COMO: Randal Kolo Muani converted an 89th minute penalty to earn Juventus a 2-1 win away to Como on Friday, with the French forward scoring both goals for the visitors, to make it five goals in his first three Serie A games.

After ramming home Juve’s 34th-minute opener from a tight angle Kolo Muani was cool from the penalty spot with a minute remaining after Federico Gatti was clattered by Como goalkeeper Jean Butez.

The win took Thiago Motta’s side to fourth in the standings on 43 points, one ahead of Fiorentina, who play Inter Milan on Monday, and Lazio who take on Monza on Sunday. Como remain 15th on 22 points.

“I’m very happy to score again,” said Kolo Muani, who has kept Dusan Vlahovic out of the starting side since his arrival from Paris St Germain on loan. “We played very good as a team.”

Kolo Muani became the first player since Roberto Baggio in 1990 to score in his first three Serie A matches for Juve when he drove forward into the area, skipped past his marker before rifling his shot to the roof of the net from a tight angle.

But another winter window signing levelled the scores for the hosts on the stroke of half-time when Assane Diao headed in Patrick Cutrone’s pinpoint cross.

The rest of the game offered little in the way of entertainment or goalmouth action until Butez fouled Gatti when a free kick was floated into the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Kolo Muani stepped up and coolly sent Butez the wrong way.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2025