Genoa 3 Juventus 1: Champions blown away by Diego Simeone’s son in shock defeat as normally reliable backline falls apart
Giovanni Simeone hit two as the hosts killed the game after 29 minutes, with Serie A leaders' defence all over the place
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JUVENTUS conceded three goals in a first half for three years as they put in one of their worst defensive displays of all-time.
The Serie A leaders suffered to a shock defeat at Genoa to remain just four points clear of second-placed AC Milan.
The champions had won every game aside from defeats away to Inter and the Rossoneri this season — and looked dead certainties to win a sixth-straight title.
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Juventus are famed for their defensive strength and throughout history, their success has been built on a solid backline.
But they were a shadow of their usually composed self at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris with a diabolical defensive displaying seeing them fall 3-0 down within 29 minutes.
Diego Simeone’s son, Giovanni, was the man on the scoresheet as finished off after an almighty goalmouth scramble as Juve’s usually reliable backline and goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, failed to clear their lines.
Leonardo Bonucci is badly at fault as he allows Luca Rigoni to go past him and into the Bianconeri box.
His low shot is saved by Buffon, but the ball falls to Lucas Ocampos whose effort is superbly blocked on the line by Dani Alves but again it ends up at the feet of a Genoa player.
And Simeone makes no mistake as he pokes up from close range after three minutes.
Juve were all over the place and almost conceded a second nine minutes later as Bonucci got into a mix-up with Medhi Benatia, before Buffon eventually grabbed the loose ball.
But the warning was not heeded as just a minute later, the second goal came.
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Darko Lazovic went past Alex Sandro and fizzed in a delicious cross.
Again the Juventus backline couldn’t deal with it and an unmarked Simeone headed in from close range.
Manager Max Allegri would have been even more irate at Genoa’s third, which came from a set-piece.
Rigoni was given the freedom of the pitch as the corner came in and his looping header appeared to be saved on the line by Sandro — but Simeone was there to finish off regardless.
It has since gone down as an own goal by the Brazilian, depriving the Atletico Madrid boss’ offspring of a famous hat-trick.
Things got worse still for Juventus as they lost Bonucci to a hat-trick on 33 minutes.
Gonzalo Higuain was introduced in the second-half as Juve looked for that one goal that would unsettle their hosts.
However, the move eventually backfired as a late injury to Alves to injury and had to play the final 15 minutes with ten men.
Miralem Pjanic’s brilliant free-kick threw a spanner in the works and set up the potential of a grandstand final eight minutes.
But Mario Mandzukic missed the only real chance the visitors were able to muster with seconds remaining.
And Juve fell to their heaviest defeat since October 2013, when they lost 4-2 at Fiorentina.