Montero hails Juventus fight as stunning comeback denies Bologna

Interim Juventus boss Paolo Montero praised his players’ fight after they recovered from 3-0 down in the final 14 minutes to claim a 3-3 draw against Bologna in Serie A on Monday.

Juventus sacked Massimiliano Allegri last week in the aftermath of their Coppa Italia final victory over Atalanta, citing his fiery behaviour as a major factor in their decision.

On Monday, they came up against the man tipped to replace him in Bologna coach Thiago Motta, who saw his team race into a 3-0 lead within 53 minutes.

However, Federico Chiesa’s 76th-minute effort kickstarted a stunning turnaround, with Arkadiusz Milik’s free-kick soon after teeing up a grandstand finale.

Kenan Yildiz then scored an 84th-minute equaliser as the Bianconeri avoided defeat after trailing by three goals for the first time in their Serie A history.

1 – For the first time in their history Juventus haven’t lost after a losing position by at least three goals in a match in Serie A. Character.#BolognaJuve #BolognaJuventus #SerieA pic.twitter.com/OXI3UMRAMf

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 20, 2024

While they have drawn each of their last six league games and could slip outside the top four on the final matchday, Montero believes they deserve credit for their efforts.

“In my view, the draw was the fair result,” Montero told DAZN.

“The victory on Wednesday was important, mentally it drained them and to come here against one of the best teams at the moment like Bologna, you are going to struggle.

“After that dip in mentality, they fought back with pride and showed how much they care about the shirt.”