Juventus fails to wrap up Serie A early by losing 2-1 against Udinese

Instead of wrapping up their season early, Juventus FC will now have to wait a little longer before they can mathematically confirm their ninth straight Serie A title. Last night's 2-1 loss against Udinese put a damper on their otherwise scorching path to the championship.

Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri called his side's performance a "messy defeat" after an unexpected upset by Udinese. The hosts have been struggling all season and everyone expected Juventus to take a stroll to victory. It surely seemed that way as the league leaders scored just before the halftime break thanks to Matthijs de Ligt.

However, Udinese scored an equaliser early in the second half through a header by Ilija Nestorovski. Juve was pushing for a winner but their offensive approach backfired in the closing minutes. Fofana made a breakaway run and cut through the sleeping Juventus defensive line to score the winner during stoppage time.

"We wanted to win at all costs, we were messy and we took the game on a dangerous track and lost it on 93 minutes because we wanted the three points," said Sarri, as quoted by the BBC.

Juventus is currently six points clear at the top of the Serie A table. With only three matches remaining, they could have sealed the championship with a victory against Udinese. Instead, they will have to keep their head down and make sure that they don't continue to drop points in their remaining matches.

"At this stage of the season, it is difficult, we are all tired. We have lost aggression," lamented Sarri. "It's complicated to stay mentally and physically on the ball for 90 minutes. The games are strange and the momentum changes very easily. The mental fatigue is more than the physical fatigue," he added.

The disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic has no doubt taken its toll on the players. Nevertheless, Juventus is still six points ahead and will likely secure the title. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo will have to work a little harder to help his side win the league and to secure the golden boot for himself. Lazio's Ciro Immobile now leads the race with 31 goals in total. Ronaldo is only one goal behind, and will surely want to fight for another feather on his cap.

Speaking of Lazio, their victory against Cagliari (2-1) has confirmed their Champions League spot for the first time in 13 years.