Sassuolo defeat Juventus 3-2 in Serie A after stoppage-time goal by Vasilije Adzic

Scoreless first half and defensive deadlock

Sassuolo defeated Juventus 3-2 at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia in the fourth round of Serie A, concluding a fixture that produced five goals in the second half. The opening half remained 0-0 despite early offensive efforts from both sides. Nico Gonzalez hit the top of the crossbar from outside the penalty area in the second minute, while Sassuolo responded when Josh Doig, assisted by Sebastiano Esposito, shot into the side netting in the 36th minute. Juventus held 55% of total ball possession across the match, utilizing a starting defense of Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, Jhon Lucumi, and Zeki Celik in front of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Despite controlling phases of possession, Juventus struggled to find penetrative passes against the defensive block organized by Sassuolo manager Alberto Aquilani.

Five second-half goals at Mapei Stadium

The match opened up immediately following halftime, as Adem Alajbegovic forced a corner save from Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric in the 47th minute, followed a minute later by a flying save from Vicario against Domenico Berardi. Sassuolo broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when Nemanja Matic delivered a 30-meter vertical pass into the penalty area, allowing Sebastiano Esposito to beat Vicario with a low diagonal shot. Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti adjusted his attack by substituting Nick Woltemade and Edon Zhegrova on for Gonzalez and Francisco Conceicao. In the 82nd minute, Muric failed to cleanly clear a cross from Lloyd Kelly, allowing Zhegrova to control the ball and place a left-footed strike into the unguarded net for 1-1.

Late exchanges and stoppage-time winner

The final minutes produced three goals in five minutes. In the 89th minute, Sassuolo regained the lead when Bakola exchanged passes with Doig, dribbled centrally past Bremer, and assisted Bowie, who slotted a low shot past Vicario. Juventus responded during stoppage time in the 91st minute, when Zhegrova exchanged a one-two pass with Randal Kolo Muani and scored his second goal from inside the penalty area to make it 2-2. Seeking a late victory, Juventus committed players forward and were caught on a counterattack at the 94th minute. Armand Lauriente fed Vasilije Adzic, who was left facing only Douglas Luiz before shooting past Vicario to seal Sassuolo's victory with his second goal in consecutive matches.

Squad absences and league standings

The loss represents the first defeat of the domestic season for Juventus, leaving both clubs level on seven points after four league fixtures. Spalletti entered the match managing several injuries, notably losing team captain Manuel Locatelli to an injury projected to keep him out until early 2027, along with Andrea Cambiaso and Weston McKennie remaining sidelined. Before the fixture, Spalletti addressed his squad selection and the absence of Locatelli.

“I will no longer speak about injured players, the intention is to move beyond it, also because we built the squad to have two strong players for every role, I can choose the first 11 strong players and I know I am also leaving 11 starters on the bench.”

With Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners paired in central midfield, Juventus faced difficulty containing Sassuolo counterattacks in late transition phases. Potential wins by Inter Milan or Roma on Monday evening could place Juventus five points off the top of the Serie A standings.