Juventus came from behind to draw 3-3 with Roma in a thrilling Serie A match on Sunday, keeping their Champions League qualification hopes alive. Federico Gatti scored in stoppage time to earn a vital point, leaving Juventus four points behind fourth-placed Roma. The result came after Juventus's recent European exit to Galatasaray.
Juventus trailed 3-1 against Roma with 12 minutes remaining in Sunday's Serie A encounter at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, attended by over 65,000 fans. Roma took a commanding lead through goals from Wesley Franca, Evan Ndicka, and Donyell Malen, the latter on loan from Aston Villa and netting his sixth goal in seven matches since joining.
Jeremie Boga pulled one back for Juventus with a volley, setting the stage for a tense finish. In the third minute of stoppage time, Federico Gatti capitalized on a poorly defended free-kick to lash home the equalizer, securing an unlikely point. This draw maintains Juventus in contention for a top-four finish, four points adrift of Roma, who missed a chance to extend their lead and end an eight-year absence from the Champions League.
The result provides a boost for Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti following their painful aggregate defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League, where they staged a comeback from three goals down but were eliminated after extra time. "You have to look at it like we were knocked out of the Champions League in that way, after 120 minutes, and to have all that burden of elimination, of sadness and disappointment," Spalletti said. "Putting things right when you're two goals down was a huge mountain to climb but the players did it."
Roma's failure to hold the lead highlights ongoing challenges against direct rivals. Upstarts Como sit three points behind Roma in fifth place, with the teams set to face each other in two weeks.
Elsewhere, AC Milan secured a 2-0 win at Cremonese with late goals from Strahinja Pavlovic in the 90th minute and Rafael Leao in stoppage time, moving them closer to Champions League qualification despite trailing leaders Inter Milan by 10 points. Atalanta, the only remaining Italian side in the Champions League last 16 after a 4-3 aggregate victory over Borussia Dortmund, suffered a 2-1 defeat to 10-man Sassuolo, leaving them six points off the top four.