Gift Orban finally opened his account for Hellas Verona, delivering a historic moment as his debut goal helped secure a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Juventus in their Serie A clash at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi on Saturday evening.
The Nigerian forward struck from the penalty spot just before halftime, pulling Verona back into the contest and denying Juventus a fourth straight victory to start the 2025/26 season, Footballrover reports.
Juventus Strike First Before Gift Orban Responds
The game started with Juventus dictating the tempo and showing their attacking strength.
It took only 19 minutes for the visitors to make their breakthrough. Khephren Thuram carved open Verona’s defence with a perfectly weighted pass, releasing Francisco Conceição on the edge of the box.
Spotting the keeper slightly off his line, the Portuguese winger produced a composed finish into the bottom-left corner to give Juve the lead.
Verona struggled to impose themselves early on, but the turning point came just before the interval.
A long throw into the box was initially cleared by João Mário, but VAR intervened, ruling that the defender had handled the ball rather than headed it.
After a lengthy delay, Gift Orban showed remarkable composure, stepping up to blast an unstoppable penalty past Michele Di Gregorio.
Though the goalkeeper managed to get fingertips on the shot, tipping it onto the underside of the bar, the ball crossed the line to level the match.
At 23 years and 65 days, Orban carved his name into the record books, becoming the youngest foreign player to score for Verona against Juventus in Serie A.
He joined an elite list featuring Zaccarelli, Galderisi, Maccacaro, and Orazi.
Orban Shines as Verona Push for More
Gift Orban was relentless throughout his 89 minutes on the pitch, taking eight shots and making five recoveries before being replaced by Junior Ajayi.
His presence constantly troubled the Juve defence, and he nearly doubled his tally with a fierce strike that forced Di Gregorio into another sharp save.
Midfielder Suat Serdar thought he had given Verona the lead in the 75th minute, only for VAR to intervene again, this time ruling the goal out for offside.
The disallowed strike kept the match finely balanced until the final whistle.
Verona Halt Juventus’ Perfect Start
The draw extended Verona’s winless run at the start of the Serie A campaign to four matches, leaving them on three points and sitting 15th on the table.
Still, Orban’s contribution ensured they avoided defeat against one of Italy’s giants and secured a morale-boosting result and also earned him the man of the match award.
For Juve, the stalemate ended their perfect record, though they remain top of the Serie A standings by a single point.
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