Verona fight back to hold Juventus to 1-1 draw
VERONA, Italy: Winless Hellas Verona ended Juventus’s three-match winning streak in Serie A with a 1-1 draw on Saturday as Gift Orban’s equalizer from the penalty spot in the 44th minute canceled out Francisco Conceicao’s early strike. Juventus, who drew 4-4 with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, moved to 10 points from four matches, while Verona have three points after the same number of games. “Yes, the team was tired,” Juventus coach Igor Tudor told reporters. “This is a different kind of football and we lacked energy. I have nothing to say. Even those who came on showed desire but there was no freshness.” Two yellow cards in the first nine minutes set the tone for the contest, as Verona’s Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro was booked for a foul on Conceicao shortly before Juventus defender Federico Gatti was cautioned for pushing Domagoj Bradaric. Orban almost put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute when he intercepted Gatti’s back pass but Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio came out to block the Nigerian’s shot. Juventus were unrelenting in their pursuit of an early goal, as Conceicao failed to score off Kenan Yildiz’s pass and Joao Mario headed wide from Andrea Cambiaso’s cross. Conceicao, making his first appearance since suffering a muscle injury earlier this month, broke through in the 19th minute when he picked up Khephren Thuram’s pass and cut in from the right, dribbling past two Verona players before finishing with his left foot from the edge of the box.