On Saturday evening, Juventus suffered their first defeat of the 2023/24 campaign, succumbing to an embarrassing 2-4 loss at the hands of Sassuolo.
While almost the entire team had an under-par performance, Federico Gatti and Wojciech Szczesny emerged as the main culprits, with each producing several howlers.
Their torrid evening reached its climax when the two combined to pull off an almost comical own goal at the end of the match, one that stunned Bianconeri fans.
The Polish goalkeeper decided to leave his line to take a set piece. But instead of sending the ball towards the opposite side of the pitch, he picked up Gatti at the edge of his own penalty box.
The Italian defender panicked in the face of Sassuolo’s high pressing, so he passed the ball back towards the goal which was abandoned by Szczesny.
So while it was Gatti’s name that appeared on the scoresheet, former Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo explains why it was Szczesny who committed the original sin.
“It’s an unfortunate episode, which Gatti should have handled differently,” said the retired Italian midfielder in his post-match appearance at DAZN via JuventusNews24.
“But that is a technical error. The misconception is that Szczesny doesn’t have to take that free kick, he doesn’t have to leave the penalty area to play it.
“If you take that free kick, which Fagioli was looking to take himself, you have to play it long and avoid picking up a player who’s in a difficult position.”
