A swift rush of blood to the head doomed Juventus in the dying moments of their 1-0 loss to José Mourinho’s Roma on Sunday. With the seconds ticking away and a goal imperative as Juventus clung to the hope of Champions League qualification, head coach Massimiliano Allegri turned to his bench and brought on 23-year-old Moise Kean as the final hope for salvation.
Allegri’s hope turned to heartbreak in the blink of an eye as the young Italian found himself involved in a scrap with Roma’s goalscorer Gianluca Mancini less than forty seconds after coming onto the pitch. The pair tangled and grabbed each other while fighting for a pass before Kean took exception to the pulling and subsequently kicked Mancini, guaranteeing the Juventus forward would be taking an early bath.
Moise Kean sees red 40 seconds after coming onto the pitch. pic.twitter.com/hwtiYsoyV7
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 5, 2023
There was nowhere to hide, nobody who could save him now, a fact Kean seemed to know as he put up no protest to the referee’s decision. He simply walked off the pitch, head down, past the man who had believed him to be Juve’s savior just seconds ago.
He never even touched the ball.
Allegri's reaction to the Moise Kean red cardpic.twitter.com/lQ26TYnyX7
— Juve Canal (@juve_canal) March 5, 2023
The moment took some attention away from the loss, as Roma kept a clean sheet at home and essentially doomed Juventus into playing exclusively domestic soccer next season. The goal now becomes qualifying for any European competition, as the Bianconeri now sit seven points adrift of Atalanta in 6th.
Gianluca Mancini unleashes a rocket to give Roma the lead. pic.twitter.com/cs3i3GTBuD
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 5, 2023
The quality is there but this season has been filled with frustration for Allegri’s side and Kean’s moment of weakness may provide a glimpse into what life is like at the Turin-based club. Anxiety, tension and anger would make sense given the tumultuous season these players have endured, but level heads get results, and right now, Juventus fall into neither category.
