Juventus drew 1-1 in a thrilling end to end game against Cagliari at the Juventus Stadium in Serie A on Saturday evening.
The Bianconeri looked set to tuck another home win under their belts as a late first half long range drive from Paul Pogba put Juventus in the lead, but Luca Rossettini grabbed an equalising goal at the death for his relegation threatened team.
Both sides began to trade blows as early as the the first minute, with Paul Pogba winning a free kick from 30-yards out after being brought down by Lorenzo Crisetig. Pogba struck the ball hard but Cagliari goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic happily watched the ball zip wide.
Diego Farias was the next to try, as he smartly manouvered past Romulo only for his shot to be blocked, though the Brazilian came closer just minutes later with a brilliant dribble into the Juventus box, only for his shot this time to lack any great power, leaving Marco Storari to gather with ease.
Shots began to form a pattern with each team forcing their way to the opposite goal, with Matri over-complicating a back-heel before Cagliari stole the ball with Duje Cop serving an onrushing Farias who found the ball in-front of him yet astonishingly managed to put it wide from 12 yards.
Cop and Farias were persistent in their efforts at goal though it was the home side who gradually began to take a tighter grip on the game, asserting this control in the late stages of the first half as they increased pressure on the club from Sardinia.
The hunger for the opening goal became evident as chances stacked up, first with Pogba managing to shrug his marker and hit a volley yet the ball didn’t sit down for the Frenchman and then minutes later compatriot Kingsley Coman headed a whisker wide of the post.
The breakthrough finally came on the cusp of half time as the ever active Pogba decided to take aim at goal from 20 yards out.
His shot whistled through the air and looked to be a reasonable save for Brkic until the ball caught a deflection off the thigh of Luca Ceppittelli sending the Rossoblu keeper in the wrong direction with the ball free to bounce into the net.
The goal was the midfielder’s first since matchday 26 against Sassuolo.
Cagliari flew out of the locker room in the second half in desperate need of a goal to help their attempts to stave off relegation, forcing Angelo Ogbonna to make a marvelous intervention as Farias looked ready to slot the ball past Storari.
Marco Sau was then introduced by Gianluca Festa, and the Italian almost immediately punished a sleepy Juventus defence with a smart volley.
The visitors continued their onslaught of attacks and the game looked in danger to end the same way the first half did as Cagliari were too wasteful in their attacks until Rossettini threw his side a life line with a goal in the final few minutes.
The defender leapt the highest from a free kick and hammered the ball against the post yet was fortunate enough to tap the ball in on the rebound as Storari stood glued to the ground.
The well deserved goal reflected a tough game for his side, and substitute Sau could have won the game in stoppage time only to lean back too far and blast high.
