Juventus handed Inter the chance to win the championship early.

Italy: After being held to a 2-2 draw by Atalanta in round 28, Juventus are 17 points behind league leaders Inter, with little chance left of competing for the Serie A title this season.

Home advantage wasn't enough for Juventus to dominate Atalanta. "The Old Lady" controlled 51% of the ball possession and had five shots on target, while their opponents controlled 49% and had three shots. In a cautious game, Teun Koopmeiners capitalized on a set-piece in the 35th minute, scoring with a shot into the top corner to give Atalanta the lead.

Koopmeiners (in red, center) celebrate a goal during Juventus' 2-2 draw against Atalanta in Serie A Round 28 on March 10th at the Juventus Stadium. Photo: Ansa

After conceding the first goal, Juventus played with more focus. Those changes helped the home team turn the tide at the beginning of the second half. Andrea Cambiaso fired a low shot past goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, equalizing in the 66th minute. Four minutes later, Arkadiusz Milik's shot deflected off a defender and into the net, making the score 2-1.

However, defensive errors once again cost Juventus dearly. In the 75th minute, following a through pass from Berat Djimsiti, Koopmeiners comfortably broke into the penalty area and fired a diagonal shot to equalize 2-2.

The draw against Atalanta cost Juventus their second place in Serie A. "The Old Lady" dropped to third with 58 points, one point behind AC Milan. In round 28, Christian Pulisic scored to help AC Milan win 1-0 against Empoli.

Juventus' failure to win in round 28 also gave Inter an early chance to clinch the championship. The leading team currently has 75 points, 16 points ahead of AC Milan and 17 points ahead of Juventus. Coach Simone Inzaghi's team only needs to win five of their remaining 10 matches to secure the title.

In the late match on the evening of March 10th, Roma drew 2-2 away at Fiorentina. Luca Ranieri's header in the 18th minute and Rolando Mandragora's volley gave Fiorentina the lead twice, while Houssem Aouar's header in the 58th minute narrowed the score for the visitors.

Fiorentina could have won if Cristiano Biraghi hadn't missed the penalty in the 80th minute. After escaping defeat, Roma unexpectedly equalized in the 90+5th minute. Defender Diego Llorente became the hero for the visitors when he volleyed the ball into the top corner a minute before the final whistle.

Diego Llorente (number 14) scores the equalizer with a volley in the 2-2 draw between Fiorentina and Roma in Serie A Round 28 on the evening of March 10th at the Artemio Franchi stadium. Photo: Reuters

The draw against Fiorentina helped Roma consolidate their fifth place in Serie A with 48 points. Atalanta are right behind with 47 points, while former champions Napoli are seventh with 44 points, and Fiorentina eighth with 43 points. According to the format for next season's Champions League, the top two countries in their UEFA group are entitled to send five teams. Italy is currently leading their group, so fifth place in Serie A has become a "hot target".

Since replacing coach Jose Mourinho with Daniele De Rossi on January 16th, Roma have only lost one of their 11 matches in all competitions, a 2-4 defeat at the hands of Inter in Serie A's 24th round.

Thanh Quy

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