MILAN (AP) — Jonathan David repaid coach Luciano Spalletti's faith in him with a goal and an assist to help Juventus to a 3-0 win at Sassuolo in Serie A on Tuesday.
That saw fourth-place Juventus remain level on points with Roma after the capital side won 2-0 at relegation-threatened Lecce. Juventus and Roma are three points below Serie A leader Inter Milan, although all three of the teams above them have played two matches fewer.
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Juventus' head coach Luciano Spalletti smiles ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Jonathan David battles for the ball with Sassuolo's Nemanja Matic, left, and Tarik Muharemovic during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Como's Maximo Perrone scores his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Pisa and Como in Pisa, Italy, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2026 (Alessandro La Rocca/LaPresse via AP)
Como's Maximo Perrone, right, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Pisa and Como in Pisa, Italy, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2026 (Alessandro La Rocca/ LaPresse/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Evan Ferguson, back to camera, celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Roma, in Lecce, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini shouts instructions during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Roma, in Lecce, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)
Lecce's Tiago Gabriel, botto, challenges Roma's Paulo Dybala during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Roma, in Lecce, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)
David had come under fire after his penalty was saved in Saturday's 1-1 draw at home with Lecce.
However, he kept his place in the starting lineup and was crucial in securing the result in the second half after an own goal from Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic was the only thing to separate the sides at the break.
David set up Fabio Miretti for Juve's second, in the 62nd minute, and the Canada forward got on the scoresheet himself a minute later. The whole squad rushed over to celebrate with David, including those off the bench and Spalletti.
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini had been left fuming by refereeing decisions in Saturday’s loss to his former team Atalanta.
But Roma rebounded in Lecce and took the lead in the 14th minute with a well-worked move, that ended with Evan Ferguson controlling Paulo Dybala’s disguised pass and drilling into the bottom left corner.
Roma doubled its lead in the 71st as a corner came through to Niccolò Pisilli, whose angled drive was tapped in by Artem Dovbyk from close range.
Dovbyk limped off late on after pulling up clutching the back of his leg.
Lecce remained 16th.
Como broke down a resolute Pisa in the second half to win 3-0 and remain just three points off the Champions League spots.
Máximo Perrone broke the deadlock in the 68th and Anastasios Douvikas doubled Como’s lead eight minutes later before Jean Butez saved M’Bala Nzola’s penalty to prevent Pisa from getting back into the match.
Douvikas was more successful from the penalty spot in stoppage time to wrap up the match for Como.
Pisa was three points from safety.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Juventus' head coach Luciano Spalletti smiles ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Jonathan David battles for the ball with Sassuolo's Nemanja Matic, left, and Tarik Muharemovic during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Como's Maximo Perrone scores his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Pisa and Como in Pisa, Italy, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2026 (Alessandro La Rocca/LaPresse via AP)
Como's Maximo Perrone, right, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Pisa and Como in Pisa, Italy, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2026 (Alessandro La Rocca/ LaPresse/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Evan Ferguson, back to camera, celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Roma, in Lecce, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini shouts instructions during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Roma, in Lecce, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)
Lecce's Tiago Gabriel, botto, challenges Roma's Paulo Dybala during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Roma, in Lecce, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)
DALLAS (AP) — Vice President JD Vance took the stage Thursday on the second and final night of the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas, imploring voters to send a message this November that the country “does not belong to the radicals” by preventing Democrats from taking control of Congress.
Republicans know that history is not on their side this election season, but they’re counting on President Donald Trump to propel voters to protect their House and Senate majorities.
“We got to send a message this November,” Vance said. “This country was handed down to us by our parents and their parents before them. We received this national birthright, and we are going to fight for it by electing Republicans this November.”
With Vance taking the primetime speaking slot just ahead of the president, the convention is also teeing up a potential post-Trump future. Vance has not said whether he will run for the White House, and Trump has yet to name an heir apparent, but the crowd roared “JD! JD!” when he stepped to the microphone.
“It is pretty cool to hear a crowd that is this fired up chant your name, so go ahead and do it again,” Vance said, and the audience obliged.
Republicans are rallying their voters in the midterms while some are also thinking about the next presidential election two years away.
“We’ve got a deep bench,” said Bruce Johnston, 62, who drove 29 hours with his son from Delaware to be in Dallas. “I mean you’ve got a lot of good candidates. I’d pick any of those for the primary. And we’ll get a good one.”
His son, Anthony, 33, said he believes Vance is being groomed as Trump's successor.
“No one’s Trump,” he said. “But I like him a lot.”
More immediately, however, Republicans face a potential reckoning this fall.
They are struggling to bolster enthusiasm for congressional candidates and laboring to overcome voters’ concerns about the economy and the war with Iran. While many Republicans skipped the confab at American Airlines Center, others still see solidarity with Trump as their best shot at winning, despite the president’s low approval rating.
Republicans have spent two consecutive nights denouncing Democrats as extremists, and Trump capped Wednesday by making the outlandish promise of $5,000 to each American adult if his party wins. Such a proposal could cost more than $1 trillion and was roundly panned by budget experts — and even some Republicans in the president's party.
