10 May 2025
A hard-to-swallow draw for Juve who, against Lazio in Rome, fought hard, took the lead and held out with ten men for a long period before conceding a last-minute equaliser. Consequently, the race for Champions league qualification remains wide open.
A slow start
It was Lazio who came close in the 2nd minute, as Matteo Guendouzi picked out Fisayo Dele-Bashiru with a precise pass: but the striker's shot towards goal from the edge of the area was parried behind for a corner by Michele Di Gregorio. The hosts continued to knock on the door in the opening minutes, exploiting Gustav Isaksen's pace out wide: in the 10th minute the Dane got to the by-line and delivered a dangerous low cross which Di Gregorio again managed to clear.
Juventus gradually broke out of the Biancocelesti's high press and in the 15th minute Khephren Thuram won a corner via a deflected through ball; from the resulting delivery came a goal-mouth scramble which fell to the feet of Alberto Costa, whose shot from the edge of the box was blocked by the Lazio defence. In the 26th minute Randal Kolo Muani attempted to dribble past Guendouzi into the penalty area but was tackled at the last second, earning another corner.
In the 34th minute Juventus created their best chance: Thuram set up a counter-attack, Alberto Costa beat his man and sent in a tricky cross that forced the Lazio defence into diverting the ball behind for yet another corner. A minute later, Kolo Muani got on the end of an interesting ball into the centre of the box but was unable to connect properly with his volleyed effort.
Low tempo, little fluidity
In the final phase of the first half, the game was often interrupted by fouls in midfield: first Thuram (21', late tackle on Mario Gila) and then Nicolo Savona (28’, foul on Isaksen) were cautioned. Shortly before half-time, a free-kick taken by Renato Veiga went high and wide. A subdued ending to the first period.
Juventus approached the second half well and were swiftly rewarded. In the 52nd minute, the Bianconeri took the lead: Weston McKennie broke down the right and delivered a perfect cross for Kolo Muani, who headed the ball past Christos Mandas, making it 0-1.
Tensions rise as Juve go a man down
Another pivotal moment in the match came in the 60th minute: Pierre Kalulu was sent off after a VAR check for violent conduct against Valentin Castellanos. Juventus were left with ten men and dropped back to defend their lead. Lazio immediately took advantage of the numerical superiority and grew in intensity, forcing the Bianconeri onto the back foot. Igor Tudor was forced to introduce reinforcements, such as Vasilije Adzic, Douglas Luiz and finally Federico Gatti, to resist the pressure.
A Fiery Finale
The last quarter of an hour was one of suffering. First Pedro and then Boulaye Dia tested Di Gregorio, and then, in the 87th minute, the referee awarded Lazio a penalty for Di Gregorio's foul on Castellanos, but VAR revealed an initial offside in the move and disallowed the spot kick, amid fiery protests from the fans inside the Stadio Olimpico.
In the 90th minute a seemingly endless (nine-minutes) added-time began, with cards being dealt out and nerves becoming increasingly tense. In the 94th minute, Dia’s powerful strike was saved onto the post by Di Gregorio, who did incredibly well to deny him. The equaliser arrived in the 96th minute: Castellanos headed goalwards, Di Gregorio saved again, but Matias Vecino was the quickest to react to the rebound and scored to make it 1-1. VAR confirmed the goal after a long check.
Tough to take but, as we said at the start, it is a result that leaves it all to play for.
LAZIO 1-1 JUVENTUS
Stadio Olimpico, Saturday 10 May, 2025 at 18:00 (CEST)
Serie A – Matchday 36
Goals: 51’ Kolo Muani (J), 90+6’ Vecino (L)
Lazio: Mandas, Marusic (65’ Lazzari), Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini, Guendouzi, Rovella (65’ Vecino), Isaksen (53’ Pedro), Dele-Bashiru (53’ Dia), Zaccagni, Castellanos.
Unused Substitutes: Gigot, Noslin, Tchaouna, Belehyane, Provstgaard, Basic, Ibrahimovic, Furlanetto, Provedel.
Coach: Marco Baroni.
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Kalulu, Veiga, Savona, Alberto Costa (79’ Douglas Luiz), Locatelli, Thuram, Weah, Nico Gonzalez (46’ Conceicao (86’ Gatti)), McKennie, Kolo Muani (76’ Adzic (86’ Vlahovic)).
Unused Substitutes: Perin, Pinsoglio, Rouhi, Mbangula.
Coach: Igor Tudor.
Referee: Davide Massa
Assistants: Giovanni Baccini, Alessio Berti
Fourth Official: Marco Guida
Bookings: 21’ Thuram (J), 28’ Savona (J), 55’ Locatelli (J), 69’ Castellanos (L), 80’ Pellegrini (L), 90’ Vecino (L), 90’ Guendouzi (L), 90+2’ Zaccagni (L), 90+3’ McKennie (J)
Red Cards: 60’ Kalulu (J)
Next Match:
Juventus-Udinese
Serie A – Matchday 37
Sunday, 18 May, 2025 at 15:00 (CEST)
Allianz Stadium
