Massimiliano Allegri Laments Juventus 'Falling for Provocation' After Red Card in 2-1 Sassuolo Win

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has criticised his players for losing focus during their 2-1 win over Sassuolo, but admitted he is pleased to see his team performing well.

After a disappointing first half, Cristiano Ronaldo finally netted his first goals for Juventus as they showed their quality against a spirited Sassuolo side, who threatened to spoil the day as Khouma Babacar netted a late goal for his side. 

However, the real disappointment for Juventus came through Douglas Costa, who was sent off after elbowing and spitting at an opponent.

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Sky Sports Italia asked Allegri about the incident involving the Brazilian, and the manager said: “Maybe he was irritated at a foul before, but it doesn’t matter, because this absolutely must not happen.

"The one thing we must avoid doing is falling for provocation.

"We could have scored a third goal, but instead we started to play as individuals, we tried to dribble past everyone. This wound up the opposition, who then reacted badly and you get to situations like Douglas Costa."

Claudio Villa./GettyImages

In more positive news, Allegri was pleased to see Ronaldo open his account for Juventus. He praised the forward's performance, saying: “You just had to see the first three games and how close Ronaldo went to scoring. 

"Again today, he was a little too hasty and eager to score, but it bounced off the post and right into his path. That unblocked him.”

Ronaldo lined up alongside both Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala for the first time since joining the club from Real Madrid this summer, with Dybala operating behind the two central strikers. 

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When asked about the new system, Allegri said: “Today, even though it was the first time with this system, we did well. Naturally, the full backs have to give more width. Sassuolo fought hard and as they became tired later on, we took full control of the game.”

Allegri must now prepare his side for a trip to Spain, with a Champions League clash with Valencia on the horizon as Juventus look to continue their perfect start to the season.