Juventus overpower Verona to record eighth straight Serie A victory

Juventus overpowered bottom-placed Verona 3-0 for an eighth straight league victory on Wednesday.

Paulo Dybala put the defending champions in front with a curling free-kick after eight minutes and Leonardo Bonucci doubled the lead before half-time by redirecting another free-kick from Dybala with a header. Simone Zaza sealed it after being set up by Paul Pogba eight minutes from the end.

“The lads did well to get right back into the league, which is never easy after the holidays,” Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said. “We weren’t very sharp, especially at the start, but we didn’t concede anything.

“[Dybala] has been practicing free kicks. Being able to open up matches with a free kick is very important after a break of more than two weeks.”

Juventus remained three points behind leader Inter, who won 1-0 at Empoli. Mauro Icardi found the target from close range in the first-half, redirecting a cross from Ivan Perisic.

Having been joint top-scorer in Serie A last season with 22 goals, Icardi has eight goals from his 12 shots on target this term. Empoli, who had won four straight games, were dangerous at times but couldn’t find a way past Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.

Josip Ilicic scored twice against his former club as Fiorentina won 3-1 at Palermo. The Slovenia international put Fiorentina ahead in the 13th minute then scored again with an expert piece of control and a precise shot from outside the area.

The former Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino pulled one back for Palermo with a header in the 77th minute, but Jakub Blaszczykowski restored Fiorentina’s two-goal lead in added time.

Napoli are third, level on points with Fiorentina, after beating Torino 2-1 with goals from Lorenzo Insigne and Marek Hamsik.

Roma wasted a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at Chievo. Roma went ahead after seven minutes when the 18-year-old Nigerian Sadiq Umar scored his second goal in two matches after being set up by Gervinho. Umar also hit the post before Alessandro Florenzi doubled Roma’s lead in the 37th minute after intercepting a pass near midfield.

Alberto Paloschi pulled one back for Chievo just before the break amid confusion in front of Roma’s goal and Dario Dainelli redirected a corner from close range to equalise shortly before the hour mark. Iago Falque restored Roma’s lead with a long, low, angled shot in the 81st minute, but Simone Pepe equalised again for Chievo in the 85th minute with a free-kick.

At the San Siro, with Mario Balotelli still recovering from pelvis surgery, Milan were beaten 1-0 by Bologna, whose late winner came from Emanuele Giaccherini. Milan fans jeered Keisuke Honda, who reportedly criticised the club in an interview with the Japanese press, when he was replaced by Alessio Cerci midway through the second half.

Lazio drew 0-0 at home to Carpi, Sassuolo and Frosinone drew 2-2, while, earlier, Udinese beat Atalanta with first-half goals from Cyril Thereau and Stipe Perica to celebrate the opening of their redesigned Stadio Friuli.