In their first Serie A game after manager Max Allegri was fired, Juventus rallied for a 3-3 draw against Bologna on Monday, scoring three goals in the final 14 minutes to cap off an incredible comeback.
As a result, before the final matchday, Bologna, in third place, and Juventus, in fourth, were tied on 68 points. With two games remaining, Atalanta is currently in fifth with 66 points.
Both teams were focused on finishing third in the standings, behind AC Milan and champion Inter Milan, as they had already guaranteed spots in the Champions League for the next campaign.
Juve had a nightmare start as Bologna took an early two goal lead after 11 minutes, first from a rebound from Riccardo Calafiori and then through a header from Santiago Castro.
Jens Odgaard put the ball home moments after Bologna thought they had a third goal, but the offside flag was raised.
Eight minutes into the second half, Calafiori added to Juventus’ suffering as he raced into the box and chipped the ball over Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Juve seemed to have reached their lowest point after a turbulent few days. The team fired Allegri on Friday after winning the Italian Cup due to his inappropriate behavior in the championship game, and Paolo Montero was named the interim coach.
In the 76th minute, Federico Chiesa scored the first goal in Juventus‘ comeback, and in the 83rd, Arkadiusz Milik scored from a free kick.
Substitute Kenan Yildiz completed the tie a minute later with a long shot that reached the bottom corner from outside the box.
“I think the draw is a fair outcome,” Montero stated to DAZN. “They were mentally worn out after Wednesday’s [the Italian Cup final] triumph, and it will be difficult to come here and play against Bologna, one of the top clubs in the league right now.
“After that dip in mentality, they fought back with pride and showed how much they care about the shirt.”
Hellas Verona defeated Salernitana 2-1 to guarantee their spot in Serie A for the following season. They are sit in 13th place with 37 points, four points ahead of Empoli, who are in 18th.
