Serie A leaders Juventus missed the chance to seal the Scudetto as Roma came from behind to secure a 3-1 win. Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at some things we learned from the clash at the Stadio Olimpico.
1. Sometimes you shouldn’t change a winning team
After the energy-sapping Cham-pions League semi-final win over Monaco and with one eye on the upcoming Coppa Italia final against Lazio tomorrow, it is easy to understand why Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri made a few changes.
With the likes of Paulo Dybala, veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini, Dani Alves and Andrea Barzagli all rested, it was something of a makeshift team, but one which still looked capable of getting a result, with left-back Kwadwo Asamoah crashing his shot against the woodwork before Mario Lemina tapped in what was the Gabon midfielder’s first Serie A goal of the season.
However, after Roma rallied, Juventus were not able to find a response, even once Dani Alves and Paulo Dybala had been thrown on as substitutes.
2. Even the greatest can make a mistake... or two
At 39, Gianluigi Buffon has just about seen and done it all.
However, the veteran goalkeeper will not have been impressed with his role in two of Roma’s goals.
While Buffon showed his reflexes have not slowed with age in getting to Kostas Manolas’s header from a corner and then Daniele de Rossi’s initial follow-up, he knows he should have put the ball out of harm’s way rather than pat it back into a crowded six-yard box.
Buffon was also deceived by the flight of Stephan El Shaarawy’s goal in the second half, with a slight deflection seeing it spin into the corner as the veteran Italian appeared to think it was going wide.
A poor night at the office, yes, but with the destiny of the championship still very much in the grasp of the Old Lady, Buffon will soon bounce back.
3. Luciano Spalletti doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve
While the rest of the Giallorossi were celebrating wildly as Radja Nainggolan crashed in the third goal, Roma boss Spalletti continued to march along the sidelines, hands firmly pressed in pockets, his stare fixed into the distance.
Inside, though, he can only have been gleefully impressed by the way his side, which was missing injured frontman Edin Dzeko, produced the required display against the Serie A leaders, who remain within striking distance, for at least another week.
4. Juventus can still sweep all before them
Massimiliano Allegri would have known his tactical decisions were always likely to come back to bite him, and so it proved as a rejigged rearguard failed to deal with Roma’s extra energy while Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic were starved of service in the final third.
However, expect Juve’s big guns to return for tomorrow’s Coppa Italia final and most likely another strong selection for the visit of Crotone, where victory would deliver yet another well-deserved Scudetto for the Old Lady of Turin.
5. Real Madrid probably won’t be too worried... yet
While Juventus were labouring at the Stadio Olimpico, Champions League final opponents Real Madrid swept aside Sevilla 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to stay very much in the hunt for the LaLiga title.
What Los Blancos coach Zinedine Zidane would learn, though, from watching a DVD of Sunday night’s defeat for a makeshift Juve side remains debatable.
One thing is for sure, by the time the two European heavyweights run out in Cardiff on June 3, it will take something special from Cristiano Ronaldo and co. to get the better of Allegri’s well-drilled machine.
As long, of course, as he has all the right parts available.