Juventus remain in title hunt with Genoa victory

Milos Krasic scored a stunning individual goal to keep Juventus in the scudetto race as they won 2-0 at Genoa on Sunday.

Genoa goalkeeper Eduardo scored an unfortunate own goal before Krasic finished off a slaloming run to sink the hosts who twice hit the bar.

Juve took their unbeaten league run to nine games and remain six points off leaders AC Milan, who beat Fiorentina 1-0 on Saturday, while they have not lost in any competition since September.

The Old Lady of Turin will have been hugely buoyed by an impressive victory at the Marassi stadium, a notoriously difficult ground at which to come away with the three points.

Juve had an early chance from a free-kick but Eduardo punched clear Alberto Aquilani’s strike.

The visitors were ahead on 18 minutes in slightly fortuitous fashion as Marchisio met a knock-down on the volley, his shot hitting Dario Dainelli, beating Eduardo but coming off the post before hitting the goalkeeper and going in.

Genoa were stunned by that goal and five minutes later things got worse as from the right Krasic cut inside his marker, went outside another defender and then fizzed a right foot shot across goal that crept inside the far post despite Eduardo getting a touch.

Genoa responded in positive fashion and were close to pulling a goal back on 27 minutes as Domenico Criscito met a corner on the volley only for his strike to crash back off the bar with Luca Toni blazzing the rebound over.

Toni then had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for a handball, with the big striker getting booked for his troubles.

Vincenzo Iaquinta could have killed off the game before the break but he couldn’t turn home a dangerous Krasic cross.

Aquilani again went close just after the restart while Toni shot over again when well placed.

On the counter-attack Iaquinta got past Kakha Kaladze but Eduardo came out to smother the ball and save his team.

Juve goalkeeper Marco Storari had to tip over a deflected effort from Genoa substitute Houssine Kharja while Mattia Destro’s daisy cutter was deflected wide.

Eduardo then saved a Marchisio shot from an angle while another belter from Kharja beat Storari but hit the bar.

And Storari had to be alert in injury time to parry a fierce Destro strike at his near post.

On Saturday Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the hero, scoring an acrobatic winner to send the rossoneri four points clear at the top.

Lazio can close the gap back to a single point if they win at Parma later on Sunday.

Following Roma’s 2-0 win over Udinese on Saturday, which kept them a point behind Juve, champions Inter Milan must win at Chievo or they will drop to sixth.