Juventus vs Venezia: A Tale of Two Halves

Coming into the weekend, Juventus were desperate for three points that could pull them to within nine and ten points of Atalanta and AC Milan, respectively. Venezia, meanwhile, sat rock bottom and a full eleven points adrift of safety. Anything less than a Juventus victory would surely go down as a major shock.
And so it proved to be, right up until the 95th minute.
The home side went into the break 1-0 up thanks to a goal from Federico Gatti. However, Venezia came out fighting in the second half and Mikael Egill Ellertsson deservedly drew the visitors level before Jay Idzes put the minnows ahead with just nine minutes remaining.
Just when it seemed as though Venezia would pull off the impossible, Dušan Vlahović stepped up and slotted home a last-gasp penalty to earn Juventus a point.
The draw means that Juventus remain in sixth place, while Venezia stay rooted to the bottom of the table. However, both teams will take solace from the fact that they showed plenty of fighting spirit – Juventus in the second half and Venezia throughout.
Let's dive into some of the key talking points from the match:

Federico Gatti's goal was his first for Juventus, and it came at a crucial time. The defender has been in impressive form since joining from Frosinone in the summer, and he is starting to show why he is so highly rated.
Venezia's performance was full of heart and determination. They never gave up, even when they were trailing by two goals. Their fighting spirit is a credit to them, and it will give them hope that they can still avoid relegation.
Juventus were poor in the second half, but they showed their character by coming back to earn a point. They will need to be much better in the coming weeks if they want to challenge for the title.
The draw means that Juventus are now six points behind Atalanta and nine points behind AC Milan. They will need to start winning games soon if they want to keep their title hopes alive.

Overall, it was a game of two halves. Juventus were the better team in the first half, but Venezia were the better team in the second half. The draw was a fair result, and it keeps both teams in the hunt for their respective goals.