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Juventus F.C., Udinese Calcio, Serie A

Juventus 1-1 Udinese: Old Lady’s top-four hopes dealt a blow

Juventus’ hopes of finishing in Serie A’s top four suffered a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Udinese on Saturday.

Juventus took the lead through Dusan Vlahovic’s close-range finish, but the Zebrette struck back with a stunning equalizer from Destiny Udogie to earn a share of the spoils.

The result leaves Juventus in fifth place in the standings, level on points with fourth-place AS Roma, but with an inferior head-to-head record. Udinese, meanwhile, remains in 13th place.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri made three changes to the team that started the 2-0 win over Hellas Verona last weekend. Juan Cuadrado, Manuel Locatelli, and Vlahovic all came into the side, with Danilo, Leandro Paredes, and Arkadiusz Milik dropping to the bench.

Udinese coach Andrea Sottil also made three changes to the team that started the 4-0 defeat to Napoli last weekend. Nehuen Perez, Sandi Lovric, and Isaac Success all came into the side, with Rodrigo Becao, Tolgay Arslan, and Beto dropping to the bench.

Juventus started the match brightly and took the lead in the 10th minute. Vlahovic was on hand to tap in from close range after Adrien Rabiot had headed down Filip Kostic’s cross.

Udinese responded well to going behind and created several chances of their own. Success came close to equalizing in the 20th minute, but his shot was well saved by Wojciech Szczesny.

The Zebrette continued to press and were rewarded for their efforts in the 46th minute. Udogie picked up the ball on the left-hand side of the box and curled a stunning shot into the far corner.

Juventus tried to find a winner in the second half, but they were unable to break down a resolute Udinese defense. The Zebrette held on for a valuable point, while Juventus were left to rue two dropped points in their quest for a top-four finish.