Table-topping Juventus dropped points for the first time this season away at struggling Sassuolo on Saturday. Massimiliano Allegri's side weren't at their dominant best, and were unable to come up with a winning goal after Paul Pogba cancelled out Simone Zaza's early opener.
Sassuolo vs. Juventus: Final score 1-1, Juve held by impressive Sassuolo
Struggling Sassuolo surprisingly held league leaders Juventus to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Sassuolo made a solid start to the match, and managed to peg Juventus back in their own half for the first 10 minutes. However, they couldn't stop the bianconeri creating the first chance of the match when Paul Pogba fizzed a low cross in for Fernando Llorente, though the Spaniard was denied by a fine reaction stop by Andrea Consigli.
Juventus thought they’d managed to break the deadlock on the subsequent corner, though Leonardo Bonucci’s goal was ruled out for offside.
A few seconds of madness ensued, as Sassuolo charged up the end of the field and carved out a chance for Simone Zaza, though Bonucci’s goalline block momentarily kept him from breaking the deadlock. Unfortunately for Juve, they still couldn’t scramble the ball clear, and Zaza hit the target at the second time of asking to give the hosts a stunning lead.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t a lead that lasted long. Just six minutes after the opening goal, a mazy run from Carlos Tevez opened up some space for Paul Pogba on the edge of the penalty area. The Frenchman opened up and curled the ball straight into the top corner, with Consigli powerless to do anything but watch it sail into the net.
As the half wore on, Juve looked increasingly dangerous, with their best chance to take the lead coming five minutes before halftime. Pogba burst straight through the middle of the neroverdi defence, only to be denied from point-blank range when one-on-one with Consigli. Thanks to their goalkeeper, Sassuolo were still level at the break.
You'd have been forgiven for thinking that Juventus would come out and dominate after the restart, but it was Sassuolo that created the better of the second half's early chances. Domenico Berardi curled a free-kick narrowly wide of the post, shortly before defender Luca Antei nodded over Gianluigi Buffon's crossbar from inside the box.
It took Juventus until inside the final 20 minutes before they gave Sassuolo a serious scare, though substitute Kingsley Coman gave the ball away in a great position after some smart assist work from Roberto Pereyra. Five minutes later Tevez burst through on goal, though Consigli was on hand to deny Pogba with an excellent diving save.
As the clock ticked on, Sassuolo sunk deeper and deeper towards their own goal, but their late defensive changes proved sufficient to keep Juve at bay. The draw means the bianconeri are now only a point clear of second-placed side AS Roma, who beat Chievo Verona earlier today.
Sassuolo: Consigli; Acerbi, Cannavaro (Antei 10’), Terranova; Longhi, Missiroli (Taïder 79’), Magnanelli, Vrsaljko; Sansone (Biondini 70’), Zaza, Berardi.
Goals: Zaza (13’).
Juventus: Buffon; Chiellini, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Evra (Marchisio 60’), Pogba, Pirlo (Giovinco 84’), Pereyra, Lichtsteiner; Tevez, Llorente (Coman 66’).
Goals: Pogba (19’).
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