Milan: A stoppage-time goal saw Juventus fall to their first league defeat since March as they lost 1-0 at Genoa on Wednesday, allowing Roma to move level at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win over Cesena.
Luca Antonini netted the winner for Genoa, four minutes into added time. Home goalkeeper Mattia Perin had been in great form to deny a formidable Juventus attack that hit the woodwork twice.
"I can only criticize my players for the last 30 seconds," Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "You don't need maximum points to win the title. Leagues are also won with draws and you can't concede such a goal in the dying stages."
Mattia Destro and Daniele De Rossi scored for Roma.
"I was focused on our win, I only found out about Genoa's goal in the changing room," Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. "We have to do our own job - we have won seven matches out of nine."
Sampdoria lost 1-0 at Inter Milan to leave it six points behind the top two, level with Udinese, which lost 3-0 at Fiorentina. AC Milan drew 1-1 at Cagliari, while Gonzalo Higuain saw a late penalty saved as Napoli - which would have moved third with the win - drew 1-1 at 10-man Atalanta.
Palermo beat fellow struggler Chievo Verona 1-0, and Torino triumphed against bottom club Parma by the same scoreline. Juventus came into the match off two successive defeats in the Champions League but had won seven of its eight matches domestically, drawing the other one.
Fernando Llorente had broken his scoring duck at the weekend and he went close to doubling his tally for the season in the 23rd minute but his effort crashed off the left post.
Angelo Ogbonna also hit the post from close range after beating the offside trap. Perrin had been called into action on numerous occasions and he pulled off a spectacular one-handed save to deny substitute Alvaro Morata late on.
And Genoa snatched all three points when a cross sailed past Gianluigi Buffon - who was making his 500th appearance for Juventus - and Antonini bundled it in from point-blank range.
It was Juventus' first defeat in 16 matches and will be the perfect boost for Roma, which had struggled recently. Roma got off to a great start when Gervinho led a counter attack and sent a ball through to Miralem Pjanic, who crossed for a simple tap-in for Destro in the ninth minute.
The Italy striker thought he had doubled his lead in the 28th but was offside when he headed in Pjanic's free kick. De Rossi sealed the win nine minutes from time, volleying in after Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa had nodded on a corner.
De Rossi, who had been about to be substituted and had asked to stay on for the corner, went off to a standing ovation moments later.
In Milan, Rodrigo Palacio missed several chances to break his scoring drought for Inter, while Sampdoria went closest to taking the lead when Alfred Duncan's effort crashed off the crossbar on the stroke of halftime.
Inter, which had been booed off the pitch at the interval, snatched all three points in the final minute when Zdravko Kuzmanovic was pushed over in the area by Alessio Romagnoli and Mauro Icardi converted the resulting penalty.
City rival AC Milan struggled in Sardinia, with Cagliari aggressive from the off and Adil Rami needing to make a goalline clearance to deny Victor Ibarbo in the opening minutes.
Cagliari took a deserved lead in the 24th minute when Ibarbo headed in Marco Sau's cross for his first goal of the season.
Christian Abbiati prevented Cagliari from doubling its lead with a fine stop to deny Sau and moments later Giacomo Bonaventura leveled with a stunning strike, curling the ball into the top left corner from 30 yards (meters).
Comments
0 comment