advertisement

Juventus beats Verona 4-0 to move 5 points clear

MILAN (AP) - Carlos Tevez scored twice to help Juventus beat Hellas Verona 4-0 on Sunday and move five points clear at the top of Serie A.

Juventus had beaten Verona 6-1 in the Italian Cup on Thursday and it appeared to be on course to better that result when Paul Pogba and Tevez put the defending champion 2-0 up inside seven minutes.

However, Verona goalkeeper Rafael kept the tide at bay until shortly after the hour mark when Roberto Pereyra and Tevez completed the scoring.

Earlier, Napoli beat Lazio 1-0 to leapfrog the Rome side into third spot in Serie A on Sunday, while Sampdoria remained firmly in the race for the final Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Parma.

Napoli and Sampdoria moved onto 33 points, with Lazio two points behind. Fiorentina was a point further back after Khouma Babacar's last-gasp goal snatched a 2-1 win at Chievo Verona.

Genoa was on 28 points after coming back three times to rescue a 3-3 draw against Sassuolo.

There was more disappointment for AC Milan, which lost 1-0 at home to relegation-threatened Atalanta.

Elsewhere, Udinese drew 2-2 at home to Cagliari, and Torino won 3-2 at bottom club Cesena.

Juventus knew it could reach the halfway point of the season with a significant advantage over second-placed Roma, which drew at Palermo on Saturday.

And it took less than two minutes to take the lead, with Pogba smashing a 25-yard thunderbolt into the bottom right corner from 25 yards.

Juventus had rested Tevez and Andrea Pirlo for the cup match and the former made his mark in the seventh minute. Pogba's dummy allowed Alvaro Morata's cross through and Tevez curled it in.

The home fans had to wait until the 66th minute to see Juventus extend its lead when Pereyra collected a fantastic through ball from Giorgio Chiellini and lifted it above Rafael.

Tevez completed the scoring with his 13th goal of the season.

In the lunchtime kickoff, Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 18th minute, latching on to a delightful ball from Dries Mertens before unleashing a strike into the top near corner from a tight angle.

Lazio fought back and went close on several occasions, notably when Marco Parolo nodded a free kick off the crossbar.

Higuain could also have scored a second but had an effort saved by Etrit Berisha before sending another inches wide of the left post.

In Parma, Sampdoria struggled to carve out chances but finally broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half when Eder rolled the ball across from the right for Gonzalo Bergessio to tap in at the back post.

Samp all but sealed the result in the 71st minute. Bergessio hit the post from Joseph Alfred Duncan's cross and Roberto Soriano fired home the rebound.

Fiorentina looked to have lost ground in a riveting battle for third spot as it appeared to be heading for a draw in Verona but Babacar headed Joaquin's cross in at the far post in stoppage time to snatch all three points.

Joaquin had also had a hand in Fiorentina's 35th-minute opener, as Nenad Tomovic nodded his cross back across goal for Gonzalo Rodriguez to tap in.

Sergio Pellissier leveled after Fiorentina missed several chances.

Genoa also needed a last-gasp goal, with Ioannis Fetfatzidis - who also scored his side's second - converting a penalty in stoppages after Francesco Magnanelli fouled Juraj Kucka.

Domenico Berardi also scored two, including a penalty, for Sassuolo.

Milan was whistled off the pitch after its second successive home defeat. Filippo Inzaghi's men have won just one of its past six matches and visit Lazio next.

Alessio Cerci was handed his first league start after returning to Serie A from Atletico Madrid, but the former Torino star was replaced at halftime.

German Denis saw a shot deflected off the crossbar before scoring shortly after the half hour following more woeful defending from Milan, which allowed Maxi Moralez to set up his Argentine compatriot.

Juventus' Carlos Tevez celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Hellas Verona at the Juventus stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandro Di Marco, Ansa) The Associated Press
Juventus' Paul Pogba controls the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Hellas Verona at the Juventus stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Massimo Pinca) The Associated Press
Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain, right, celebrates with his teammates after he scored during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Napoli, at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The Associated Press
Napoli coach Rafael Benitez calls out to his players during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Napoli, at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The Associated Press
Sampdoria's Gonzalo Bergessio celebrates after scoring against Parma during a Serie A soccer match at Tardini stadium in Parma, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Marco Vasini) The Associated Press
Sampdoria president Massimo waves to supporters prior to a serie A soccer match between Parma and Sampdoria at Parma's Tardini stadium, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Marco Vasini) The Associated Press
Atalanta's German Denis celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Atalanta, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Daniel Dal Zennaro, Ansa) The Associated Press
AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi gives indications to his players during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Atalanta, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.