Juventus 2-0 Sampdoria: Juve seal NINTH successive Serie A title as Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi score and Morten Thorsby is sent off for Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium
- Juventus won Serie A for the ninth time in a row by beating Sampdoria 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday
- Cristiano Ronaldo struck the opener deep into first-half stoppage time following a Miralem Pjanic free-kick
- Federico Bernardeschi tapped in the rebound from a Ronaldo shot to double the lead with 67 minutes played
- Ronaldo smashed the crossbar from a penalty two minutes from time after Morten Thorsby had been sent off
- Maurizio Sarri led Juve to the title with two matches to spare as they moved seven points clear of Inter Milan
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Juventus clinched their ninth straight Scudetto with a 2-0 home win over Sampdoria to seal the Serie A title with two matches to spare at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, firing an angled drive into the far corner of the net from just inside the area from a clever free-kick routine with midfielder Miralem Pjanic.
Winger Federico Bernardeschi added the second midway through the second half, pouncing after goalkeeper Emil Audero had been unable to hold a fierce low Ronaldo effort.
Juventus stars jump for joy after securing their ninth Scudetto in a row on Sunday with a 2-0 win at home against Sampdoria
The leaders lap up their latest trophy triumph after winning Serie A with two matches left to play thanks to goals in either half
Cristiano Ronaldo (second from left) hugs a member of the coaching staff after winning the league in Italy for the second time
The victory secured Juventus’s 36th top-flight triumph and continued their unbroken run of titles since 2012, although they have rarely looked like suffering the kind of collapse that saw them lose seven matches out of 11 in the new year in 2011.
Maurizio Sarri’s side did suffer several scares against Claudio Ranieri’s in-form Sampdoria, including a close-range header from defender Lorenzo Tonelli that came within inches of levelling the score nine minutes after the break.
Gaston Ramirez, who provided Tonelli’s chance from a corner, wasted another opportunity three minutes later when he headed straight at Wojciech Szczesny when well placed.
The striker raises his arms aloft at the end of an eventful night in which he opened the scoring and missed a last-gasp penalty
Former Premier League bosses Claudio Ranieri (left) and Maurizio Sarri meet on the touchline as Juventus host Sampdoria
Sampdoria’s Gaston Ramirez (centre) and Juve’s Danilo were in the wars after a clash of heads during a frenetic first half
Ronaldo could have had a second – moving to within two goals of Lazio striker Ciro Immobile’s remarkable 34-goal haul at the top of the scoring charts – but was denied by Emil Audero’s save after a dangerous run by Adrienabiot set him up.
After Bernadeschi had eased any lingering nerves, veteran hitman Fabio Quagliarella spurned the chance to halve Sampdoria’s arrears by directing a powerful header from a Mehdi Leris cross too close to Szczesny, who dived to palm clear.
Referee Francesco Fourneau (left) asks for a chat with Ronaldo, who listens intently as the in-form visitors hold Juve early on
Paulo Dybala (centre) is forced to depart through injury during the first half, making way for fellow forward Gonzalo Higuain
Ronaldo makes the breakthrough after several minutes of first-half stoppage time, sweeping home a powerful first-time strike
The Portugal captain celebrates after meeting a neat set-piece from Miralem Pjanic to score his 31st league goal of the season
Any realistic chance Sampdoria had of denying Juventus the title took a severe blow when Norwegian midfielder Morten Thorsby was sent off 13 minutes from time, receiving a second booking for a foul on Pjanic.
Ronaldo then missed his second penalty since the Serie A restart after Fabio Depaoli fouled Alex Sandro in the closing moments, smacking the crossbar as he again passed up a golden opportunity to close in on Immobile.
Juventus are able to enjoy breathing space thanks to Federico Bernardeschi’s close-range goal after Sampdoria had chances
The winger is understandably ecstatic after his first goal in the league for 18 months on a glorious night for his side in Serie A
Ronaldo accepts the chance to put Juve 3-0 up with a late penalty but sees his effort from the spot crash against the crossbar
The talisman is left to rue his uncharacteristic wastefulness, staying three goals behind leading Serie A scorer Ciro Immobile