Following last week’s defeat in the Italian capital, Juventus suffered another setback in their travels, succumbing to a 0-1 loss against Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium.
Admittedly, the Bianconeri can have no complaints, as their hollow display from start to finish warrants the final result.
Max Allegri opted for a half-rotated starting formation. Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik led the 3-5-2 lineup, while Tomasso Barbieri got his full debut with the first team.
Nonetheless, the uninspiring first-half display forced the manager to gradually introduce the big weapons from the bench, the likes of Angel Di Maria, Federico Chiesa, and even Paul Pogba who received another short cameo.
Nonetheless, Sassuolo took the lead in the 64th minute when Nicolò Fagioli’s botched clearance gifted the ball to Gregoire Defrel. The Frenchman struck it low and hard, leaving no chance for Mattia Perin who had produced a miraculous save earlier.
Despite trailing on the scoresheet, Juventus never truly launched an onslaught to rescue a point. Instead they were only able to forge a couple of dangerous chances.
On the first occasion Adrien Rabiot’s header from the corner kick was brilliantly denied by Andrea Consigli. On the second, Di Maria worked himself into a shooting opportunity but sent his wayward shot to the stands.
Therefore, Juventus remain seventh in the Serie A standings with 44 points, while they eagerly await Wednesday’s verdict regarding the 15-point deduction.
Scorers: 64′ Defrel (S)
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi (89′ Ferrari), Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Henrique (70′ Harroui); Bajrami (76′ Zortea), Pinamonti (45′ Defrel), Laurienté (76′ Ceide)
Juventus (3-5-2): Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Barbieri (56′ Cuadrado), Fagioli (65′ Miretti), Paredes (82′ Pogba), Rabiot, Kostic (65′ Chiesa); Vlahovic, Milik (56′ Di Maria)
