Juventus remained on top of Serie A with a 2-1 win away to AC Siena as Miroslav Klose kept SS Lazio in contention with a brace in a 3-0 win over Delfino Pescara 1936 on Sunday.
In Sunday’s late matches, SSC Napoli kept pace with Antonio Conte’s leaders with a 2-1 win over Udinese which means they remain in second and are the only other unbeaten team in Serie A, while in the 157th Serie A derby between AC Milan and Inter, 10-man Inter prevailed 1-0 at the San Siro thanks to a fourth-minute diving header by Argentine Walter Samuel.
Juventus got off to a great start when midfielder Andre Pirlo gave them a 14th-minute lead from a sumptuous free-kick.
Photo: AFP
Siena had caused an upset at the San Siro a few weeks ago with victory over Inter and they were given hope when Emanuele Calaio rose to meet Brazilian Angelo’s cross to beat Gianluigi Buffon with a bullet header in the 47th minute.
However, midfielder Claudio Marchisio produced a superb volley from the edge of the area to give Juve an 85th-minute winner and take their impressive unbeaten streak to 47 consecutive games.
“This was a really important goal for the team. We need to send a signal that we’re motivated to defend our title,” Marchisio said.
Lazio have already suffered two defeats, although the visit to struggling Serie A newcomers Pescara was never likely to end in anything but a win for a side that had scored nine goals in six games.
Lazio took the lead after just five minutes when Brazilian midfielder Hernanes curled a free-kick past Mattia Perin in the Pescara goal.
Klose made it two when he latched on to Andrea Candreva’s through ball in the 25th minute and he claimed his fifth league goal of the season 10 minutes later when his header from a Hernanes corner beat the goalkeeper.
Lazio coach Vladimir Petkovic hailed a performance which left his side third on 15 points, four shy of Juventus and Napoli.
“Today, we were great in the first half and solid in the second. Congratulations to the boys,” Petkovic said. “The important thing is for us to do well and I believe we’re getting better day by day.”
Napoli’s 2-1 win meant Juve were denied the chance to pull clear of the chasing bunch and Inter’s slim victory over Milan means four teams have pulled ever so slightly away from the rest.
Inter had boosted their title credentials last week and their fifth win in seven starts means they are fourth with the same points as Lazio.
“There were two good points tonight — one was the way we approached this game and the second was how we handled it when we were a man down for the second half,” Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni said. “We came into this game focused and started aggressively. We got the goal and when Milan came back into it, we managed to restricted them in our area.”
With only seven goals from seven games the needs of Massimiliano Allegri’s AC Milan side are clear, but the coach was once again left lamenting conceding yet another goal from a set-piece.
“We’ve conceded again from a set-piece and this is something we need to put right,” Allegri said. “Apart from the goal, Inter did not create too many chances. We did, and it’s a shame we didn’t manage to put them away.”
Elsewhere, Cagliari battled to a 1-0 win away to Torino to grab their first victory of the season thanks to Nene’s early strike from the penalty spot.
Catania maintained their solid start with a 2-0 win at home to struggling Parma, while ACF Fiorentina beat Bologna 1-0 at home.
AS Roma moved up to fifth with a 2-0 win over Atalanta BC with goals from Michael Bradley of the US and Argentine Erik Lamela.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and