Juve set for 27th title after Inter stutter

Two goals from Alessandro Del Piero, including an 85th minute winner, gave Serie A leaders Juventus a 2-1 victory over Brescia on Sunday to ...

Two goals from Alessandro Del Piero, including an 85th minute winner, gave Serie A leaders Juventus a 2-1 victory over Brescia on Sunday to keep them right on track for their 27th league title.

With second-placed Inter Milan held to a 1-1 draw at home to Lazio, Juventus now have a lead of eight points with just four games remaining and it needs a vivid imagination to foresee a realistic way in which Marcello Lippi8217;s side could fail to retain their title.

After facing Lazio away next week, Juve8217;s final three games are at home to mid-table Perugia, away to lowly Reggina and at home to Chievo on the final day of the season. Third-placed AC Milan, who lost 2-1 at AS Roma on Saturday, are 12 points adrift of Juve and are left to focus on their Champions League semi-final ties with Inter.

Brescia certainly made Juventus fight for the three points though and the Turin side, weary from their midweek extra-time victory over Barcelona in Europe, never hit their stride. Del Piero put Juve ahead in the ninth minute with a freekick that took a deflection off the defensive wall and beat Brescia keeper Matteo Sereni.

A single strike looked to be enough for Lippi8217;s men until Brescia8217;s Ghanaian midfielder Stephan Appiah equalised in the 83rd minute after being neatly set-up by former Juve striker Roberto Baggio.

A draw might have opened up the race for the 8216;scudetto8217; but three minutes later Del Piero8217;s left-foot volley restored Juve8217;s advantage.

Former European Player of the Year Baggio hit the crossbar and Juve8217;s Antonio Conte struck the post during the hectic final stages of the match. Juve midfielder Edgar Davids said Brescia8217;s performance was a reminder that the Turin side will need to be alert right until the en of the season.

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8220;Certainly we are close to the title but we have to give 100 per cent to get three points from our last four matches otherwise things can get difficult,8221; said Davids. Reuters