Juve and Roma share spoils in Turin as Motta magic wears off
Juventus were the only side to win both of their first two matches, but it was the winless visitors who enjoyed the brighter start.
Lorenzo Pellegrini came within a whisker of putting them in front after being picked out by Bryan Cristante, but the Roma captain’s effort deflected inches wide.
The Old Lady began to grow into the contest, but it wasn’t until the stroke of half-time that Juve registered their first shot on target, and even then, Dusan Vlahovic’s scuffed effort was easy pickings for Mile Svilar.
In an attempt to shake things up, Thiago Motta handed debuts to new signings Teun Koopmeiners and Francisco Conceicao at the start of the second half.
Neither substitute was able to have an immediate impact as both sides struggled to take control of proceedings, though the visitors shared the struggle, promoting Daniele De Rossi to introduce Paulo Dybala against his former employers.
Neither of the two Italian giants had even registered a shot on target as the final quarter-hour approached, despite a host of changes from both dugouts.
In the end, a serious lack of cutting edge in front of goal left both Svilar and Michele Di Gregorio spectators for much of the contest.
A draw maintains Juventus’s unbeaten start to the new campaign as they head into the international break, which could prove to be vital for De Rossi who will aim to use that time to turn Roma’s form around with no wins and just one goal to their name.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gleison Bremer (Juventus)
