Nigerian striker Gift Orban scored his first goal for Hellas Verona to deny Juventus a fourth straight Serie A win, as the sides settled for a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Francisco Conceição, returning from injury, put Juve ahead in the 19th minute with a dazzling solo effort, weaving past two defenders before finishing from the edge of the box.
But Verona struck back just before the break when Joao Mario handled inside the area, allowing Orban to convert from the spot despite Michele Di Gregorio getting a hand to his effort.
Verona thought they had completed the turnaround when captain Suat Serdar headed home midway through the second half, but VAR ruled him offside.
Juve pushed late on, yet their perfect start ended as they were forced to settle for a point.The result left Juventus top of the table by a single point over Napoli, while Verona remain winless but resilient, collecting their third draw in four games.
For Orban, it was a breakthrough night, his penalty underlining a lively performance after going close in his debut earlier in the week.Elsewhere on Saturday, Bologna snatched a 2-1 win over Genoa thanks to Riccardo Orsolini’s stoppage-time penalty.
