After a cagey first-half, the game exploded in the second. Dortmund netted through Karim Adeyemi, Yan Couto and Ramy Bensebaini’s penalty, while Kenan Yildiz and Dusan Vlahovic kept Juve alive. Trailing 4-2 deep in stoppage time, Vlahovic struck in the 94th minute and set up Lloyd Kelly’s dramatic equaliser two minutes later.
Speaking after the game, Tudor slammed the officiating, saying his side should have been awarded a spot kick in the first half. However, after an intense derby win against Inter at the weekend, his players were struggling by the end of the first 45 minutes.
“Clearly, it’s a positive thing. If this match had been played on Saturday, a week after Inter, it wouldn’t have ended like this,” he said in a press conference. “At half-time, I saw the players’ faces were white, they were dead. The goals we conceded are the result of fatigue. Bremer is playing after a long injury, [Andrea] Cambiaso had been out for a while, and Yildiz was so tired he should have been taken off at half-time. They lack freshness, the energy to get there first.”
He added: “This referee damaged us; there was a penalty for us in the first half. This has to be said, because with the penalty for us and without the one for them, it could have ended 4-2. He wasn’t having a great night.”
Juventus showed plenty of fight, but their defensive problems were clear once again. Tudor admitted they conceded “two or three easy goals that could have been avoided,” blaming both fatigue and lapses in concentration.
“We also missed [Francisco] Conceicao due to our style of play, Cambiaso played his first game in 15-20 days, Bremer is coming off a long layoff: all these issues matter, but I have a great squad and we accept this point. It was the best we could do,” he added.
After a thrilling home draw in the Champions League, the Old Lady will now prepare for a Serie A trip to Verona on Saturday. Tudor’s side has made a strong start to the season, winning their first three games and sitting second behind Napoli on goal difference.
