In a thrilling match that saw a dramatic turnaround, Juventus scored three late goals to draw 3-3 with Bologna on Monday. Bologna, led by Thiago Motta, made a strong start, but Juventus' late surge secured a draw. The match was significant as it might have been a test of Motta's credentials to take over Juventus.
Bologna started brightly, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring in the second minute, followed by Santiago Castro's header in the 11th minute. Juventus struggled to find their footing, with Bologna dominating the first half. The home team's pace and intensity caused problems for Juventus, who seemed uninterested in running or tackling.
However, Juventus showed more bite after their half-time encounter with interim coach Paolo Montero, the former Uruguay defender who had been managing the club's Under-19 team. With the visitors pressing, Castro pinched the ball in midfield in the 53rd minute and launched a Bologna counter-attack. It finished with center back Calafiori running in alone on goal and chipping Wojciech Szczesny.
After both coaches made five changes, Bologna imploded in five chaotic minutes. Federico Chiesa pounced on an error by Jhon Lucumi to pull a goal back for Juventus after 76 minutes. Motta had taken off both goalscorers. Montero, it turned out, had sent on two substitutes who made an impact. Arkadiusz Milik added the second for the visitors from a deflected free kick after 83 minutes. A minute later, another replacement, Kenan Yildiz, skipped through the home defense and leveled.
Montero danced in the rain on the touchline, celebrating the dramatic comeback. He is in charge for the last two games of the season. Motta has been rumored for weeks to be joining Juventus next season, with Allegri's sacking on Friday only heightening the speculation.
"I haven't decided, nor signed anything," Motta told reporters ahead of Monday night's game. "Next week I'll sit down with the president (Joey Saputo) to take a decision together. Then we will make an announcement together."
Allegri was sent off in the final minutes of last Wednesday's 1-0 Cup Final win against Atalanta for ranting at match officials and is also alleged to have manhandled and threatened the chief editor of newspaper Tuttosport. The 56-year-old won 12 trophies, including five Serie A titles, and reached two Champions League finals with Juventus over two spells as manager.
The draw preserved Bologna's third place in the league, ahead of Juventus on tiebreak. Bologna have already qualified for next season's Champions League, a significant achievement for Motta's team. Juventus, meanwhile, will need to regroup and refocus for their remaining matches.
In conclusion, the match was a thrilling encounter that saw a dramatic turnaround. Bologna's strong start was undone by Juventus' late surge, and the draw was a fair result. Motta's future remains uncertain, but his team's performance this season has been impressive. Juventus, meanwhile, will need to find stability and consistency to achieve their goals.
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