Only a solitary point is now required by Juventus to be crowned Serie A champions after it defeated Fiorentina 3-2 at the Juventus Stadium on Wednesday night.
Title celebrations were put on hold after Lazio’s win over Parma, meaning a draw against Sampdoria this weekend will all but seal the club’s 31st Scudetto title.
It was the perfect response following the derby defeat to Torino last Sunday.
The Old Lady have an outstanding record against the Viola, having only lost one of their past thirteen meetings.
Fiorentina, however, is the only travelling team to get the better of Juventus this season in the first leg of its Coppa Italia semi final clash.
Vincenzo Montella’s side started brightly and took the lead on 33 minutes when Joaquin was tripped by Andrea Pirlo just inside the penalty area, allowing captain Gonzalo Rodriguez the chance to convert from the spot, which he did emphatically.
Viola goalkeeper Neto made an error of judgement racing off his line to get to a loose ball, only to foul Stefano Sturaro even though replays showed contact was minimal.
From the resulting free kick, Pirlo’s ball in was met by Fernando Llorente whose well directed header found the bottom corner, drawing the home side level after going behind just three minutes earlier.
A Carlos Tevez header put Juve in front on the stroke of half time after a inch-perfect cross from Patrice Evra.
The defining moment of the match came midway through the second half when Joaquin won another penalty after he was fouled by Giorgio Chiellini.
The resulting penalty was blasted wide by Rodriguez and moments later they were again punished as Tevez made it 3-1, beating the offside trap before ruthlessly firing across Neto.
It was the Argentine’s 20th goal of an absolutely outstanding season thus far.
This knocked the stuffing out of Fiorentina as it was left to rue the chance to restore parity.
Substitute Josip Ilicic pulled one back for the visitors, beating Gianluigi Buffon with a peach of a free kick after he was brought down outside the area.
The Bianconeri saw out the remaining few minutes to take another big step towards capturing their fourth successive domestic crown.
Fiorentina left to rue penalty miss
Penalty misses have cost Fiorentina dearly this season, failing to convert four out of its past five from the spot. At 2-2 with 20 minutes to play it could have been a whole different story. One thing is certain: Montella needs to find a reliable penalty taker while Giuseppe Rossi remains on the sidelines.
Fernando Llorente’s goal a timely one
Tevez has been involved in a whopping 42% of Juventus’s goals this season and has been heavily relied upon as the goals have dried up for Llorente, Alvaro Morata and Alessandro Matri. Neither Morata or Llorente have been able to perform on a consistent basis when given the chance, so the Spaniard’s goal will be a big boost to his confidence. Llorente provides another dimension with his height and strength. Llorente finding his scoring niche would ease the scoring burden on the Argentine.
The Bianconeri showed why they are champions in waiting
Fiorentina were by no means poor, but playing against a high-class team like Juventus away from home, you cannot afford to make any mistakes. The only two errors committed by Neto and Rodriguez were severely punished by a group of players who are accustomed to success. Despite being nowhere near their best, Juve’s ability to grind out results consistently is unparalleled.
Fiorentina’s dismal run of results continue
That is five defeats on the bounce now for Viola as they slip to 7th on the table. They can take heart from the improved performance but they must build on this and remain focused on finishing the season strongly to qualify for next season’s Europa League.
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