With more pride than football, more epic moments than tactical resources, and an unusual appearance from Teon Koopmeiners accompanied by a magnificent strike from Mbangula from outside the box in the 93rd minute, the Turin team managed to obtain a valuable draw, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic defeat.
Juve, despite coming back from being 0-2 down and finishing the match in a thrilling climax, has been suffering from a persistent problem for several weeks. After a good start to the season, the team led by Motta is now struggling to find the efficient version of itself that made it a title contender.
Gone are the days when they were serious title challengers. Juve are now sixth, seven points behind the leaders, with one more game played than Bologna trailing them. The gap could widen to eight if Naples beats Lazio.
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This distance seems more and more difficult to bridge with still six months of competition ahead of them. It’s not just the sheer number of injuries that has undoubtedly hampered their performances; it’s that the team lost much of its confidence along the way, diminishing its identity. They are no longer as solid defensively as at the start of the season.
As the matches go by, Juve appears more and more tense and frustrated, struggling to obtain the necessary results in this critical situation. In fact, Motta was sent off for protesting, embodying the pressure felt by a team desperate to respond quickly in order to get back into the race for Champions League places. The ‘Scudetto’ is, for now, a distant dream.
A significant part of that frustration belongs to Bologna, Motta’s former team, now under the management of Vincenzo Italiano. After a bad start to the season, Bologna is on the rise. In the first half, they stunned Juventus Stadium with a goal from Ndoye, a rocket from the right side of the box that Perin couldn’t reach.
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Juve tried to respond and had two glaring chances to equalize. However, first Fagioli sent a good chance over the top, when he was in a perfect position at the penalty spot after a back pass, and then Vlahovic saw his volley saved by Skorupski. A disappointing first half ended on a sour note for Juve, who also lost Cambiaso, one of their in-form players, to injury.
This Juve were not up to the task, suffering another setback immediately after the break. Pobega scored, but the real highlight of the goal came from Argentina’s Santiago Castro, who delivered an incredible heel assist. The match seemed sealed, but ‘La Vecchia Signora’ was able to pull itself together.
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Juve responded with a goal from Koopmeiners just ten minutes after conceding Bologna’s second goal. Conceicao took advantage of Danilo’s depth, and the Brazilian delivered a low ball to the penalty spot which Koopmeiners converted.
Then, Yildiz and Mbangula entered in search of the heroic equalizer. Their entries injected new energy into the attack, and at the last moment, Mbangula, a 20-year-old academy product, fired a rocket to put the ball into the top corner and save the match. However, for Juve, who have not won in Serie A for a month, the fight for the ‘Scudetto’ looks increasingly unattainable, with Champions League places now the main objective.
