Juventus drew 1-1 with Hellas Verona, missing a crucial opportunity to advance in the Champions League qualification race. The match was particularly disappointing as Verona is already relegated.
Key points
Juventus drew 1-1 with Hellas Verona
The match was played at Juventus' home ground
Hellas Verona is already relegated
Juventus missed a chance to improve Champions League qualification
Luciano Spalletti maintained a 3-4-2-1 formation
JuventusHellas Verona
Juventus 1-1 Hellas Verona: Bianconeri squander golden UCL opportunity
Juventus had the chance to make a large stride in their quest to qualify for the Champions League, but they settled for a draw at home against the already-relegated Hellas Verona.
Juventus dominated the action from the get-go, even though they had to wait until the 16th minute for their first big chance of the match. Conceicao chested down the loose ball and hit the target, but Lorenzo Montipo produced a stellar save.
The hosts had several other chances in succession, but David’s close-range shot was blocked by Victor Nelsson, while Bremer’s header hit the crossbar.
Against the run of play, Verona took the lead in the 34th minute. Bremer failed to properly clear the ball, as his poor pass to Kalulu was intercepted by Dogomoj Bradaric, who swiftly picked up Kieron Bowie with a square ball. The Scottish striker aimed at the near post, and even though he didn’t put too much power behind it, his shot still beat Michele Di Gregorio.
Therefore, the Gialloblu headed to the interval with a shocking one-goal lead.
Dusan Vlahovic salvages a point
Spalletti decided to bring in Dusan Vlahovic straight after the break for Thuram. The substitution paid off, with the Serbian scoring from the free-kick in the 62nd minute. The returning striker managed to bend the ball around the defensive wall to beat Montipo at the far post.
Juventus had another half an hour to find a winner, but they couldn’t break the resolute Verona defenders led by Andrias Edmundsson.
Conceicao came very close on back-to-back occasions, but was denied by Montipo, who also produced an astonishing fingertip save to deny Edon Zhegrova in added-time, diverging the Kosovar’s low drive into the post.
The Old Lady will thus end the weekend in fourth place after wasting the opportunity to leapfrog Milan and widen the gap with Como. Moreover, Roma can place themselves just one point behind Juventus should they beat Fiorentina on Monday, setting up a nervy finale in the race for Champions League spots.
Juventus 1-1 Hellas Verona
Goals : 34′ Bowie (V), 61′ Vlahovic (J)
Juventus (3-4-2-1) : Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly (79′ Koopmeiners); McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram (45′ Vlahovic), Cambiaso (74′ Boga); Conceicao (79′ Zhegrova), Yildiz, David (68′ Miretti).