MILAN: Juventus maintained their hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League after bouncing back from two goals down to draw 3-3 at top-four rivals AS Roma with nearly the last kick of Sunday’s game.

Federico Gatti lashed home Juve’s leveller in the third minute of stoppage time to give Juve a point in Rome which keeps them four points from fourth place which is occupied by Roma.

Juve were trailing 3-1 with 12 minutes remaining after goals from Wesley Franca, Evan Ndicka and Donyell Malen gave Roma a commanding lead in front of over 65,000 delighted fans.

But Jeremie Boga volleyed Juve back into the game and just as Roma looked like holding out for the win Gatti pounced on a poorly-defended free-kick to snatch an unlikely point.

Gatti’s goal was a huge boost for Juve who were reeling from their painful aggregate defeat to Galatasaray which knocked them out of Europe’s top club competition after staging an incredible comeback from three goals down to take the tie to 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,” said Juve coach Luciano Spalletti.

“Putting things right when you’re two goals down was a huge mountain to climb but the players did it.”

Roma had looked like taking a big step to ending their eight-year absence from the Champions League when Malen netted a superb sixth goal in seven matches since signing on loan from Aston Villa.

But Gian Piero Gasperini’s men again failed to win a match against a direct rival and are now looking over their shoulders.

Upstarts Como are three points behind Roma in fifth with the pair facing off in two weeks’ time.

“Obviously if we had gone seven points ahead of Juve it would have been a big step forward, but we’re competitive and we can’t let this kind of result get to us,” said Gasperini.

“A set-piece was the only way they were going to score because I couldn’t see them creating any other way.”

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2026