Juventus suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Udinese on Monday, drawing jeers from the crowd as they departed the field. This setback severely damages their aspirations for the championship.
Following a 1-0 defeat to league frontrunners Internazionale last week, Massimiliano Allegri’s team experienced a more disheartening defeat this time. Inter now stands seven points ahead in the lead, with an extra game to play, following their 4-2 victory against Roma on Sunday night.
Juventus Stumbles as Giannetti Seals Victory for Udinese
Lautaro Giannetti’s goal in the first half was all Udinese needed to secure a crucial win, moving them three points away from the relegation zone. Juventus’ Arkadiusz Milik, back from suspension, had a goal nullified and squandered several prime opportunities to score, contributing to a night of disappointment for Allegri.
Even though Juventus substituted the prolific Dusan Vlahovic for Milik when he was out with a muscle injury, the return of Milik did not have the desired impact. The team showed promise early on, but they let in a goal in the 25th minute, when Giannetti scored his first goal in Serie A in only his second game for Udinese.
The score occurred when Thomas Kristensen deflected Lazar Samardzic’s set piece, resulting in a failed clearing effort by Alex Sandro that culminated with Giannetti netting from short distance. Giannetti, a new transfer from Vélez Sarsfield with an unremarkable goal tally, left a considerable impression in this game.
Juve’s Missed Opportunities and Disallowed Goal
Milik squandered an excellent opportunity to level the score when he inadequately delivered a shot, propelling it markedly off target from an extremely short distance. The Polish forward similarly aimed a header directly to Udinese’s goalie, Maduka Okoye, moments before the break. Boos met Juve as they departed the field at halftime, and their luck hardly enhanced subsequently.
In the 58th minute, Juventus thought they had scored when Milik capitalized on Adrien Rabiot’s header from a corner, only for the goal to be disallowed due to Federico Chiesa’s initial cross going out of play. Udinese effectively maintained a solid defensive stance, thwarting any attempts by Juve to breach their goal, leaving no path through Okoye.
Allegri Focuses on Champions League Qualification After Recent Setbacks
Following a loss to Inter at San Siro, Allegri highlighted the necessity for Juventus to aim for a top-four finish—a sentiment he reiterated after their latest defeat. Allegri pointed out to Sky that Juventus’s squad, comprising many players lacking championship-winning experience, must emerge stronger from this adversity. Despite securing only one point from the last three games and feeling disappointed, he emphasized the importance of staying composed to achieve the crucial goal of qualifying for the Champions League. Allegri stressed that dwelling on nervousness or regrets is futile, advocating instead for focused work.
Athletic Bilbao’s Stalemate at Almería Dampens Champions League Aspirations
Athletic Bilbao’s aspirations for securing a spot in the Champions League were notably jeopardized following a goalless standoff with Almería, despite the latter being reduced to 10 players for a significant duration of the latter half.
With Atlético Madrid out injured and leading scorer Gorka Guruzeta and dynamic winger Nico Williams out with injury, Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic struggled to break through Atlético Madrid’s defense and move up to fourth place.
Although failing to achieve a league victory throughout the campaign, Almería succeeded in garnering their seventh point of the term, remaining steadfast even subsequent to flanker Largie Ramazani’s ejection in the 53rd minute due to accumulating a pair of cautionary cards. Raul García almost altered the match’s trajectory, striking the woodwork following a cross from Ander Herrera.
Athletic’s Óscar de Marcos expressed disappointment post-match, highlighting the team’s dominance in possession but frustration at the lack of significant scoring opportunities, summarizing the draw as unsatisfactory given the circumstances.
