’s side lacked urgency and failed to mount a significant comeback. Juventus were content to sit back and invite Roma’s attacks, while effectively neutralizing Romelu Lukaku. The away side struggled to create chances, and Juve remained confident that their solitary goal would be enough to secure the victory.

And indeed it was, as a convincing and inspired performance from Juve kept the pressure on Inter as they headed into 2024.