Vidal strikes brace to spur Juventus

Contes men ease past Lazio

 Juventus’ pursuit of the Serie A title gathered pace on Monday as they opened up an 11-point lead at the top of the table after Arturo Vidal scored twice in a 2-0 win at Lazio.

Vidal fired Juve ahead from the penalty spot after Lorik Cana brought down Claudio Marchisio in the eighth minute.

Chile international Vidal doubled his tally 20 minutes later when he latched on to a deflected Mirko Vucinic pass to slot the ball into the back of the net. With six games to go Juve have 74 points and they enjoy a commanding lead over second-placed Napoli. AC Milan are third on 59. “This victory is very, very important as it allows us to put another huge brick on the road to the title,” said coach Antonio Conte. “We still need seven points and until we have something in our hands we won’t talk about it.”

Defeat dented sixth-placed Lazio’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League as they now trail Milan by eight points. The top two clubs qualify for Europe’s elite club competition and the team in third goes through to the preliminary round.
Mallorca win

In Mallorca, Giovani dos Santos struck in added time to earn Real Mallorca a dramatic 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in a battle of La Liga’s two basement sides on Monday.

A deep cross was headed goalwards by striker Tomer Hemed in the 93rd minute and when keeper Javi Varas could only parry the effort, Mexico forward Dos Santos volleyed in the rebound to set off ecstatic celebrations on the pitch. The victory moved Mallorca up to second from bottom with 27 points and seven games left, behind Real Zaragoza on goal difference. Promoted Celta, who now prop up the table on 24 points, have taken one point from their last six games.

Mallorca dominated the early exchanges and Dos Santos was the most dangerous player, going close with two free kicks and delivering a corner that was headed just over the bar. However, it was Celta who had the clearest chance before the break when Alex Lopez fired wide with only the keeper to beat.

Celta grew in confidence in the second half as Borja Oubina volleyed over and home keeper Dudu Aouate saved a point-blank header from Andres Tunez. The home side showed more desire to seek a winner in the closing stages and were rewarded when former Tottenham Hotspur forward Dos Santos scored.