Lecce's Rebic's grabs last-gasp equaliser to stun Juve in draw

Lecce's Ante Rebic netted deep into stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw with visitors Juventus, who opened the scoring through a fortuitous strike from Andrea Cambiaso in a high-drama Serie A clash on Sunday.

Juve are in sixth place in the table, with 26 points, six adrift of leaders Napoli, while Lecce are 16th with 13 points.

Juve broke the deadlock after 68 minutes when Cambiaso fired a long shot from outside the box, which deflected off the leg of Lecce defender Kialonda Gaspar and wrongfooted keeper Wladimiro Falcone on its way into the net.

Lecce then launched an attack with the lively crowd behind them, and deep into stoppage time, Rebic was left unmarked to receive a cross and tap the ball in from close range.

Yet three minutes into stoppage time, Lecce launched an attack with the lively crowd behind them and Rebic was left unmarked to receive a cross and tap the ball in from close range.

Juve are the league's draw specialists, having set a new club record for Serie A draws in a single calendar year with 18, surpassing their previous mark set in 1956, with eight of them coming this season.

"It's important to understand the moments in the matches. After taking the lead, we can improve certain aspects of the game, both collectively and individually," Juve coach Thiago Motta told DAZN. "So far, in the league, we have gotten what we have deserved. Sometimes we have played better than the opponent, other times the games have been more balanced. We are where we need to be."

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The match took place hours after Fiorentina's Edoardo Bove had collapsed during their Serie A clash with Inter Milan and messages of support for the midfielder were displayed on the screens at Stadio Via del Mare.

"It's so worrying for him, his teammates and his family. I put myself in the shoes of his parents and it must be terrible," Motta said of the situation with Bove. "I hope he recovers as quickly as possible and I send all my love to the player, but above all his family. Seeing those images on TV must've been awful."

The first half was filled with missed opportunities for the visitors. Khephren Thuram had a golden chance early on, finding himself unmarked in front of goal as a cross came towards him, only for it to hit his shin and go just outside the post.

Francisco Conceicao later went close with a powerful shot following a counter-attack, but his effort clipped the far post and went wide.

Timothy Weah thought he had scored for Juve before the half-hour mark, but his effort was disallowed for an offside during the build-up as the first half ended goalless.

The second half was more evenly matched until Cambiaso's goal, after which both sides increased the tempo, with Falcone stopping Teun Koopmeiners' attempt with his fingertips.

With a squad decimated by injuries, Motta added that his side are feeling the strain of a congested schedule.

"We saw in the second half that the team was running out of steam and we knew that was a possibility," he said. "In the first half, Lecce was waiting for our mistakes, and we made few of them. In the second half, we opened up too much, despite being ahead. We need to improve in reading these moments.

"We've got to improve, learn certain things and keep thinking positive. We need to prepare for the next match both physically and mentally."