SAN FRANCISCO, November 29, (THEWILL) – The stuttering form of Italian giants Juventus continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Serie A side Benevento at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito on Saturday after leaving talisman Cristiano Ronaldo out to rest.
Juve’s performances have caused concern for fans and raised more questions about the team’s dependence on 35-year-old Ronaldo, their leading scorer in Serie A with eight goals despite having played only five matches.
Although they remain unbeaten in Serie A this season, the Italian champions have failed to claim victory in a league game without Ronaldo in the squad and their performances have been laboured.
The Turin side are fifth with 17 points which places then three points behind leaders AC Milan who are at home to Fiorentina on Sunday. Benevento are in midtable with 10 points.
Former Italy and AC Milan teammates Filippo Inzaghi and Andrea Pirlo faced each other on the touchline for the first time as coaches of Benevento and Juventus respectively.
Before the start, there was a minute’s silence for Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Maradona, who died aged 60 on Wednesday. Play was also stopped for a tribute to the great Argentine in the tenth minute in recognition of his iconic jersey number.
Centre forward Federico Chiesa set up Juve’s 21st minute opener with a glorious cross-field pass that released Morata forward. The Spaniard glided past his marker and netted with a well-angled shot which went in off the upright.
It should have been two in the 26th minute but Paulo Dybala curled his shot wide.
Benevento then grabbed their surprise equaliser three minutes into first-half stoppage time. Wojciech Szczesny, in goal for Juve made a stunning save to deny central defensive midfielder Pasquale Schiattarella by tipping his shot round the post. The resulting corner was poorly cleared by Arthur only for the ball to fall perfectly for Benevento left back Gaetano Letizia to rifle into the net.
Juventus saw plenty of the ball in the second half but found creative little to do with it, while Benevento looked dangerous each time they broke forward.
Benevento had six players booked and Juventus one in the second half before Morata lost his cool after the final whistle and was dismissed. It appeared he had something to say to referee Fabrizio Pasqua, which the latter did not approve off.
After the draw, Pirlo explained why he left Ronaldo out of his squad.
“He had a slight problem midweek and wanted to play in the Champions League anyway.
“After international duty, it was natural he’d need some rest. Ronaldo is an added value, but we must try to play our game even in his absence.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
