Juventus fans booed their team off the pitch after a shocking 1-0 loss to Udinese at the Allianz Stadium on Monday. The result left the defending champions seven points behind leaders Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.
Udinese stun Juventus with late goal
Juventus dominated the possession and the chances, but failed to find the breakthrough against a resilient Udinese side. The visitors defended with discipline and courage, and punished Juventus with a late goal in the 87th minute. Rodrigo De Paul delivered a perfect cross from the right, and Nahuel Molina volleyed it past Wojciech Szczesny to silence the home crowd.
The goal was a cruel blow for Juventus, who had hit the woodwork twice in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo headed against the crossbar from a corner, and Federico Chiesa rattled the post with a curling shot. Udinese goalkeeper Juan Musso also made some crucial saves to deny Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Weston McKennie.
Juventus miss the chance to close the gap on Inter
The defeat was a huge setback for Juventus, who had the opportunity to reduce the gap on Inter to four points, after the Nerazzurri drew 1-1 with Lazio on Sunday. Juventus have now lost four games in Serie A this season, more than in any of their previous nine title-winning campaigns.
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo admitted that his team lacked the killer instinct and the concentration to win the game. He said: “We had a lot of chances, but we didn’t finish them. We were not focused enough in the final minutes, and we conceded a goal that we could have avoided. We are disappointed, because we wanted to win and put pressure on Inter.”
Pirlo also said that he was not worried about the fans’ reaction, and that he still believed in his team’s chances of winning the Scudetto. He said: “The fans have the right to express their opinion, but we are professionals and we have to accept the criticism. We are not giving up, we still have 15 games to go, and we will fight until the end.”
Udinese celebrate a historic win over Juventus
Udinese, on the other hand, celebrated a historic win over Juventus, their first in Turin since 2011. The result lifted them to 11th place in the table, 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Udinese coach Luca Gotti praised his players for their performance and their attitude. He said: “We knew it was a very difficult game, but we played with courage and personality. We defended well, and we took our chance when it came. It was a great satisfaction for us, because we beat a very strong team.”
Gotti also said that he was happy for Molina, who scored his first goal for Udinese. He said: “He is a young player who has a lot of quality and potential. He has been working hard and improving every day. He deserved this goal, and I hope it will give him more confidence for the future.”
