Lazio score late leveller to ruin Chiellini and Dybala's farewell in front of Juve fans


  • English
  • Arabic

Giorgio Chiellini bid adieu to Juventus fans on Monday following a 2-2 draw against Lazio.

Playing in his last home match for the Turin club, Chiellini could only watch on from the bench as Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic levelled with the last kick of the game to clinch a place in the Europa League for the Rome club.

Fans chanted "there's only one captain" as a giant choreography depicting his shirt number '3' was displayed in the stands ahead of the match and they then gave Chiellini a huge round of applause after he was substituted in the 18th minute.

The 37-year-old defender had played the full 120 minutes of Juve's Coppa Italia final defeat Inter Milan on Wednesday, after which he announced that he would be leaving the Turin giants after 18 years.

The veteran Italian, who is third on the club's all-time appearances list behind Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon, joined Juve in 2004 from Livorno, going on to win nine league titles and five Italian Cups.

"It's been an emotional day," Chiellini told DAZN, adding that he believes he can "still play at a high level of football".

Following the announcement of his departure from Juve he said he would think about whether to hang up his boots after having already decided to retire from international football after next month's friendly against Argentina at Wembley.

"I don't know right now," he said. "I need to think about things. It's a decision that can't be made in a day."

Paulo Dybala acknowledges the Juventus fans during a tribute from teammates. Getty Images
Paulo Dybala acknowledges the Juventus fans during a tribute from teammates. Getty Images

When he left the field he handed his captain's armband to another player on the way out - Paulo Dybala.

The Argentina international, who has been at Juve since 2015, will leave at the end of the season after the club decided not to renew his contract after a verbal agreement with the 28-year-old struck in the autumn was rejected by the club earlier this year.

Dusan Vlahovic did the Argentine's "mask" celebration when he headed in the opener in the 10th minute, and when Dybala was substituted with 12 minutes remaining, with the hosts leading 2-1, he did a tour of the stands and was embraced by fans while he tried to hold back the tears.

Juve looked to be cruising to a routine home win to honour their two departing heroes when Alvaro Morata doubled the hosts lead in the 36th minute.

However, Alex Sandro poked into his own net five minutes after the break and Maurizio Sarri's Lazio pushed for a leveller which came in the 95th minute, Milinkovic-Savic rifling past Mattia Perin from a tight angle.

Lazio sit fifth in one of two Europa League places, four points away from seventh-placed Fiorentina, who were hammered 4-1 at a Sampdoria side in party mood.

Samp were guaranteed their top-flight status on Sunday after Cagliari were beaten 3-1 by title-chasing Inter Milan, leaving Marco Giampaolo's side four points above the drop zone before they kicked off in their penultimate fixture of the season.

Dybala - 5 potential destinations

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

MATCH INFO

Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')

Germany 1
Ozil (11')

RESULT

Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: 
Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)

Biography

Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day

Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour

Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour

Best vacation: Returning home to China

Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument

Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes

Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems

COMPANY PROFILE

Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2014

Number of employees: 36

Sector: Logistics

Raised: $2.5 million

Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Updated: May 17, 2022, 5:41 AM`