Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-02-25 14:25:51
Daniele Rugani emerged as the hero for Juventus in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Frosinone on Sunday, ending their worrying winless streak in Serie A after four matches. The defender scored a last-gasp goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure the crucial win in Turin, reducing the gap between Juventus and league leaders Inter Milan to six points.
Initially, Juventus appeared headed towards another disappointing result as goals from Walid Cheddira and Marco Brescianini had canceled out Dusan Vlahovic’s first-half brace. However, Rugani’s late strike saved the day for the hosts.
Inter Milan, the current league leaders, have the opportunity to extend their advantage to nine points with a win over Lecce later on Sunday. Moreover, Inter also have a game in hand against Atalanta, potentially widening the gap to 12 points by the end of next weekend’s fixtures.
Rugani’s goal not only secured a crucial victory for Juventus but also created a five-point buffer between them and AC Milan, who were set to face Atalanta in the late Sunday match. Frosinone, on the other hand, finds themselves in 16th place, just three points above the relegation zone following their fourth consecutive defeat under manager Eusebio Di Francesco, conceding 14 goals in the process.
Meanwhile, Napoli sought to revive their hopes of European football as they faced Cagliari in Francesco Calzona’s first league match with the struggling Italian champions. Calzona had a promising start to his tenure with Napoli, as they secured a 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the Champions League last 16.
Currently sitting in ninth place, Napoli are five points adrift of the European qualification spots and a significant 12 points behind fourth-placed Bologna, who occupy the final Champions League position after defeating Verona on Friday night. Napoli looked to Calzona to guide them back into contention for European competition as they faced Cagliari in a crucial match for their season.
