£7m man on target but relegation puts dampener on big moment
Kieron Bowie strengthened his case to be selected in Scotland's World Cup squad by scoring against Serie A giants Juventus on Sunday.
The former Hibs striker earned Hellas Verona an unexpected point after his first half opener at the Allianz Stadium was cancelled out by Dusan Vlahovic for the hosts in the second half.
It proved a bittersweet weekend for Bowie and his Verona teammates, however, as the club was officially relegated to Serie B on Friday night when rivals Lecce claimed a 2-1 victory at Pisa.
Hellas Verona striker Kieron Bowie pursues Juventus midfielder Gleison Bremer during the Serie A match at Allianz Stadium on May 3, 2026 in Turin, Italy.placeholder image
Hellas Verona striker Kieron Bowie pursues Juventus midfielder Gleison Bremer during the Serie A match at Allianz Stadium on May 3, 2026 in Turin, Italy. | Getty Images
The result left Verona 12 points adrift of safety with three games left, confirming a fate that had seemed inevitable for a number of weeks as they struggled to claw themselves out of the drop zone.
Bowie has now netted three times in 11 appearances in the Italian top flight since his club record £7million transfer from Hibs in January but has only tasted victory once.
The 23-year-old signed a contract until 2030 with I Gialloblu but spoke recently of his intention to remain with the side next season as they look to bounce back from relegation at the first attempt.
Juventus were hoping to take advantage of Como, Napoli and Milan dropping points in the race for a Champions League spot but Bowie stunned the home crowd when he pounced for a shock opener in the 34th minute.
Domagoj Bradaric pounced on a slack pass and rolled the ball across the box for Bowie to sweep in at the near post to put an end to Juventus' run of four consecutive clean sheets. The Scotland international then nearly made it a quickfire double but saw his effort deflected over by Lloyd Kelly.
The home side brought Vlahovic off the bench and the Serbian conjured up the equaliser by bending a free kick around the Verona wall and into the bottom corner.
Verona held on to claim a credible point and will look to restore further pride in their remaining three fixtures starting with the visit of Como next weekend before a trip to the San Siro to face Inter, who have been crowned Serie A champions following a 2-0 win over Parma on Sunday night, before finshing off at home to Roma.
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Elsewhere in Serie A, Napoli were held to a goalless draw at Como as Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour lost their status as scudetto champions. Lennon Miller picked up an assist as Udinese won 2-0 against Torino, for whom Che Adams missed out with a hamstring strain.
Lewis Ferguson was an unused substitute in Bologna’s goalless draw with Cagliari adding further fuel to the speculation that he could be set to leave the club this summer. Josh Doig was also left on the bench as Sassuolo earned a notable 2-0 win over AC Milan.