Juventus took another step toward a second straight Serie A title when Mirko Vucinic’s late brace secured a 2-1 home win over Delfino Pescara 1936 on Saturday that took them 12 points clear at the top as the visitors finished with 10 men.
Vucinic’s 72nd-minute penalty broke the resistance of Pescara, who had Giuseppe Rizzo sent off for the foul on Arturo Vidal that led to the spot-kick, before the Montenegrin doubled Juve’s lead five minutes later with a smart curling strike.
Bottom side Pescara pulled a goal back through Emmanuel Cascione’s long-range drive seven minutes from time.
Photo: AFP
Antonio Conte’s side, who are 2-0 down heading into Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final, second-leg with Bayern Munich in Turin, have 71 points from 31 games ahead of SSC Napoli, who were hosting struggling Genoa yesterday.
Pescara, who have only 21 points and look certain to be relegated, had goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli to thank for keeping the score down after he pulled off a series of magnificent saves.
The champions laid siege to the Pescara goal in a dominant performance where they created plenty of good chances.
Pelizzoli’s first serious save came after 12 minutes when Stefan Lichsteiner fed a cross from the right toward Emanuele Giaccherini, who span and hit a powerful volley that the goalkeeper did well to tip away.
Five minutes later, Sebastian Giovinco shot from close range straight at the onrushing Pelizzoli.
The 32-year-old keeper also somehow tipped Fabio Quagliarella’s low, powerful drive on to his right-hand post six minutes before the break.
Vucinic was the worst culprit in a wasteful Juventus attack, first mishitting the ball with an open goal at his mercy on 50 minutes after Kwadwo Asamoah’s shot was pushed out to him by Pelizzoli, then shooting from an almost impossible angle in the area when Giaccherini was standing unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box.
Juve finally took the lead with 17 minutes left when Rizzo pulled back Vidal as he went to meet Vucinic’s through ball and referee Sebastiano Peruzzo gave a penalty.
Vucinic appeared to have ended the match as a contest when he curled home a smart finish five minutes later, redeeming himself for his shocking earlier miss.
Also on Saturday, a stoppage-time tap-in from Rolando Bianchi gave Torino a 2-2 draw at Bologna in their midtable clash.
Torino took the lead through Paulo Barreto after 25 minutes, but were pegged back by a powerful header from Panagiotis Kone just after the hour and a fine Tibero Guarente strike five minutes from time.
However, Bianchi stepped up to bag a point for his side, who have 36 points, but stay in 14th place, while Bologna remain in 12th on 37.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS