Igor Tudor enjoyed a remarkable debut on the Lazio bench, as Adam Marusic delivered a decisive stoppage-time goal, further exacerbating Juventus’s ongoing struggles.
In the aftermath of Maurizio Sarri’s resignation and Giovanni Martusciello’s interim stewardship securing a victory over Frosinone, Tudor commenced his tenure with a restructured three-man defensive setup. Notably absent were Ivan Provedel, Manuel Lazzari, Nicolò Rovella, and the suspended Luca Pellegrini, while Luis Alberto was not fully fit. Max Allegri, commemorating his 500th Serie A match, opted for a tactical alteration employing a 4-3-3 formation, with several key players such as Dusan Vlahovic, Arkadiusz Milik, Filip Kostic, Alex Sandro, and Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to injuries. Additionally, Mattia De Sciglio made a return after an absence of 11 months following knee surgery.
Taty Castellanos threatened twice, narrowly missing the near post from outside the box and following a swift exchange with Felipe Anderson. Pedro’s aggressive pressing disrupted Wojciech Szczesny’s distribution, although Daichi Kamada squandered a promising opportunity by delaying his shot.
Szczesny was called into action by Felipe Anderson’s half-volley, but Juventus mustered their first significant chance just before halftime, with Federico Chiesa attempting to guide a low effort towards the far bottom corner, prompting Christos Mandas to make a crucial fingertip save.
Chiesa continued to trouble the Lazio defense with a curling effort, prompting Allegri to revert to a 3-5-2 formation and make two substitutions after the break. This tactical adjustment paid dividends as Samuel Iling-Junior’s cross found Andrea Cambiaso, whose volley tested Mandas.
Adam Marusic, in combination with substitute Ciro Immobile, unleashed a menacing shot, deflected wide by Gleison Bremer. Luis Alberto’s late introduction injected urgency, as he orchestrated chances for Matias Vecino and himself, the latter’s effort deflecting off Daniele Rugani and narrowly missing the far post.
What appeared to be Juventus’s second consecutive goalless draw, marking their third stalemate in succession, was dramatically overturned by Lazio. With the final play of the game, Matteo Guendouzi delivered a pinpoint cross to the back post, where Adam Marusic outmaneuvered Sekulov to head in the winning goal, catching the Bianconeri defense off guard and igniting jubilation among the home supporters.
The result compounds Juventus’s woes, as they now have only one victory in nine Serie A fixtures.
Lazio 1-0 Juventus