Dybala solo goal, Ronaldo rocket set up Juventus win

Genoa, July 1

Juventus secured a 3-1 win at lowly Genoa on Tuesday to stay four points clear at the top of Serie A thanks to a solo goal by Paulo Dybala, a long-range rocket from Cristiano Ronaldo and an exquisite curling shot by Douglas Costa.

Genoa held out defiantly until halftime with goalkeeper Mattia Perin saving everything his former club could throw at him but they had no answer to Juve’s individual brilliance in the second period.

Juve have 72 points from 29 games with Lazio on 68 after their 2-1 win at Torino earlier on Tuesday. Genoa stayed 17th with 26 points, one point and one place above the relegation zone but having played a game more than the bottom three.

Perin made half a dozen last-ditch saves as Juventus penned Genoa into their own half for nearly the whole of the first half. The best chance fell to Ronaldo after Dybala slipped the ball through but Perin was again equal to it.

Their resistance was broken five minutes after halftime when Dybala collected the ball just outside the area, slalomed past three defenders and scored with a deflected shot.

Seven minutes later, Ronaldo received Miralem Pjanic’s pass just inside the Genoa half, burst forward and, as the home defence backed off, unleashed a ferocious long-range drive for his 24th league goal of the season.

He was almost outdone by substitute Costa who curled his shot past Perin from the edge of the area in the 73rd minute.

Andrea Pinamonti slipped past Juan Cuadrado and scored from a narrow angle for Genoa’s consolation, the first goal Juventus have conceded in five games in all competitions since the restart of the season.

Title-chasing Lazio hit back again to sink Torino

Turin: Lazio came from behind for the second match in a row to beat Torino 2-1 away on Tuesday and maintain the pressure on leaders Juventus as Serie A’s leading scorer Ciro Immobile kept up his goal a game average for the capital club.

Immobile gave away a penalty in the fifth minute which was converted but made amends by equalising at the start of the second half for his 29th league goal in as many appearances this season before Marco Parolo gave the visitors another gutsy win.

“The team showed a spirit of sacrifice, especially the attackers,” said Lazio assistant coach Massimiliano Farris, standing in for Simone Inzaghi who was suspended after being sent off in their previous game.

“We built well throughout the game and our quality came through. We’ve overturned two hazardous games which weren’t easy. The lads are up for it, especially from a mental point of view.”

The only sour note for Lazio was a yellow card for Immobile, who will miss their next game against AC Milan to end his ever-present record.

Immobile, who ran tirelessly for the whole match, was initially the villain when Nicolas Nkoulou’s header hit his outstretched arm and Torino captain Andrea Belotti gave the hosts an early lead from the spot.

The 30-year-old forward also wasted a chance to level in the 22nd minute when he fired over from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s pass as the visitors penned Torino back in their own half.

Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi had a goal chalked out for offside just before halftime but Lazio finally broke through two minutes into the second half when Immobile equalised with a clinical finish from Luis Alberto’s incisive pass.

They kept pressing relentlessly and were rewarded in the 73rd minute. Milinkovic-Savic saw a shot blocked by goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu but Torino failed to clear the ball properly and it fell to Parolo who scored with a deflected shot. — Reuters