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Juve move a step closer to Serie A return with 1-0 win

Disgraced former Italian champions Juventus moved a step closer to a swift return to the top flight with a 1-0 Serie B victory at Verona on Friday.

French defender Jean-Alain Boumsong scored the only goal in the 43rd minute, heading home Alessandro Del Piero's corner kick.

The Turin-based side top the table with 72 points from their 35 matches played, eight ahead of Genoa who climbed above Napoli into second place after their 2-1 win at home to Treviso.

Napoli, who had 62 points, would reclaim the runners-up spot if they won their home match against mid-table Cesena yesterday.

The top two in the second division win automatic promotion to Serie A.

Juve's French coach Didier Deschamps admitted that his team performed below their best.

"We weren't as good as we have been in recent weeks, but I felt we had a bit extra to give than Verona and deserved the three points," the former Juventus star said.

"Now we are in the final straight and eight points from our final seven matches should be enough to secure promotion," he said.

Last summer Juventus were stripped of the 2005-2006 Italian title, demoted from Serie A and given a nine-point handicap in Serie B for their role in the Italian match-fixing scandal.
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