This was meant to be the night of Alex Del Piero. The Juventus captain returned to the starting lineup for the first time in a month and bagged a brace in the first half. But then the home side got sloppy, and Catania made them pay, first with a goal by Alejandro Gómez, and then with an equalizer by Francesco Lodi in the last play of the match. The draw ends Juventus's hope of Champions League play (although it seems as though nearly every week has brought the same statement) but it gives Catania a bit more breathing room, as they're now two points clear of the relegation zone above Sampdoria and Lecce.
Juventus Vs. Catania: Catania Pull Off A Draw With Last Kick Of The Match
Del Piero began the scoring by converting a penalty, a soft one given as a result of an elbow to Felipe Melo's face inside the area. Mariano Andújar dove the wrong way as the ball went low and to the right, giving Juventus the early lead on 19 minutes. The goal that followed, the second for Del Piero, was much more entertaining. After Miloš Krasić and Alessandro Matri exchanged a series of passes up the right hand flank, Krasić sent the ball across the face of goal. Matías Silvestre, desperate to clear, caused the ball to bounce toward Del Piero, running full steam toward goal. The ball ricocheted off Del Piero's chest and into the net before he even noticed what was happening.
But then Juventus went to sleep. Gigi Delneri, apparently thinking he had the game in the bag, replaced Matri with Luca Toni, and put on Simone Pepe for Del Piero. Pepe couldn't finish, nor could Krasić, which came back to haunt the Old Lady at the end of the match. With less than ten minutes to go, Gonzalo Bergessio put in a cross to Gómez, who easily put the ball in the back of the net.
Had that been all, however, Juventus would have made it out with all three points. However, it was yet another odd refereeing decision that led to the Catania equalizer. The whistle was blown for a Felipe Melo handball, although it was obvious the player hadn’t moved his arm. The resulting free kick, taken by Lodi, settled into the bottom left corner. That was the last play of the match, allowing Catania to rescue a draw.
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