Rome: Juventus stretched their lead to 12 points in Italian football league Serie A after beating Bologna 2-0 at the Stadio Dall`Ara.
The hosts` defence succumbed after the break Saturday and Mirko Vucinic and Claudio Marchisio scored to earn the Bianconeri all three points to extend their advantage at the top of the table over Napoli and AC Milan, who play Atalanta and Pescara respectively Sunday, reports Xinhua.
Bologna had their moments in the first-half but were unable to build on a win over Inter Milan from last weekend.
Juve took the lead in the 62nd minute when Marchisio played the ball to the feet of Vucinic on the edge of the area and he turned to shoot low past Bologna goalkeeper Curci. Vucinic then returned the favour in the 74th minute to set up for Marchisio.
"We wanted to win against a team that was in great shape. A defeat today would have sent a positive signal to our opponents in the race but we earned the three points and I am happy with the performance," said Juventus head coach Antonio Conte.
"Juventus, statistically, has the strongest defence and most prolific attack. We play good football and I am proud of this team."
His Bologna counterpart Stefano Pioli said Juventus deserved the win.
"Juve played well and proved they are a great team. We tried to keep up the tempo but had hoped to create more scoring opportunities and fell away after the break. Juve created little until the goal," he said.
Catania beat Udinese 3-1 at the Stadio Massimino looking to jump on the train for a place in Europe next season.
With nine games to go this season, the win lifted Catania within two points of the top five, giving the Sicilians a realistic hope of taking a place in the Europa League next season.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.