Juve suffer Parma setback | OneFootball

After a fruitful seven points in three matches, Juve’s successful streak came to an end with Igor Tudor suffering his first defeat on the Bianconeri bench, going down 1-0 to I Ducali in Parma.

Juventus started the match well and came close to taking the lead after just one minute. Weston McKennie launched in a quick throw for Manuel Locatelli, who took aim from just outside the box, his strike whizzing past the post. Despite the strong start, the Bianconeri struggled to find stability in the game. Parma responded by actively applying high, controlled pressure on Juve, making it difficult for them to apply their well-drilled tactics.

In the 13th minute, Ange-Yoan Bonny gave Michele Di Gregorio the first scare of the match with a powerful right-footer from the edge of the box, which Renato Veiga cleared. The most dangerous moment for Juve in the first half came shortly after, in the 19-minute: Pierre Kalulu crossed for Dusan Vlahovic, who volleyed the ball just wide. Parma ramped up the pressure as the minutes went by, creating problems for the Bianconeri defence, especially Mateo Pellegrino who was dynamic and dangerous.

As the half drew to a close, Emanuele Valeri whipped in a delightful cross from the left for Pellegrino, who outmanoeuvred Kelly and bested Di Gregorio. And so ended the first half, Parma with a 1-0 lead.

At the start of the second half, in the 47th minute, Randal Kolo Muani stormed down the right before unleashing a shot on goal, but Giovanni Leoni made the save in the nick of time.

Juve pushed on, but Parma held strong. In the 57th minute, Kenan Yildiz – who had just been substituted in – came close to scoring with a crisp cross to the right-hand post, but found none of his teammates on hand to apply the finishing touch. Shortly after, Kolo Muani came close to equalising with a right-footed shot from the edge of the box, but Zion Suzuki was alert and successfully blocked his effort.

Parma did not stand idly by, and in the 60th minute they came close to doubling their lead through Simon Sohm, whose strike prompted a swift response from Di Gregorio. Parma posed more danger in the 80th minute, with Dennis Man’s burst of speed and dangerous cross being denied by a sliding tackle from Kelly.

In the final stages, Juve gave their all in search of the equaliser: in the 73rd minute, Francisco Conceicao tucked inside and unleashed a left-footed shot, which swirled over the bar. On the stroke of full time, the Portuguese winger once again powered a low drive goalwards, which did not find the target.

1-0 to the hosts is how it finished, a setback in terms of Champions League qualification for the Bianconeri, but the table remains very tight: there will most certainly be a fight to the very end.

Gallery | Parma - Juventus

MATCH SUMMARY | PARMA 1-0 JUVENTUS

Goalscorer: 46’ Pellegrino

Parma: Suzuki; Leoni, Vogliacco (10’ Hainaut), Valenti; Delprato, Bernabé (10’ Estevez (46’ Hernani)), Keita, Sohm, Valeri; Pellegrino (74’ Man), Bonny (85’ Almqvist). Unused Substitutes: Corvi, Marcone, Lovik, Balogh, Circati, Trabucchi, Camara, Haj, Hernani, Ondrejka, Djuric. Coach: Chivu

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Veiga, Kelly (86’ Costa); McKennie (57’ Yildiz), Thuram, Locatelli (86’ Douglas Luiz), Cambiaso; Nico Gonzalez (86’ Weah); Kolo Muani, Vlahovic (46’ Conceiçao). Unused Substitutes: Pinsoglio, Perin, Savona, Rouhi, Adzic. Coach: Tudor

Referee: Chiffi

Bookings: Sohm, Hernani (P), Gonzalez, Locatelli, Yildiz (J)