Re: CALCiO SERIE A 2013/2014

Roma maintained the pressure on Serie A leaders Juventus as they beat Bologna thanks to Radja Nainggolan's first goal for the club.

The Belgian midfielder, who joined Roma on loan until the end of the season from Cagliari last month, stabbed in Miralem Pjanic's cross for the winner.

Mattia Destro also went close for Rudi Garcia's side with a shot that hit both posts before bouncing clear.

Roma are six points adrift of Juve, who host neighbours Torino on Sunday.

Defeat means Bologna stay two points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixtures.

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Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo wants to sign a new contract extension

Andrea Pirlo: Wants to commit to Juventus

Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo has reaffirmed his desire to sign a new deal at Juventus.

The 34-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, as well as a return to former club AC Milan.

However, Pirlo insists he is committed to Bianconeri and is hopeful that an agreement can be reached which will secure his future at the club.

"We have spoken and we will meet again to discuss everything," he told La Stampa.

"We have a lot of matches to play and we must focus on them. But there are a lot of reasons to stay at Juventus. They are growing and here, it is possible to achieve your aims.

"Real Madrid? I've never spoken to them. I talk with (Madrid manager) Carlo Ancelotti, but we talk about other things. I feel good here."

"Would I go back to Milan? No, not now. I did what I had to do there," he added.

"I'm happy to be at Juve. I think that players don't have to go back to where they once did good things. I hope to remain here."

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Carlos Tevez scored his 14th goal of the season as Juventus edged to a derby victory over Torino.

Tevez rifled in a half-volley from 20 yards after a pass from Kwadwo Asamoah to secure a win that puts Juventus nine points clear at the top of Serie A.

The leaders survived a late scare when Andrea Pirlo appeared to trip Omar El Kaddouri in the area but Torino were denied a penalty.

Defeat left Torino four points off the final Europa League spot.

Tevez's strike put him level with Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi at the top of the goalscorers' chart and proved the difference in a derby otherwise low on quality.

The Argentina striker, 30, left Torino goalkeeper Daniele Padelli with no chance after collecting Asamoah's pass in the 30th minute.

Torino have not beaten Juventus in the league since 1995 but put in an admirable display to frustrate their hosts for long periods of the game.

Juventus were lucky not to have Arturo Vidal sent off for a nasty challenge on Matteo Darmian. The Chilean had already been booked for handball but escaped a second yellow card.

El Kaddouri sent a free kick dipping just over the bar and Ciro Immobile's shot was blocked, before Gianluigi Buffon pounced on the loose ball as Giuseppe Vives looked to reach the rebound.

Torino were sure they should have had a penalty when Pirlo tripped El Kaddouri in the closing stages but the decision went in favour of Antonio Conte's Juventus, who hung to record their 17th successive victory.

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Lazio set to sign Cardiff City target Filip Djordjevic

Sky Sports understands Nantes striker Filip Djordjevic is set to join Lazio at the end of the season.

Djordjevic is out of contract in the summer and the Serbia international is understood to have agreed a pre-contract with Lazio.

The 26-year-old was the subject of a bid from Cardiff City on transfer deadline day last month, but Nantes rejected the offer for the player.

A number of other Premier League clubs were also thought to be chasing the former Red Star Belgrade man and were hoping to land him on a free transfer in the summer.

However, Lazio appear to have won the race for Djordjevic's signature with the forward set to make the move to the Stadio Olimpico for the start of next season

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Jornada 26

Re: CALCiO SERIE A 2013/2014

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic will join Inter Milan in the summer.

The Serie A giants have confirmed the 32-year-old central defender has signed for them, although they did not reveal the length of contract the Serb had penned.

Vidic confirmed his intention to end an eight-and-a-half-year stay at United last month.

He joined the club in 2006, and has made over 200 appearances, helping them to five Premier League titles.

"Vidic is a world-class player," Inter president Erick Thohir told his club's website. "I'm extremely happy to have completed this deal to bring Nemanja to Milan.

