Juventus' frustrating start to the season took another twist with a chaotic finish in their 2-2 draw at home to Salernitana.
After conceding twice in the first half thanks to Antonio Candreva and Krzysztof Piatek strikes, Brazilian defender Bremer kick-started Juve's comeback six minutes after the interval. The home side continued to press and won a penalty, with veteran Leonardo Bonucci stepping up in the 93rd minute.
The Italian's spot-kick was initially saved by Luigi Sepe but Bonucci reacted well to correct his error and tuck home the rebound. Juventus didn't stop there and thought they had won the Serie A contest through Arkadiusz Milik.
The Polish striker headed home in the 94th minute, sending the Allianz Stadium into pandemonium. The 28-year-old took off his shirt during the celebration, despite picking up a yellow card earlier in the tie.
Milik was duly given a second yellow card and his marching orders, trudging off down the tunnel. His teammates didn't seem to mind, though, patting him on the back as he departed the turf.
But as both teams lined up for kick-off, referee Matteo Marcenaro was called to the monitor for a VAR check for offside. Before he could reach the screen both sides engaged in a heated clash. Shoving and angry words were exchanged for a good minute as Marcenaro tried to calm the affair and reach the monitor.
Both Juan Cuadrado and Salernitana's Federico Fazio were involved in a confrontation and were given straight red cards as the chaos continued. Eventually making his way to the monitor, the official took no time at all to make his decision.
Only a few glances was all it took for Marcenaro to see the goal was clearly offside and subsequently strike it off. Juventus' players reacted angrily to the decision, chasing the referee who had run back on to the pitch.
Juve boss Allegri was incandescent and also dismissed. That totted up the total red cards to four in three minutes.
The game eventually resumed and played out the little time that was left, finishing 2-2. Salernitana boss Davide Nicola praised the decision after the match, claiming VAR boosted the sport's credibility.
“We are very satisfied with the performance we put in and it would’ve been very disappointing to leave empty-handed after that,” Salernitana coach Nicola told DAZN. “VAR proves this sport has credibility. From the moment that the player who is offside tries to reach the ball, he is interfering with play.”
He added: “Salernitana came here to play our game, be aggressive and press them high. We must be ambitious, but at the same time conserve the humility needed to keep improving. In Serie A at this moment in time, it is difficult to get a result without taking the initiative. We therefore try to attack from the start.
“I won’t get ahead of myself here, but this is the path we are on to achieve our objective and we must continue like this.”
