After Juventus wrapped-up the title with a win over Crotone, Football Italia looks back at the games that decided the Scudetto.
Genoa 0-0 Napoli [Week 5]
After Juventus wrapped-up the title with a win over Crotone, Football Italia looks back at the games that decided the Scudetto.
Genoa 0-0 Napoli [Week 5]
The Bianconeri’s defeat at Inter in Week 4 had allowed Napoli to move to the top of Serie A, and the Partenopei had to press home their advantage.
Marek Hamsik hit the post after 19 minutes at the Marassi, while Mattia Perin put in a fine performance in the Genoa goal.
Maurizio Sarri’s side couldn’t make the breakthrough though, and Juve’s 4-0 win over Cagliari sent them back to the top of the table. They would remain there until the end.
Juventus 1-0 Roma [Week 17]
With the Bianconeri having a week off before the winter break to play the Supercoppa Italiana, Roma had the chance to close the gap at the top of the table to just one point if they could win in Turin and then defeat Chievo.
The Giallorossi though had lost on their last six trips to Juventus Stadium, and Gonzalo Higuain ensured it would be seven with a stunning left-footed strike in the first half.
The Lupi pushed hard in the second half, but in truth they never laid a glove and it already felt like the Scudetto was slipping away.
Juventus 2-0 Lazio [Week 21]
Having lost the Supercoppa Italiana to Milan in Doha, Max Allegri’s men were played off the park by Fiorentina in Florence.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri responded by fielding all of his attackers in a ‘Mad Max’ 4-2-3-1 shape, and he was rewarded with a comfortable 2-0 win over Lazio.
Aside from the odd tweak here and there, Allegri stuck with the formation, and the Old Lady won her next seven Serie A games, remaining unbeaten until the defeat to Roma in Week 36.
Napoli 1-1 Palermo and Sampdoria 3-2 Roma [Week 22]
When Napoli and Roma look back on the season, they will point to Week 22 as the moment where Juventus left them in the dust.
The Partenopei welcomed relegation doomed Palermo to San Paolo, but fell behind to an Ilija Nestorovski header.
Following Dries Mertens’ equaliser, the Neapolitans laid siege to the Palermo goal, but they were unable to find a breakthrough.
Things were even worse for Roma in Genoa a few hours previously, as they fell to a shock defeat to Sampdoria.
The Giallorossi led twice, but were pegged back each time and Luis Muriel hit a 73rd minute winner.
Roma 1-1 Atalanta [Week 32]
There was to be no Easter resurrection for Roma, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta and slipped eight points behind.
Jasmin Kurtic put the Orobici ahead after 22 minutes, as the Lupi simply failed to show up for the first half.
Spalletti got a reaction from his players in the second half, and Edin Dzeko tapped in an equaliser, but they couldn’t breach the Atalanta defence again.
Wojciech Szczesny conceded the Scudetto after the match, and it became clear it was only a matter of time before the Old Lady retained her crown.