ROME (Dispatches) – Champion Juventus continued their shaky performance in Serie A as the defending champion were held by Hellas Verona 1-1 on Sunday.
Without talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala partnered Alvaro Morata up front, while Arthur Melo pulled the strings in the middle of the park.
Both sides saw goals chalked off due to offsides in the first half, but Verona went ahead on the hour mark when Mattia Zaccagni’s smart pass found Andrea Favilli who drilled home.
Dybala’s missile hit the bar in the 76th minute, one minute before Dejan Kulusevski scored the leveler after a mazy run in the box.
The Bianconeri had a series of chances in the dying minutes, but were unable to find a winner.
The Old Lady now ranks fifth in the table with nine points.
Elsewhere, Napoli came from behind to beat Benevento 2-1, as Lorenzo Insigne’s stunner canceled out his brother Roberto’s opener for Benevento, before Andrea Petagna sealed the win.
Juraj Kucka’s late equalizer saved Parma from a home defeat in a 2-2 draw with Spezia after having been 2-0 down.
Cagliari dominated Crotone 4-2, while Fiorentina edged Udinese 3-2 with Gaetano Castrovilli bagging a brace and setting up another.