"He's one of the world's best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree and charisma will be an asset to the team and help bring through our younger players.

"He will bring added value to the club and is another piece of the great Inter side we are building."

United manager David Moyes said the decision had been mutual, although it is understood Vidic was initially open to the idea of remaining at Old Trafford.

However, he explored other options when an extension to his present contract, which expires at the end of June, was not forthcoming.

Vidic at Man Utd

Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic with the Premier League trophy at Old Trafford in 2011
•25 Dec 2005: Agrees move from Spartak Moscow
•25 Jan 2006: Makes debut v Blackburn
•Premier League titles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013
•Champions League: 2008
•League Cup: 2006, 2009, 2010

Despite announcing his intention to quit, Vidic has remained as skipper, a position he has held since the start of the 2010-11 campaign.

A £7m signing from Spartak Moscow, Vidic formed an exceptional partnership with Rio Ferdinand, and was part of the United side that claimed a hat-trick of Premier League titles between 2007 and 2009, won the Champions League in 2008 and reached the final again 12 months later.

He was also ever-present during a record-breaking run of 14 consecutive clean sheets in the 2008-09 Premier League season.

His latter years at Old Trafford have been plagued by injury, and he ruptured cruciate knee ligaments against Basel in December 2011.

Nevertheless, either side of that setback, Vidic collected two more championship medals, lifting the trophy for the final time in May as Sir Alex Ferguson ended his 26-year stint as manager in style.

Like United, Inter look certain to miss out on qualification for next season's Champions League. They are currently fifth in Serie A, 11 points behind third-place Napoli.

Re: CALCiO SERIE A 2013/2014

Inter Milan president Erick Thohir has brushed aside reports linking Ajax manager Frank De Boer with the Nerazzurri hotseat this summer.

Media speculation in Italy has claimed the Dutchman is a target of Thohir with the Indonesian businessman looking at possible candidates to replace current coach Walter Mazzarri.

However, Thohir said on inter.it: "He (De Boer) is a good coach but there are no negotiations open with him.

"I don't know him and I have never met him."

Inter have endured a difficult campaign under Mazzarri, who replaced Andrea Stramaccioni at the end of last season.

The Nerazzurri are fifth in Serie A, 28 points adrift of league leaders Juventus.

Mazzarri is under contract with Inter until June 2015.

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Asamoah seals Juve victory

Juventus won the first of three games against Fiorentina over the next 12 days thanks to Kwadwo Asamoah's goal.

The Juve winger struck just before half time to cement the Old Lady's position at the top of Serie A.

Furthermore, it gives Antonio Conte's men confidence for their next two meetings with the Viola in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Fiorentina are the only team to have beaten Juve in Serie A all season and without the suspended Andrea Pirlo, the Bianconeri could well have feared for their flawless record at home this season.

There was no need for that concern in the first half, though, as Juve stamped their authority on the game, leaving Fiorentina chasing shadows, and the ball.

Conte's men failed to do much with their possession, however, and a long ball which just touched the toe end of a full-stretch Carlos Tevez was indicative of how they were not quite getting to that final ball.

Asamoah had two good chances with a volley deflected behind and another shot just missing the far post, and it was a case of third time lucky for the Juve winger, who scored just before half-time.

Asamoah skipped into the penalty area with a trick taking him past three Fiorentina defenders before his shot deflected into the far corner, off the inside of the post.

Fiorentina responded well in the second half, but the first big chance fell at the other end with Tevez getting to the goal line and pulling the ball back towards Fernando Llorente, who would have had an easy tap-in had the ball not been so weak that keeper Neto could intercept.

Two minutes later, Mario Gomez headed over from eight yards out, wasting his one and only chance of the game.

He was replaced by Ryder Matos with 20 minutes to go, and his first touch could and probably should have resulted in an equaliser.

