Juventus dropped their first points of the Serie A season after being held to a 1-1 draw by Hellas Verona, with Nigerian forward Gift Orban stealing the spotlight.
The Bianconeri, who had edged Inter Milan in a seven-goal thriller last weekend and shared a 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund in midweek, again showed defensive vulnerabilities in Verona.
Portugal winger Francisco Conceição put Juve ahead after 19 minutes, gliding past his marker and finishing clinically from the edge of the box.
But Verona levelled shortly before the break when João Mário was penalised for handball from a long throw. Orban stepped up and converted confidently, his penalty crashing in off the underside of the bar despite Michele di Gregorio’s fingertips.
Gift Orban celebrating with his Verona teammates. Photo Credit: Getty Images
The 22-year-old striker, on loan from Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, opened his Serie A account with Saturday’s goal his first since arriving in Italy this summer.
Minutes after scoring, Orban escaped with only a yellow card for catching Federico Gatti with a swinging arm, but he remained Verona’s most dangerous player.
The home side came out in the second half pushing for a winner. Orban forced Di Gregorio into a sharp stop, while Martin Frese also tested the Juventus goalkeeper.
Suat Serdar thought he had given Verona the lead, but his header was correctly ruled out for offside.
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Juventus created little after the interval and were forced to settle for a point, their first dropped of the season.
Gift Orban. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Igor Tudor’s men stay top of Serie A with 10 points from four games, one clear of second-placed Napoli, who host Pisa on Monday.
Verona’s goalscorer Gift Orban was named Football Italia’s Man of the Match.
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Verona remain without a win but move to 15th in the table, with Orban’s lively display providing a boost for their campaign.
