Cristiano Ronaldo reached a titles milestone as Juventus clinched an eighth-consecutive Serie A crown with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina, as they came from behind following a below-par first half.
In the process, Ronaldo became the first player to win the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A titles respectively.
The Bianconeri had been heavy favourites to win the title this season following the signing of Ronaldo in the summer and it appeared a matter of when rather than if as they remained unbeaten for the first seven months of the season until a 2-0 loss at Genoa ended that run on March 17.
Penultimate weekend, they had the opportunity to wrap up the title but suffered a shock loss at SPAL and it appeared the were ready to blow a second opportunity to clinch the title as they fell behind early on at the Allianz Stadium.
Defender Nikola Milenkovic gave the visitors the lead after just six minutes and Vincenzo Montella’s side missed a host of clear-cut chances as they hit Juve on the break before Alex Sandro equalised with a stunning header on 37 minutes.
Fiorentina winger Federico Chiesa, who had earlier hit the post then struck the bar, while Giovanni Simeone also came close but was flagged offside.
But, while not looking at their absolute best, Juventus were much improved after the interval and took the lead when Ronaldo’s cross was diverted past his own goalkeeper by La Viola captain German Pezzella on 53 minutes.
Juventus are 20 points clear of second-place Napoli with five games left to play and extend their record of 35 Serie A titles, while they are first team in Europe’s top five leagues to win the championship in eight consecutive seasons.
Meanwhile, Juventus’ Women made it a double celebration as they, too, won Serie A for a second consecutive season.
A 3-0 victory over Verona ensured they finished a point clear of second-place Fiorentina, with AC Milan who were also in contention going into the final day four points further back after losing at home by Firmauto Valpolicella.
Source: VON
