Last-gasp leveller dents Juve's UCL hopes
Juventus appeared on course to tighten its grip on fourth place in Serie A, but could not hold on after Pierre Kalulu's red card as Matias Vecino's last-gasp equaliser snatched a point for Lazio in a 1-1 draw.
Kalulu was sent off for violent conduct, and the visitors were denied in the 96th minute before Vecino tucked home a dramatic equaliser from close range.
Juve broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart when Kolo Muani headed home his seventh league goal of the season from Weston McKennie's cross.
Igor Tudor's side was forced to play the remaining half an hour with a numerical disadvantage, as Kalulu was shown a straight red for shoving Valentin Castellanos in the face.
Lazio turned up the pressure with its extra man. Mario Gila had a header saved and Alessio Romagnoli nodded over, while Boulaye Dia hit the post in the 94th minute.
Nevertheless, its intensity finally paid dividends with effectively the last action of the game. Michele Di Gregorio could only parry Castellanos' header straight to Vecino, who tapped in his dramatic equaliser.
Both sides remain level on 64 points, with Juve ahead on goal difference in fourth, but sixth-place Roma can leapfrog it with victory over Atalanta when they play on Tuesday (AEST).
Despite frustrations, Tudor lauded his Juve team for its efforts.
"We have to congratulate the lads, there is regret because we were one minute away from taking home the three points," he said.
"It was a solid performance, we'll take this point and focus on everyone we'll face this week after the difficulties we've had."
Asked about the dismissal of Kalulu, his first red card on his 113th Serie A appearance, Tudor pointed to the inexperience of a young squad still learning under pressure.
"Definitely, age and pressure go hand in hand and without experience it can happen," he said. "We paid for these mistakes, but you learn quickly and look ahead."
Tudor also addressed his decision to take off substitutes Vasilije Adzic and Francisco Conceicao for Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Gatti, a move that raised eyebrows.
"I have to explain [the substitutions] because they’re always made for the good of the team," he said.
"I apologised to the two players – I don't usually do that – but it was the right change.
"Gatti, in particular, deserves praise. He came off the bench without a single training session and showed his leadership."
With injuries mounting in defence ahead of Juventus's game at home to Udinese next week, Tudor remained calm and focused on the task.
"We'll prepare as best we can with what we have, but we're ready," he said. "Let's see who recovers - we are missing three defenders.
"We'll get Yildiz back and assess the others. Today we showed the mentality of a big team - and we'll need that again in the next two weeks."
