MY ACCOUNT
Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri acknowledged the Bianconeri’s slim title hopes were over despite Dusan Vlahovic’s dramatic late equaliser against Bologna.
The Serbian striker scored the 50th goal of his Serie A career five minutes into stoppage time to spare the blushes of the Turin giants, who were on course for an embarrassing loss despite Adama Soumaoro and Gary Medel receiving late red cards for Bologna after Marko Arnautovic’s second-half opener.
The result marked the first time Juventus have failed to defeat Bologna since February 2016 and left Allegri’s men eight points behind league leaders Milan with just five games remaining, as their hopes of a 10th Scudetto in 11 seasons faded.
Juventus failed to register a single shot on target during a dismal first-half showing, the fifth time they have done so during Allegri’s first season back at the helm but first since facing Fiorentina in November.
The 54-year-old insisted after the draw that the Bianconeri were embroiled in a four-way battle for Champions League football rather than the title race, acknowledging his team needed to show more patience against a stubborn Bologna defence.
“This year Juve is not fighting for the Scudetto,” Allegri said. “We had gotten close to Inter, even until today, when we stopped.
“In football, however, anything could happen. Reaching fourth place remains an important goal. I think Fiorentina have a good calendar and a direct match against us. Then there are also Lazio and Roma.
“We take one step at a time. In football you think one thing and another happens. We have to be calmer. The games last a long time and there is always time to win them.”
Juventus hold a lead of six points over fifth-placed Roma in the Serie A table, having played one extra game ahead of the Giallorossi facing Napoli on Monday.
Allegri refused to criticise his team for a below-bar display, however, suggesting they would have lost the same game had it occurred at the start of the season.
“We managed to equalise a match that had become complicated after playing a bad first half,” he added. “Immediately [after conceding] we hit the post and shot more on goal.
“Lately we have conceded too many goals, we need to improve, but we would have lost these games at the beginning of the season. Let’s look at the glass half full.”
Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci also rued the Old Lady’s lack of patience when faced with breaking down their opponents, as Bologna avoided defeat at Juventus for the first time since September 2011.
“We tried to push and put pressure on after the equaliser,” the 34-year-old said. “With more clarity we could also have scored the second goal, given their numerical inferiority.
“It was a pity because three points could have given us so much.”
With Juve seemingly out of the Serie A title race, their last hope of silverware this season is the Coppa Italia, in which they host Fiorentina on Wednesday after winning their semi-final first leg 1-0.
