December 02, (THEWILL) – Ante Rebic earned a point for Lecce in a tense Serie A encounter with Juventus at the Stadio Via del Mare on Sunday.
The Croatian striker equalised in stoppage time, denying Juventus victory after Andrea Cambiaso had earlier given the visitors the lead through a fortunate deflection.
Juventus dominated the initial stages, with Khephren Thuram squandering an early chance when he inexplicably shot wide from a promising position.
Francisco Conceicao struck the woodwork, and Timothy Weah had a goal disallowed for offside, suggesting the away team was poised to break the deadlock.
Lecce gradually grew into the match, testing Mattia Perin with several attempts from Nikola Krstovic, Tete Morente, and Patrick Dorgu.
The home side’s persistence appeared in vain when Cambiaso’s deflected strike gave Juventus the advantage, seemingly putting the result beyond doubt.
However, Rebic changed that with a clinical finish from Krstovic’s cross that sparked wild celebrations among Lecce supporters, earning a crucial point in their battle against relegation.
The draw extended Juventus’s unbeaten Serie A run to 22 games but left them sixth in the table.
The result maintained Lecce’s position just two points clear of the bottom three, pointing to the critical nature of every point in the intensely competitive Italian top flight. Both teams will reflect on missed opportunities, with Juventus feeling frustrated and Lecce celebrating a hard-earned albeit late draw.
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.
