da brwin： Juventus' hopes of pushing for a Serie A title went up in smoke Monday as Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and co. were handed a 1-0 defeat by Udinese.

da aviator aposta： Article continues below

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McKennie and Weah start for JuventusUdinese claim shock 1-0 victoryTitle hopes take massive hitGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Juventus, as expected, had the better of the play early on in this matchup of teams on opposite ends of the Serie A table. The hosts, though, were stunned by Udinese, who seized the lead in the first half.

The goal was a scrappy one, and it came in the 25th minute from an unlikely source. Lautaro Giannetti, recently signed from Velez Sarsfield in Argentina, scored from close range after an unfortunate touch from Alex Sandro, leaving The Turin club with it all to do at home.

The second half was largely played on their terms, but Juve never quite looked likely to break through. Against a resolute Udinese, chances were few and far between, and the Bianconeri never got the one they needed to save a point as they settled for a frustrating home loss to a relegation contender.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With the loss, Juve will feel like they're all but out of the title race as it'll take a herculean effort to get anywhere near Scudetto favorites Inter. They remain seven points behind Inter, who also have a game in hand, and with Inter having dropped just nine points all season, the Bianconeri will need a miracle to catch up over the final 14 matches of the campaign.

GettyUSMNT IMPACT

It was a tough night for McKennie and Weah, even though it started so promisingly.

McKennie has been a regular in midfield for much of the season, making it no shock that he retained his place in the starting XI. Weah, though, made his first start in a little over a month and third since October, making Monday's match feel like a big chance to impress.

Unfortunately, though, Monday's match was arguably the worst performance of Juve's season, with neither Weah nor McKennie making much of an impact. Both are key to Allegri's squad, McKennie as a starter and Weah either in the XI or as a supersub, but, like the rest of their teammates, the American duo never quite got going in a tough defeat.

GettyGOAL'S RATINGS

Weston McKennie (6/10):

Passing was fine, but McKennie never really made it happen in the attacking part of the field. While his midfield mates Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli had a few good moments, McKennie couldn't quite generate much of anything in one of his quieter performances.

Tim Weah (6/10):

Was decent enough in attack, having several good moments. Wasn't quite able to change the game, though, before being taken out early in the second half.