TURIN, Italy (Reuters) – Juventus manager Thiago Motta said his side were made to pay for failing to kill off the game after they had appeared to be cruising to a routine win before being pegged back in a 1-1 draw with Serie A strugglers Cagliari on Sunday.
Dusan Vlahovic’s spot kick gave Juventus the lead, but they were unable to end the game as a contest, and a late Cagliari penalty cost them two important points which would have moved them to within one of leaders Napoli.
It was the first league goal Juventus had conceded this season, and after three scoreless draws and three 3-0 wins in their opening six games, their inability to build on the early goal allowed Cagliari to keep believing.
“Already in the first half, after the goal, we were content to control the game. It’s no good,” Motta told DAZN.
“We have to keep attacking. In the second half we created chances but we didn’t exploit them. There was always the feeling that Cagliari could come back into the game.
“In Serie A, all games are complicated, regardless of who we face and whether we play at home or away. Today we left room for Cagliari to get back into the game.”
Vlahovic may have converted the penalty but was also guilty of missing an excellent chance to extend Juve’s lead, when he fired wide from a rebound from close range, but his manager was not about to point the finger at his Serbian striker.
“You can’t say anything, it’s a match situation. It happens and will happen,” Motta said.
“But there are other things that we can certainly do better in order to compete, to be able to continue to grow.”
Francisco Conceicao made his first start of the season against Cagliari, but the Portuguese winger was sent off late in the game when he received a second booking for simulation in the penalty area.
“I haven’t seen the images, if it’s simulation, it’s the correct decision. It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time, simulations are not good for the game,” Motta told a press conference.
“I trust the referee, but now a precedent opens up and it must always be like this. It must always be done, not every now and then.”
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis)
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