JUVENTUS SET up a rip-roaring Serie A finale by closing the gap on leaders AC Milan to two points with a 3-0 win over Napoli last night while Andrea Stramaccionis new Inter Milan charges and AS Roma scored five yesterday.
An enthralling weekend of Italian action ended with second-placed Juve prevailing in Turin thanks to defender Leonardo Bonucci using his knee to divert Mirko Vucinic’s shot into the net after 54 minutes. Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella ended Napolis resolve.
After a shaky few weeks, Juve can again smell a first title since their 2006 match-fixing demotion after champions Milan drew 1-1 at Catania on Saturday amid more goal-line controversy when a Robinho effort was wrongly ruled not to have gone in.
In Spain, Valencia fans jeered and whistled their team again after a 1-1 draw at home to La Liga surprise package Levante in the city derby yesterday.
Valencia have won only once at home in the league this year and although they remain third and are in the Europa League quarter-finals, the pressure is mounting on coach Unai Emery.
Valencia have 48 points from 30 games with eight left to play ahead of Malaga in fourth on 47 and fifth-placed Levante with 45.
Leaders Real Madrid took another step towards the title with a 5-1 rout of Osasuna in Pamplona on Saturday, when Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain both bagged a brace. Real remain six points clear of chasing Barcelona, who were 2-0 winners at home to Athletic Bilbao.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)