Cuadrado strike sees Juventus past Sampdoria
Juventus put the brakes on Sampdoria's Serie A resurgence with a straightforward 1-0 win at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Monday (AEDT) despite losing Paulo Dybala to injury.
Sampdoria was unbeaten in seven when the champion arrived in Genova, but Juan Cuadrado's first-half goal gave Massimiliano Allegri's men an early lead that they protected for 83 minutes without being unduly troubled by the host.
Dybala broke down just before the half-hour mark with an apparent thigh injury and Allegri did not hesitate to replace the influential forward, who could miss Argentina's forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia depending on the extent of the problem.
Juve will use the international break to prepare for a hectic month in April, when it faces Napoli in Serie A and the Coppa Italia, as well as Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, and Allegri will hope the confident, resolute approach seen on Monday is still in evidence by then.
Samp coach Marco Giampaolo saw his side offer up a spirited display, but the clinical manner in which the game was effectively won inside the opening 10 minutes showed the gulf in class between the two sides.
