Juve beat Roma to close in on Serie A leaders Inter | The Express Tribune

Juventus are creeping back into the Serie A title discussion after deservedly beating Roma 2-1 on Saturday and moving four points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Francisco Conceicao and Lois Openda scored the goals which decided an engaging encounter in Turin as Juve claimed a second big win in as many matches after beating Bologna last weekend.

Juve stay fifth on 29 points but are only one point behind fourth-paced Roma who sit in the last Champions League spot and suffered a sixth league defeat of the season.

“I think we deserved to win, we knew that today’s match was important and we did what we set out to do — we won,” said Conceicao.

“We’re up there after winning these two important matches but we need to get our heads straight onto the next one.”

Luciano Spalletti’s Juve have played a game more than Inter, champions Napoli and AC Milan who occupy the top three places and will play their matches from this round of fixtures next month, due to the Italian Super Cup which is being held in Saudi Arabia.

Roma created very little at the Allianz Stadium beyond Tommaso Baldanzi’s tap-in 15 minutes from the end, and the capital city outfit have now lost three of their last four matches in Italy’s top flight.

“We were lacking in accuracy when it came to the final pass but I’d like to focus on some of the performances today,” said Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini who remained upbeat.

“It’s not easy to play here but this is a good team with a strong base, I’m convinced that we can do good things.”

Roma’s ‘beginning’ 

Roma have narrowly lost to Juve, the Milan clubs and Napoli this season, suggesting that they are not ready to fight for the Scudetto even if they are only three points from the summit.

“We’re at the beginning and we have a strong club behind us, and the squad has a base of players who showed they were of the level required in all of those big matches,” added Gasperini.

“I think we can build something on what we have now.”

Conceicao fired a warning shot moments before he gave Juve the lead when he shot straight at Mile Svilar with the goal at his mercy after good work from Kenan Yildiz on the left.

That was the first real chance of the game and Conceicao was more clinical a minute before the break, the Portugal forward lashing home with his left foot after collecting Andrea Cambiaso’s neat flick.

Svilar was Roma’s best player for most of the match but he couldn’t stop Openda from bundling in Juve’s second in 70th minute after pulling off a superb stop to keep out Weston McKennie’s header.

That goal looked to have sealed the points from Juve but substitute Baldanzi quickly halved the deficit after Michele Di Gregorio palmed away Evan Ferguson’s low drive.

However it was Juve who went closest to scoring again in the 80th minute when Yildiz stroked a beautiful shot onto the post, and the hosts held out to claim a big three points.

Earlier Lazio were held to a goalless draw by Cremonese in Rome.