ROME (AFP) - Juventus closed all talk of a challenge to their Italian Serie A dominance after coming through a second-half onslaught at Napoli to win 2-1, in an engrossing match that saw each side have a man sent off and stretch their lead at the top to a huge 16 points.
Massimiliano Allegri's unbeaten leaders have now as good as sealed their eighth straight title after the match on Sunday (March 3) that looked dead at half-time with Juve two goals and a man up. But it sparked back into life when goalscorer Miralem Pjanic was sent off for handling a Napoli pass and picking up a second yellow card just after the break.
"I fell asleep, I should have replaced Pjanic when he had the first card. He was at risk, but I didn't expect him to handle," said Allegri, whose future at Juve is uncertain after what will be five seasons in Turin. "I already said we'll sit down to talk about this season and the next. I am very happy to be at Juventus."
Midfielder Pjanic swept home his free-kick opener in the 28th minute, which came immediately after Napoli were reduced to 10 men. Goalkeeper Alex Meret had sliced down Cristiano Ronaldo when the Portuguese nipped in to intercept a terrible Kevin Malcuit back pass.
Emre Can added the second from a corner 11 minutes later after substitute David Ospina tipped away Pjanic's stinging shot, but the Bosnian's red card gave Napoli a glimmer of hope.
They were back in the game in the 61st minute when Jose Callejon tapped home a pinpoint Lorenzo Insigne cross, and then piled the pressure on a suddenly creaking Juve, with Piotr Zielinski twice forcing fine saves from Polish countryman Wojciech Szczesny.
It looked as though the hosts were set to launch a final assault when they were given a penalty six minutes before the end for a controversial handball decision against Alex Sandro given by the Video Assistant Referee, only for Insigne to crash his spot kick against the post and let the champions off the hook.
Italy remembers Astori
As elsewhere across the Serie A weekend, play at the Stadio San Paolo stopped in the 13th minute to honour the memory of deceased former Italy international Davide Astori, with fans of both sides applauding the ex-Fiorentina captain, who died in his sleep aged just 31 on March 4 last year.
Astori's name was chanted by fans of AC Milan, where he came through as a youth player, during a 1-0 win over Sassuolo on Saturday that took Gennaro Gattuso's side third and a point above Inter Milan, who lost 2-1 at Cagliari amid a public contract dispute with absent star striker Mauro Icardi.
But the most emotional scenes came during Fiorentina's 3-1 defeat at Atalanta, who kept their hopes of Champions League football alive thanks to goals from Josip Ilicic, Alejandro Gomez and Robin Gosens.
Atalanta playmaker Ilicic, who played alongside Astori at Fiorentina, broke down in tears when played stopped, while away fans held up "Astori" signs and the home fans showed appreciation for a player born and raised in the province of Bergamo, where the hosts are based.
"This situation has taken over a huge part of us this week. Tomorrow we will close to his family as we have been for the last year," said Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli.
Gian Piero Gasperini's flamboyant Atalanta are six points behind fourth-placed Inter after winning the second spectacular clash with Fiorentina in a matter of days after their thrilling 3-3 Coppa Italia semi-final draw midweek.
They are level on 41 points with Lazio, 3-0 winners over Roma in Saturday's Rome derby, and Torino, who beat rock-bottom Chievo by the same score on Sunday.
Two points further back are Sampdoria, thanks to 36-year-old Fabio Quagliarella joining Ronaldo at the top of the scoring charts with 19 goals following a brace in his side's 2-1 win at struggling Spal.
"I don't feel like anyone special," said modest Quagliarella after the match. "I'm not the star man, I'm part of a team that works towards a single objective, everyone is useful and no one is indispensable."
