LECCE, Italy (Reuters) -Juventus earned a 1-0 victory at Lecce with a late goal by halftime substitute Nicolo Fagioli on Saturday as Massimiliano Allegri’s side took their third consecutive win in Serie A.
The 21-year-old Juve youth product Fagioli secured the win after 73 minutes when his curled shot from the edge of the box bounced in off the post for his first league goal.
Juventus moved up two places to sixth on 22 points, one ahead of Udinese, who visit bottom side Cremonese on Sunday, and Inter Milan before they host Sampdoria later on Saturday.
“The important thing was to win because we were coming from a bad defeat against Benfica,” Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri told DAZN after they lost 4-3 in Lisbon on Tuesday to exit the Champions League at the group stage.
“In football, as in life, you always fall down and get back up. The important thing is to have courage – everything can’t always go right or wrong. (But) you have to be reckless and have a healthy madness when things go wrong.
“We managed to switch from the Champions League to the championship, I just have to thank (the boys) for what they did.
“Responses are crucial… It was since March last year that we hadn’t won three games in a row, (and) tonight was definitely not easy.”
After a dull first half with no threat to either goal, Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot came close to nodding in a corner from Filip Kostic just before halftime but goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone dived full-stretch to deny him.
Three minutes into the second half Falcone kept out a header by defender Federico Gatti from Juan Cuadrado’s free kick.
Allegri’s Juve side could have taken the lead in the 53rd minute but a back-heel from close range by striker Arkadiusz Milik was saved by the diving Falcone.
The Poland forward had another chance in the 64th when he struck from the edge of the box but was again denied by the in-form Lecce goalkeeper.
Fagioli struck the winner seven minutes later from an assist by fellow substitute Samuel Iling-Junior who had just come on.
Lecce came close to levelling the scores just before the final whistle but midfielder Morten Hjulmand struck the post.
Juventus, who will focus on sealing a place in the Europa League when they host Paris St Germain on Wednesday after their Champions League exit, host Inter in Serie A next Sunday.
Lecce, who remain 17th on eight points from 12 games, travel to Udinese on Friday.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; editing by Clare Fallon and Ken Ferris)
