Juventus's Serie A title aspirations suffered a significant setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a determined Lecce side at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday. The home side had to come from behind to level the score but ultimately failed to secure the win after Jonathan David's late penalty was saved. The draw leaves Juventus five points behind league leaders AC Milan, who have played one game fewer.
Lecce, battling to avoid relegation, took a surprise lead just before halftime. A wayward pass was seized upon by Lameck Banda, who unleashed a stunning strike into the top corner of the net, leaving Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny with no chance. Juventus dominated the opening half, creating numerous chances, but found themselves trailing at the break.
Juventus responded quickly after the restart. Weston McKennie capitalized on a deflected shot from Kenan Yildiz, firing past Lecce's goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone to level the score. The goal injected renewed energy into Juventus's attack, and they began to apply sustained pressure on the Lecce defense.
The decisive moment arrived in the 89th minute when Juventus was awarded a penalty after Mohamed Kaba was adjudged to have handled Jonathan David's shot. Yildiz handed the ball to David, entrusting him with the responsibility of taking the spot-kick. David attempted a Panenka, a delicate chip down the middle, but his effort was weak and easily saved by Falcone, who read the shot and parried it away with an outstretched leg.
The miss proved costly, as Juventus was unable to find a late winner. Yildiz hit the post in added time, but it was not to be for the Bianconeri. The final whistle was met with boos from the Juventus fans, who were left frustrated by their team's inability to overcome a struggling Lecce side.
Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti defended David's decision to take the penalty in that style. Spalletti said that David is a penalty taker, he strikes them very well and he made the right choice. He also added that penalties get missed and it would have been the same if someone else had missed.
The draw is a blow to Juventus's title ambitions, as they failed to capitalize on Milan's victory over Cagliari. Juventus remains in fifth place and now relies on Inter Milan failing to beat Bologna to climb up the standings. Lecce, meanwhile, will be buoyed by their resilient performance, which earned them a valuable point in their fight for survival.
