February 13, (THEWILL) – Juventus saw their Serie A title aspirations severely dented on Monday night, following a dramatic 1-0 home loss to relegation-threatened Udinese. A second-half strike from Lautaro Giannetti inflicted the defeat that leaves the Old Lady seven points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.
Despite dominating the early proceedings through the likes of Chiesa and Cambiaso, the Zebrette snatched an against-the-run-of-play lead on 25 minutes when Giannetti bundled home. The visitors took advantage of Massimiliano Allegri’s sluggish and striker-light side.
The home side created several presentable chances but were thwarted by inspired Udinese shot-stopper Maduka Okoye. Arkadiusz Milik was guilty of spurning a number of openings as the visitors held firm.
Udinese almost doubled their shock lead before the break when Lovric fired just over. The second half brought no respite as wasteful Juventus failed to break down the resilient rearguard action.
The dramatic defeat turns the screw on Allegri while potentially giving Inter the lead that confirms them as potential Scudetto champions. Udinese’s smash-and-grab victory moves them three points clear of relegation.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
