Juventus Edge Roma As Lazio Stumble In Goalless Serie A Night
Juventus strengthened their push for a Champions League place with a hard fought 2-1 home win over Roma, while Lazio were left frustrated after being held to a barren draw by Cremonese in an eventful Serie A Round 16.
Juventus maintained their strong home form by edging Roma 2-1 at the Allianz Stadium in a tightly contested Serie A clash that burst into life after a cautious opening half.
The first 45 minutes offered little in terms of clear chances, with both sides mirroring each other tactically and cancelling out threats in midfield. Just when the match seemed destined to reach the break goalless, Juventus found a moment of quality. Kenan Yildiz drew defenders before Andrea Cambiaso slipped a clever pass into Francisco Conceicao, who finished calmly to give the hosts a surprise lead just before half-time.
That goal shifted the momentum firmly in Juventus favour. The Bianconeri emerged with greater intent after the interval and were rewarded in the 70th minute when Lois Openda scored his first goal for the club. Weston McKennie’s header was brilliantly saved by Mile Svilar, but the rebound fell kindly for Openda to tap into an empty net.
Roma refused to go quietly and pulled one back 15 minutes from time through Tommaso Baldanzi, who reacted quickest after Di Gregorio parried an initial effort. The visitors pressed late on and finished with a higher expected goals tally, but Juventus defended resolutely to see out the victory and extend their unbeaten home run to 12 matches.
The win keeps Juventus fifth in the standings and closes the gap on fourth-placed Roma to a single point, keeping the race for the Champions League places finely balanced.
Earlier in the evening, Lazio dropped valuable points after being held to a 0-0 draw by Cremonese at the Stadio Olimpico. Despite dominating possession and creating several half chances, Maurizio Sarri’s side struggled to break down a stubborn Cremonese defence.
Lazio came closest through Valentin Castellanos and Adam Marusic, both of whom forced saves from Emil Audero, while Danilo Cataldi narrowly missed from a late free kick. Cremonese, meanwhile, threatened sporadically on the counter and nearly snatched a dramatic winner late on.
The match ended in controversy deep into stoppage time when Cremonese defender Federico Ceccherini was shown a red card for a foul in midfield, but Lazio were unable to take advantage of the numerical edge before the final whistle.
The draw leaves Lazio rueing missed opportunities as they look to keep pace in the top half of the table, while Cremonese will take confidence from a disciplined defensive display away from home.
As Serie A Round 16 concludes, Juventus gain ground in the Champions League race, Roma miss a chance to strengthen their position, and Lazio are left searching for sharper cutting edge in front of goal.
