Juventus Brought Back to Earth in Historic Derby Loss to Torino

Over the past month, very little has gone wrong for Juventus, as the reigning Italian champions drew closer to all three trophies, which they remain in contention for. Entering this weekend’s fixtures some 15 points clear of the competition in Serie A, the Bianconeri have also secured their place in both the Coppa Italia final and the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Having not won the domestic cup in 20 years and ending an absence of over a decade from the last four of Europe’s elite competition, the entire campaign has taken on historic significance. There have, of course, been some unfortunate results, with a recent loss to rock-bottom Parma perhaps chief among them.

There was another notable mark on Sunday, with the team losing the Turin derby for the first time since 1995, succumbing 2-1 to their cross-town rivals and ending a 17-match unbeaten run. Torino were superb at the Stadio Olimpico, turning in a fine display for which Giampiero Ventura’s men deserve immense credit.

A sublime Andrea Pirlo free kick opened the scoring, only for Matteo Darmian to net an equaliser just before half-time. The full-back—identified in this previous column as perhaps the most impressive member of the Granata squad—deserved the goal in what was arguably his best performance of the season.

Having supplied the cross that led to Darmian’s goal, Fabio Quagliarella would grab an unlikely winner, the former Juventus striker enjoying his first goal against his former club following his summer exit. He was understandably emotional at the final whistle, struggling for composure as he spoke to Sky Sport Italia shortly after the final whistle (h/t Football Italia):

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It’s impossible to describe the emotions I am feeling right now and it might take us a few days to really get a clearer picture of it. Right now all we feel is joy that after 20 years Torino can celebrate this moment.

I celebrated with my family in the stands, so I dedicate the goal to them as well as the fans. This victory gives us an important push up the standings. We struggled at times, of course. It would’ve been crazy to think we wouldn’t suffer against Juventus.

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That was almost certainly true, with the Bianconeri squandering a number of chances to take a share of the points. Another Pirlo set piece struck the woodwork, and Alessandro Matri repeated the feat twice more as a flurry of opportunities came the visitors' way late in the second half with Torino trying to see out the win.

Overall, however, there was no denying the poor showing from Juventus, and Max Allegri was keen to point out the problems when he spoke to the press after the game, per Football Italia. The coach said his side had “sparked their counter-attacks” by being wasteful in possession, a fact backed up by statistics from WhoScored.com.

According to their figures, the Bianconeri took more shots than Torino (19 to 11) and enjoyed 55.7 percent of possession, but committed 17 turnovers over the course of the match. Given that the game was played just four days after their Champions League encounter with AS Monaco, there was, of course, much rotation in the starting XI.

Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra and Carlos Tevez all sat out, while Claudio Marchisio was suspended due to the yellow card he received in the win over Lazio last weekend. “I don’t think that’s an excuse for our defeat,” Allegri told reporters, as noted by Football Italia, an admirable claim and one that should push his side to even greater heights in the coming weeks.

Indeed, they will be able to atone for this poor showing in midweek, hosting Fiorentina at Juventus Stadium on Wednesday. They will know that a win will deliver a fourth consecutive league title, which will allow them to rest even more comfortably ahead of next month’s meeting with Real Madrid.

Having made unwanted history on Sunday, a chance to pen a more positive chapter now awaits.