Yildiz inspires Juventus to comeback win over Cagliari
Juventus claimed a 2-1 win over Cagliari after a Kenan Yildiz double turned the match on its head and stopped the hosts slipping further behind the Serie A pacesetters.
Sebastiano Esposito gave Cagliari the lead after 26 minutes, tucking the ball home from close range after a low ball from the byline found him unmarked, with the Juventus defence reacting a fraction too late to block the effort.
But Yildiz refused to let the visitors enjoy their advantage for long.
Barely a minute later, he levelled the match by bending a low shot from the edge of the box into the far corner.
Juve had seized the momentum, but its rhythm briefly stalled when forward Dusan Vlahovic saw a powerful effort saved and hurt himself in the process, hobbling off to be substituted.
In first-half stoppage-time, Weston McKennie's clever back-heel went to Pierre Kalulu, who found Yildiz at the edge of the area.
With two deft touches, the Turkish forward slipped between two defenders and guided a precise finish into the far corner.
After the break, the intensity remained but both sides dug in defensively. Cagliari pushed hard but faced growing frustration as it found it difficult to find a way back with an equaliser and Juventus held on to secure the points.
The victory brings some relief for Juve after two league draws, putting it in seventh place on 23 points. It is four points behind leader AS Roma, which hosts third-placed Napoli on 25 points on Monday (AEDT).
Cagliari is 14th with 11 points.
