Vicario fumes as Juventus concede late Adzic winner in Sassuolo defeat
Juventus conceded a stoppage-time winner to Vasilije Adzic as Sassuolo beat the Bianconeri 3-2, despite Edon Zhegrova twice dragging the visitors back into the contest with individual goals.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was visibly furious at full-time, shouting towards his defenders after Juventus let a point slip in the final moments. The 29-year-old, on loan from Tottenham, said the side had ignored tactical work done during the week.
“There is huge disappointment,” Vicario said. “We understand the wish to win because Juventus must always try to win, but we became unbalanced. We had spoken about this all week.”
High line punished again
Sassuolo repeatedly found a way beyond Juventus’ offside line. Sebastiano Esposito opened the scoring before Zhegrova restored parity, only for Kieron Bowie to put the home side ahead again.
Zhegrova’s second solo effort made it 2-2 and appeared to have rescued Juventus. Instead, their defensive shape collapsed once more late on and Adzic seized the decisive chance.
Vicario insisted the goals Juventus allowed were unacceptable for a club of their standing.
“We cannot give away two goals in that way,” he said. “This club has a great history. We need to stay calmer and more balanced because there is plenty of quality in this team and we will create opportunities.”
Locatelli absence not an excuse
Juventus are also dealing with the long-term absence of captain Manuel Locatelli, who faces an estimated four to six months out after meniscus surgery.
Vicario accepted the midfielder’s absence is a setback but rejected any attempt to blame the injury list for the defeat.
“We are sorry to lose Manuel, but his injury will keep him out for a while and there are quality players in the squad,” he said. “We cannot keep looking for excuses.”
The loss follows Juventus’ late escape against Milan a week earlier, when substitute Federico Gatti scored to secure a 1-1 draw. This time, after fighting back twice, Vicario said the dressing room was left with both anger and regret.
“It is both,” he added. “We had put the match back in our hands. We must manage these phases better, because we have the ability.”
What happens next: Juventus must quickly address the organisation of their defensive line and their control of late-game situations, with Locatelli unavailable to provide leadership in midfield.
