MILAN (AP) — It was another chaotic day for Juventus on Sunday.
A late Razvan Marin penalty saw visitors Cagliari rescue a 1-1 draw in Serie A.
That was the first goal Juventus had conceded in the league this season. To add insult to injury, Juventus winger Francisco Conceição was sent off moments later following a second yellow card.
It had been a drama-filled week on and off the field for Juventus, which fought back from 2-1 down with 10 men to win won 3-2 at Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Much of the talk before the match had been about midfielder Paul Pogba’s four-year ban for doping being reduced to 18 months on Friday.
Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli didn’t seem too keen to welcome the France World Cup winner back when asked about Pogba before the match.
Pogba, who will be free to resume his career in March, was watching from the stands.
Juventus took the lead in the 15th minute when Dusan Vlahovic drilled a penalty into the bottom right corner after Cagliari defender Sebastiano Luperto was adjudged to have handled the ball.
The Juventus players rushed to the touchline to celebrate by holding up Gleison Bremer’s shirt following their teammate’s serious injury midweek.
Just as it seemed Juventus was heading for the win, the visitors were awarded a penalty of their own after Bianconeri midfielder Douglas Luiz collided with Cagliari forward Roberto Piccoli.
Marin struck the spotkick into the top left corner to level the game with two minutes remaining.
Less than a minute later Conceição went down in the penalty area after feeling Adam Obert’s hand on his shoulder. He was immediately shown a second yellow card for simulation and dismissed.
Cagliari almost completed the fightback in the fifth minute of stoppage time but Obert’s strike came off the near post.
Juventus remained one of two unbeaten sides in Serie A. The other, Empoli, was playing at in-form Lazio later. Roma and AC Milan were also playing later, at Monza and Fiorentina, respectively.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Daniella Matar, The Associated Press
