In the early morning of January 4th, at Allianz Stadium, Juventus welcomed Lecce with the goal of winning to improve their position in the top 4 race. The home team soon took control of the game and created significant pressure right from the first minutes. Cambiaso and Jonathan David continuously had scoring opportunities, but goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone played excellently, successfully neutralizing dangerous situations.
Despite controlling the ball superiorly, Juventus could not maintain the necessary attacking rhythm. In the first half's added time, mistakes in the defense's handling caused the home team to pay the price. Banda took advantage of an unsafe back pass, stole the ball and finished neatly, helping Lecce unexpectedly take the lead.
Stepping into the second half, Juventus pushed up the squad to find an equalizer. In the 50th minute, from a coordinated situation on the right wing, the ball was crossed in for Weston McKennie to rush in and finish from close range, equalizing the score 1-1.
The opportunity for Juventus to complete the comeback came in the 62nd minute, when Jonathan David brought a penalty. However, this striker could not beat Falcone with a lackluster shot, missing a valuable opportunity. In the final minutes, Juventus continuously increased the pressure but the attack was still not sharp enough to penetrate the away team's defense. The 1-1 draw left Juventus with only 1 more point and temporarily in the top group.
In the match of the same round, Atalanta won a minimal 1-0 victory against AS Roma at home. The only goal was scored in the 12th minute, when Giorgio Scalvini quickly finished after a messy ball situation from a corner kick.
AS Roma tried to find an equalizer in the remainder of the match, with opportunities for Paulo Dybala and his teammates. However, goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi of Atalanta played solidly, contributing to keeping a clean sheet for the home team.
This result helps Atalanta improve their position in the rankings, while AS Roma dropped out of the top 4 of Serie A after round 18, in the context that the top group race is still very tense.
