Mourinho's Roma holds Juventus on Dybala's return to Turin
Roma's Mehmet Zeki Çelik (L) vies with Juventus' Arkadiusz Milik in a Serie A match, Turin, Italy, Aug. 27, 2022. (AA photo)


AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham scored late in the second half to secure a 1-1 draw at Juventus on Saturday, canceling out an early opener by Dusan Vlahovic as Jose Mourinho's side remained unbeaten after three games in Serie A this season.

With two wins and a draw, Roma remains third in the standings on seven points while Juventus is sixth with five points.

Juve kept Roma's dangerous frontline at a safe distance for the majority of the game as more than 2,000 visiting fans watched their side being outclassed at the Allianz Stadium in Italy's most anticipated clash of the weekend.

Massimiliano Allegri's men squandered their chances toward the end of the game though when a lack of concentration could have cost them all three points.

Jose Mourinho's Roma side went behind when Juve striker Vlahovic scored after 76 seconds with a sensational free kick from just outside the box.

The ball hit the underside of the bar and Roma keeper Rui Patrizio could only watch it bounce down into the net as Serbia international Vlahovic scored his third goal of the season.

Having made the switch to Serie A back in 2018, Vlahovic had never scored – or won – against Roma.

Defender Alex Sandro almost doubled Juve's lead but just missed the target with a low shot in the 11th minute.

Five minutes later, Juan Cuadrado shot from a tight angle following a cross by Fabio Miretti but Patrizio did well to save his effort.

Midfielder Manuel Locatelli came even closer to scoring a second for Juve in the 25th minute but his effort was disallowed by video assistant referee (VAR) due to a handball by Vlahovic in the build-up.

Juve should have added to the goal tally in the first half, leading Mourinho to make changes to improve his team's fortunes.

The Portuguese tried to inject more energy into his side by bringing on striker Stephan El Shaarawy and youngster Nicola Zalewski but Juve kept pressing and Cuadrado fired just wide.

Roma then equalized against the run of play in the 69th minute following a free kick as Abraham nodded home Paulo Dybala's cross from the right.

Juventus then came close to losing the match when Lorenzo Pellegrini's corner almost went over the line for Roma before being cleared by substitute Arkadiusz Milik on his debut.

Roma next hosts newly-promoted Monza on Tuesday while Juve host Spezia on Wednesday.