The Giallorossi missed the opportunity to secure a result that would have given Donyell Malen and his teammates a seven point lead over the Bianconeri in the standings, while Juventus failed to close the gap on Roma and fourth place.
The most compelling aspect of the match, however, was the way it unfolded. Roma took the lead in the first half thanks to another moment of brilliance from Wesley, a player strongly pursued by Gian Piero Gasperini in the summer and one from whom he is now getting the very best. “Gasp” moved him from the right wing to the left and is using him almost as an attacking wide forward.
Juventus equalized early in the second half through a moment of pure magic from Francisco Conceicao, scoring a goal that is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.
Roma controlled much of the match but failed to finish the job and put their opponents away. Despite holding a two goal advantage with fifteen minutes remaining, they were unable to see the game out. After Juventus pulled level, Roma responded immediately and regained the lead through Evan Ndicka, who converted a perfect assist from Lorenzo Pellegrini. With that cross on Sunday evening, Pellegrini reached 57 assists in a Roma shirt, becoming the second highest assist provider in the club’s history after Francesco Totti. Congrats, Lorenzo!
Roma frustration
A few minutes later, Manu Koné produced a superb pass to release Malen and the Dutchman scored his sixth goal since joining the Giallorossi with a delicate low lob that beat Perin and seemed to settle the contest at 3 to 1. Instead, Roma began to retreat, partly as a result of Gasperini’s substitutions.
In the seventy fourth minute he replaced Bryan Cristante, who had endured a difficult evening, with Neil El Aynaoui, even though the closing stages appeared better suited to Cristante’s defensive reliability and ability in aerial duels. He also chose to replace Devyne Rensch with Daniele Ghilardi, effectively removing one of Roma’s best performers. Juventus made it 3 to 2 following uncertainty between Gianluca Mancini and Zeki Celik, with Jeremie Boga finding the net.
With only minutes remaining, Gasperini substituted Pellegrini for Bryan Zaragoza and Roma lost the players capable of controlling possession. In the ninety first minute, just moments before the final whistle, Roma won a corner but opted to play it short, moving the ball back toward their own area in an attempt to run down the clock. It was a poor decision that proved costly. After a reckless foul by El Aynaoui, Roma were forced to defend deep inside their penalty area and Gatti scored the equalizer when the match seemed to be over.
It was a huge disappointment for Gian Piero Gasperini and his Roma side, not so much because of the result itself, as many fans might have accepted a draw beforehand, but because of the manner in which it happened. Throwing away a two goal lead like the one they held at 3 to 1 is unacceptable. Roma lacked personality, particularly from certain individuals. The first to lose clarity, however, was Gasperini. His substitutions added nothing and instead weakened the team. In the end, they were left with only one point.
Spalletti happier
Luciano Spalletti, by contrast, can smile. Juventus earned a point on a night that at one stage looked bleak. After going 3 to 1 down, it felt more likely that Roma would score a fourth than concede a second.
Weston McKennie and his teammates, however, continued to believe and never gave up. They were ultimately rewarded, capitalizing on Roma’s mistakes at the first opportunity. It was an important and much needed draw for Juventus, especially following their painful elimination against Galatasaray and a generally negative run of results.
A defeat would have triggered a genuine crisis, but the draw keeps the Bianconeri alive in the race for fourth place. In a few weeks, the true significance of this result for both sides will become clearer. For now, Juventus are smiling. Roma, meanwhile, reflect on a major missed opportunity and the reality that they can no longer afford further missteps.