Juventus threw away a 2-0 lead against Lazio on a night where Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala bid their goodbyes.
Juventus made a real hash of their final home game of the season, throwing away a 2-0 lead against Lazio to share the spoils on the night. Dusan Vlahovic put the Bianconeri ahead in the tenth minute before Alvaro Morata gave them a two-goal cushion in the 36th minute.
It was a melancholic night in Turin as the club bid goodbye to two first-team stars. Club legend Giorgio Chiellini brought an end to his 17-year-stay at the club by being subbed off to raucous applause in the 17th minute. While the gesture made for a great narrative, Juventus could have used the veteran in the second half of the game.
Paulo Dybala also bid goodbye to the Turin faithful and received an excellent reception at being taken off in the 78th minute. By then, the home side had already started being generous to Lazio. Alex Sandro put the ball into his own net in the 51st minute to hand the visitors hope.
FT | ⌛️ | The points are shared in our final home fixture ?#JuveLazio #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/BOcdiFMTDJ
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 16, 2022
Lazio, to their credit, kept pushing and appeared to draw level courtesy of Felipe Anderson in stoppage time. But the strike was chalked off, much to Juventus’s relief. Maurizio Sarri’s men did not throw the towel in and kept fighting. Their efforts paid off when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored with the last kick of the game to stun the Allianz Stadium. Few can say that it was not deserved.
The draw, if anything, was a perfect encapsulation of Juventus’s season – good in bursts but clueless otherwise and ultimately ending up short. Massimiliano Allegri has much work to do in the off-season, and it remains to be seen how he goes about resurrecting the fallen giant. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Juventus players fared on the night.
Mattia Perin: 6/10
The Italian was handed a rare start in Serie A and was largely dependable. While he failed to keep a clean sheet, there is little to no ammo one can use against Perin. He also did very well to stop Toma Basic in stoppage time, only for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to convert the rebound.
Alex Sandro: 5/10
The Brazilian was turned inside out by Felipe Anderson several times during the night and failed to get a grip on his actions. He was unable to react on time to Patric’s flick from Danilo Cataldi’s corner and saw the ball agonisingly fall into his own net. The own goal more or less surmised Sandro’s performance on the night.
Giorgio Chiellini: N/A
The club legend brought an end to his very distinguished spell at Juventus by being substituted off in the 17th minute. It was an ode worthy of his standing in the club’s annals and richly deserved. If anything, Juventus’s late collapse was also a tribute to the defensive solidity that Chiellini brought to their ranks.
Semplicemente GRAZIE! ⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/edZvAx7ozR
— Giorgio Chiellini (@chiellini) May 16, 2022
Leandro Bonucci: 5/10
It was not the veteran defender’s finest game. Moments of authority and exemplary reading of the game were intermixed with sloppy decision making and poor usage of the ball when in possession.
Juan Cuadrado: 5/10
The Colombian struggled against Mattia Zaccagni and was caught out of position several times. He provided the assist for Alvaro Morata’s goal but offered precious little going forward. He was also rather fortunate to escape with a warning for a rather rash tackle on Zaccagni.
Manuel Locatelli: 6/10
Locatelli’s first start since his return from injury was well-timed, and he formed an excellent partnership with Miretti in the middle of the park. He was often forced to drop deep thanks to Lazio’s high press, but he did well to play the ball out under pressure. The link-up with Miretti is something Juventus will do well to keep an eye on.
Fabio Miretti: 7/10
Juventus appear to have a gem of a player in the young Italian. Miretti was always eager for the ball and displayed his passing ability with little effort. If he develops as expected, Juventus could very well have their midfield playmaker’s spot sorted for a decade or more.
Alvaro Morata: 6/10
It remains to be seen if this is Morata’s last game at the Allianz Stadium as a Juventus player. He hit the right notes all night and doubled the home side’s lead with a well-taken effort in the first half. He cannot be faulted for a lack of effort and did his best to chase down every pass.
Paulo Dybala: 6/10
The Argentine started off well and appeared eager to impress the Juventus fans in his farewell appearance at the Allianz Stadium. He did well in the first half but gradually faded as the game went on. Dybala was taken off in the second half to a standing ovation. Where his future lies remains to be seen.
68 – Paulo #Dybala has scored the most goals at the Allianz stadium in Torino in all competitions (68 goals). Joya.#JuveLazio #JuventusLazio pic.twitter.com/8LXfVbz5w7
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) May 16, 2022
Federico Bernardeschi: 6/10
Bernardeschi’s performance was nothing bad but nothing great either. The experienced winger did his best to carve our opportunities but struggled to deliver the end product. Federico Chiesa cannot return to action soon enough for Juventus.
Dusan Vlahovic: 6/10
Vlahovic looked tired and out of sorts. The Serb opened the scoring on the night with a clinical finish but contributed little else otherwise. With the season drawing to a close, he can look forward to a well-earned rest.
51 – Dusan #Vlahovic has scored 51 goals in Serie A, a joint-record for a Serbian player in the competition, alongside Dejan Stankovic. Eagle.#JuveLazio #JuventusLazio
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) May 16, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Matthijs de Ligt: 5/10
If coming on for Chiellini was set to touch upon a changing of the guard, it missed the point. Matthijs de Ligt appeared nervy on the night and failed to show authority at the back. He will hope to take a more proactive role next season as one of the club’s senior centre-backs.
Marley Ake: 5/10
Ake did well to kick-start a Juventus attack after nicking the ball off Lazio. Unfortunately, Moise Kean failed to hit the target and Ake’s efforts went unrewarded. It was a promising performance by the youngster on the night.
Moise Kean: 5/10
Kean replaced a jaded Vlahovic and even had an opportunity to score his side’s third of the night. Unfortunately, he failed to hit the target and saw the effort go inches wide.
Luca Pellegrini: 5/10
Pellegrini replaced Morata and offered more security on the left flank. However, it was not his best night, and he struggled to cope with Lazio’s forward forays.
Martin Palumbo: N/A
A largely muted appearance with nothing to write home about.
