Mohamed Salah and Stephan El Shaarawy fired a double apiece and Edin Dzeko struck late as Roma put Juventus’s title celebrations on hold with a 5-3 win at Chievo on Saturday.
Roma travelled to Verona knowing defeat, coupled with a Napoli draw against Fiorentina, could hand Juventus a record sixth consecutive title before the Turin giants host relegation-haunted Crotone on Sunday.
But with Napoli only one point further adrift and desperate to snatch Serie A’s second automatic Champions League qualifying spot, Luciano Spalletti’s men were in no mood for capitulating early.
The capital club’s 27th win of the season kept them in second place but, a week after stunning Juve 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico, they closed the gap on Juventus to one point.
A Juventus win at home against Crotone, who are third from bottom and one point from safety, will see the treble-chasing champions win the scudetto and secure a record third consecutive league and Cup double.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men — who face Real Madrid in the June 3 Champions League final in Cardiff — outplayed Lazio 2-0 in midweek on their way to a record third consecutive Italian Cup.
And Spalletti, conceding the title, said in comments to Sky Sport: “I’ve always said that Juventus will win the title because they’ve deserved to, and because they merit the points they have. It’s all down to Allegri, to whom I doff my cap.”
Roma will finish the season empty-handed by comparison, but finishing second and enjoying a better Champions League campaign than their doomed one this season remains a priority.
But by the end of a shaky first half at the Bentegodi stadium, Giallorossi fans had reason for concern.
Chievo took a 15th-minute lead through Lucas Castro’s low volley past Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny from 10 yards.
Chievo saw Valter Birsa fire an angled shot just wide moments later, but Roma levelled on 28 minutes when El Shaarawy sprang the offside trap to pounce on a Federico Fazio knockdown in midfield and roll into an empty net from the edge of the area.
Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 10 goals in his last 9 Serie A appearances (5 goals, 5 assists) [via @OptaPaolo]. pic.twitter.com/7slPcTDJfZ
— KingFut.com (@King_Fut) May 20, 2017
Provided by AFP
