Higuain hits Juve closer to glory
MILAN, Italy — Gonzalo Higuain’s brace sent Juventus eight points clear at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win at struggling Pescara on Saturday.
Third-place Napoli, meanwhile, capitalized on a Roma slip-up to boost its Champions League hopes.
Argentina striker Higuain, who hit a league-record 36 goals for Napoli last season, took his tally to 23 to trail Roma’s Edin Dzeko and Andrea Belotti of Torino by two goals at the summit of the top-scorer chart.
After successive braces last week to keep the Turin giant on course for a third consecutive league and cup double, Higuain sealed the points after firing home from a Juan Cuadrado pass in the 23rd minute before beating Vincenzo Fiorillo from Mario Mandzukic’s knock-down just before the interval.
Roma’s 1-1 draw at home to Atalanta — with Dzeko canceling out Jasmin Kurtic’s strike five minutes after the restart — allowed Juventus to extend its lead as it targets a record sixth consecutive scudetto.
The only blip for Massimiliano Allegri’s men was seeing Argentina forward Paulo Dybala, who starred with a brace in the 3-0 Champions League quarterfinal first-leg win over Barcelona in midweek, limp off with an ankle injury four days before the second leg at Camp Nou.
“Dybala took a knock, but there’s reason to remain optimistic,” Allegri said.
“In Barcelona, we need courage, lucidity and, above all, the desire to hit the back of the net.”
As far as another Serie A title is concerned, Allegri is taking nothing for granted with six games remaining.
“Roma, on paper, can still get to 90 points. So we need to reach at least 91,” added Allegri, whose side is on 80 points from 32 games.
But Roma’s slip-up at Stadio Olimpico, not a huge surprise given Atalanta is enjoying its best season to date, has made a tight title run-in highly unlikely.
Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was unequivocal. “Juventusisn’tgoingtogiveup an eight-point lead, we have to win every game now and settle for the consolation of second place,” said the on-loan Arsenal stopper.
“If you ask me, the championship is over.”
Roma now looks set for a ninth runner-up spot since it last won the scudetto in 2001, although coach Luciano Spalletti warned its chances of finishing second to clinch the last automatic Champions League qualifying spot is now under threat.
“We’re going to have to work hard to keep Napoli at bay. They’re a top side,” said Spalletti. “Now, we’ll try to consolidate second place.”
Napoli chasing second
Those comments came before Dries Mertens, Allan and Jose Callejon scored as Napoli turned on the style in a classy second-half performance that left Udinese struggling to respond.
After a first half of missed chances for the host, Mertens broke the deadlock with a fine strikeontherunfromtheedge of the area three minutes into the second period.
Brazilian midfielder Allan then raced to a loose ball to beat Orestis Karnezis on the hour.
Spanish forward Callejon completed the win with Napoli’s third in the 72nd minute, although Maurizio Sarri’s men could have had more.
Elsewhere, Lazio’s hopes of challenging Napoli for the third Champions League spot were hit by a 2-2 draw at Genoa, where Luis Alberto hit a last-gasp equalizer for Simone Inzaghi’s men.
Lazio remains fourth, but now trails Napoli by nine points and sits just one ahead of Atalanta.
Earlier on Saturday, Inter Milan looked to be on its way to victory over AC Milan in the first Chinese-owned city derby following first-half goals from Antonio Candreva and Mauro Icardi.
But the Nerazzurri, owned by Chinese electronics giant Suning, were pegged back by Alessio Romagnoli’s 83rdminute strike and stunned by Cristian Zapata’s last-gasp leveler at San Siro.
“We didn’t win because we didn’t wrap up the game,” said Inter coach Stefano Pioli.
“We had chances to score the third goal, and didn’t take them.”
Milan, which was sold by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to Chinese investors in July 2016, remains sixth, two points behind Atalanta. Inter is a further two points back.