Gianluigi Buffon saved a late penalty as Juventus took a big step toward a fifth consecutive Serie A title with a 2-1 win at ACF Fiorentina on Sunday.
If SSC Napoli failed to win at AS Roma yesterday, Juventus would have sealed the scudetto with three matches to spare. If Napoli were to win, Juventus need only one more point to seal it.
Substitute Alvaro Morata scored the winner, seconds after Nikola Kalinic had equalized for Fiorentina late in the second half. Buffon then stopped Kalinic’s spot-kick in the 90th minute.
Photo: EPA
“We’re not cheering for anyone,” Morata said of yesterday’s game. “If we win [the league], it’s because we deserve to.”
His winner came from a rebound after Milan Badelj cleared off the line.
“We won also thanks to Buffon, who is superhuman,” Morata said.
Mario Mandzukic had put Juve ahead with a volley in the first half after being set up by Sami Khedira and Paul Pogba.
“It was important to get a positive result today,” Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said. “Winning in Florence is not easy.”
Kalinic earned a penalty for a debatable foul by Juan Cuadrado and had his poor spot-kick blocked by Buffon, who at 38 is having one of his best seasons.
Last month, Buffon broke a 22-year-old Serie A record by not conceding a goal for 974 consecutive minutes.
In a frenetic finish, Kalinic hit the crossbar with a header from close range in stoppage-time.
Juventus moved 12 points clear of Napoli, while Fiorentina remained fifth.
Earlier, US Citta di Palermo won 2-0 at Frosinone to boost their chances of avoiding relegation in a turbulent season featuring nine coaching changes.
Alberto Gilardino put Palermo ahead with a header early in the second half and Macedonia international Aleksandar Trajkovski sealed the result in stoppage-time.
In 18th place, Palermo are level with 17th-placed Carpi on points ahead of Carpi’s match against Empoli yesterday.
“We showed that we’re still alive,” said Gilardino, a member of the Italy squad that won the FIFA World Cup a decade ago. “Now we’ve got three finals to play.”
Davide Ballardini was rehired earlier this month for his second stint in charge of Palermo this season. Counting caretakers, Palermo have had seven different coaches this season — Giuseppe Iachini (twice), Ballardini (twice), Fabio Viviani, Guillermo Schelotto, Giovanni Bosi, Giovanni Tedesco and Walter Novellino.
Elsewhere, seventh-placed US Sassuolo moved within one point of AC Milan with a 3-1 win at Torino. Nicola Sansone, Federico Peluso and Marcello Trotta scored for the visitors, who still have a chance of a UEFA Europa League spot.
AC Chievo Verona remained one place behind Sassuolo despite a 1-0 loss to 10-man Atalanta BC, with Marco Borriello scoring to mathematically ensure another season in the top flight for the Bergamo side.
SS Lazio are ninth after a 2-1 loss at UC Sampdoria, while Emanuele Giaccherini and Sergio Floccari scored for Bologna in a 2-0 win over Genoa.
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