AS Roma returned to the top of Serie A with a 3-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday, but there was more misery for Juventus as the four-time defending champions lost 1-0 at US Sassuolo with defender Giorgio Chiellini sent off.
“Such a shameful first-half performance is unacceptable,” Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said. “I am dismayed, as captain of this team. Being dominated so much by our opponents hurts my soul.”
Miralem Pjanic and Douglas Maicon gave Roma a comfortable advantage inside nine minutes. Gervinho secured the result in the second half, before Cyril Thereau netted a consolation for Udinese.
Photo: Reuters
Roma are two points above Inter, as well as SSC Napoli and ACF Fiorentina, which also won midweek matches.
Gonzalo Higuain scored again as Napoli beat US Citta di Palermo 2-0, while Fiorentina triumphed by the same scoreline at Hellas Verona.
Roma visit Inter tomorrow ahead of the capital derby against SS Lazio.
“The match against Inter is decisive to stretch our advantage in the standings, but it’s early to talk about a title match,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia said.
AS Roma, who have finished runners-up to Juventus the past two seasons, are now 11 points ahead of Massimiliano Allegri’s team.
“We’re focusing on our path, Juventus will come back because they have a great squad and a top-level coach,” Garcia added.
Lazio are five points behind Roma — as are Sassuolo — after losing 2-1 at Atalanta BC as home coach Edy Reja secured his 100th top-flight victory. AC Milan beat AC Chievo Verona 1-0 for a second successive win.
Elsewhere, Frosinone beat fellow Serie A newcomers Carpi 2-1 with both sides having a player sent off, while Genoa snatched a 3-3 draw at Torino.
Roma were looking to move back top after Inter’s 1-0 win at Bologna on Tuesday and they got off to the perfect start, taking the lead inside four minutes.
Radja Nainggolan threaded the ball through to Maicon, who rolled across from the right for Pjanic to slot inside the near post.
Maicon got on the score sheet himself just five minutes later after bursting down the right and cutting inside, Udinese goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis allowing the Brazilian defender’s effort to squirm between him and the post.
Gervinho added another shortly after the hour mark, his fifth goal in as many matches.
Juventus had secured only their third league win of the season at the weekend and were hoping the 2-0 victory over Atalanta would be a turning point in their season, but they found themselves behind in the 20th minute when Nicola Sansone curled an unstoppable free-kick into the top-left corner, leaving Buffon rooted to the spot.
There was worse to come for Juventus when Chiellini, who had been booked in the fourth minute for dissent, was shown a second yellow card and sent off five minutes before halftime.
Paul Pogba drilled just wide of the left post minutes after the break as Juventus improved, but they still fell to their fourth defeat in 10 league matches as Sassuolo secured their first-ever victory over the Biaconeri.
“If we were a provincial or normal team, I’d be satisfied with the reaction in the second half, with a man less, but we are Juventus and knowing our aims, I can only be upset,” Buffon said. “There could’ve been excuses three or four weeks ago, but after the injured players returned and you play two or three games very well, you can’t get the first half as wrong as we did tonight.”
Napoli are second, above Fiorentina and Inter on goal-difference, after continuing their impressive run with an eighth win in their past nine matches in all competitions.
Higuain had scored in his previous three matches and he extended that streak six minutes from halftime, driving Marek Hamsik’s pass into the bottom-left corner from long range.
Napoli had struck the woodwork early on and they did so twice more before substitute Dries Mertens — who had hit the post minutes earlier — sealed the points 10 minutes from time.
In Verona, Fiorentina broke the deadlock in the 25th minute when home goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollin fumbled Manuel Pasqual’s cross and it went in off Rafael Marquez for an own-goal.
Nikola Kalinic doubled Fiorentina’s lead in the 57th minute, tapping in a great low cross from Giuseppe Rossi.
Alejandro Gomez snatched victory for Atalanta four minutes from time with a powerful effort into the top-right corner after an own-goal by Lazio defender Dusan Basta had canceled out Lucas Biglia’s opener from a free-kick.
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