Juventus have not won the first game of the new Serie A season. The dethroned national champion took a 0-2 lead against Udinese on Sunday evening, but saw the opponent come back to 2-2. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made a mistake on both goals. Cristiano Ronaldo started as a substitute, made his appearance after an hour and looked to produce the winning goal deep into stoppage time. However, that was disallowed for offside.
?? In injury time, Cristiano Ronaldo still seems to give Juventus the victory in Udine. But his goal is disallowed for offside… #ZiggoSport #SeriesA #UdineseJuve pic.twitter.com/czRKBieEAi
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) August 22, 2021
Not only after, but also before and during the game, Ronaldo was the most talked about man in Turin. The attacker started on the bench after he submitted a request to remain outside the starting eleven, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. “He hopes to find a solution in the transfer market in the coming days,” Romano wrote on Twitter. The vanguard thus consisted of Álvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala. The latter opened the score in the third minute, as he stormed into the penalty area and appreciated a cross from Rodrigo Bentancur from the right wing.
Udinese gives something back! ?? Szczesny makes a mistake and Pereyra uses from the penalty spot: 2-1! ??#ZiggoSport #SeriesA #UdineseJuve pic.twitter.com/xkRutFVbsN
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) August 22, 2021
Juventus, with Matthijs de Ligt in the starting eleven, expanded the margin halfway through the first half. The visitors played themselves out under the pressure of Udinese: a long ball from Dybala ended up at Juan Cuadrado, his opponent Bram Nuytinck easily cut out in the penalty area and found the left corner. Five minutes after the break, however, Udinese found the connection from a penalty, which was awarded after a foul by Szczesny. The goalkeeper couldn’t control the ball after a shot by Tolgay Arslan, after which he fouled the same Arslan in the rebound to keep him off the ball. Roberto Pereyra sent Szczesny the wrong way from eleven meters. The tension returned to the game.
Shortly after the goal, Morata was close to 1-3, but he headed the ball against the crossbar after a cross from Alex Sandro. After an hour of play, the striker made way for Ronaldo, who immediately made himself heard by heading the ball just wide on a pass from Dybala. Also Bentancur, after preparatory work by Ronaldo, was not happy in the completion. Udinese stayed in the game and tied the score seven minutes before the end, again due to an error by Szczesny. The keeper got himself into trouble around the back line and lost the ball to Stefano Okaka, who enabled Gerard Deulofeu to finish in an empty goal. Deep into stoppage time, Ronaldo headed in from close range after a Federico Chiesa cross. The release was great and Ronaldo took off his shirt, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Oh oh oh, Szczesny! What a blunder…?? Udinese equalize against Juventus: 2-2 ?? #ZiggoSport #SeriesA #UdineseJuve pic.twitter.com/6wS8bJomOy
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) August 22, 2021
Bologna – Salernitana 3-2
Sydney van Hooijdonk made his first minutes for Bologna in the Serie A as a substitute. The attacker who came over from NAC Breda on a free transfer came in four minutes before the end for Marko Arnautovic, who accounted for one of the three goals of Sinisa Mihajlovic’s team. The first competition match was marred by no fewer than three red cards: Jerdy Schouten, good for the assist on Arnautovic, and Roberto Soriano were booked twice on the Bologna side and in the first half Stefan Strandberg received two yellow prints from the visitors. Bologna will face Atalanta next Saturday.