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Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic celebrates scoring their second goal against Salernitana with teammates at the at Allianz Stadium, Turin March 20, 2022. — Reuters pic
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ROME, March 21 — Juventus put their Champions League woes behind them to consolidate fourth place in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-0 win over basement club Salernitana, while Roma stunned city rivals Lazio 3-0 with three first-half goals.
Days after their 3-0 European humiliation by Villarreal, Juventus kept their push to recapture the Serie A title alive with a win which moves them one point behind champions Inter Milan who are third, with a game in hand, and were held 1-1 at home by Fiorentina on Saturday.
Leaders AC Milan have a three-point advantage on Napoli, with Juve seven points off top spot.
“There was a risk that the Champions League elimination would hit us, because no one expected us to go out,” said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.
“The boys reacted well. The important thing was to win, and to stretch the gap over those who are chasing us.”
In Rome, Tammy Abraham bagged a brace, scoring the opener within the first minute at the Stadio Olimpico.
The England striker quickly added a second before Lorenzo Pellegrini’s stunning free-kick.
“Today was truly special, because it seemed like the players were able to execute everything we had planned out there on the pitch,” said Roma coach Jose Mourinho whose side had lost the first derby 3-2.
Roma moved up to sixth at the expense of Lazio who slipped out of the European places.
Atalanta jumped above Maurizio Sarri’s men into fifth with a 1-0 win over Bologna, as 18-year-old Moustapha Cisse came on as a substitute and scored a late winner on his debut.
In Turin, Allegri’s Juve stretched their unbeaten league run to 16 matches and have an opportunity to move third when they host Inter in their next game after the international break.
Dusan Vlahovic teed up Paulo Dybala to open the scoring in the fifth minute for the Argentine’s first goal in two months on the eve of resuming laborious negotiations over a possible contract extension.
The Argentine, whose current deal ends in June, only returned after several weeks out with thigh and hip injuries in the late stages of the loss to Villarreal.
This time he played just under an hour and came off to a standing ovation from the fans at the Juventus Stadium.
Vlahovic got his head to a Mattia De Sciglio cross just before the half-hour mark to join Lazio’s Ciro Immobile at the top of the scoring charts with 21 goals this campaign.
Captain Giorgio Chiellini returned from a calf problem less than a week before Italy’s World Cup qualifying play-offs.
Abraham shines in derby
Roma are now undefeated in nine league matches after a brilliant derby display.
Abraham gave Mourinho’s men the perfect start, bundling the ball over the line after Pellegrini’s corner bounced directly off the crossbar.
He added a second close-range finish on 22 minutes to double the lead.
Pellegrini whipped a magnificent free-kick from over 25 yards out into the top corner to put the game beyond Lazio before half-time.
Abraham, who has been named in England’s squad for the upcoming international break, has now scored 23 goals in 40 games in all competitions for Roma this season.
“I demand a lot of Tammy because I know his potential,” said Mourinho.
“Today is what Tammy is capable of and he needs to keep playing like this. I don’t mean the goals, because you can score one day and miss another, but he needs to have the attitude he showed today in every game.” — AFP