When the Old Lady Stumbles: Juventus Draws 1-1 with Sporting Lisbon in Europe

Match overview

Juventus's ongoing European troubles continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sporting Lisbon on their home soil in the fourth group-stage match of the Champions League. The game marked Juventus's first under new coach Luciano Spalletti, who stepped in after Igor Tudor.

Maximiliano Araujo gave Sporting the lead in the 12th minute after a long ball split Juventus's defense and found him at the far post. Dusan Vlahović equalized for Juventus with a well-timed run and a precise finish just before half-time, in the 34th minute.

Sporting pressed for a winner after the break while Juventus looked to strike on the counter. Rui Silva produced a string of saves to keep the score level and preserve the visitors' advantage in the second period.

Juventus had a couple of near-misses around the 40th minute as the hosts defended stoutly, while the visitors' keeper showed reliability. By the 60th minute both sides traded chances without finding a second goal.

In the late stages, Spalletti shuffled his pack to bolster the wings and inject pace into the attack, but the breakthrough never came and the game finished 1-1.

Next up, Juventus travel to Turin derby against Torino in Serie A on Saturday, then host Fiorentina, before heading to Bodø/Glimt in the next group game.

As for the standings, Sporting moved to seven points, occupying a high position in the group, while Juventus remain on three points, sitting in a challenging 23rd place in the group table described in the article; their European campaign continues with games ahead to salvage their campaign.

Spalletti's European bow ends with a draw, and the Italian boss will hope for sharper attacking from his squad in the next fixture.

Punchline 1: If Juve were a sniper, their aim would be perfect—miss the target and call it a strategic retreat. Chivalry is dead; the goal is not.

Punchline 2: In Juventus’ defense, the ball keeps visiting the net—it's the only guest that never leaves the party early.