Francesco Totti hit a long-range rocket for AS Roma to seal a precious 1-0 win over Juventus and hand the leaders only their fourth defeat of the campaign on Saturday.
Juve, fresh from a precious 3-0 UEFA Champions League win away to Celtic, had Claudio Marchisio and Federico Peluso suspended, with Giorgio Chiellini, Paolo de Ceglie and Nicklas Bendtner out through injury.
Bianconeri coach Antonio Conte welcomed Kwadwo Asamoah back from the Africa Cup of Nations, although the Ghana international midfielder was replaced as fatigue set in midway through the second half.
Photo: EPA
Barely two weeks after taking over from sacked Roma head coach Zdenek Zeman, caretaker Aurelio Andreazzoli switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Erik Lamela and Totti supporting striker Pablo Osvaldo.
Juve traveled to Rome with realistic hopes of taking three points from a side that had claimed only two from their previous seven games, but the crisis seemed to galvanize the Giallorossi, who held their own in the first half and completely dominated the champions after the interval when they should have put several past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Totti admitted the win, which moved them up two places to seventh on 37 points and within sight of the European places, had taken the edge off their recent troubles.
“I was really hoping for this tonight. We don’t really deserve to be in the situation we’re in,” the skipper said. “We always give our maximum for the club and the fans, but lately it’s not been happening for us. Today, I think we showed our true character in beating a great team.”
There was little to talk of in the opening half.
Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo should have done better with an early opportunity which he shot straight at Buffon.
Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg then superbly parried a curling free-kick from Andrea Pirlo, which was sneaking in to the bottom corner, just before halftime.
Osvaldo ran on to Totti’s pass minutes into the second half, but, under pressure, sent a low angled shot wide of Buffon’s upright.
At the other end, a long ball to Paul Pogba in the Roma area caused panic, with the attempted clearance falling to Mirko Vucinic, who sent a volley just wide of Stekelenburg’s post.
Juventus dominated the early exchanges, but Roma should have taken the lead when Osvaldo rose to meet an incisive pass from the right of the area, only to send a bullet header straight at Buffon.
Conte made a double substitution just before the hour, with Sebastian Giovinco and Simone Padoin replacing Vucinic and Asamoah.
Minutes later, Totti made the Stadio Olimpico erupt when he pounced on a rebound from a free-kick to hit a superb first-time drive past the helpless Buffon.
Roma should have doubled their lead minutes later, but Daniele de Rossi mishit Vassilas Torosidis’ delivery into the area after a long run upfield in possession.
Conte replaced Arturo Vidal with Nicolas Anelka, handing the Frenchman his debut after his recent move from Shanghai Shenhua, but despite Stekelenburg scaring the hosts when he mishandled Giovinco’s cross from the left, Juve were lucky not to be further punished by the hosts.
Earlier, a 55th-minute penalty from Cyril Thereau secured a share of the points for AC Chievo Verona at home to US Citta di Palermo.
Palermo took a shock fifth-minute lead thanks to Mauro Formica’s superb angled strike, but Thereau converted from the spot after Palermo defender Santiago Garcia handled in the box.
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