TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 21: Dusan Vlahovic and Pierre Kalulu of Juventus interact after the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Sassuolo Calcio at Allianz Stadium on March 21, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
The Juventus penalty miss against Sassuolo continues to cause controversy, as it emerges Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz were over-ruled by Manuel Locatelli.
The spot-kick could’ve been decisive for the result over the weekend, but when Locatelli stepped up and saw his effort saved by Arijanet Muric, it meant the Serie A match ended 1-1.
This was the third consecutive penalty that Juve failed to convert in Serie A, with three different players, as Locatelli followed in the footsteps of Kenan Yildiz and Jonathan David.
Juventus confusion over penalty taker
“Locatelli came over and told me he felt ready to take it,” confirmed Spalletti to DAZN Italia.
“There were two or three players who wanted to step up, but Locatelli is the designated taker. It’s fine, anyone can miss a penalty, we are just disappointed about not bringing home the victory.”
While Yildiz was standing on the spot holding the ball, it is now reported that he was not the one pressuring Locatelli for the chance to step up.
Multiple sources claim Vlahovic had asked to take the penalty, just minutes into his first appearance since a serious thigh injury in late November 2025.
It would’ve been very risky indeed to have the Serbian take on that responsibility after such a long lay-off and when he was obviously still rusty.
Vlahovic did convert his only attempt this season, in a 3-1 win over Udinese.
However, Locatelli also had a positive record until now, converting both his spot-kicks in the Champions League and Coppa Italia.
The midfielder also scored a crucial penalty at the end of last season against Venezia to secure Champions League qualification.
