Juventus Striker Carlos Tevez Loses out to Luca Toni in Serie A Scoring Race

Having comfortably won the Serie A title by a wide margin, Juventus travelled to Verona on Saturday with very little to play for. With only a week before they face against Barcelona in the Champions League final, the Bianconeri were clearly approaching their last game of the domestic campaign as preparation for that clash.

Their opponents at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi were a Hellas Verona side who began the weekend in 14th place in the table, their top-flight status for next season already assured and no possibility of securing a place in Europe.

With both sides somewhat indifferent to the final result, the game began in good spirits, with the visitors particularly pleased to see former team-mate Luca Toni captaining the Gialloblu. The striker—who left Juventus in 2012—was one of few men with anything left to play for, sitting at the top of the Serie A goalscoring charts.

Lining up across from Toni, Carlos Tevez was—along with Mauro Icardi of Inter—just one strike behind, and both men were clearly hoping to clinch the honour. The Bianconeri No. 10 had finished three goals behind Torino’s Ciro Immobile last term, but Massimiliano Allegri said he would be given the chance to go one better this time around.

Carlo Baroncini/Associated Press

“He wasn’t involved last Saturday and will have the opportunity to draw level with and overtake Toni in the Serie A top scorers list,” the Juventus coach told reporters on Friday, per the club’s official website. “Both would be deserved winners for their achievements this season.”

Toni, who collected the Capocannoniere crown with Fiorentina back in 2007, was also eager to lift the prize for a second time. Dario Hubner is the oldest man to accomplish the feat, with the 38-year-old Hellas striker already three years his senior and hoping to become the club’s first player to end a season as the league’s top scorer.

His coach, Andrea Mandorlini, told RAI Sport last week that he enjoyed a good relationship with the 2006 World Cup winner, saying that the Gialloblu play to create chances for the 6'4” front man (h/t Football Italia):

"Toni challenging to be Capocannoniere is a fairy tale for him, his team-mates and his coach. I’m proud to be working with such a great player and the whole team works for him."

It would be the home side who seized the initiative once the game got underway, and Toni almost netted his 22nd goal of 2014-15 after just five minutes. Gigi Buffon managed to force his early effort wide, and shortly after, the former Bayern Munich star failed once again when Emil Hallfredsson somehow kept the ball in play a few minutes later.

As the match approached half time, however, it would be Roberto Pereyra who would overshadow the scoring race, netting a stunning goal, as he curled a wonderful effort into the far top corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to stop it.

Tevez would beat his man only to see his shot deflected into the side-netting, a miss he would rue shortly after the break. A swift Hellas counter-attack saw Hallfredsson pick out Toni, and the striker would make no mistake, beating Buffon at the near post to pull his side level.

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

He almost gave them the lead after a good cross from Jacopo Sala, only for a great piece of interplay from Andrea Pirlo and Simone Padoin to present Fernando Llorente with the simplest of chances.

The Spanish star tapped it in and would win a penalty 20 minutes later, after being pulled down by Rafael Marquez. Tevez would see his spot-kick saved by Rafael, and Juve’s afternoon went from bad to worse, as first Simone Pepe was sent off and then Juanito Gomez stole a late equaliser.

It is hard to begrudge a man like Luca Toni the top scorer crown, but Tevez will regret not taking the chance he had to close the gap. Both men could yet be overtaken by Icardi, but the Bianconeri will now turn their attention to Barcelona and Berlin.