Tudor's toss leads to a goal in successful debut as Juventus coach

ROME (AP) — New Juventus coach Igor Tudor had a direct role in the Bianconeri's first goal since he replaced the fired Thiago Motta.

Tudor was quick to gather a ball on the sideline and toss it to Teun Koopmeiners for a throw-in that bounced off Dusan Vlahovic and into the path of Kenan Yildiz. He dribbled through the defense before scoring from a tight angle midway through the first half.

“It just happened," Tudor said. "It wasn't something we practiced.”

The goal ended up being decisive in a 1-0 win against Genoa during Tudor's debut in Serie A on Saturday.

The result was a sharp turnaround from 4-0 and 3-0 losses in Juventus’ two previous matches, which led to Motta's firing.

The Bianconeri conceded only one decent chance to a Genoa team coached by former Juventus player Patrick Vieira — an acrobatic effort from Andrea Pinamonti at the start of the second half that barely missed the target.

Juventus then nearly doubled the lead with a series of chances in the final minutes.

“I’m very satisfied, because Genoa is a serious squad that is doing well, and they run,” Tudor said. “We’ve had two or three training sessions and there’s been some enthusiasm, but you don’t get over a period like that in two or three days. We need to get over it by working hard.”

Juventus remained fifth, one point behind Bologna, which won at Venezia 1-0 earlier for its fifth straight victory with a second-half volley from Riccardo Orsolini.

Vlahovic and Yildiz, who both struggled under Motta, were given more responsibility by Tudor and immediately repaid the new coach.

A negative note for Juventus was an apparent injury to key defender Federico Gatti during the first half.

Roma won at Lecce 1-0 with a late strike from Artem Dovbyk for its seventh consecutive victory. The Giallorossi also extended their unbeaten run to 14 matches and moved up to sixth place — one point ahead of city rival Lazio.

Dovbyk combined his strength and dribbling skills to create the space to get his winning shot off.

Dovbyk also scored in Roma’s 1-0 win over Cagliari in the club’s previous match before the international break.

Police in Lecce intervened to avoid clashes between rival fans.

Como and Empoli drew 1-1.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

AS Roma's head coach Claudio Ranieri gives instructions during the Serie A soccer match between US Lecce and AS Roma at the Via del Mare Stadium in Lecce, Italy, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)

AS Roma's Artem Dovbyk, front, celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during a Serie A soccer match against US Lecce and at the Via del Mare Stadium in Lecce, Italy, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)

Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini, second from right, celebrates after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Bologna at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)

Bologna's Jens Odgaard jumps for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Bologna at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Kenan Yildiz scores their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday March 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Genoa's head coach Patrick Vieira gestures, during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday March 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' head coach Igor Tudor gestures, during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday March 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Kenan Yildiz celebrates after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday March 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' head coach Igor Tudor gestures, during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Saturday March 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)