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Juventus Scrapes Draw Against Venezia, Lacks Champions League Momentum

Juventus Scrapes Draw Against Venezia, Lacks Champions League Momentum


Indeed, the current situation is quite frustrating.

It’s disheartening to witness Juventus dropping points that they clearly should not be losing, especially following their monumental victory against Manchester City in the Champions League, which marked their most significant triumph of the 2024-25 season.

The outcome against Venezia on Saturday night was perplexing, considering Juventus controlled nearly 70 percent of possession, successfully blocked almost half of their opponent’s shots, and restricted Venezia’s passing accuracy to under 85 percent. Despite this dominance, the match’s result was unexpected.

Venezia capitalized on two critical lapses from Juventus in the second half, scoring from both shots on target. Juventus was fortunate to secure a stoppage-time penalty, which resulted from a chaotic moment involving a parry from Filip Stankovic that inadvertently struck a teammate’s arm, allowing them to escape with a 2-2 draw from the Allianz Stadium.

However, it is essential to remember that frustration should not lead to panic at this stage. Given the club’s chaotic injury situation over the past six weeks, this young team is gradually emerging from a phase of survival. Their inexperience sometimes manifests in challenging ways, and having expended significant mental energy against Manchester City, they lack the experience to quickly rebound in subsequent matches.

Earlier in the season, I emphasized the importance of patience as a new Juventus team was forming. This sentiment is even more relevant now as the team navigates through these challenging times.

Nevertheless, the level of frustration remains extremely high.

With Thiago Motta suspended after his dismissal against Bologna, his assistant Alexandre Hugeux took over coaching duties. Nico Gonzalez returned to the bench for the first time since early October, but key players like Andrea Cambiaso, Arkadiusz Milik, and Jonas Rouhi were unavailable. The team maintained its usual 4-2-3-1 formation, anchored by goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. Defenders Nicolò Savona, Federico Gatti, Pierre Kalulu, and Danilo formed the back line, while Khephren Thuram partnered with Weston McKennie in the double pivot. The attacking trio of Timothy Weah, Teun Koopmeiners, and Kenan Yildiz supported Dusan Vlahovic.

Meanwhile, Venezia’s coach Eusebio Di Francesco aimed not only to escape the bottom of the league table but also to gain ground in the safety zone. He opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Stankovic in goal and a back three consisting of Michael Svoboda, Marin Sverko, and Jay Idzes. Wing-backs Francesco Zampano and Mikael Elertsson played crucial roles, while Magnus Andersen teamed up with Hans Nicolussi Caviglia in midfield. Gianluca Busio and Gaetano Oristanio operated behind forward Joel Pohjanpalo.

Both teams quickly engaged in the match, with each winger reaching the byline and delivering crosses within the first minute. However, the early moments were marked by caution. Juventus’s passing appeared sharper and more refined than in previous matches, yet the rapid exchanges occasionally led to lost control and disrupted momentum.

It was perhaps inevitable that Juventus would score from a set piece. A well-placed near-post delivery from Koopmeiners found Thuram, who expertly flicked the ball across goal to an unmarked Gatti, allowing him to finish with ease and give the home side the lead.

They should have doubled their advantage shortly after when a defensive error from Venezia allowed Vlahovic to break through. Although his shooting lane was partially blocked, he attempted to set up Yildiz on his left, but his pass was slightly behind, forcing Yildiz to slow down and allowing the defense to regroup.

This pattern characterized the first half for Juventus — they found themselves in promising positions but failed to capitalize. The silver lining was that Venezia struggled to create opportunities, even after Juventus took the lead. Their closest chance came when Andersen unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, narrowly missing the top of the crossbar.

After halftime, Juventus believed they had stretched their lead. In a play reminiscent of their first goal, Thuram flicked on a corner, allowing Yildiz to leap above Nicolussi and head the ball into the net. However, the celebration was cut short as VAR intervened, informing referee Antonio Giua that the ball had struck Yildiz’s hand prior to the goal, leading to its disallowance.

FBL-ITA-SERIE A-JUVENTUS-VENEZIA


Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

In a bid to extend their lead, Thuram narrowly missed from 25 yards, while Yildiz attempted to make a mark by dribbling into position and surprising Stankovic with a near-post shot, which the goalkeeper successfully parried away.

Juventus maintained control over the rhythm of the play in the second half, making the equalizer from Venezia all the more shocking. Their first real scoring opportunity came when Zampano delivered a cross, which Ellertsson met with a well-timed header that took advantage of a rare defensive lapse from Savona, finding its way past Di Gregorio.

Juventus quickly sought to regain the lead, with Vlahovic receiving a lofted pass from Douglas Luiz and firing from a tight angle. His shot was deflected by Idzes, requiring Stankovic to make an adjustment to tip it over the bar.

Despite looking like the dominant team, Juventus fell behind with just seven minutes remaining. A needless foul by Douglas Luiz on the left flank led to a free kick, which Nicolussi delivered into the box. Idzes narrowly beat Gatti to the ball, flicking it across goal and just past the outstretched hand of Di Gregorio.

In a final attempt to salvage the match, Gonzalez and Manuel Locatelli were introduced as substitutes. Luiz almost made an extraordinary impact with a bicycle kick that flew just past the goalpost.

With less than 90 seconds of stoppage time left, Juventus’s lifeline came when Conceição cut inside and aimed for the far post. Stankovic made a flying save, but his parry struck Antonio Candela as he attempted to clear the rebound. After a brief deliberation, Giua pointed to the penalty spot, much to the dismay of the Venezia players. Despite their efforts to disrupt Vlahovic during the penalty setup, he confidently converted the kick, salvaging a point for Juventus in a match that had turned dire.


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