TASTE OF DEFEAT

Juve suffer first home league defeat for over two years

Nikola Kalinic headed Roma level and Diego Perotti put the visitors ahead from a penalty before halftime.

In Summary

• The Turin side, last beaten on their own ground in a Serie A match by Napoli in April 2018, have lost both their games since clinching the title one week ago and finished the campaign with 83 points, one ahead of Inter Milan.

• Meanwhile, Lazio forward Ciro Immobile equalled the Serie A scoring record for a single season when he was on target in his side’s 3-1 loss at Napoli in their final game of the season on Saturday.

Roma's Chris Smalling and Daniel Fuzato in action with Juventus' Merih Demiral
Roma's Chris Smalling and Daniel Fuzato in action with Juventus' Merih Demiral
Image: /REUTERS

Serie A champions Juventus suffered their first home league defeat for over two years when they finished the season by losing 3-1 against AS Roma on Saturday.

The Turin side, last beaten on their own ground in a Serie A match by Napoli in April 2018, have lost both their games since clinching the title one week ago and finished the campaign with 83 points, one ahead of Inter Milan.

Juventus, who host Olympique Lyonnais in a Champions League round of 16, second leg on Friday, rested several regulars including Cristiano Ronaldo but went ahead with a Gonzalo Higuain goal in the fifth minute.

Nikola Kalinic headed Roma level and Diego Perotti put the visitors ahead from a penalty before halftime. Perotti added the third in the 52nd minute following a dazzling run by Nicolo Zaniolo.

Meanwhile, Lazio forward Ciro Immobile equalled the Serie A scoring record for a single season when he was on target in his side’s 3-1 loss at Napoli in their final game of the season on Saturday.

In a game which finished with an angry exchange between members of the two team benches, the 30-year-old took his tally to 36 goals, equalling the record set by Gonzalo Higuain for Napoli in the 2015-16 season.

He also finished the season five goals clear of the next leading scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus.

Tempers boiled over at the end as Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso and his counterpart Simone Inzaghi were involved in a heated argument and Gattuso had to be restrained as he ranted at another member of the Lazio staff.

 

“We said something to each other, there were a few too many words,” said Gattuso afterwards. “I went too far, I have to be honest. The match got us all wound up.”

Inzaghi said: “It wasn’t nice to see but these things happen. The important thing is that it finishes when the game ends.”

Fabian Ruiz gave Napoli a ninth-minute lead with a shot from outside the penalty area which took a deflection and looped into the net, leaving goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha helpless.

Lorenzo Insigne struck the post for Napoli before Immobile equalised in the 22nd minute, sweeping the ball between goalkeeper David Ospina and his near post from Adam Marusic’s pass.

Napoli regained the lead from a penalty in the 54th minute, Insigne sending Strakosha the wrong way after Dries Mertens was caught by Marco Parolo when he was about to shoot. Matteo Politano added a third in stoppage time.

Lazio finished fourth with 78 points and Coppa Italia winners Napoli ended the season seventh with 62 points.