Filip Kostic was the standout performer for Juventus, who played out a hotly-contested 2-2 draw with Salernitana at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Juventus surprisingly looked off the boil in the early exchanges, with Salernitana looking more dangerous in the game’s opening quarter. And the visitors grabbed a deserved lead in the 18th minute when Antonio Candreva was at hand to convert Pasquale Mazzocchi’s low cross after the 27-year-old had robbed the ball off Juan Cuadrado.
But Juventus started growing into the game gradually and though they had equalised through Dusan Vlahovic, only for the offside flag to deny the Serbian striker. And Salernitana duly pounced at the stroke of half-time, as Krzysztof Piatek scored from the spot after Gleison Bremer had handled his initial shot, with VAR intervening to award the Garnets the penalty.
Juventus came out of the break looking more purposeful, and they pulled a goal back through Bremer, who made up for his mistake in the first half by emphatically nodding in Filip Kostic’s pinpoint cross five minutes into the second half. Juventus continued dominating the proceedings after that but had to wait until injury time to get back on level terms.
Tonny Vilhena brought Alex Sandro down inside the box before Leonardo Bonucci stepped up to take the spot-kick. But Luigi Sepe saved his penalty before the Juventus captain bundled in the rebound. However, there was time for more drama, as Arkadiusz Milik headed in from a corner to seemingly seal the three points for Juventus.
FT | ⌛️ | If finishes all square at the Allianz.#JuveSalernitana #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/4AAm4ZpgGI
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 11, 2022
But VAR and referee Matteo Marcenaro combined to rule the goal out after deeming Bonucci, who had been in an offside position, to be interfering with the play. And Marcenaro also sent off Milik, Cuadrado and Federico Fazio, in addition to Massimiliano Allegri in the aftermath of the controversial strike. The result has left Juventus four points behind Serie A leaders Napoli, and The Hard Tackle runs the rule over Allegri’s charges.
Mattia Perin: 5/10
While Perin could not have done much to keep out either Antonio Candreva or Krzysztof Piatek’s goals, the Italian goalkeeper should have done better to command his box. He made a few solid stops, but he has to do more to keep Wojciech Szczesny out of the team regularly.
Juan Cuadrado: 5/10
Cuadrado was one of Juventus’s chief creators against Salernitana and played a game-high four key passes. But the veteran Colombian was a liability at the back and gave the ball away to Pasquale Mazzocchi in the build-up to the opening Salernitana goal. And he should have known better instead of indulging in the late bust-up that resulted in his dismissal.
Leonardo Bonucci: 6.5/10
Bonucci brought Juventus back on level terms after slotting in from the rebound of his saved penalty in injury time. But the decision to rule him offside for the late goal that was not to be for Juventus was inexplicable. Apart from those two moments, the Juventus captain did not look troubled against the Salernitana strikers and held his own at the back.
Gleison Bremer: 6.5/10
? in it with Bremer ⚽️?#JuveSalernitana #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/tqVjCGr2cc
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) September 11, 2022
Bremer went from zero to hero on Sunday as he atoned for his mistake with aplomb. The Brazilian defender gave away the penalty that Piatek converted to double Salernitana’s advantage at the stroke of half-time before. But he made up for that error by heading in Filip Kostic’s cross early in the second period. Otherwise, he was solid at the back and helped build play from the defensive third.
Mattia De Sciglio: 5/10
De Sciglio produced a poor performance on Sunday, starting with his failure to track Candreva for Salernitana’s opener. While his long balls opened play nicely, he struggled at the back and created nothing for his teammates. The left-back slot is the Achilles Heel for Juventus if Kostic continues as the left-winger.
Weston McKennie: 5/10
The game on Sunday was McKennie’s chance to show Allegri that he can be a first-choice option for Juventus in the middle of the park. Alas, the USMNT international was wasteful in possession and brought nothing to the table against Salernitana. He needs to do better while he gets his opportunities.
Leandro Paredes: 7/10
Paredes was one of the few outright positives for Juventus against Salernitana, with the Argentine international pulling the strings as the deep-lying playmaker. The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder helped Juventus control the proceedings, for the most part, completing all but two of his attempted passes and even creating a couple of openings. He has quickly become an asset for Allegri.
Fabio Miretti: 6/10
Miretti looked to push Juventus forward whenever he had the ball at his feet, but he struggled in his battle with Giulio Maggiore in the middle of the park. Nonetheless, the Italian midfielder was a bright spark for Juventus for much of the opening hour before fading shortly before his substitution.
Filip Kostic: 8/10
Kostic was the standout performer for Juventus as he constantly looked to make things happen and picked up the tempo after the break. The Serb created the chance for Bremer’s goal, playing three key passes. If he now manages to get into scoring positions, he will become a pivotal figure for Juventus. His substitution made no sense whatsoever.
Dusan Vlahovic: 5/10
Vlahovic endured a frustrating game as he struggled to get into decent scoring positions as often as he would have liked. And while he did well to hold off three defenders to find the back of the net in the first half, he had strayed offside before receiving the ball. He needs to be more consistent for Juventus to flourish this season.
Moise Kean: 5/10
Kean had a game to forget as he was anonymous for the most part apart from the pass to Vlahovic for the goal that did not stand due to offside. It was hardly surprising that Allegri took him off at the break for Arkadiusz Milik.
SUBSTITUTES
Arkadiusz Milik: 5/10
Milik was influential off the bench at the interval, as he pushed Juventus forward with purpose. And his ghosting runs also brought his teammates into the game. The Polish striker also seemed to have sealed the points for his team deep into injury time before VAR intervened. And his poorly-thought decision to celebrate over the top by taking off his jersey earned him a red card; all for nothing in the end.
Arkadiusz Milik scored a 95th-minute winner for Juventus.
He was shown a second yellow for taking his shirt off in the celebrations and was sent off.
VAR then ruled his winning goal out ? pic.twitter.com/DW8OJEREyF
— GOAL (@goal) September 11, 2022
Alex Sandro: 6/10
Alex Sandro was an upgrade on De Sciglio in the left-back slot, although that does not say much. The Brazilian defender’s output was not at the desired levels either, but he brought Juventus back into the game by winning the penalty in injury time before Bonucci equalised. That pushes his rating up slightly.
Nicolo Fagioli: 5/10
Fagioli replaced fellow Italian midfield prodigy Miretti and looked to make his mark in the game’s final quarter. But he was not as influential as Miretti and will need to pull his socks up to stake a claim for a regular berth in the middle of the park.
Danilo: N/A
Danilo replaced Kostic for the final 12 minutes of regulation time, but the quality drastically dropped with the Brazilian’s introduction.
Matias Soule: N/A
Soule was another up-and-coming Juventus midfielder on show against Salernitana. But he barely had any time to make an impact.
