Downbeat Juve crash again

Dumped out of the Champions League in midweek, Juventus saw their Serie A title hopes suffer a hammer blow Saturday as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Bari to miss a chance to go second.

Ciro Ferrara’s side looked every bit a side suffering a Euro hangover as they struggled to find any rhythm on a heavy pitch and after just seven minutes the zebras were behind, Riccardo Meggiorini slamming home after eluding a curiously sluggish backline.

After 23 minutes it was all square as French veteran David Trezeguet levelled from close range after Diego’s effort was half scrambled clear by keeper Jean-Francois Gillet.

But World Cup-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro then clumsily fouled Paulo Vitor Barreto and he dusted himself off to strike his penalty past keeper Gianluigi Buffon to send the home fans at the Stadio San Nicola wild.

Five minutes after the restart Gillet did superbyly to block an effort from Trezeguet before Tiago fired a great chance wide as Juve tried to respond.

Sergio Almiron then looked to have inadvertently handed the Old Lady a lifeline when he fouled Fabio Grosso in the penalty area but Diego, seemingly distracted by a laser light in the crowd, fired his spotkick over the bar.

Juve seemed flattened by that miss and Bari then sealed the points when, from a Pedro Kamata corner, Jose Martin Caceres could only clear as far as Almiron, who completed the shock result with a low drive which eluded everyone including a stock still Buffon.

Having last week beaten leaders Inter, Juve thus undid much of that good work as they stay stuck on 30 points from 16 games, five behind Inter – away to lowly Atalanta on Sunday – and one behind AC Milan, who Sunday host Palermo.

Parma can move within two points of the Turin giants, now beaten four times in the league, on Sunday if they beat Bologna at home.

In Saturday’s other game there was likewise no shortage of goals as Cagliari and Napoli shared six goals after the visitors threw away a two-goal lead and then snatched a point with a Mariano Bogliacino goal six minutes into injury time.

The draw left Napoli seventh – one of six clubs on 24 points – with Cagliari a point further back.