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·3 January 2026

Serie A | Juventus 1-1 Lecce: Horrid David penalty sums up Juve struggle

Jonathan David’s dismal attempted Panenka penalty exemplified poor Juventus finishing in their 1-1 draw with Lecce, as Lameck Banda was more clinical.

The Bianconeri had won seven of their last eight games in all competition to end 2025 under coach Luciano Spalletti. Francisco Conceicao shook off a knock to start in a new 4-2-3-1 formation, but Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Gatti, Daniele Rugani and Arek Milik missed out. Lecce coach Eusebio Di Francesco began a two-match touchline ban, with Lassana Coulibaly at AFCON, but Lameck Banda and Kialonda Gaspar returned after early elimination. Injury absentees were Riccardo Sottil, Medon Berisha, Christian Fruchtl and Balthazar Pierret.

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See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Lameck Banda of US Lecce is challenged by Bremer of Juventus during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce at on January 03, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Andrea Cambiaso forced a one-handed save from the tightest of angles in the opening 120 seconds, followed by a Kenan Yildiz slalom winning a corner.

Jonathan David was unlucky not to open the scoring on a Yildiz cross from a short corner, as Wladimiro Falcone somehow pushed his header onto the upright and managed to stop it rolling across the line.

Weston McKennie had a shot from 12 yards charged down after the deflected Yildiz effort, then Falcone at full stretch fingertipped a Cambiaso daisy-cutter round the far post.

Manuel Locatelli drilled inches wide from the edge of the area on a Cambiaso assist, then Cambiaso blasted over from a very promising position.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Santiago Pierotti of US Lecce runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Kenan Yildiz of Juventus during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce at on January 03, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Matias Perez was struggling badly on his Serie A debut against Kenan Yildiz, so Lecce made the tactical change just 32 minutes in.

It worked, because Juve’s domination was less obvious and on the stroke of half-time it was Lecce who took the shock lead against the run of play.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Lameck Banda of US Lecce celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce at on January 03, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Cambiaso’s under-hit pass to Pierre Kalulu was intercepted by Lameck Banda, who dribbled past Gleison Bremer and thumped it into the near top corner from just inside the area.

Juventus introduced Edon Zhegrova for the restart and he made an immediate impact, the roll across finding Kenan Yildiz, whose deflected shot then turned into an assist for Wes McKennie to turn in from seven yards.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Weston McKennie of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce at on January 03, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

A free kick was dinked up for David, whose volley was charged down by Mohamed Kaba’s hand from point-blank range. A penalty was awarded following the VAR review, but David took the weak and central failed Panenka spot-kick, parried by Falcone.

David was also jeered by the fans after failing to control a Yildiz roll across and bundling it out of play from six yards soon after.

Nikola Stulic and Filip Kostic drilled just wide, while Kostic’s volley was charged down and Lois Openda was offside when testing Falcone on the rebound.

Falcone did need to make a sensational one-handed reaction save on David’s first-time strike from 10 yards in the final minutes.

There was incredible double chance in stoppages, as first the Kenan Yildiz right-foot curler bounced off the upright, then Openda ballooned the rebound over from a tricky angle.