Juventus’ bid for a first name in Serie A in 4 years hit an obstacle on Saturday after Empoli snatched a wonderful 1-1 draw from the hosts (10-1).
Tommaso Baldanzi stunned Turin’s Allianz Stadium in the 70th minute of a meeting with Scudetto hopefuls Juve without a chance to take a four-point lead over Inter Milan.
Instead the league lead for Juve stands at two, meaning that Inter, who have two games in hand, will reclaim top spot if they win at fifth-placed Fiorentina on Sunday.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men had to play more than three quarters of the match with one player down after Arkadiusz Milik was sent off in the 16th minute for a clumsy and damaging foul on Alberto Cerri.
“We didn’t lose our form after being down to 10 men, we’re still looking to win the game. . . I’m disappointed for the guys,” Allegri told DAZN.
Next weekend, Juve, whose run of league and cup victories ended in seven games, will travel to San Siro for the so-called “Italian derby” with Inter after failing to create a real hole between themselves and their fiercest rivals.
“The Derby of Italy is always a great game, it’s a brilliant match to play and the stadium will be full. We’ll go there to put in a top performance and try to get a result,” Allegri said.
“They’re the best team in the league and favourites to win the title.”
Juve thought they were on their way to trouble when Dusan Vlahovic put them ahead four minutes after the break following chaos from a corner.
It is the Serbian striker’s sixth goal in all competitions for Juve since the beginning of the year.
But it wasn’t enough for the win, as Baldanzi, who was rumoured to be leaving for Roma before the end of this transfer window, came down through a sea of legs.
The draw failed pull Empoli out of the relegation zone as Davide Nicola’s team are in 19th place on 17 points, a point behind Cagliari and Udinese who sit just above the relegation zone.
“I’d keep any player I can from this squad because they’re showing me that they care and above that they have desire to improve,” said Nicola of Baldanzi.
Udinese stayed within reach of Empoli after being beaten 2-0 at Atalanta, allowing their hosts to move into the Champions League places above Fiorentina.
MAIGNAN’S MLK HOMAGE
AC Milan summoned inspiration from American civil rights hero Martin Luther King to show solidarity with goalkeeper Mike Maignan, pausing play in a 2-2 home draw with Bologna in which Riccardo Orsolini snatched a point for the away side with a stoppage-time penalty.
The fixture was stopped in the 16th minute in honour of Maignan’s shirt number while a famous King quote was displayed on the San Siro’s big screens.
“Darkness drives out darkness; only kindness can do that,” the message reads.
Fans turned on their phone lights as warm applause swept through the stadium stands for Maignan, a victim of racist abuse at Udinese last week, and highlighting his “resolute stance against discrimination. “
Milan are seven problems behind Juve after a draw with this season’s wonder package, which will further hurt Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez as they take the consequences in each half.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek equalised Joshua Zirkzee’s opener for Bologna just before half-time, shortly after Giroud dropped a weak penalty into the hands of Lukasz Skorupski.
And after Hernandez smacked the post with his 74th-minute spot-kick and then prodded home an illegal goal on the rebound, Loftus-Cheek headed home in the 83rd minute what looked to be the winner.
But Filippo Terracciano foolishly slammed Victor Kristiansen’s shirt as he tried to make a mocking cross and Orsolini took his penalty to depress Maignan.
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