Head-to-head clashes count double: with the late comeback, Spalletti’s side halved the gap to the Giallorossi.
Roma-Juventus was, first and foremost, a spectacular match: six goals, waves of emotion, right down to the final whistle.
Roma are objectively the side with more regrets. Two goals up with less than fifteen minutes to play, they allowed Juve back into the game, settling for a draw and missing the chance to go seven points clear — which would have been huge in the Champions League race.
On top of that, in the final quarter-hour they also lost the head-to-head edge they had built over their Bianconeri rivals by going two goals ahead.
Juventus, in fact, had won 2-1 at the Allianz Stadium in the reverse fixture. A two-goal margin for the Giallorossi would not only have created a seven-point cushion over Juve, but also flipped the head-to-head tiebreaker in their favor with a +1 goal differential.
All of that was wiped out by Juventus’ late surge, which handed the Bianconeri renewed hope of re-entering the Champions League race — precisely at Roma’s expense, who squandered a colossal opportunity to make a decisive double step forward.
In the 77th minute of Roma-Juventus, with the Giallorossi leading 3-1, Gasperini’s team were seven points clear of Juve and ahead in the head-to-head. To overtake Roma, Juventus would have needed to earn eight more points than them over the final eleven league fixtures.
By full time, Juventus were four points behind Roma but with the head-to-head advantage restored. That means if the Bianconeri collect four more points than Roma over the final eleven matches, they would finish above them in the standings.
In fifteen minutes, from the 3-1 in the 77th minute to the 3-3 in the 92nd, Roma effectively saw their lead over their main competitor for fourth place cut in half.
In the post-match press conference, Gasperini said there was no need for tears, that Roma had played a great game (true) and are still four points ahead, adding that it had always been clear the Champions League race would be decided in the final stretch.
A necessary call for confidence, to counter the understandable disappointment within the Roma environment.
What remains to be seen is how the team will respond, with a tougher schedule than Juventus over the next four matches: away trips to Genoa, Como and Milan (against Inter), plus a Europa League fixture in between that risks draining both physical and mental energy.
Over the same four Serie A fixtures, Juve will play three times at home — against Pisa, Sassuolo and Genoa. No European commitments and only a trip to Udine (historically a favorable ground for the Bianconeri) breaking up their home-heavy run.
If Roma are still ahead of Juventus after this mini-cycle, different conversations can be had. But as of today, the feeling is that the point at the Olimpico — not only for how it arrived — is gold for the Bianconeri and risks becoming a leaden burden for the Giallorossi.
Roma Juventus, Serie A, Champions League race, Bianconeri, Giallorossi, head to head tiebreaker, Allianz Stadium, Olimpico, Italian soccer analysis
L’articolo What a Roma-Juve! A golden point for the Bianconeri, a lead weight for Roma proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
