Juventus dropped ground in the Serie A title race after failing to take home all three points in a tense 1-1 draw with Genoa.
The Bianconeri have looked almost flawless in recent weeks, winning seven of their last eight league outings, but Massimiliano Allegri’s side did not show their best on a chilly night on the Ligurian coast as they left with just a single point.
Alberto Gilardino’s Genoa looked positive in the early stages of this season but have started to lose speed over the last six weeks, winning just one of their last five consecutive matches. Despite that, the Stadio Luigi Ferraris was packed for their Friday evening clash with Juventus.
The match started slowly in Liguria but began to heat up as both sides settled into the match. Everything changed in the 30th minute, when Federico Chiesa was brought down in the penalty area by Josep Martinez following a defensive error.
The referee pointed to the spot and the Juventus winger confidently stepped up, calming dispatch his shot from 12 yards out to put the Scudetto hopefuls 1-0 up.
The Old Lady started to slow down after this, allowing Genoa some of the ball as they looked to control proceedings amidst the tension.
Juventus closed out the first half with a 1-0 advantage, but it wouldn’t take long for things to turn around at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
In the 48th minute, a quick break from Genoa saw the ball float into the penalty area, where Caleb Ekuban cleverly controlled possession before flicking it to Johann Gudmundsson, who poked the ball into the Juventus net with ease, drawing the home side level.
The Rossoblu almost gifted Massimiliano Allegri’s side a goal just minutes later when Martinez passed the ball straight to a bewildered Chiesa, who couldn’t get the shot away.
Genoa’s confidence grew as the second half progressed and they began to apply increasing amounts of pressure on Juventus, but their toothless work in the final third allowed Allegri’s side to keep things under control.
Neither side could find an advantage as the evening progressed and things ultimately ended 1-1, leaving Juventus frustrated and Genoa relieved.