Serie A briefing: Juventus choke against Sassuolo, Italy hopes national team won’t do the same

Locatelli misses his penalty against Sassuolo
“The airways were not clear at the Allianz Stadium. Too often for Luciano Spalletti’s liking, the ball seemed to splutter around the pitch. It was as if his players choked every time they attempted a pass in the final third. After a 2-0 win against Benfica at the turn of the year, Spalletti said Juventus’ possession game had caught ‘a cough’. On Saturday, the hacking returned. Opponents Sassuolo had reported an outbreak of whooping cough in the days leading up to the game. Five cases led the club to take measures that brought back haunting memories of Covid-19. Anyone showing symptoms was isolated from the rest of the squad and monitored for 72 hours. Their visit to Turin looked, at one stage, like it might even be postponed. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)