Juventus gets back to winning ways with a lot of help from the post

MILAN (AP) — Juventus got back to winning ways but needed a lot of help from the post.

The Bianconeri won 2-0 at Udinese following an own-goal from home goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and Nicolò Savona’s strike, with the ball bouncing off the right post immediately before both goals.

It was only Juve’s second win in six matches in all competitions and lifted it up to third, ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures. It was four points behind Serie A leader Napoli, which hosts fourth-place Atalanta on Sunday.

Udinese slipped to eighth after it was leapfrogged by AC Milan, which won 1-0 at Monza.

Only two points separated Udinese and Juventus coming into the match.

Juventus took the lead in the 20th minute with a wonderful piece of play from Khéphren Thuram, who ran into the box and nutmegged a defender before taking a shot from a tight angle. The ball bounced off the inside of the far right post and in off the back of Okoye.

It would have been a first goal in Italy for Thuram, the younger brother of Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram.

Udinese had a number of chances to level before Juventus doubled its lead in the 37th.

The same post had a part to play again as Kenan Yildiz’s finish was deflected off almost exactly the same spot and Savona fired in the rebound.

Udinese thought it had got back into the match early in the second half but Keinan Davis’ effort was ruled out immediately as he had pushed Juventus defender Federico Gatti, causing him to crash into goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio.

Rafael Leão was on the bench again and Milan managed a narrow win as it prepares for a tough trip to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Leão was brought on in the 63rd minute and immediately created a great opportunity but he then fired it well wide.

By that point Milan was already 1-0 up after breaking the deadlock shortly before halftime. Christian Pulisic whipped in a cross from the right and Álvaro Morata's header came off a Monza defender but Tijjani Reijnders nodded in the rebound.

Bologna welcomed back club captain Lewis Ferguson 203 days after his anterior cruciate ligament injury and the midfielder helped the team to its first home victory since even before he was sidelined.

There was a standing ovation when Ferguson was brought on in the 82nd minute and again when he first touched the ball moments later. There were also banners in the stands welcoming him back.

And Ferguson was involved in the only goal of the match to help Bologna beat Lecce 1-0 and get its first home win in seven months. He spread the play down the left, where the cross came in for Riccardo Orsolini’s header into the far bottom corner with five minutes remaining.

Ferguson, who was key to Bologna’s impressive campaign last season, needed surgery after injuring his knee playing against Monza on April 13, ruling the Scotland midfielder also out of the European Championship.

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Bologna's head coach Vincenzo Italiano shouts on the touchline during the Serie A soccer match between Bologna and Lecce, at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Saturday Nov. 2, 2024. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini scores his team's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Bologna and Lecce, at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Saturday Nov. 2, 2024. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini celebrates victory after the Serie A soccer match between Bologna and Lecce, at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Saturday Nov. 2, 2024. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

AC Milan's Alvaro Morata, left, in action during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Monza and AC Milan at U-Power Stadium in Monza, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 2 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders celebrates scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Monza and AC Milan at U-Power Stadium in Monza, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders scores their side's first goal of the game during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Monza and AC Milan at U-Power Stadium in Monza, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 2 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Udinese's Florian Thauvin controls the ball during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Juventus at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Khephren Thuram, left, fights for the ball with Udinese's Keinan Davis during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Juventus at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s health minister has been removed from his post, government officials told The Associated Press on Thursday, following a deadly gang attack on the largest public hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The two government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said Health Minister Duckenson Lorthe will be replaced by Justice Minister Patrick Pelissier until a new health minister is found.

Two journalists and a police officer were killed Tuesday as gang members burst into the General Hospital and fired indiscriminately at reporters who were there to cover the facility's reopening.

It was one of the worst attacks on Haitian media in recent memory. Seven other journalists were injured.

Jean Frans Regala, a photographer who survived, said journalists had been invited to the hospital by the health ministry but there was little security at the site.

“The fact that the minister of health invited us, you feel that preparations have been made already,” Regala told the AP. “When we made contact with a police unit, the police told us they were not aware of the event."

The health minister did not show up at the event, for reasons that have not been explained.

On Tuesday, Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of the Viv Ansanm group of gangs that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack.

The video said the gang coalition had not authorized the hospital’s reopening.

Gang violence has worsened in Haiti since the nation’s president was killed in a 2021 coup attempt. Gangs are believed to control 85% of the capital and earlier this year staged attacks on the main airport and the country's two largest prisons.

The Caribbean country has struggled to organize an election that will restore democratic rule, and is currently governed by a transitional council made up of representatives of political parties, business groups and civil society organizations.

A wounded journalist talks on the phone after being shot by armed gangs at the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean Feguens Regala)

A wounded security officer looks on after being shot by armed gangs at the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean Feguens Regala)