House Democrats, in Texas for a second day of counterprogramming, blasted the Republicans’ convention as an opulent spectacle for an out-of-touch president.
“As Donald Trump and JD Vance party away for two days, the average American family can’t afford the groceries,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “Donald Trump does not care about the average American family or about affordability.”
Protesters chanting “say it loud, say it clear, Donald Trump’s not welcome here” marched down streets, but were stopped by police from getting too close to the site.
Vance’s keynote offered hints about his political aspirations, as he spoke about his own family, his wife, Usha, who recently gave birth to their third child, and his vision for the country, which closely aligns with Trump’s.
When a protester with a Mexican flag interrupted his speech, Vance won an extended uproar of approval with his response.
“Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a— over there. I’ll buy you a plane ticket,” he said.
The vice president, who also serves as the Republican National Committee’s finance chair, raised $2 million for the party earlier Thursday at a fundraiser in Dallas, according to a person familiar with the event who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump is also deploying his cash in key midterm races. No Going Back PAC Inc., which, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, is connected to Trump’s MAGA Inc., has reserved more than $68 million for advertising. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the funding arrangement.
The second night of the convention showcased some of the most electorally endangered Republicans in Congress and those challenging Democrats in tough races, as well as another potential presidential hopeful: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who railed against liberal Democrats.
Coming on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the evening solemnly marked that moment. It also produced a video tribute to Charlie Kirk, who co-founded the conservative group Turning Point USA. He was assassinated one year ago.
“His voice has only grown louder,” said Lucas Miles, a pastor and vice president at Turning Point. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., drew chants of “USA!” as he honored Kirk and criticized Democrats.
At one point, Rep. Mike Lawler, who is fighting to win reelection in New York, appeared on stage with the family of Sheridan Gorman, who presented a “buddy bench” for Congress to sit together. She was fatally shot in Chicago and officials have charged a man they say was illegally in the country.
In a lighter moment, Marty O’Donnell, a composer who is challenging a House Democrat in Nevada, got the crowd to sing along to the earworm jingle he wrote for Flintstones vitamins.
The night's themes delved into what House Speaker Mike Johnson calls the “Contrast for America,” as Republicans showcased what they call their “Big Beautiful Bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts, and warned of a bleak future if Democrats take control.
The campaign slogan is a throwback to another Republican leader, Newt Gingrich, who offered a Contract with America. This time, rather than presenting a detailed list of priorities, Republicans are quick to portray all Democrats as in line with their most liberal candidates, some backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and focused on investigating the Trump administration.
"It truly is a contrast between common sense and crazy," Johnson said. "We cannot and we will not allow them to take the majority in Congress."
With the Republican majorities in the House and Senate both at risk this fall, the president’s agenda for his final two years in office is also at stake. The margins in Congress are expected to be narrow, with a few seats in a shrunken map of competitive races determining the outcome.
Presidents past have acknowledged their midterm losses — Barack Obama called his 2010 setbacks a “shellacking,” George W. Bush labeled his a “thumping.”
But Trump often refuses to accept defeat, including his false claims that he, rather than Joe Biden, won the 2020 election. One of the many people he pardoned for their actions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, former Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, appeared at the convention.
Trump on Wednesday predicted that “the great American majority is going to stand up and continue to Make America Great Again. And we will make our voices heard, perhaps like never before.”
Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Thomas Beaumont and Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Will Weissert, Steven Sloan, and Aamer Madhani in Washington, JJ Cooper in Phoenix, Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump greets Vice President JD Vance at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
With Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in rear right, Tom Gordon kisses his daughter Madelon next to his wife Jessica at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Medal of Honor recipients Don Jenkins, left, and Donald Ballard, stand with Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., third from right, as victims and first responders from Sept. 11 are honored at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., right, sits on a bench with Jessica Gorman and joined by her husband Tom and daughter Madelon at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Mark LaMoncha speaks, as seen on a video screen, at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the Republican convention, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The honor guards leaves the stage after victims and first responders from the Sept. 11 attacks are honored at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Attendees cheer at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Attendees wave flags during Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana, speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., left, greets House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waves after speaking at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A shirt with the likeness of Charlie Kirk is displayed for sale at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
An attendee wears a hat with a Charlie Kirk pin at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk stands for an applaud as President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Post it notes are placed behind a memorial for Charlie Kirk at the "Creators Deck" for the media, at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Attendees wave signs at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Donald Trump Jr. speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La.,, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, with others, attend the Republican convention, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Vice President JD Vance arrives on the stage at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Vice President JD Vance listens as President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S Vice President JD Vance participates in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity during the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Eric Lee/Pool via AP)
Supporters of Laurie Buckhout, North Carolina U.S. House candidate, cheer at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas, as Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., listens. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Supporters of Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick attend the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Marty O'Donnell, candidate for the U.S. House in Nevada, speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Laura Loomer talks to people at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Greg Cunningham, candidate for the U.S. House in New Mexico, speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People fill the arena at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People attend the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A video featuring Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., plays at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump gestures as he finishes his speech at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People listen as President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Vice President JD Vance greets the crowd during the Republican National Midterm Convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Eric Lee/Pool photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
