Juventus suffer second successive loss

Serie A leaders Juventus suffered their second consecutive defeat when they lost 1-0 at Palermo yesterday.

The result left Juventus on 50 points from 23 matches, five ahead of champions Milan, who host Lazio today.

Juventus dominated possession but were undone by a poor finishing and aggressive defending by the home side.

David Trezeguet was the first to waste a chance when he failed to connect with a cross in front of goal.

Palermo took the lead in the 12th minute when keeper Gianluigi Buffon came forward to punch away a free kick, leaving himself out of position and powerless to prevent Franco Brienza curling a shot past him from the edge of the area.

Juventus continued to dominate possession in the second half. Trezeguet's strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a shot cleared off the line and Gianluca Zambrotta fired over the bar.

Palermo remained dangerous on the break and almost doubled their advantage when Alberto Santana was played through on goal and lobbed Buffon only for the ball to bounce narrowly wide.

Sampdoria fourth

In an earlier match, Sampdoria moved into fourth in pursuit of a Champions League berth with a comfortable 3-0 win over Fiorentina who played for 80 minutes with nine men.

The victory was almost inevitable after the sendings-off of Fiorentina's Valeri Bojinov and Daniele Delli Carri.

Striker Bojinov, signed from Lecce during the January transfer window, received an eighth-minute red card for elbowing midfielder Sergio Volpi. Delli Carri followed him two minutes later after insulting the referee.

With a two-man advantage, Sampdoria dominated possession and went ahead in the 15th minute when striker Francesco Flachi poked home a loose ball.

Max Tonetto doubled their lead just after the half hour mark and midfielder Aimo Diana grabbed a third in the closing stages.

Fiorentina's defeat left them hovering three points above the relegation zone. The twice-Italian champions, who returned to the top-flight this season, have earned just one point in their last seven matches and have lost their last four in a row.