Juventus were left to rue a crucial late penalty miss from Manuel Locatelli as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sassuolo at the Allianz Stadium, a result that leaves them unable to climb into the Serie A top four.
Juve made a bright start and broke the deadlock inside the opening quarter-hour. Mattia Perin’s long kick found Francisco Conceicao, who drove down the right and laid off for Kenan Yildiz to guide a composed first-time finish into the bottom corner. Conceicao continued to be a threat throughout the half, and Pierre Kalulu went close to doubling the lead before the break but could not direct his shot on target.
Sassuolo improved after half-time and levelled seven minutes after the restart. Andrea Pinamonti showed sharp movement to get in front of Gleison Bremer and poke home Domenico Berardi’s low delivery into the box.
Juventus pushed hard for a winner and were given the perfect opportunity four minutes from time when Jay Idzes was penalised for handball in the area. Locatelli stepped up but Arijanet Muric guessed correctly, holding a tame effort to deny what would have been a third consecutive league win for the hosts.
The dropped points mean Juventus cannot leapfrog Como into fourth place, with the two clubs still to meet this weekend. Sassuolo, despite earning a creditable point, remain 11th in the table. Their record of just one win in nine away games against sides ranked above them going into each matchday highlights why a push for European football looks unlikely at this stage
Leave Your Comment Here