Luis Suarez's double punished a wasteful Real Madrid as Barcelona won 3-0 at the Bernabeu to reach the Copa del Rey final 4-1 on aggregate. With Gareth Bale watching on from the bench, Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona - Football Match Report - March 2
Southampton secured their Premier League status for another year after a thrilling 3-3 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday as Cardiff City slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Fulham. The draw put
Southampton stay up after thrilling 3-3 draw with Bournemouth
sportsunderstand.com/2019/04/27/southampton-stay-up-after-thrilling-3-3-draw-with-bournemouth/
12:18 PM ET * Southampton stay up after 3-3 draw Bournemouth * Shane Long opened the scoring for the home side * Dan Gosling equalised and Callum Wilson put Bournemouth in front * James Ward-Prowse levelled for Southampton * Matt Targett scored a second-half header to put hosts in front * Wilson got his second
Southampton stay up after thrilling draw with Bournemouth
global.espn.com/football/report?gameId=513481
Southampton secured their Premier League status for another year after a thrilling 3-3 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday as Cardiff City slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Fulham. The draw put Southampton in 16th place on 38 points, seven ahead of Cardiff and four clear of Brighton & Hove Albion with two games left to play.
Football: Southampton stay up after thrilling 3-3 draw with
Liverpool could match Arsenal's Invincibles by going through a Premier League season without defeat, according to Unai Emery. Liverpool can be Invincibles, says Emery. a result that
Emery thinks Liverpool can emulate Arsenal's 'Invincibles
NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks finished a choppy session slightly lower on Tuesday (Feb 26) after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated a dovish approach to further interest rate hikes.
Global stocks turn negative as India-Pakistan tensions worsen
Subscribe to Read Articles from December 1954 Part 2. Nabbed: The Insidious Infiltrator That Menaced Titanium Industry; TITANIUM CROSSES HYDROGEN HURDLE
English Comprehensives: Poem Identification Flashcards | Quizlet
German champions Bayern Munich have not yet made an offer for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane despite their long-standing desire to sign him, club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Wednesday.
Football: Bayern have not yet tabled bid for Man City's Leroy
2019 Asian Cup: Tsukasa Shiotani fires Japan past Uzbeks; Qatar downs Saudis Tsukasa Shiotani (center) ensured Japan finished with a perfect nine points at the top of Group F as they beat Uzbekistan 2-1, despite changing 10 players
Latest News -Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims dig at Chris Smalling and Phil Jones after Man Utd legends game 2 days ago site4news Ole Gunnar Solskjaer highlighted Manchester United's weak defence (BT Sport)
Solskjaer aims thinly-veiled dig at Jose over 'stupid
Liverpool Fans Rejoice After Stunning Brentford Bristol City Derby County Hull City Ipswich Town not missed by the fans of his club side. The Reds faithful to took to twitter to express
Red Sox fans have a day to rejoice and - The Boston Globe
DOHA (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that a majority of national soccer federations were in favor of expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams.
Qatar would help Middle East peace by sharing 2022 World Cup
Soccer: Chelsea's Giroud seeks France return to boost game
England started Euro 2020 qualifier campaign with a comprehensive 5-0 win over the Czech Republic. LONDON (AFP) - Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as England started what they hope is a road back to Wembley for the Euro 2020 final with a comprehensive 5-0 win over the Czech Republic to open their
Raheem Sterling hits hat-trick in England demolition of Czech
Worries that a Barcelona stroll to the title will be boring to watch are not on Ernesto Valverde's mind after his team's latest big win en route to reclaiming their LaLiga crown. ( marca.com ) submitted 1 year ago by scadonl
Messi Secures Barcelona 26th LaLiga Title For His Personal 10th
Nazri - Racism Is The Last Refuge Of A Scoundrel. BN secretary-general Nazri Abdul Aziz said his speech, where he said a non-Muslim should not be an attorney-general, was merely a reflection of grassroots sentiment.
I believe in The Lions: Yoshida | Sportstons
sportstons.com/soccer/i-believe-in-the-lions-yoshida/
• In 2002, he signed for Jurong FC and played under V. Sundram Moorthy, then player-coach for the Cobras. • Retired in 2002 and returned to Reysol, where he rose through the ranks from youth-team coach to technical director and then the head coach. While at Reysol, he helped to produce national players like Marseille right-back Hiroki Sakai.
PDF Why Trust Is Critical to Team Success - Center for Creative
0 comments:
Post a Comment