Gulf News

Allegri fumes after Juve suffer derby defeat

Coach blames his side’s match management for first loss to city rivals Torino in 20 years

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Juventus will have to wait at least a few more days before they can celebrate winning a fourth consecutiv­e Serie A title as Massimilia­no Allegri’s side lost 2-1 to city rivals Torino on Sunday.

Fresh from winning through to their first Champions League semi-final in 12 years after beating Monaco in midweek, Juve took their eye off the ball domestical­ly and suffered a second defeat in three Serie A matches.

“All we had to do is be patient,” Allegri said after Juve’s first derby loss in 20 years.

“We were ahead, why would we run after that second goal? They had to open up and go for it. We had to force our nature when we shouldn’t have.

“We didn’t lose because of defensive mistakes. We lost because of the match management.”

Andrea Pirlo put the visitors in front at the Stadio Olimpico with a trademark free-kick that went in off the bar 10 minutes before half-time, but Torino produced a tremendous fightback to claim a first win in the city derby since 1995.

Former Juve star strikes

Fabio Quagliarel­la was the hero for the Granata against the club he left last summer as he set up Matteo Darmian to equalise just before halftime and then netted what proved to be the winner from close range 12 minutes into the second half.

In any case, even a win for Juve would not have been enough to clinch the title with six games to spare as second-placed Lazio drew 1-1 with Chievo at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Veteran Miroslav Klose put Lazio ahead on the stroke of half-time, only for Alberto Paloschi to volley the visitors level with quarter of an hour remaining in the capital.

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