Juventus join Lazio at Serie A summit
Reuters - Sunday 20 November 2011, 22:56
Juventus took advantage of
another bout of Palermo travel sickness to beat the Sicilians
3-0 on Sunday and join Lazio at the top of Serie A.
Simone Pepe headed Juve in front in the first half before
Alessandro Matri and Claudio Marchisio each scored their fifth
goal of the season to keep Juventus unbeaten after their first
10 games of the season.
Sixth-placed Palermo have a 100 percent home record but have
taken only one point in six away games and have yet to score on
the road.
Antonio Conte's team went level on 22 points with Lazio, who
have played a game more and drew 0-0 at Napoli on Saturday.
Juventus visit Lazio next Sunday.
"It was a treacherous game on paper and that's how it turned
out on the field. If we hadn't been on our toes, we could have
been surprised," said Conte.
His opposite number Devis Mangia was baffled by his team's
poor away form.
"Perhaps we need to go for a psychoanalysis to cure these
problems we are suffering when we travel," he told reporters.
Udinese missed a chance to go top when they lost 2-0 at
Parma, a result which kept them level on 21 points with
defending champions AC Milan who drew 0-0 at Fiorentina on
Saturday.
Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin spent two seasons at Parma
but got no favours from his former club as Jonathan Biabany
headed the hosts ahead before the hour and Sebastian Giovinco
converted a penalty.
It was Giovinco's seventh goal of the season.
AS Roma went into fifth place with 17 points after a 2-1 win
over Lecce in the late game, Miralem Pjanic and Fernando Gago
scored before Andrea Bertolacci pulled one back for the
visitors.
Argentine forward German Denis scored twice for Atalanta,
the first a penalty, in a 2-2 draw at Siena, leaving him as
league top scorer with nine goals.
Gaetano D'Agostino and Alessandro Gazzi replied for Atalanta
who twice came from behind in a battle of two promoted teams.
Bottom club Cesena won 1-0 at Bologna, their first win of
the season, thanks to a goal from Marco Parolo.
Chievo Verona won 2-1 at Catania and Miguel Veloso's 86th
minute gave Genoa a 1-0 win over Novara, even though the hosts
played the second half with 10 men after Luca Antonelli was sent
off for a professional foul.
Novara had Riccardo Meggiorini dismissed in the 81st minute
after he was booked and then insulted the referee over the
original decision.
PIRLO CLOSE
Juventus, playing their first game for three weeks, went
ahead in the 20th minute when Pepe was left unchallenged to head
in from Giorgio Chiellini's cross.
Andrea Pirlo curled a 20-metre effort against the post
shortly afterwards for Juve although the visitors also looked
dangerous on the break.
Three minutes after half-time, Stephan Lichtensteiner sent
Matri clear down the right and he scored with an angled shot,
breaking Palermo's spirit.
Matri then produced a clever dummy as he allowed Mirko
Vucinic's pass to run into the path of Marchisio, who scored the
third in the 65th minute.