Awesome spectacle of the Olimpico
Roma and Juventus finished 1-1 in superderbito from the 15th round in Serie A. Exciting clash of stadium Olimpico in the Italian capital has become one of the jewels of the season.
Juventus moved back to the top of Serie A after coming from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Roma at Stadio Olimpico on Monday night.
Left-back Giorgio Chiellini was the Old Lady hero as he headed home a second-half equaliser to grab a share of the spoils after Daniele De Rossi had fired the hosts into an early lead.
However, the visitors also had experienced goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank for sending them back to the summit when he flew to his right to parry a 62nd-minute Francesco Totti penalty.
Although they secured the point needed, the match didn’t go according to the expected script as the hosts surged into a shock fifth-minute lead, when Totti worked a short corner with Miralem Pjanic before picking out De Rossi with a precise clipped pass.
The midfielder, who was playing as a makeshift central defender, hooked the ball back across the face of goal, and although Arturo Vidal was handily placed to clear, he took a fresh-air swipe at the ball, allowing it to trickle into the net.
The goal proved something of a false dawn for Roma, however, as Juventus immediately seized the initiative and surged forward on wave after wave of attack for much of the remaining 40 minutes of the half.
However, despite their dominance, Juve struggled with the quality of their finishing, and only managed to force Maarten Stekelenburg into a string of routine saves.
In the 25th minute, Marcelo Estigarribia fired in a low drive after Rodrigo Taddei had failed to clear, but the Dutch custodian plunged to his left to block.
The visitors were not quite as dominant in the second period, but they managed to restore parity just after the hour when Chiellini arrived right on cue to nod home Estigarribia’s miscued volley from close range.
After eventually getting on level terms, Antonio Conte’s side had Buffon to thank for preventing them from throwing it all away within 60 seconds after Vidal clumsily tripped Erik Lamela inside the box.
The table-toppers return to league duty on Sunday afternoon when they host strugglers Novara at Juventus Stadium. Luis Enrique’s side, meanwhile, journey south to face Napoli at Stadio San Paolo later that night.
