Juve sink Bari to stay in Champions League hunt

Juventus kept alive their slim hopes of playing Champions League football next season with a routine 3-0 win at home to Bari on Sunday.

Vincenzo Iaquinta scored a brace in the second period, sandwiching an Alessandro Del Piero penalty, as Juve cruised.

They are now four points behind Palermo in the crucial fourth spot, although Sampdoria could move six clear of Juve if they win at AS Roma in Sunday’s late game.

Juve toiled in the first period and did little to suggest they could break the deadlock while they had goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank for not falling behind.

Five minutes before the break the Italy number one made a great stop to deny Vladimir Koman from 12 yards.

But after the interval the hosts moved up a gear with Jean-Francois Gillet making an instinctive save with his foot to deny Giorgio Chiellini from close range.

Del Piero than shuddered the crossbar with a close range header from Paolo De Ceglie’s left wing cross.

But the Old Lady of Turin took the lead on 53 minutes as Diego played a ball in behind the Bari defence which Iaquinta ran on to, rounded Gillet and then slotted home from a tight angle.

Del Piero then finished from the spot after Gillet had clumsily brought down Diego in the box on 69 minutes.

Juve full-back Jonathan Zebina almost handed Bari a lifeline when his back header appeared to be heading for the bottom corner but Buffon flung himself to his left to tip it around the post.

However, Juve made the game safe four minutes from time as Antonio Candreva got down the left and crossed for Iaquinta, who was incredibly unmarked on the six yard box, to poke home.

Napoli’s hopes of securing that fourth spot were hit hard as they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Cagliari, leaving them five points behind Palermo with three games left.

Livorno became the first club to be relegated this season despite a 3-1 win at home to Catania.

Bologna’s 2-1 home success against Parma left Livorno 10 points from safety with just three to play.

Siena are all but mathematically down after their 4-1 defeat at Udinese.

They could still draw level on points with Bologna and have the edge in the head-to-head record but that would take an extraordinary set of results over the last three weeks.