Juventus under Igor Tudor is more willing than Juventus under Thiago Motta, and this impression was confirmed again in the game in Rome. Even though they ultimately couldn’t hold on to a 1-0 lead. A golden hand intervened.
In his debut on the Juventus bench (1-0 win against Genoa), Igor Tudor had even helped out with his nimble hands. Now, the first test was coming up for him and his players: the away game at Roma, who have been on a roll for months.
On this 31st matchday of the Serie A, the team of veteran coach Claudio Ranieri welcomed the Old Lady to the Stadio Olimpico for a clash that would decide which of the two teams would finish the season higher in Europe. The Romans had not lost in 14 consecutive league games, including the most recent 1-0 win over Lecce, and had bagged seven straight wins while conceding just one goal.
In this home game at the Stadio Olimpico, however, the Romans had to pay tribute to the new pace of the Turin team. The Bianconeri pushed hard, built up pressure and sometimes didn’t even let the home side cross the halfway line.
Twice aluminum, one goal
Vlahovic, blocked by Hummels, also had a dangerous approach (16th minute). Just like Gonzalez. The former Stuttgart player’s header was saved by AS keeper Svilar, who managed to push the ball onto the crossbar (27th). Vlahovic also tested the capital city side’s goalkeeper (33rd minute), but in the 40th minute, he finally had nothing to report. Here, Locatelli thundered the ball suddenly from long range into the bottom left corner – for a well-deserved 1-0 lead for Juventus.
But the truth of this first section also meant that the Romans found themselves in the meantime and made this top game more open and entertaining. Cristante also had a very good opportunity, but he was just blocked by Kalulu after a great pass from Dovbyk (25th). El Shaarawy also headed a shot against the left post (37).
Ranieri replaces Hummels – and it’s 1-0
The second 45 minutes began with loud support from the stands, with Roma dominating. Chances and finishes included: Shomurodov, brought on at half-time for Hummels, who stayed in the dressing room and will retire in the summer, immediately created danger. However, he was initially blocked by the very attentive Kalulu, who was often on hand to save the day that evening (49′).
But in the same minute, the Giallorossi managed to equalize: after a powerful Ndicka header and Di Gregorio save, the Uzbek was lurking in the right place and slammed the ball into the net with the help of the underside of the crossbar to make it 1-1 (49′). El Shaarawy (52nd) and Dovbyk (60th) subsequently failed to score the 2-1. On the other side, McKennie also missed from a tight angle in a duel with Svilar (62nd) and Yildiz with a shot deflected by Manu Koné past the goal (72nd).
In the final phase, fear of a defensive mistake prevailed in both troops. So not much was risked and the draw was accepted. A 1-1 draw that didn’t really help either team in the standings, but at the same time confirmed the positive trends of both. Juventus under coach Tudor has also taken the right path, as have Roma under Ranieri, who is now on a run of 15 league games without defeat.
