Mandzukic inspires Juve to easy Empoli win
milan — Mario Mandzukic overcame a wasteful first half to inspire Juventus to a 2-0 home win over Empoli that edged the Turin giants closer to a record sixth straight Serie A title.
Juventus, claiming their 22nd win in 26 games, moved 10 points clear of closest challengers Roma ahead of their visit to Inter Milan late on Sunday. Napoli remain third but are now 12 points off the pace after a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Atalanta virtually ended their hopes of challenging for a longawaited scudetto.
Gianluigi Donnarumma marked his 18th birthday by keeping a clean sheet as AC Milan controversially won 1-0 at Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday. The goalkeeper only turned 18 on Saturday but the match at the Mapei Stadium was his 60th for Milan, which is expected to tie him to a long-term contract as soon as possible.
Considered the heir to Italy’s longtime goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon, Donnarumma has already made two appearances for the Azzurri — the youngest player to do so in modern times.
Carlos Bacca scored the only goal of the match in the 22nd minute with a penalty that Sassuolo thought should have been ruled out after the Colombia forward touched the ball with both feet as he slipped when taking the spot kick. The penalty had been given after Alberto Aquilani tripped Andrea Bertolacci.
Sassuolo had earlier been given an equally soft penalty but Domenico Berardi fired his spot kick wide. A Roma defeat at the San Siro would deliver a significant blow to their scudetto hopes, but Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said nothing is won yet.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked if Juve had one hand on the title. “Roma could be seven points behind us by tomorrow, we still have a lot of games to play, Napoli could get to 90 points and Roma 95. “We need to win a lot of games and tonight, against Empoli, wasn’t so simple. It took us until the second half to break the deadlock.”
Juventus are also challenging for a third consecutive league and cup double and Allegri underlined those ambitions by resting several players for Tuesday’s semi-final first leg with Napoli.
The ‘keeper’s gloves went to Brazilian Norberto Neto after Gianluigi Buffon was rested, while Dani Alves and Daniele Rugani stepped in for veteran defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini, both on the bench. Argentine playmaker Paulo Dybala also started on the bench but given Empoli’s miserable record at Juventus Stadium there was little to suggest Allegri’s choices would backfire. —