Juventus loses further ground after Verona draw
Juventus continued to lose ground in its pursuit of Serie A leader Inter Milan after a 2-2 draw with struggling Verona registered a fourth match without a win and opened the door for AC Milan to take second spot.
Massimiliano Allegri's side had to come from behind twice to take a point that leaves it nine points adrift of Inter and wasted several late chances to stay in touch.
Verona made the brighter start and was rewarded with a stunning strike by Michael Folorunsho in the 12th minute.
Tomas Suslov’s corner was headed clear by Adrien Rabiot, but as ball reached Folorunsho just outside the area, the Italian midfielder unleashed a screaming volley off his left foot which flew into the top left corner, giving Wojciech Szczesny no chance of making a save.
Juventus clawed its way level from the penalty spot with Dusan Vlahovic converting after VAR showed Jackson Tchatchoua had handled the ball, referee Marco Di Bello initially believing the ball had deflected off his knee.
Despite the equaliser, Verona was still in control as it went about its work with greater intent.
Its second goal arrived eight minutes after the interval, Tijjani Noslin showing composure and athleticism to steer the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
But Verona’s defence then imploded as it allowed Juventus to work the ball to an unmarked Rabiot, who had the time and space to pick his shot and pull the trigger just minutes later.
Darko Lazovic forced a sharp save by Szczęsny before drama unfolded in the other goal when Rabiot’s cross with the outside of his foot was met by Vlahovic but the Serbian’s header was off-target.
It was a poor miss by Vlahovic and, as the match entered the final 10 minutes, substitute Federico Chiesa blazed a reasonable chance over the crossbar.
Juventus had one more opportunity to take all three points in stoppage-time but a well worked move ended with Chiesa prodding the ball wide.
It means Inter has a firm grip on the title race with a game in hand on Juve, while AC Milan can take second place from the Bianconeri with a victory at Monza on Monday (AEDT).