Verona vs Juventus 2-1: Simeone Nets Two as Bianconeri Suffer Second Straight Defeat

Juventus suffered their second 2-1 loss in a row after losing to Verona at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi. 

Igor Tudor’s side put in a marvelous performance with Giovanni Simeone netting twice in the first 15 minutes. The Bianconeri were often on the back foot but kept looking for scoring opportunities with Paulo Dybala coming close on several occasions.

Juve eventually found their goal late in the second half thanks to substitute Weston McKennie but that proved to be a mere consolation as the Verona defense was rigid enough not to concede a second.

Massimiliano Allegri made six changes from the Sassuolo defeat. Wojciech Szczesny was back in goal while Giorgio Chiellini and Alex Sandro replaced Matthis de Ligt and Mattia de Sciglio respectively. The latter was ruled out of the game and could be on the sidelines for a while due to the injury he suffered earlier this week.

With Federico Chiesa out due to injury, Juan Cuadrado was back in the starting XI while Arthur made his first start of the season. Partnering the Brazilian in central midfield was Rodrigo Bentancur with Manuel Locatelli being benched for the first time in over a month.

Federico Bernardeschi was not starting but he was back in the squad after missing the Sassuolo defeat due to a shoulder injury.

Verona also made a number of changes to the Verona XI with the back three being completely different from the one that started against Udinese. Darko Lazovic was back in the lineup, replacing Martin Hongla. Also returning to the XI was Verona’s attacking duo of Gianluca Caprari and Simeone.

The Gialloblu started strongly and had a few scoring chances before taking the lead after 11 minutes. Antonin Barak’s shot on goal was blocked by Szczesny but the ball went towards Simeone who found the net with the simplest of finishes. The 26-year-old netted a second through a magnificent right-footed shot and appeared to have gotten a third but it was ruled out for offside.

Juve were having a tough time on the pitch but Dybala had a few attempts at goal, being unable to find the net on either occasion. The Argentine continued to threaten the Verona defense, hitting the crossbar during the end of the first half.

The Bianconeri were looking to fight back in the second half and Dybala had a couple of chances during the first few minutes but was unable to score. Allegri made a few substitutions with Locatelli and McKennie coming on. The latter had a shot on goal just after entering the pitch but was unable to find the net.

McKennie eventually found the net in the 80th minute to pull one back for Juventus. The American thus scored in two games on the trot.

Juve kept putting pressure on the Verona defense but were unable to get that equalizer. Dybala had another strong shot at goal but it was saved brilliantly by Montipo.

Verona held on to their lead and won 2-1, thus rising to 7th in the league standings while Juventus slipped to 8th.

The Bianconeri’s next fixture is against Zenit on Tuesday followed by a meeting against Fiorentina next weekend.

MATCH SCORECARD

October 30, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Round 11
VERONA – JUVENTUS: 2-1

SCORERS: Simeone (V), McKennie (J)

VERONA (3-4-2-1): Montipo, Dawidowicz, Gunter, Casale (67′ Ceccherini), Faraoni, Tameze (75′ Bessa), Veloso, Lazovic (67′ Sutalo), Barak, Caprari, Simeone (83′ Kalinic) (Pandur, Lasagna, Cetin, Cancellieri, Ruegg, Berardi, Magnani, Hongla); Coach: Tudor
JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Szczesny, Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro (82′ Pellegrini), Cuadrado (69′ Kulusevski), Bentancur (58′ McKennie), Arthur (69′ Bernardeschi), Rabiot (57′ Locatelli), Dybala, Morata (De Ligt, Jorge, Pinsoglio, Perin); Coach: Allegri

REFEREE: Mr. Marinelli
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Lazovic (V), Danilo (J), Casale (V), Faraoni (V), Arthur (J), Gunter (V), Morata (J); Added Time: 1st Half 0′, 2nd Half 5′