A Paulo Dybala brace on Wednesday kept Juventus’ title push on track, but Francesco Totti stole the show in Serie A with two goals in a 3-2 win over Torino that moved AS Roma closer to Champions League qualification.
Juve’s closest rivals SSC Napoli had fired a warning shot after putting six unanswered goals, including a hat-trick from Belgium midfielder Dries Mertens, past Bologna on Tuesday.
However, the Turin giants were not to be fazed as they continued their bid to emulate their 1935 feat of winning five consecutive titles by beating SS Lazio 3-0.
Photo: AFP
Juventus will win the title if they beat ACF Fiorentina on Sunday and Napoli lose against Roma a day later.
“We need four points, so we need one win and a draw. We still have four games left, two of which are at home, but all we’re thinking of is Sunday’s game,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said.
After Mario Mandzukic put Juventus in front six minutes before the interval, the Croatia striker turning Paul Pogba’s pacy drive into the net, Juventus moved up a gear against Simone Inzaghi’s visitors.
Inzaghi had warned of Juve’s “invincibility” and after the visitors lost right-back Patric for a second bookable offense against Dybala, the writing was on the wall.
From the free-kick, Brazilian midfielder Hernanes forced Federico Marchetti into action, but the Lazio goalkeeper could do nothing minutes later when Dybala sent him the wrong way from the spot after Leonardo Bonucci was hauled down in the area.
Dybala completed his brace with his 16th league goal of the campaign, the Argentine collecting Sami Khedira’s ball to beat Marchetti from distance just after the hour.
Juve’s 26th win of the season maintained their nine-point lead on Napoli with four games remaining.
Third-placed Roma were trailing 2-1 with four minutes remaining after Josef Martinez had added to Andrea Belotti’s first-half penalty in the 80th minute for visiting Torino.
That meant Napoli looked likely to open up an eight-point gap on Luciano Spalletti’s side, but the Italian coach had other ideas.
Roma had seen several penalty claims waved away during the game and Spalletti played his final card five minutes from the end.
Totti had leveled late when he made a cameo appearance in a 3-3 draw against Atalanta BC on Sunday.
However, the playmaker, in which could be his final weeks as a player at the club, went one better.
Seconds after replacing Seydou Keita, Totti slid in at the back post to meet Miralem Pjanic’s free-kick to guide the ball past Daniele Padelli on 86 minutes.
Three minutes later, Roma won a penalty for handball in the area, and although Padelli got a touch on Totti’s drive, it was not enough.
The captain was mobbed by the bench and fans were seen crying in the stands as Roma kept the pressure on to sit five points behind Napoli.
Behind the top three, the chase for Europa League qualification got complicated.
Inter, still hoping for a top-three finish, failed to find the net against Genoa, where Sebastian de Maio hit a 77th-minute winner for the hosts.
Roberto Mancini’s men remained fourth, but are now seven points behind Roma in the last Champions League qualifying spot.
Fiorentina lost 2-1 against Udinese, leaving the Viola fifth, but in danger of seeing their seven-point gap on AC Milan reduced to just four if the Rossoneri beat struggling Carpi, with that game to be played yesterday.
Elsewhere, AC Chievo Verona reacted to Daniel Ciofani’s fifth-minute opener for relegation-haunted Frosinone by hitting five goals in a 5-1 thrashing, with Sergio Pellissier scoring a brace; US Sassuolo and UD Sampdoria played out a goalless draw; Empoli beat Hellas Verona 1-0; and US Citta di Palermo and Atalanta drew 2-2.
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