ROME, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Alvaro Morata took center stage on Saturday as the Spaniard bagged a brace and set up another, helping Juventus come from behind to beat Lazio 3-1 in Serie A.
Juve entered the Allianz Stadium with an injury crisis, as it hosted the Biancocelesti without Matthijs de Ligt, Giorgio Chiellini, Rodrigo Bentancur and Paulo Dybala, and with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo only fit for the bench, coach Andrea Pirlo opted for Morata in a three-forward line flanked by Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski.
Lazio started the game aggressively and broke the deadlock in the 13th minute as Kulusevski's wayward pass allowed Joaquin Correa to surge forward before placing a daisy-cutter into the net.
The home side then had a strong penalty appeal as the ball struck Wesley Hoedt's hand in the box, but the referee waved play on.
The Bianconeri got back on level terms in the 38th minute as Adrien Rabiot ran onto Morata's pass to drill home from a tight angle.
Both sides earned a series of chances after the break and Juve turned the game around in the 58th minute as Chiesa won back possession and his through-ball released Morata who fired the ball into the top corner.
The Old Lady sealed the win minutes later, as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic mistimed his tackle on Aaron Ramsey in the box, and Morata stepped up to convert the penalty.
Juve now ranks third with 52 points, one point behind second-placed AC Milan who visit Hellas Verona on Sunday.
Also on Saturday, Udinese conquered Sassuolo 2-0, and Spezia shared the spoils with Benevento 1-1. Enditem