Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Cagliari at the Unipol Domus on Sunday night, with Randal Kolo Muani’s late header rescuing a point after Daniel Maldini’s first-half opener. Here’s how every Juventus player rated in a frustrating return from the international break.
Spalletti’s side dominated the ball, with around 72% possession, but struggled to turn it into anything meaningful against Pisacane’s compact side. They had just one shot on target before half-time and fell behind in the 20th minute, when a Cagliari counter saw the ball ricochet off several Juventus defenders and fall to Paul Mendy, who set up Maldini for his fourth Serie A goal of the season. Juve had the best of the chances either side of that, with Nico Gonzalez’s deflected effort going narrowly wide after a Celik cross and McKennie volley. A double change at the break, with Alajbegovic and Zhegrova replacing McKennie and Conceição, gave the Bianconeri more life. Vicario also had to be at his best in the second half, producing a fine double save with the offside flag up anyway. The equaliser came in the 81st minute, when Alajbegovic’s cross found Kolo Muani, who rose above his marker to head past Caprile. Juve threw everything at Cagliari late on and struck the woodwork, but couldn’t find a winner. Spalletti and Pisacane were both sent off at the final whistle after a heated exchange over time-wasting.
Juventus
Vicario: Had little chance with the goal after several deflections in the box, and produced an excellent double save in the second half to keep Juve in the game. 6.5/10
Kalulu: A solid, tidy shift at right-back and one of the few Juve players to emerge with real credit. 6.5/10
Bremer: Part of a back line that was exposed on the counter for the opener, but otherwise composed as Juve pushed high up the pitch. 6.0/10
Lucumì: Steady, but like his fellow defenders he was left exposed when Cagliari broke at pace for the goal. 6.0/10
Celik: Provided much of Juve’s early width and delivered the cross that led to their best chance of the first half. 6.5/10
Douglas Luiz: Kept the ball moving well in a dominant possession display but couldn’t unlock a deep-lying Cagliari block before making way late on. 6.0/10
Sarr: Neat and tidy alongside Douglas Luiz in the base of midfield, helping Juve dominate the ball, though without the final pass to unpick Cagliari. 6.5/10
Conceição: Failed to find a way past Cagliari’s defence and was withdrawn at half-time as Spalletti looked for a spark. 5.5/10
McKennie: Involved in the best chance of the first half with a volley across goal, but couldn’t make enough happen before being replaced at the break. 6.0/10
Nico González: Went close with a knee deflection that flew just wide in the opening 15 minutes, but struggled to influence the game thereafter. 6.0/10
⭐Kolo Muani: Lively throughout and rewarded with a first Serie A goal of the season, rising to meet Alajbegovic’s cross and head home a crucial equaliser. 7.5/10
Spalletti: His side dominated the ball but looked toothless against a low block until the half-time changes brought a lift, and the touchline red card capped a frustrating evening. 5.5/10
Substitutions
⭐Alajbegovic: Made an instant difference after the break, and then delivered the cross for the equaliser. 7.0/10
Zhegrova: Introduced at half-time to inject some creativity into the attack, with Cagliari’s low block making it a difficult task. 6.0/10
Woltemade: Quiet for much of his time on the pitch, but his run to the near post pulled Deiola out of position and helped create the space for Kolo Muani’s header. 6.0/10
Koopmeiners: Introduced late on as Juve pushed for a winner, with too little time to make an impact. N/A
