Serie A Recap: Juventus draw gives Roma hope as title race heats up

Napoli's 1-1 draw with league leading Juventus reduced their lead at the top of the Serie A table to six points.

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Marek Hamsik scored the equaliser for Napoli against Juventus. (Source: Reuters)

Juventus might be headed for a sixth consecutive Serie A title, but results over the weekend did make the race to the finish tougher. Following the international break, they faced an in form Napoli away from home, a fixture that was always going to be tough for the Bianconeri, who managed to only get away with a draw. Sunday’s fixture at Napoli’s San Paolo stadium was only the second draw for Juventus this year, a game that saw them sit back and defend for longest periods of the game.

Sami Khedira gave them the lead in the seventh minute after he burst through the Napoli defence, and following a swift interplay with Miralem Pjanic, slotted past goalkeeper Rafael who was replacing injured Pepe Reina. The German’s goal was the ninth time Juventus have scored in the first ten minutes of the game, a league record this year. Despite the bright start, Juventus played deep in defence for much of the game with the likes of Marek Hamsik, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne putting the pressure on veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The first half didn’t bring much for Napoli except for more and more frustration against a tight and well-organised Juve defence. But in the second half Napoli’s persistence paid dividends as captain Hamsik, after a quick exchange with Mertens, cracked a terrific shot past Buffon who was left clueless. This was the Slovakian’s 11th league goal season, putting him one goal away from equalling a personal record league goals tally. In a game that saw Gonzalo Higuain return to Napoli for the first time since his 75 million pounds move to Juventus, the Argentinian was silenced on and off the pitch as he endured a fifth game without scoring and was heckled by the home supporters.

Juventus now return to the San Paolo on Thursday for the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal. They go into the fixture with a 3-1 lead, but if Sunday’s performance was anything to go by a place in the final is not yet guaranteed for the Old Lady.

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The biggest winners from Juventus’ result might be Roma, who on Saturday courtesy Edin Dzeko’s brace beat relegation-threatened Empoli 2-0 at home. Roma’s win doubled up with Juventus’ result gives the Giallorossi a genuine chance to push for the title. The game also had moments of personal accomplishments as Dzeko’s goals not only put him as the league’s top scorer, but also take his goal tally in all competitions to 33 – more than any other player in Roma’s history. With eight games yet to be played, the result at Stadio Olimpico puts Roma just six points behind Juventus while giving them a four-point cushion over third-place Napoli.

Among the teams vying for crucial European spots Lazio and Atalanta saw crucial away wins. Lazio with a 2-1 away win at Sassuolo might even dream of pushing for the final Champions League spot, as they have now at least secured an assured place in Europa League next year. Surprise package Atalanta’s fine season continues as they recorded a resounding 5-0 win away at Genoa courtesy a hattrick by captain Alejandro Gomez, standing two points behind Lazio at fifth. With Inter Milan yet to play on Monday, city rivals AC Milan missed their chance to go sixth in the standings as they could only get a draw away from bottom-placed Pescara, a game that saw a rare yet embarrassing slip-up by goalkeeping prodigy Gianluigi Donnarumma. The result also gives eight-placed Fiorentina a chance to catch up with Milan as they now remain only three points behind the Rossoneri following a 1-0 win over Bologna.

Results: Sassuolo 1-2 Lazio, Roma 2-0 Empoli, Torino 2-2 Udinese, Chievo 1-2 Crotone, Fiorentina 1-0 Bologna, Palermo 1-3 Cagliari, Genoa 0-5 Atalanta, Pescara 1-1 AC Milan, Napoli 1-1 Juventus.

Fixtures: Inter Milan vs Sampdoria.