Juve keeps pushing for Top 3, Roma thumps Lazio in derby
Salernitana's Norbert Gyomber (L) and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic vie for the ball during Serie A match, Turin, Italy, March 20, 2021. (AP Photo)


Juventus bounced back from its Champions League exit as it further secured its fourth place in Serie A with a 2-0 win over last-placed Salernitana on Sunday, while Roma picked up a stunning 3-0 win city rival Lazio.

Days after its 3-0 European humiliation by Villarreal, Juventus kept its push to recapture the Serie A title alive with a win which moves it one point behind champion Inter Milan who is third, with a game in hand and was held 1-1 at home by Fiorentina on Saturday.

Leaders AC Milan has 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 its unbeaten league run to 16 matches and has an opportunity to move third when it hosts 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.

Roma's Tammy Abraham controls the ball during a Serie A match against Lazio, Rome, Italy, March 20, 2022. (AFP Photo)

Abraham shines in derby

Roma is 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 halftime.

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."