Serie A titleholders Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw away to promoted side Benevento on Saturday.
Following a majestic cross-field pass from Federico Chiesa, Alvaro Morata gave Juventus a 21st-minute advantage. Paulo Dybala should have added a second but curled his shot wide. But Gaetano Letizia levelled for Benevento in the first half stoppage time.
Juventus had more possession in the second half but did little with it, while Benevento looked dangerous when they broke forward. Benevento had six players booked and Juventus one in the second half before Morata lost his cool and was dismissed.
The performance of Juve raised further concerns about the team’s reliance on 35-year-old Ronaldo. He was not even on the bench on Saturday. Despite having played just five matches he is their top Serie A scorer with eight goals.
Former Italy and AC Milan teammates Filippo Inzaghi and Andrea Pirlo, coaches of Benevento and Juventus respectively, faced each other on the touchline for the first time.
While they are still unbeaten in Serie A, without Ronaldo, Juve are yet to win a league game this season.
