In a surprising Serie A result on Saturday, Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Lecce, a match marred by a missed penalty from star forward Jonathan David. The draw leaves the Bianconeri level on points with fourth-placed Roma in the tight race for Champions League qualification.
Falcone's Heroics Deny Juventus Victory
The match narrative was largely defined by Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone, who produced a series of critical saves. His most significant contribution came in the 66th minute when he comfortably saved a weak, central penalty kick from Canadian international Jonathan David. David had earned the spot-kick himself after his shot was blocked by the arm of Lecce midfielder Mohamed Kaba.
Falcone had already kept Juventus at bay earlier, miraculously denying David's header in a first-half sequence that saw the ball roll along the goal line, hit the post, and bounce back into his hands. He was at it again late in the game, pulling off a brilliant stop to deny David once more, who was looking to atone for his penalty miss.
McKennie Responds After Shock Lecce Opener
Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Juventus found themselves trailing at halftime. The breakthrough came in stoppage time of the first half from a costly defensive error. Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso played a soft pass towards Pierre Kalulu, which was intercepted by Lameck Banda. The Lecce forward then dribbled past two opponents before firing into the near corner for a shock lead.
Juventus responded quickly after the restart. Weston McKennie leveled the score, showcasing sharp movement in the box. The United States international first touched on a cross, then surged into the goal area to control a return pass from Kenan Yıldız and slot the ball home. This marked McKennie's first Serie A goal of the season, adding to his two strikes in the Champions League.
Serie A Standings and Other Results
The single point has significant implications for the Serie A table. Juventus are now level with Roma, who were in action later against Atalanta. For Lecce, the hard-fought draw is a valuable step towards survival, moving them five points clear of the relegation zone.
In other Serie A action, Como enhanced their own European ambitions with a 1-0 win over Udinese, courtesy of a Lucas Da Cunha penalty. This result brings them within three points of the top four. In a key relegation six-pointer, Genoa and Pisa played out a 1-1 draw. Genoa remains just above the drop zone, three points ahead of both Pisa and Hellas Verona, the latter having two games in hand.
All Serie A matches this weekend were preceded by a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the tragic fire at a Crans-Montana bar.
