Roma keeps Edin in right direction
Edin Dzeko’s second-half strike kept Roma in the Serie A title hunt with a 1-0 win at home to Cagliari on Sunday.
Fresh life was breathed into the race last week, especially for Roma and Napoli, when leader Juventus lost 2-1 at Fiorentina.
But Juve, aiming for a record sixth straight title, fired a warning to the chasing pack with a classy 2-0 home win over Lazio in which Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain struck shortly after the quarter-hour.
Defender Andrea Barzagli started on the bench, midfielder Claudio Marchisio was sidelined and although fullback Dani Alves returned from injury, the former Barcelona star was named as a substitute.
Lazio had lost its previous eight meetings with Juve, and the visitor was soon playing catch-up again.
On Juve’s first real chance, Mario Mandzukic nodded the ball into the path of Dybala for the Argentine to volley home.
Lazio was stunned again 10 minutes later when Higuain ran through unchecked to meet Juan Cuadrado’s rightwing delivery in the 17th minute.
It was the Argentine’s 14th goal in 19 matches and left him only one behind leading scorer Mauro Icardi of Inter Milan, who, along with Atalanta, capitalized on AC Milan’s 2-1 San Siro loss to Napoli on Saturday.
Milan’s loss pushed it down to seventh, 11 points adrift of the summit.
Juve returns to Champions League action at Porto next month, and coach Massimiliano Allegri said: “I asked the lads for a big team performance because that’s what we need in Europe, and they pulled through.”
A 65th-minute winner from Portugal midfielder Jo ao Mario spared Inter’s blushes in a 1-0 win at Palermo that moved Stefano Pioli’s Champions League chasers up to fifth, nine points off the pace.
Palermo’s third straight loss dropped the crisis-hit Sicilians to second from bottom, 11 points from safety.
“That was a crucial win for us, we’d worked really hard in training this week for this,” said Mario, who believes the 2010 Champions League winner can realistically target a top-three finish.
“We believe in our chances, there are still a lot of games to play.”
Atalanta is still punching above its weight, although it took Alejandro Gomez’s 55thminute penalty to earn a 1-0 win over Sampdoria and move the Bergamo side up to sixth, just a point behind Inter.
Roma welcomed Cagliari with the chance equal a club record of 13 straight home wins, last achieved in 1930.
A wasteful first half at Stadio Olimpico saw Diego Perotti, Dzeko (twice) and Bruno Peres all spurn chances.
But the home side got back on track in the 55th minute when Dzeko muscled past Nicola Murru to volley in Antonio Rudiger’s delivery from eight yards.
It took the Bosnian’s league tally to 14, one behind Icardi and level with Higuain and Torino’s Andrea Belotti.
Two weeks ago, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti piled the pressure on Dzeko to make more of his chance, calling the Bosnian “too soft” in front of goal.
Asked by reporters if he was still too soft, Dzeko replied: “Yes, you all saw that today, didn’t you?
“Joking aside, it wasn’t easy (against Cagliari). We had a few chances, I missed one in the opening half and then I made up for it in the second. I was more clinical.
“It was an important win for us, but we have to keep it going.”
Cagliari finished the match with 10 men after sub Joao Pedro was dismissed for a blatant kick on Kevin Strootman.
I asked the lads for a big team performance because that’s what we need in Europe, and they pulled through.” Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus coach