Juve tightens grip on top spot in Serie A
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JUVENTUS moved nine points clear at the top of the Italian Serie A after defeating Palermo 4-0 at home yesterday and Francesco Totti bagged a dramatic late equalizer as AS Roma drew 3-3 at Atalanta.
With second-placed Napoli losing 0-2 at Inter Milan on Saturday, Juventus tightened its grip on the summit and took a major step towards a record fifth consecutive Italian title following goals from Sami Khedira, Paul Pogba, Juan Cuadrado and Simone Padoin.
Juventus rose to 79 points with five games to play, Napoli has 70 and Roma (65) is third.
Davide Ballardini returned to the Palermo hotseat on Tuesday, its eighth managerial change of the season, but was unable to prompt a change in fortunes for the relegation-threatened outfit, which dropped to 19th place on 28 points.
Totti’s future at Roma remains unresolved following a testing season and a strained relationship with coach Luciano Spalletti, but the 39-year-old demonstrated his enduring class with an 85th-minute equalizer in a six-goal draw at Atalanta.
Roma went 2-0 up inside the first half an hour after goals from Lucas Digne and Radja Nainggolan, before Marco D’Alessandro halved the deficit in the 33rd minute.
Roma old boy Marco Borriello came back to haunt his former club with his first goal for Atalanta as his excellent header evaded Wojciech Szczesny, and he fired the home side ahead when he converted Alejandro Gomez’s cross in the 50th.
Totti had the final say as he hammered home Alessandro Florenzi’s cut back for the 301st goal of his glittering career.
Spalletti was sent to the stands in the dying minutes of the draw, which left his side four points clear of fourth-placed Inter in the race for the final UEFA Champions League qualifying berth.
“We often lose our heads,” Spalletti told Mediaset Premium. “Totti’s goal doesn’t change anything for me. If he wants to be a player, he’ll be a player.
“The team still won nine games without him.”
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