Juventus Top Roma On Penalties To Win Gillette Stadium Showdown

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The American preseason tours for Italian powerhouses Juventus and Roma came to an end with as much drama one can expect in a friendly match.

A missed kick in a penalty shootout proved to be the difference in Sunday’s International Champions Cup showdown at Gillette Stadium, with the crowd favorites and defending Serie A champions beating their rivals 5-4 in penalties, following a 1-1 regulation draw.

Per the rules of the tournament, the match went straight to penalties after regulation and did not include 30 minutes of extra time.

A through ball from Alex Sandro to Mario Mandzukic gave Juventus a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute after drawing an empty net. The goal came during a 15-20-minute period where the side was able to earn multiple goal scoring opportunities while Roma struggled to maintain possession. Sandro was credited with the assist.

The second half saw a change of fortune for Roma who started to play less with their backs to their own goal. The equalizer came in the 74th minute on an Aleksander Kolarov pass into the keeper’s box to Edin Dzeko, who only needed one touch to find the back of the net.

In the shootout, Marco Tumminello’s miss for Roma in the top for the first was the only ball to not get pass the keeper.

Announced attendance was 33,039.

Image Credit: Associated Press