TURIN, Italy, 11 May 2003 — Juventus won the Italian title for the second year in succession yesterday, a 2-2 draw with Perugia at the Delle Alpi stadium securing their 27th championship with two games left.
Second-placed Inter Milan, the only side who had a chance of catching Juve, drew 1-1 at home with Parma leaving them eight points adrift. An injury-time equalizer from Perugia’s Fabio Grosso slightly took the gloss off the occasion after Marco Di Vaio had put Juventus 2-1 up a minute into the second half.
Before the break Perugia striker Fabrizio Miccoli, on loan from Juve, had canceled out David Trezeguet’s 25th-minute opener from the penalty spot. But Grosso’s equalizer counted for nothing once news arrived that Inter had been held. Juve players danced around the field waving flags and then ran a lap of honor joined by some of their families. With the Real Madrid tie at the Delle Alpi for a Champions League semifinal, second-leg tie on Wednesday, Juve had asked fans not to invade the pitch and the appeal was heeded. Juventus coach Marcello Lippi also had his mind on the game with Real, in which Juve trail 2-1 from the first leg and started the game with several leading players, including Alessandro Del Piero and Pavel Nedved, on the bench.
AC Milan, who face Inter in the return game of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday also fielded a weakened side and lost 1-0 at Brescia. A win for Inter would have kept the title race alive for at least one more week but after Sierra Leone forward Mohammed Kallon had given Inter the lead at the break, Parma drew level through former Inter striker, Romanian Adrian Mutu.
The last four Italian championships have gone down to the wire so there was an air of anti-climax about this season’s victory with none of the late drama that characterized Juve’s win at the expense of Inter last season.
Advantage Sheffield
After Forest Held
Meanwhile, Sheffield United took a small step toward the Premier League when they held Nottingham Forest to a 1-1 drawin the first leg of their division one playoff at the City Ground yesterday. The winners will face Wolverhampton Wanderers or Reading for a place in the top flight via the playoff final in Cardiff on May 26.
After an entertaining but goalless first half, David Johnson put Forest ahead with his 28th goal of the season 10 minutes after the break. Andy Reid’s pass set the prolific striker clear and he coolly drilled the ball past United keeper Andy Kenny.
But less than a minute later the Yorkshire club were back on level terms when Michael Brown was clearly fouled by Forest’s French defender Matthieu Louis-Jean inside the penalty box and the United midfielder stepped up to convert from the spot.
In the Second Division playoff semifinals Cardiff City beat Bristol City 1-0 in their first leg at Ninian Park, while Oldham Athletic drew 1-1 at home to Queen’s Park Rangers with the visitor’s having goalscorer Richard Langley sent off late on.
The Third Division playoffs saw Lincoln City beat Scunthorpe United 5-3 at Sincil Bank thanks to two late goals from substitute Simon Yeo, while Bury held out for a goalless draw at home to Bournemouth after Jamie Stuart’s first-half red card. The second legs of the playoffs in all three divisions will be played between May 13 and 15.
Meanwhile, Doncaster Rovers clinched their return to the English football league with a thrilling golden goal victory over Dagenham and Redbridge in the Football Conference final playoff.
