Serie A: Juventus slip from top four after 1-0 defeat to Parma

Juventus have dropped out of Serie A’s top four on Wednesday following a narrow 1-0 loss to Parma. The match was one of four fixtures rescheduled from Monday in light of the passing of Pope Francis. 

Parma secured the vital win thanks to a powerful header from Mateo Pellegrino just before the half-time whistle.

The result gave Parma a much-needed boost in their battle to stay in the Serie A, while it dealt a major setback to Juventus’ ambition of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

This marks the first loss for Juventus under new coach Igor Tudor. They now sit in fifth place, one point behind Bologna, who climbed into the top four after their impressive win over Inter Milan last Sunday.

To make matters worse for Juventus, they may be without star striker Dusan Vlahovic in their next match against Monza. He was taken off at half-time, with reports suggesting he picked up a thigh injury.

Parma moved six points above the relegation zone following their first win in two months, which came after six straight draws.

Defeat for Juve was great news for Lazio who moved level on 59 points with the “Old Lady” of Italian football following a comfortable 2-0 win at Genoa, a match which finished with both teams down to 10 men.

Lazio took advantage of Genoa’s Sebastian Otoa being sent off 21 minutes into his Serie A debut, a beautiful volley from Valentin Castellanos 11 minutes later and Boulaye Dia’s strike midway through the second half earning the away side the points.

Reda Belahyane was dismissed for Lazio minutes after replacing Nicolo Ravella who set up Dia’s goal with a fine pass, but it made no difference to the result.

Eighth-placed Fiorentina are one of four teams — alongside Juve, Lazio and Roma, within four points of fourth-placed Bologna after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Cagliari.