Juventus clinch Serie A title after disputed penalty against Palermo
Posted Monday, May 06, 2013 by theguardian.com
Juventus won their second successive Serie A title on Sunday with a controversial 1-0 win over Palermo that secured the club's 29th league crown with three games remaining.
Juventus supporters celebrate winning their 31st Serie A title - although they were stripped of two of them following a match-fixing scandal
Arturo Vidal scored the winner from the penalty spot shortly before the hour mark, after Massimo Donati pushed over Mirko Vucinic. The goal sparked great celebration among the home fans, who had been silenced early in the second half when Palermo's captain, Fabrizio Miccoli, hit a post. Juventus's Paul Pogba was sent off seven minutes from time for spitting at Salvatore Aronica.
The win brought Antonio Conte his second title in as many years as the Juventus coach and helps put the club's darkest period even further behind them. Juventus last won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 but were then stripped of both championships and relegated to Serie B in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
The supporters and club still count those two titles and, after the final whistle, a giant banner was unfurled in the centre circle with the number 31. Players and staff also celebrated with "31" flags amid a small pitch invasion at the Juventus Stadium.
"The difference from last year is that we had nothing to lose, whereas this time we were under an obligation to win because otherwise it would have been treated as a failure," said the Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon. "There was a lot of responsibility on our shoulders as it isn't easy to win in that situation."
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