WOJCIECH SZCZESNY’S horror blunder summed up Juventus’ week.
The ex-Arsenal keeper gifted Ademola Lookman an early opener as Juve were held 3-3 by Atalanta two days after being docked 15 points.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men have plunged from joint second to ninth after being heavily penalised for a transfer scam.
And any hope of clawing back towards even a Europa League place was put in peril within four minutes by Champions League hopefuls Atalanta.
Jeremie Boga’s fine pass set Lookman surging forward on the right for a flashing near-post shot that Szczesny fumbled in.
Admittedly, the former Everton striker’s shot swerved viciously at the last moment.
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But Szczesny accepted the blame after failing to get his whole body behind the ball.
Some fans pounced on the mistake far better than the Pole did on the ball with jibes on social media.
One said: “How on earth is Szczesny still playing for Juventus?
“Every clip you seem to see of him on here is of him making an error. Surely they could get a better, more consistent keeper?”
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And one wished they had retained Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon, now 44, who left for Parma in 2021.
That post read: “Honestly Buffon is still way better. They should’ve kept him.”
But a penalty from Argentina’s World Cup hero Angel Di Maria and an angled strike from Szczesny’s international team-mate Arkadiusz Milik put Juve 2-1 up.
Denmark right-back Joakim Maehle and Lookman with his second goal then restored Atalanta’s lead early in the second period.
Brazilian defender Danilo rescued a home point for Juventus with a clever clever free-kick into the corner on 65 minutes.
But it still leaves Juve 11 points off the top six.
It followed quickly after they were shocked by a 15-point deduction following claims they inflated transfer fees in dealings with rival Italian clubs for three years.
That freed up millions of pounds in ācapital gainsā for tax purposes, boosting Juve’s ability to splash out on signings.
Juventus were initially acquitted but Italian FA prosecutors successfully asked for the case to be heard again.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
