Juventus haven’t been able to make much of headway as far as the top three spots in Serie A concerned. The Bianconeri were held back by a 1-1 draw against Bologna on Saturday but are firmly holding their fourth Champions League spot.
To say that the hefty winter transfer window signing of Dusan Vlahovic has worked like a charm for Juventus would be an understatement. The Serbian striking ace has proven to be a match-winner on numerous occasions already in his early days as a Juventus player.
It was Vlahovic who proved to be saviour once again for Massimiliano Allegri’s side against Bologna. His 95th-minute header – which also turned out to be his 50th in Serie A – helped Juve grab an important point from the clash, while the hosts finished the game with two men short.
The first half between the two sides was poor and cagey. However, Marko Arnautovic stunned Juventus and sent the home side into a frenzy with a composed finish at the 52nd-minute mark to put Bologna into the lead. The goal seemed to be waking up call for Juventus, who soon sprung to life.
Danilo’s header struck the post while the last quarter of the game descended into all-out chaos. Adama Soumaoro was sent off after being adjudged as the last man while bringing down Alvaro Morata.
There was more to it, however, as the referee showed Bologna’s defender Gary Medel a red for protesting against the decision after he had received a yellow card previously.
Juve threw everything they had at the remaining nine men of Bologna on the park. Vlahovic pounced on an opportunity from close range to pick up a much-needed point for 36-time Scudetto winners.
The draw means that Juventus’ title hopes are virtually over. They are eight points behind league leaders AC Milan, and with five matches left, they have little time to change that scenario.
Meanwhile, Torino also drew 1-1 with Lazio after the hosts’ star striker equalized the game in stoppage time. Torino had taken the lead through Pietro Pellegri before the hour’s mark.
While the contest was rolling down to a win for the visitors, Ciro Immobile had other ideas and secured a point for hosts Lazio in the dying minutes of the clash.
Le Aquile are now seventh in the table, and they trail AS Roma in the Europa League spot by just a single point. Torino, in turn, are 11th after recording their second straight draw.
