Champions Juventus drew 1-1 with Cagliari in Serie A yesterday, a result that means they can no longer beat their points record.
Mirko Vucinic came off the bench to save a point for Juve with an easy tap-in just after the hour after Victor Ibarbo had given the visitors a shock 12th-minute lead with a wonderful individual goal.
Antonio Conte’s leaders have 87 points with one game to go while Cagliari are 11th on 44 points.
Juve achieved their record tally of 91 points in the 2005-06 season. They won the league that year but were stripped of the title and relegated to Serie B following a match-fixing affair that ripped Italian football apart.
Ibarbo’s goal was the highlight of an entertaining match, the Colombia striker weaving between Claudio Marchisio and a seemingly disinterested Andrea Barzagli before squeezing the ball under goalkeeper Marco Storari.
It gave the Sardinians a positive end to the week after club president Massimo Cellino was handed a four-month ban for his part in the Is Arenas controversy.
Juve had complete control of the match and carved out a series of half chances.
Sebastian Giovinco came closest to levelling just after the half hour when his free-kick hit the underside of the bar before bouncing to Arturo Vidal who blazed the rebound over.
Juve finally grabbed a deserved equaliser when substitute Vuci-nic netted after Vidal’s header was tipped to his feet by Cagliari keeper Michael Agazzi.
While Ivo Pulga’s side, and in particular Ibarbo, always looked dangerous on the break it was Juventus who set up the game’s best opportunities.
Napoli’s title
Napoli’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League group stages next season is like “winning the title”, according to midfielder Marek Hamsik, who hopes coach Walter Mazzarri resists the temptation to leave this summer.
A 3-0 win at Bologna in midweek secured Napoli second place in Serie A with two games to spare and Hamsik has already started to look back on a successful season.
“We played a great season,” he said ahead of this afternoon’s match at home to relegation-troubled Siena.
“Second place is an amazing feat. There was a time when we thought we could even do better, but Juve deserved to win the Scudetto.”
The future of Mazzarri remains unclear, though, with rumours linking him with a move away from the club, despite reaching the Champions League next season.
“He (Mazzarri) is our secret weapon,” added Hamsik.
“The fact we have obtained excellent results these years is mainly down to him. It’s hard to imagine Napoli without Walter Mazzarri. He is one of the best coaches in the world.”