Leaders Juventus trounce ten-man Roma
Reuters - Sunday 22 April 2012, 21:39
Unbeaten leaders Juventus lit up
Serie A by trouncing hapless AS Roma 4-0 to go three points
clear on Sunday but the dark side of Italian soccer reared its
ugly head again when protesting Genoa fans demanded the players
remove their shirts.
Arturo Vidal scored twice in the first eight minutes as
rampant Juventus took advantage of a slip-up by second-placed AC
Milan, who needed a last-minute goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to
snatch a 1-1 draw at home to Bologna.
The tussle at the top was overshadowed by events at
relegation-threatened Genoa where supporters, furious after
seeing their team go 4-0 down at home to Siena, threw smoke
bombs onto the field and caused the referee to halt the game.
Some ultra fans also climbed over the perspex barrier around
the pitch and demanded the players take off their shirts after
chanting they were unfit to wear them.
Several players did so and the game restarted with Siena,
who had retreated to the dressing room, eventually winning 4-1.
The scenes happened just a week after Italian football came
together following the death of Livorno's Piermario Morosini
after a cardiac arrest on the pitch.
Vidal's quickfire brace had Roma floundering, the Chilean
midfielder turning in Paolo De Ceglie's low cross after four
minutes and rifling in the second with an angled shot after
Mirko Vucinic laid the ball into his path.
Embarrassingly outclassed, visitors Roma were 3-0 behind and
reduced to 10 men after half-an-hour.
Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg got the faintest of touches
as Claudio Marchisio flicked the ball past him and went tumbling
over, the referee ruling that the Dutchman was the last man and
had to go.
Andrea Pirlo's penalty was saved by replacement goalkeeper
Gianluca Curci but the Juventus playmaker followed up to score
from the rebound.
Marchisio made it 4-0 early in the second half before
Juventus eased off.
Gaston Ramirez put Bologna ahead at San Siro and Milan's
problems deepened when Daniele Bonera was sent off in the 82nd
minute for a second bookable offence.
However, Bologna had lost their composure by then and
Ibrahimovic levelled with his 24th Serie A goal of the season,
scoring with a first time shot after Urby Emanuelson's cross
found him at the far post.
Antonio Nocerino and Robinho were both close to last-gasp
winners for Milan, who have taken only one point from their last
two games.
LAZIO DRAW
Juventus, chasing their first scudetto since they were
stripped of the 2005 and 2006 titles in the Calciopoli
match-fixing scandal, have 71 points from 33 games while Milan
have 68 with five matches each to play.
"No one thought we would get just a point from two home
games but now we have to get back to winning ways at home and
after that we'll see," said Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri,
referring to the 2-1 defeat by Fiorentina earlier this month.
Third-placed Lazio, who have 55 points and are in the
Champions League qualifying round spot, conceded an injury-time
equaliser in a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Lecce.
They have a three-point cushion over Udinese, who drew 0-0
at Chievo on Saturday, with Napoli a further point behind in
fifth and Roma on 50 points in sixth.
Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem gave Lazio the lead in the
82nd minute when he was allowed a free header at the far post
but Valeri Bojinov grabbed a deserved equaliser for Lecce,
firing home after a series of ricochets in the area.
Lecce, who are 18th with 35 points and occupy the third
relegation spot, moved within a point of Genoa.
Fiorentina's relegation worries persisted as they missed a
penalty in a 0-0 draw at home to European hopefuls Inter Milan,
who are unbeaten since the departure of coach Claudio Ranieri
last month.
Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar gave away the penalty with a
foul on Andrea Lazzari and escaped with a yellow card as
Fiorentina demanded he be sent off.
The Brazilian then atoned by saving Adem Ljajic's effort
from the spot in the 69th minute.