Massimiliano Allegri’s 200th Serie A match in charge of Juventus ended in disappointment, as his side paid the ultimate price for an inability to find a killer blow in their 2-1 defeat to mid-table Sassuolo.
Suffocating the visitors for much of the first half, Juventus dominated possession and created a number of golden opportunities without finding a breakthrough. Paulo Dybala’s 89th-minute penalty against Inter Milan stole a Derby d'Italia point for the ‘Bianconeri’ at the weekend and it was the Argentine international who came closest for the hosts before the break. Cutting onto his left foot in familiar fashion, the 27-year-old let fly from the edge of the box, but his shot could only graze the woodwork.
Further chances came and went for Álvaro Morata, Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie, but having weathered the early storm, Sassuolo smelt blood themselves. After netting his first goal for the club in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Venezia, Davide Frattesi made it two in as many games late on in the half. Finishing first time off Gregoire Defrel’s perfectly weighted reverse pass, the midfielder tucked his effort into the far corner to give the ‘Neroverdi’ a famous lead.
No sooner had they re-emerged from the tunnel, Sassuolo nearly went two goals ahead, with Giacomo Raspadori curling an effort just past the far post. Juventus had been unbeaten in their previous 11 matches against the ‘Neroverdi’, and sensing the opposition’s threat, they immediately stepped up their intensity levels. After much pressure, Massimiliano Allegri’s side would draw level from a well-worked set-piece. Dybala’s whipped cross found its way onto the head of McKennie, who rose above the away side’s defender to nod home his first league goal of the season.
Yet, as they pushed for a winner, Sassuolo found a winner in added time through Maxime Lopez, who dinked over Mattia Perin to steal the points. The defeat represented Juventus’ first-ever loss at home against Sassuolo – and, quite possibly, an early end to their title challenge.
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