He sent a free header against the crossbar with Gomez perhaps wishing he had been given such an opportunity.

Juve defended their lead well with Gianluigi Buffon racing off his line and out of his box to beat Juan Cuadrado to a long ball, taking the ball down on his chest before sending it to the other end of the field as Juve preserved their perfect home record, and took another step towards a third straight Serie A title.

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No Inter Milan contact over Javier Hernandez or Fernando Torres, insists president

Javier Hernandez: Linked with a Manchester United exit but Inter Milan have not held talks

Inter Milan president Erick Thohir has denied holding talks over a move for Javier Hernandez or Fernando Torres.

Hernandez has had a limited role at Manchester United this season and has been linked with a summer departure from Old Trafford.

Inter have been credited with an interest in the Mexican, having already struck a deal to bring in his United team-mate Nemanja Vidic this summer, but Thohir insists there are no plans to make it a double raid on Manchester.

Thohir has also played down reports connecting Inter with Torres, whose long-term future at Chelsea continues to be a source of speculation.

"Chicharito is a good player but we have not spoken neither with he nor with Torres," Thohir told reporters, before being quizzed on the futures of Inter duo Esteban Cambiasso and Walter Samuel.

Cambiasso, 33, and Argentine compatriot Samuel, 35, are among a host of players whose contracts expire at the end of the season.

Rodrigo Palacio's deal has another year left to run but the striker has already announced that he is in talks about an extension.

"By the end of the season we will evaluate all the players and decide who stays and who does not," said Thohir.

"We are negotiating the contract extension with Palacio."

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Andrea Pirlo's brilliant late free-kick earned Juventus a fortuitous win at Genoa to extend their Serie A lead to 17 points.

Southampton loanee Dani Osvaldo had two first-half goals disallowed for offside for the visitors before the break.

Genoa substitute Emanuele Calaio had a second-half penalty saved by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

And Pirlo curled in the winner with a minute left, to extend their record scoring run to 41 league matches.

Did you know
Andrea Pirlo has scored the most goals from direct free-kicks in this Serie A season, four.

Juventus's lead could be closed by Roma, who have two games in hand over the Old Lady, at home to Udinese on Monday.

But, with only one defeat in the league to their name all season, Juventus appear to be closing in on a third consecutive title.

Antonio Conte's men were far from impressive and, without their injured top scorer Carlos Tevez, struggled to threaten a hard-working Genoa.

They were harshly denied an opener though when Osvaldo chipped home, after latching onto Paul Pogba's sublime back-heel, only for the goal to be wrongly ruled out for offside.

The striker had an earlier effort correctly disallowed for offside in an otherwise uneventful first half.

After the break, Genoa dominated for long periods and, after Andrea Bertolacci had two shots blocked, the hosts were awarded a penalty for Arturo Vidal's handball.

Substitute Calaio's weakly hit penalty was comfortably pushed away by Buffon and the miss proved costly as Pirlo's moment of brilliance won the match for the visitors.

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Jornada 29

Re: CALCiO SERIE A 2013/2014

Jornada 29

Re: CALCiO SERIE A 2013/2014

Francesco Totti scored a superb goal as Roma beat Parma to move eight points behind Serie A leaders Juventus with seven games remaining.

Gervinho opened the scoring for Roma but Afriyie Acquah beat four defenders to turn and equalise.

Totti swept home from the edge of the box and Miralem Pjanic added a third after the break.

Rodrigo Taddei headed home before Jonathan Biabiany scored a consolation goal in injury time.

Leaders Juventus lost for only the second time in Serie A this season when they were beaten 2-0 by Napoli on Sunday.

Roma could close the gap to just five points if they can win at Cagliari on Sunday, with Juve not in action until Monday, when they host relegation threatened Livorno.

A point for Rudi Garcia's side at the weekend will ensure that they will be playing Champions League football next season.

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Jornada 32

Re: CALCiO SERIE A 2013/2014

Jornada 34