Juventus promoted back to Serie A in style
MILAN, May 19 (Reuters) - Juventus were promoted back to Serie A on
Saturday with three games to spare after a thumping 5-1 win at
Arezzo.
Didier Deschamps's side, demoted from the top flight last year
because of a match-fixing scandal, top the Serie B table with 82
points.
Captain Alessandro Del Piero netted his 19th and 20th goals of the
season and defender Giorgio Chiellini also scored twice to defeat
struggling Arezzo, managed by former Juventus stalwart Antonio
Conte.
The Turin club return to Serie A at the first attempt despite a
nine-point deduction linked to the match-fixing verdict, which came
after former general manager Luciano Moggi was found guilty of
securing favourable referees.
The penalty in Serie B originally stood at 30 points but two
appeals brought the deduction down to 17 and then nine
points.
'I asked the boys to end it today and not to think about the other
matches. It brings great satisfaction and a lot of joy to everyone
involved in this adventure,' Deschamps told Sky Sport.
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, one of several top players Juve
managed to hang on to this season, made a double save early on and
Arezzo had other good chances as Juventus failed to settle.
Del Piero eased their nerves with a superb shot across the
goalkeeper on 19 minutes following a neat through ball from Claudio
Marchisio.
Chiellini then took advantage of a blunder by Arezzo keeper Nicolas
Bremec to head in on 33 minutes but Antonio Floro Flores pulled one
back on halftime when he exposed a Juventus defence that will need
rebuilding in Serie A.
Juve would not be denied though and Chiellini finished off Del
Piero's free kick early in the second period before Del Piero
nodded in the fourth and David Trezeguet turned in number
five.
'It is has been a difficult year and it is right to celebrate our
passage. Now we are starting to think about next year,' Del Piero
said.
Second-placed Genoa's hopes of automatic promotion took a slight
knock after a 2-2 draw at Bari while Napoli, in third, drew 1-1
with Modena.
