Roma Vs Juventus: Gatti’s stoppage-time strike rescues 3-3 draw and keeps Juve in top-four hunt
In a pulsating roma vs juventus contest in Rome, Federico Gatti slammed home a stoppage-time leveller to secure a 3-3 draw that keeps Juventus in contention for a Champions League place. The late turnaround matters because it trimmed the gap to four points between the visitors and their top-four rivals, preserving Juventus’s mathematical hope with the season entering its final phase.
Roma Vs Juventus: late drama and set-piece turning point
Roma led 3-1 with 12 minutes remaining after goals from Wesley França, Evan Ndicka and Donyell Malen had put the hosts in command in front of more than 65, 000 fans. Juventus fought back when Jérémie Boga volleyed them back into the game, and a poorly defended set piece led to Federico Gatti converting a right-footed shot from very close range into the top-left corner in the third minute of stoppage time to make it 3-3. The fourth official had announced 4 minutes of added time before the decisive action.
Federico Gatti and Juventus substitutions
Gatti’s intervention followed his introduction as a substitute when he replaced Bremer. Juventus also made other changes: Loïs Openda came on for Andrea Cambiaso. Andrea Cambiaso had earlier won a free kick on the left wing and provided the cross that allowed Edon Zhegrova to test Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar with a left-footed effort that was saved in the centre of the goal. Weston McKennie then had a header from the centre of the box that missed to the left, with that chance created by a Zhegrova cross following a set-piece situation.
Roma goals and in-game incidents: Wesley, Evan Ndicka, Donyell Malen
Roma’s three first-half and early second-half strikes came from Wesley, Evan Ndicka and Donyell Malen; Malen’s right-foot attempt from the right side of the box was blocked after a headed pass from Bryan Zaragoza. Bryan Zaragoza later entered the match in place of Lorenzo Pellegrini. Neil El Aynaoui won a defensive free kick for Roma during the contest, and Roma conceded a corner that followed an intervention by Federico Gatti earlier in play.
Milan, Inter and the race for Champions League places
Elsewhere in Serie A, Milan moved closer to Champions League qualification with a late 2-0 win at Cremonese. Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with a shoulder finish and Rafael Leão added a stoppage-time goal. Milan remain 10 points behind leaders Inter, who beat Genoa 2-0 on Saturday, leaving the upcoming Milan derby with little more than local pride at stake as Inter pull away with 11 league games remaining. Como sit three points behind Roma in fifth, with a trip to the lakeside club coming up in two weeks’ time for Gian Piero Gasperini’s men.
Wider European matches, injuries and incidents
In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart routed Wolfsburg 4-0 with Jamie Leweling scoring twice and Deniz Undav also on the scoresheet; Nikolas Nartey sealed the win with the final kick. Wolfsburg, second bottom, sit three points from the last safe spot and have recorded one win in their past 10 matches since their 1997 promotion. Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can will miss the remainder of the season after scans confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament tear sustained in a 3-2 home defeat by Bayern Munich.
La Liga produced a 2-2 derby draw as Sevilla came from two goals down to tie Real Betis; Isaac Romero struck from outside the box in the 85th minute. Betis now sit fifth, eight points behind Atlético Madrid and Villarreal in third and fourth respectively, complicating their hopes of Champions League qualification. In Spain’s second division, the match between Sporting Gijón and Leganés was postponed after an 82-year-old supporter suffered a heart attack; the game was stopped in the fourth minute at 0-0 so medical attention could be given.
