Fiorentina vs Juventus Results: Pellegrino and Njie Twice Forced Juve to Chase

Fiorentina against Juventus finished 2-2, and the shape of the afternoon was set early. Mateo Pellegrino put the hosts ahead after four minutes, Nick Woltemade answered on 32, Alieu Njie restored the lead on 54, and Gleison Bremer levelled for Juventus on 66. Fiorentina were in front for 28 of the first 66 minutes and had to be caught twice, which says as much about their intent as about Juventus's persistence.

The tactical story was a contrast in how each side used the ball. Juventus held 59% of possession in Luciano Spalletti's 4-4-2, yet Fiorentina's 4-2-3-1 under Paolo Vanoli produced more shots, 22 to 18, with both teams landing six on target. The expected goals were close, 2.46 for Juventus against 2.14 for Fiorentina, so the visitors edged the quality of chances without controlling the scoreboard. Fiorentina's double pivot compressed the middle and the hosts were willing to hand over territory, which suited a side sitting 15th with nine points from 11 matches and in need of any foothold.

The early goal mattered because it let Fiorentina play with their preferred shape, deep and compact, then strike on transitions. Pellegrino, rated 8.2 and the joint highest on the pitch alongside Woltemade, was the reference point of that approach, and Njie's second-half finish came just four minutes after the break, again punishing a Juventus side that had not yet settled into the second period. Pote, rated 7.7, backed up the home effort.

Juventus's route back ran through their forwards and their centre-backs. Woltemade, the 8.2 performer on the visiting side, equalised on 32 minutes, and Bremer's 66th-minute leveller meant a defender rescued the point after Juventus had twice fallen behind. Douglas Luiz, rated 7.5, gave them the steadier control in midfield. The visitors were also stretched by discipline: Juan Cabal went into the book on 13 minutes and Bremer on 22, which forced both defenders to temper their challenges for most of the game, while Randal Kolo Muani's booking on 73 came as Juventus pressed for a winner.

Against expectation, this was a result that cut against the pre-match reading. Kickwise's pre-match prediction favoured Juventus, and a draw is only a partial miss: they did avoid defeat, but they were never ahead and had to recover twice from a Fiorentina side far lower in the table. Juventus sit seventh on 18 points, and dropping points at a bottom-half opponent is the kind of result that slows a push for the top places. For Fiorentina, a point built on an early lead and a refusal to chase the ball is a sensible way to climb from 15th.

The decisive moment was less a single goal than the pattern around it: Fiorentina scored first in each half, and Juventus only equalised, never overtook. Possession without a lead is a hollow measure, and on this evidence Vanoli's side understood that better.