MILAN: Samuel Mbangula curled in a superb equaliser two minutes into stoppage time to salvage a point for Juventus against Bologna on Saturday.

The 2-2 draw left Juventus sixth, seven points adrift of Serie A leaders Atalanta but it could have been worse as Bologna had appeared to be heading for victory at the Allianz Stadium.

Dan Ndoye put the visitors ahead with a deft finish from a tight angle after half an hour and Tommaso Pobega doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half.

Juve finally got going when Teun Koopmeiners pulled back a goal 10 minutes later but despite applying intense pressure it looked as if they were heading for their first league defeat of the season.

With the clock ticking down, second-half substitute Mbangula picked up a pass on the edge of the Bologna area and the Belgian international placed a shot beyond the reach of ‘keeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Roma thrashed Lecce 4-1 as the club’s decision to bring in 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as the club’s third coach of the season begins to pay off.

Alexis Saelemaekers scored first for Roma but Nikola Krstovic pulled Lecce level from the penalty spot before half-time.

The second half at the Olympic Stadium was a different story as Roma romped home thanks to goals from Gianluca Mancini, Niccolo Pisilli and French midfielder Manu Kone to stand 11th in the table.

In the day’s early game, Genoa and Torino played out a goalless draw in a mid-table clash.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2024