Juve's top-four dream hits the snooze button in Parma loss
JUVENTUS stumbled to a 1–0 defeat at Parma on Wednesday, failing to impress with a sleepy performance as they slipped out of the top four with the season now edging towards its conclusion.
Juve sit fifth on 59 points, one behind Bologna who occupy the final Champions League spot, with five rounds remaining. Parma, meanwhile, took a significant step away from the relegation zone and have 31 points — six clear of 18th-placed Venezia.
The first half was a dull affair, with both sides appearing to have already clocked off for an early end-of-season break, drifting through the motions and barely creating any real chances until the final minutes.
Mateo Pellegrino lit up the home crowd right before the break, soaring through the air in first-half stoppage time to meet a looping cross and head the ball with pinpoint precision into the net for the only goal of the match.
"We lacked a bit of everything. We pushed a lot in the second half, but we were not dangerous enough," Igor Tudor, who was appointed in March, told DAZN after his first loss as Juve coach.
"We lacked determination and desire. Too many times, we were just happy to participate. We must grow, be wicked and have the desire to win and fight."
Juve's Dusan Vlahovic was substituted during the break, with Italian media reporting that the striker suffered a thigh injury, with Francisco Conceicao replacing the Serbian.
The second half unfolded in the same lifeless fashion as the first, with Juve applying some late pressure, but Parma keeper Zion Suzuki proved a steady last line of defence, denying Juve any chance of an equaliser.
Juve will next host bottom club Monza on Sunday.
The Serie A clash between Genoa and Lazio was briefly halted in the first half after several smoke bombs were thrown onto the pitch, one of which struck Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas.
However, the Greek shot-stopper was cleared to continue and played the rest of the match, helping Lazio to a 2–0 win with goals from Valentin Castellanos and Boulaye Dia. — REUTERS
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