Woltemade penalty earns Juventus a 2-2 draw with Rennes
Juventus led early, fell behind before half-time and levelled from the spot as they drew 2-2 with Rennes on Europa League Matchday 3.
By Harvey Watkins,
Juventus and Rennes shared the points after a 2-2 draw at the Juventus Stadium on Thursday, a match in which every goal came inside the first 67 minutes and two of the four came from the penalty spot.
The scoring followed a clear pattern. Juventus started with a lead, Rennes overturned it before the interval, and the home side drew level midway through the second half. Nobody scored after that.
An early lead that did not last
Zeki Celik gave Juventus the lead in the fifth minute. It was the earliest goal of the night, and it put the home side ahead before the game had found any rhythm.
The lead lasted ten minutes. Mousa Al-Tamari equalised for Rennes in the 15th minute. That left the score level with three quarters of the first half still to play.
Rennes go in front from the spot
Rennes took the lead in the 43rd minute when Boulaye Dia scored a penalty. The timing mattered. A goal two minutes before the break meant Juventus went in behind, and whatever they had managed earlier in the half, the interval came with them chasing the game.
For Rennes, the first half was a good return away from home. They conceded early, did not let that settle the match, and scored twice before half-time.
Woltemade levels it
Juventus equalised in the 67th minute, again from the spot, through Nick Woltemade. His penalty put the score at 2-2 with more than 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
Neither side found a winner in that period. After four goals in the first 67 minutes, the last stretch of the match produced none.
What the result says
A draw is a fair summary of how the goals came. Each side led once, each scored once from open play, and each scored once from the spot. Juventus had the better start and the later goal. Rennes had the stronger spell either side of the half-hour and the lead at the break.
From the home side's point of view, a lead in the fifth minute that ended in a draw will feel like a missed opportunity, though recovering from a half-time deficit counts for something. Rennes may see it the other way round. They took a point away from home after going behind early, but they also held the lead for 24 minutes and did not keep it.
A single match on Matchday 3 tells us only so much, and nothing here says how either side has been playing more widely. On this evidence, though, both sides were able to score and neither could keep the other out.
The goals
- 5' Zeki Celik (Juventus) 1-0
- 15' Mousa Al-Tamari (Rennes) 1-1
- 43' Boulaye Dia, penalty (Rennes) 1-2
- 67' Nick Woltemade, penalty (Juventus) 2-2