Kenan Yildiz handed Luciano Spalletti his first home victory as Juventus manager after scoring a decisive brace in Saturday’s 2–1 win over Cagliari in Serie A.
The Turkish forward struck the winner in first-half stoppage time, finishing a swift break with a composed effort inside the area. The goal — his fifth of the season — came after he drew Juventus level in the 27th minute with a deflected shot, moments after Sebastiano Esposito had put Cagliari ahead.
“Yildiz has the qualities of a great player; he gave us the win out of nothing,” Spalletti said. “I’m trying to give him as much freedom as possible and free him from tactical burdens. He’s exceptional in tight spaces.”
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The win lifts Juventus to seventh place on 23 points, four behind leaders Roma, who face third-placed Napoli on Sunday. Yildiz had also come off the bench in midweek to inspire Juve’s 3–2 Champions League win at Bodo/Glimt — their first in the competition this season.
Spalletti is anticipating an emotional return to Naples next weekend for one of Italy’s fiercest fixtures, but he may be without striker Dusan Vlahovic, who limped off with a suspected thigh injury in the first half.
“I don’t have a good feeling about it,” Spalletti admitted. “We tried to rest him at Bodo, but it hasn’t made a difference.”
Second-placed AC Milan, level with Napoli on 25 points, can go top temporarily with a win over Lazio later on Saturday.
