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Juventus dropped points for the second game running in the 2020-21 Serie A, as they were held to a 2-2 draw in the Derby della mole by city rivals Torino.
Cristiano Ronaldo salvaged a point for the visitors with a late header after Federico Chiesa's early lead was cancelled out by Antonio Sanabria's brace. It was too familiar a story for Juventus in the game. They dominated possession, had more shots on goal but failed to convert their chances.
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Juventus started the game brightly. They had a couple of early chances, with Alvaro Morata trying his luck from long range and Federico Chiesa missing from close range.
The chances kept on coming for the visitors, who finally got the breakthrough in the 13th minute. Chiesa scored the opener in trademark fashion,, as he beat Salvatore Sirigu from close range after a quick one-two with Morata.
Torino responded soon and equalised in the 27th minute following some smart play after a throw near the Juventus box. Rolando Mandragora's fierce strike from outside the box was saved well by Wojciech Szczęsny, but Sanabria reacted well on the rebound to head past the helpless Polish international.
The reigning champions continued to dominate possession, but the scoreline remained even heading into the break.
Torino went ahead almost immediately after the break, with Sanabria bagging his second of the night after latching onto Dejan Kulusevski's careless back-pass and finding the roof of the net with a crisp finish.
After a long period of dominance, Juventus finally found a breakthrough, with Ronaldo, their saviour, by scoring a header in the 79th minute. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR review confirmed that Juventus had indeed equalised.
Though Juventus were dominant throughout the game, the hosts had the better chances and could have bagged all three points without some brilliant saves from Szczęsny.
On that note, let's take a look at five talking points from the game.
#1 Federico Chiesa continues to impress for Juventus
Federico Chiesa was on the scoresheet yet again. The Italian winger has been in great form this term, scoring 12 goals across all competitions. Ten of them have come in 2021, which means he is hitting form at just the right time.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals than the 23-year-old in this period.
Chiesa has become one of the key players for Andrea Pirlo this season. After trying to play him in a wing-back position, it seems Pirlo has finally found the perfect position for Chiesa on the left side of midfield.
#2 Juventus concede two goals in a Serie A game for just the second time this year
Juventus have the best defensive record in the league but have struggled to keep clean sheets in their recent fixtures. They have managed to keep a shutout in just one of their last six league outings.
On Saturday, they conceded twice, as Sanabria scored a brace. That marked just the second time the Old Lady let in two goals in a league game this year, with their 2-0 loss against Inter Milan being the only other such game.
Nevertheless, Juventus are now nine points behind leaders Inter, with their title hopes getting slimmer with every passing game.
Also Read: 10 highest-paid players in the Serie A this season (2020-21).
#3 Juventus' away struggles a cause for concern
Juventus dropped points again in a game in which they should've easily scored a couple of more goals in.
That marked the seventh time Juventus have dropped points on their travels this term; they have just one win in their last five away league games.
Earlier this season, Juventus had played a lot of stalemates, with three 1-1 draws and a 2-2 draw against Roma. Their lethargy in the early stages of the season is proving to be their undoing, as their latest draw leaves them nine points behind Inter, who have a game in hand.
The league leaders have dropped points just seven times this season, compared to Juventus' 12. The Bianconeri cannot afford to lose any more points, especially in games where they have more than 70% possession.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo saves Juventus' blushes
Time and again, Cristiano Ronaldo has stepped up for Juventus this season. Against Torino, he once again proved that there is no better clutch player in European football at the moment.
He had a relatively quiet game in the first half but stepped up in the second. When the opportunity presented itself, Ronaldo did what he does best. His 79th-minute strike was his 24th league goal of the season.
His consistency has been crucial to Juventus' results this campaign, with an overreliance on Ronaldo not auguring well for the Bianconeri's hopes of successfully defending their league title.
#5 Torino could have walked away with all three points
Torino had just 29% possession in the game, which meant they had fewer chances and fewer shots on target than Juventus.
Nevertheless, they not only equalised against the reigning champions but also took a surprise lead. They resisted Juventus' constant attacks, and if not for Ronaldo's 79th-minute goal and Szczęsny's heroics between the sticks in the dying moments of the game, they would've recorded just their second win over their dominant rivals in the 21st century.
Nonetheless, after a solid performance against the reigning champions, Torino managed to settle for a point from the game, and that should help them stay above the relegation zone for now.
Also, Read: 10 football players with the most fans in the world.
