Juventus narrowly won against Salernitana on Sunday evening. On Thursday, The Old Lady had a convincing victory over the Italian struggler in the Coppa Italia, but this time Juve needed a late goal from Dusan Vlahovic to secure the win.
In a challenging Serie A fixture, Juventus faced a resilient Salernitana, showing a stark contrast to their previous encounter.
Filip Kostic, a former FC Groningen player, was in Juventus' starting lineup, while Arek Milik, previously with Ajax, entered the game as a substitute. Their last meeting, a cup match, had been a comfortable 6-1 victory for Juventus, but Sunday's league game proved to be a tougher challenge.
The home team, Salernitana, took an unexpected lead, putting Juventus under pressure. Giulio Maggiore skillfully found the net, putting Salernitana ahead with a goal that left Juventus' goalkeeper Wojchiech Szczesny unable to react in time. However, the match took a dramatic turn after halftime. Maggiore, who had been the hero in the first half, became the villain when he was sent off for receiving his second yellow card. His dismissal marked a turning point in the game, giving Juventus an opportunity to fight back.
Juventus' equalizer came from a young talent, Samuel Iling-Junior, who skillfully converted a cross at the far post, bringing the score to 1-1. The game remained evenly poised until the final moments. In a thrilling conclusion reminiscent of league leaders Internazionale's recent game, where they too secured a win in injury time, Juventus clinched victory with a late goal. Dusan Vlahovic, demonstrating his aerial prowess, scored a decisive header from Danilo's assist, tipping the game in Juventus' favor with a 1-2 scoreline.
This hard-fought victory was significant for Juventus, not only for the three points but also for keeping pace in the Serie A title race.
With Internazionale also winning in a similar dramatic fashion, the gap between the top two teams in Italy remained a narrow two points, keeping the title race fiercely competitive. Juventus' ability to secure a win in such a tightly contested match underlined their resilience and determination to stay in the hunt for the top spot in Italian football.
