Juventus 2 Torino 1: Cuadrado wins derby at the death

Juan Cuadrado settled a pulsating Turin derby with a 93rd-minute winner as Juventus defeated Torino 2-1 on Saturday. 

Substitute Cuadrado, on loan from Chelsea, slid in to convert Alex Sandro’s cross deep into stoppage time after Cesare Bovo looked to have earned the visitors a share of the spoils when he cancelled out Paul Pogba’s stunning opener. 

Pogba fired Juve into a 19th-minute lead to celebrate his 100th Serie A appearance in some style with a glorious half-volley. Six minutes after the break, Bovo’s free-kick hit his own man, but the rebound fell nicely and the defender thumped it beyond Gianluigi Buffon.

Fabio Quagliarella missed two good chances for Torino against his old club and Leonardo Bonucci was denied by the crossbar in the 90th minute. Buffon also made a string of late saves in a frantic finale before Cuadrado popped up to open his Juve account.

The only downside for Massimiliano Allegri’s men, who bounced back from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Sassuolo to claim a victory that leaves them 10th, came when they lost Germany midfielder Sami Khedira to a calf injury early on. 

Cuadrado replaced Khedira and Allegri switched from 4-3-1-2 to 4-3-3.

The first action came after 17 minutes when Pogba had an effort from 25 yards, but Daniele Padelli made a comfortable save.

Quagliarella then hit the side netting with a volley, but the champions took the lead on the break seconds later.

Paulo Dybala and Cuadrado combined and the ball sat up ideally for Pogba. The France international let fly from distance again and this time his connection on the half-volley was perfect, the ball fizzing in off the bar with Padelli given no chance.

Pogba was rampant and Bovo and Afriyie Acquah were both booked for trying to stop the same driving run by the powerful midfielder.

Quagliarella went close again on the half hour, but the 32-year-old shot wide of Buffon’s left-hand post from a good position under pressure from Bonucci.

A deep cross caused chaos in the Juve box three minutes before half-time, but the hosts survived with Maxi Lopez seeing two shots blocked.

Torino, now winless in five matches, equalised six minutes into the second half. Bovo’s free-kick was blocked in the wall by a team-mate, but he hammered the loose ball into the top corner.

The visitors were on top and Buffon brilliantly tipped over Kamil Glik’s bullet header after 57 minutes.

After a period of Juve possession, Dybala’s shot deflected just wide following a flowing team move, before a corner bounced off Pogba and went just beyond the far post.

Buffon then had to be alert to keep out a firm drive from long range by Giuseppe Vives before reacting well to stop a deflected strike from Davide Zappacosta and saving again from Kamil Glik, holding the Poland defender’s header right on the line.

The woodwork denied Juve as Bonucci almost clinched the win with a header, Padelli saving from Claudio Marchisio in the resulting melee.

Juve threw men forward and were rewarded when Alex Sandro found room on the left, his low cross beat Padelli and left Cuadrado with a tap-in from a yard out.