Juventus clinches Serie A title

Turin:

Juventus captured its second-straight Serie A title with a 2-2 home draw against lowly Perugia on Saturday, giving the Turin team an unbeatable eight-point lead over second-place Inter Milan with two matches left. French striker David Trezeguet and Marco Di Vaio netted the Juventus goals, while Perugia got its own from Fabrizio Miccoli and Fabio Grosso. Grosso's equalizer came in the closing seconds at Stadio Delle Alpi and froze fan celebrations for a few minutes until news came of Inter's home draw with Parma at San Siro, which clinched the title. This year's championship was a record 27th for the Turin club, long owned by the Agnelli family of auto tycoons. About 40,000 supporters cheered Juve players and waved Italian flags. Fans rallied in several Italian cities, waving flags and playing horns, as Juventus definitely is Italy's most popular football club. Juventus lifted itself to 69 points, out of reach of Inter Milan, which slipped out of contention with a 1-1 draw with Parma. Inter has 61 points. The title was expected to boost Juve's morale ahead of Wednesday's crucial Champions League second-leg semifinal with Real Madrid. The Turin team must recover from a 2-1 first-leg loss. (AP)