Juventus 1-1 Hellas Verona: Bianconeri squander golden UCL opportunity
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 starting lineup Luciano Spalletti kept his 3-4-2-1 formation almost intact, with the only exception being Kenan Yildiz, who returned to the starting lineup at the expense of Jeremie Boga. The Turkish joined Francisco Conceicao and Jonathan David in the attacking trident, while Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso operated as wing-backs.
In the middle of the park, Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli combined with Khephren Thuram, while Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, and Lloyd Kelly started at the back. Verona stun the Allianz Stadium 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.