Juventus broke the Serie A points record by defeating Roma 1-0 on Sunday. Former Giallorossi striker Pablo Osvaldo, offloaded in the summer, scored the 94th minute winner for the Bianconeri to earn their 99th point of the season.
Juve were already confirmed as champions last week when Roma were spanked 4-1 by Catania. The capital club still achieved their best campaign in history despite the fact that they’ll finish a distant second to The Old Lady.
One positive that came out of the defeat was the contract extension of midfielder Miralem Pjanic. The Bosnian was linked to the likes of PSG and the English Premier League since his previous deal was set to expire next summer. He’ll now be sticking around until 2018. That’s not to say that Pjanic won’t be sold, but at least La Magica can get a handsome sum for his services if they sell, but that doesn’t seem likely anymore.
With Champions League football secured, the increase in revenue should help attract players to bolster the squad for next season. As of right now, Roma can be proud of what they’ve achieved and Juventus have the opportunity to reach at least 100 points in their penultimate match against Cagliari.
As for the Europa League spots, Inter smashed Lazio 4-1 in Javier Zanetti’s final home game before his retirement. He was serenaded by the supporters as he walked around the Giuseppe Meazza one final time as a player.
Zanetti started the match on the bench, much like he did in his final Derby della Madonnina the previous week. Unlike the derby, manager Walter Mazzarri substituted the Argentinean into the game so he could receive the goodbye he deserved.
Considering the defender’s fitness and consistency, many wonder whether Mazzarri gave Zanetti a chance to prove himself in the new system. Regardless of the reasoning, the captain got a proper send-off.
As for the Nerazzurri’s table positioning, they’ve locked up fifth place. Lazio remain three points away from sixth. Hellas Verona’s 2-2 tie against Udinese means that they’re still in the hunt for Europe, which is unfathomable considering they were promoted nearly a year ago.
All three relegated teams have been decided. Despite Catania winning yet again, this time against Bologna 2-1, both teams will be sent down to Serie B next season. Livorno were already confirmed as they go straight back to the second division. Meanwhile, Sassuolo and Chievo are mathematically safe after they won 4-2 and 1-0 respectively.
The former will complete their first season in Serie A and are the smallest side to ever play in the top flight, so for them to secure their status in 2014/15 is a remarkable achievement.
AC Milan had a chance to jump into the top six, but were defeated 2-1 by Atalanta on Sunday afternoon. On the bright side, Stephan El Shaarawy returned, meaning he should be fit and ready to go next season.
Napoli and Sampdoria had nothing to play for, but that didn’t stop them from delivering arguably the most enthralling game of the year. The Partenopei won 5-2, but remain in third place nonetheless.
Other results: Livorno 0-1 Fiorentina; Torino 1-1 Parma