TURIN: Juventus players should have been more precise in their attack as they played out a goalless home draw against AS Roma in Serie A on Sunday, coach Thiago Motta said.

Juventus dropped the first points of their league campaign after kicking off the season with impressive back-to-back 3-0 victories against Como and Hellas Verona.

“I think it’s a fair result, in a balanced match. We didn’t concede and we have one more point in the standings,” Motta told a press conference. “I’m very satisfied with the group and their commitment. We could have done much better today in precision in the offensive phase, but the opposing team knew how to defend and not give spaces.”

It is the first time since 2014-15 that Juv­e­ntus managed to keep a clean sheet in their first three Serie A games of the season.

“Today we were too frenetic. At times we did well, at times they did well, it was a really difficult and balanced game,” Motta added. “We failed to understand the right moment to hit Roma, which must be underlined, they are a great team. Offensively we can do better.”

A match short on action and goalmouth incident left Juve on seven points, behind champions and league leaders Inter Milan on goals scored.

A draw at Juve, where Roma traditionally struggle, gives coach Daniele De Rossi some breathing room for the international break after a difficult opening fortnight. His team moved out of the drop zone to 17th with two points.

Earlier Fiorentina came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 thanks to Moise Kean and debutant Robin Gosens, who looped in his new team’s equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Como fell to a 1-0 defeat at Udinese — who are one of four teams level with Inter -—after Patrick Cutrone smashed a stoppage-time penalty wide, leaving Cesc Fabregas’ promoted side bottom of the division on a single point.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2024