Juventus were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at home against Cagliari on Sunday, as a late penalty saw them lose second place in Serie A to Inter Milan.
Razvan Marin’s 88th-minute penalty rescued a point for Cagliari at the Allianz Stadium after Roberto Piccoli was fouled by Juventus’ Douglas Luiz, who had already conceded a penalty in Juve’s midweek Champions League clash against Leipzig. Marin’s spot-kick cancelled out Dusan Vlahovic’s opener from the penalty spot in the 15th minute, marking the first goal Juventus had conceded in Serie A this season.
Juventus, who dominated possession for much of the game, now sit three points behind league leaders Napoli after seven matches. Manager Thiago Motta lamented his side’s performance, saying, “We took our foot off the pedal after our goal, and we can’t do that. We need to keep attacking and attacking well.”
Cagliari nearly grabbed a last-minute victory when Adam Obert struck the post in stoppage time, with Juventus reduced to 10 men following Francisco Conceicao’s red card. Conceicao was sent off just after Marin’s equaliser for a second yellow card after attempting to win a penalty for Juventus in the chaotic final minutes.
The match’s first goal came from a controversial penalty decision, awarded after a VAR review deemed that Cagliari’s Sebastiano Luperto had grazed the ball with his fingers during an aerial battle. Despite protests that he was off balance and under pressure from Federico Gatti, the referee pointed to the spot, and Vlahovic converted for his fifth goal of the season.
Vlahovic, however, missed a golden opportunity to secure all three points in the 78th minute when he shot wide on the rebound after Simone Scuffet parried Douglas Luiz’s attempt.
Juventus, missing several key players including Nico Gonzalez, Arkadiusz Milik, Timothy Weah, and Gleison Bremer, will feel disappointed not to have claimed the win, especially after dominating much of the game.
AC Milan could overtake both Juventus and Inter if they secure victory against Fiorentina in Sunday’s late kick-off.