In this scene, Manuel Locatelli missed a penalty kick. © ANSA / Alessandro Di Marco

In the fight for the Champions League: setback for Juventus

While the Serie A title race will likely end without Juventus, the Turin club is right in the thick of the battle for Champions League qualification. On Saturday, the "Old Lady" suffered a minor setback.

March 21, 2026

From: mv

In Saturday evening's match at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Juventus and Sassuolo faced off. While the Bianconeri are in the thick of the fight for Champions League qualification, the newly promoted side from Emilia-Romagna are enjoying a comfortable mid-table season. The match ended 1-1 on Saturday – thanks in large part to Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.

The home side started like a house on fire, with Juve captain Manuel Locatelli's header saved by Muric (3'). Shortly after, a Francisco Conceicao shot was blocked at the last moment (7'). However, Juve's lead was only delayed, not lost: A textbook counter-attack, initiated by goalkeeper Mattia Perin, was finished off perfectly by Kenan Yildiz with a precise low shot (14'). After that, the Old Lady eased off the pressure, allowing the visitors some chances – but Andrea Pinamonti headed over the bar from a corner flicked on by Jay Idzes (26').

A hectic final phase brings no winner

After the break, the Juve players seemed to still be in the locker room when the visitors equalized: A long ball forward was quickly played, Domenico Berardi squared the ball to Pinamonti, who got to it before Bremer and slotted it home to make it 1-1 (52'). With fresh legs, Luciano Spalletti tried to shake his team awake, but with limited success. Sassuolo played a very controlled, intelligent game and made life difficult for their opponents, especially goalkeeper Muric, who became the hero in a hectic final phase.

Kenan Yildiz put Juventus in the lead. © ANSA / Alessandro Di Marco

Spalletti went all in, sending on two strikers: Arkadiusz Milik – making his comeback after almost two years – and Dusan Vlahovic. After Idzes handled the ball in the penalty area, the referee, following a VAR review, awarded a penalty, but Locatelli's spot kick was saved by Muric (87'). The nearly two-meter-tall Kosovar then rose to the occasion to deny Milik's header, but Vlahovic was just a fraction of a second too late to connect with the rebound (90'). The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Milan only needs one strong phase

Milan celebrated a 3-2 victory against Torino earlier that evening. Although Strahinja Pavlovic put the hosts in the lead, the Rossoneri put in a weak first-half performance. Torino, however, were unable to capitalize on this, even though Giovanni Simeone equalized just before halftime.

Milan's two goalscorers, Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot (front, from left), celebrate. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI

After the break, the home side showed a different side: Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana gave Milan a 3-1 lead within two minutes. In the closing stages, Nikola Vlasic converted a penalty, but that was all Torino could muster.

Serie A, 30th matchday

Parma – Cremonese 0:2
Goals: 0:1 Maleh (54th), 0:2 Vandeputte (68th)

Milan – Torino 3-2
Goals: 1:0 Pavlovic (36th), 1:1 Simeone (44th), 2:1 Rabiot (54th), 3:1 Fofana (55th), 3:2 Vlasic (83rd/penalty)

Juventus – Sassuolo 1-1
Goals: 1:0 Yildiz (14th), 1:1 Pinamonti (52nd)

Sunday's games:
Como – Pisa (12:30 pm)
Atalanta vs. Hellas Verona (15 p.m.)
Bologna-Lazio
Roma – Lecce (18 p.m.)
Fiorentina – Inter (20.45 p.m.)

Table