Juventus secure sixth-straight Scudetto as Milan returns to Europe
Victory over Crotone at Juventus Stadium confirmed a record-breaking sixth consecutive Serie A title for Juventus on Sunday.
After their celebrations were delayed due to last week’s draw at Torino, the Bianconeri made no mistake taking maximum points against the Rossoblu, securing their 33rd Scudetto.
Meanwhile, there were celebrations of a different kind at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as AC Milan earned qualification to a UEFA competition for the first time since the 2013/14 season.
Chievo 3-5 Roma
Another high-scoring round of Serie A began with an eight-goal thriller in Verona, where Chievo Verona hosted Roma.
The home side took a surprise lead on 15 minutes through Lucas Castro before Stephan El Shaarawy latched on to a long ball to equalise before the half-hour mark.
Just nine minutes later, the Giallorossi defence was again found wanting and Roberto Inglese finished off a quick counter attack to claim the advantage back. Though the lead would last just five minutes this time with Mohamed Salah taking on the defence before curling a left-foot shot around the keeper for a 2-2 half-time score line.
The second half would be a one-sided affair however, with both El Shaarawy and Salah claiming a brace before Edin Dzeko blasted a shot from outside the box for their fifth. A second for Inglese helped make the score line slightly more respectable for the Flying Donkeys with Roma finishing 5-3 victors.
Napoli 4-1 Fiorentina
Fiorentina were hoping to keep their slim hopes of Europa League qualification alive but faced a tough trip to Serie A’s form team, Napoli.
The task was made all the more difficult when the Partenopei scored in the first ten minutes for the third consecutive match. Kalidou Koulibaly’s opener was followed by a second when Lorenzo Insigne finished off a classic Neapolitan attack on 36 minutes, with Dries Mertens all but sealing the victory with a third in the second half.
Josip Ilicic grabbed a consolation with 30 minutes to play, which was cancelled out just four minutes later by Mertens’ second, ending the Viola’s campaign for Europe.
Around the Grounds
Udinese and Sampdoria started Sunday’s proceedings with a 1-1 draw, which saw both sides finish with 10 men, while Genoa secured their future in Serie A with a relieving 2-1 win over Torino thanks to goals from Luca Rigoni and Giovanni Simeone.
In Bergamo, Alejandro Gomez’s 13th-minute strike was enough for Atalanta to see off Empoli, leaving the Tuscans sweating on a final week relegation scrap.
AC Milan 3-0 Bologna
AC Milan played their final home match of the season against Bologna and were looking to secure European football in front of their long suffering fans.
Tensions remained high with the match remaining goalless for 60 minutes, forcing Vincenzo Montella to inject some fresh legs in Matias Fernandez and Keisuke Honda.
On 69 minutes, the Rossoneri finally got their breakthrough which came in outstanding fashion. Gerard Deulofeu started and ended the move, made possible by Fernandez’s masterful chipped pass over the Rossoblu defence for the Spaniard to finish.
A Honda free-kick and tap in for Gianluca Lapadula made sure of the result as Milan won 3-0, earning themselves a return to Europa League football.
Juventus 3-0 Crotone
However, the day’s biggest celebrations would take place in Turin, where Juventus emphatically secured a record-breaking sixth consecutive Scudetto.
First half goals to Mario Manduzkic and Paulo Dybala had all but secured the title at home to the relegation-threatened Crotone, with an 83rd minute strike from Alex Sandro confirming a 3-0 score line and a 33rd Italian Championship for the Bianconeri.
Lazio 1-3 Inter
Sunday night’s fixture was a near dead-rubber with Inter travelling to Lazio after losing any hope of Europa League qualification.
An early penalty from Keita Balde, following a tackle from Jeison Murillo, awarded the Aquile an early opener and had the Nerazzurri staring down the barrel of a ninth match without a win.
However, Marco Andreolli got the away side going by heading home a corner that had been nodded on from Ivan Perisic, before Wesley Hoedt was unable to deal with an Antonio Candreva cross, deflecting the ball into his own net to provide a 2-1 half-time deficit.
One decision would seemingly write the script for the remainder of the match when Keita went down in the box under a Gary Medel challenge only to receive a yellow card for simulation.
It was the Senegalese’s second yellow in five minutes, signalling the end of his game. From there, Inter were able to dominate the match and eventually grabbed a third through Eder. Lazio were then made to play the final 12 minutes with nine men following Senad Lulic’s second yellow. The match finished 3-1, Inter earning their first victory in two months but doing little to erase the season’s disappointing end.
Pescara 2-0 Palermo
The penultimate round of the 2016/17 season finished with a clash between the Serie B bound Pescara and Palermo, the former earning a 2-0 victory for just their third win of the season.
How the Table Looks
Most key positions have now been decided however the race for second place remains alive with Napoli remaining 1 point behind Roma, while Atalanta hold a slim chance of leapfrogging Lazio into fourth.
At the other end of the table, Crotone need at least a point at home to the Biancocelesti and to better Empoli’s result against Palermo if they are to avoid relegation.