Football
ESPN staff 9y

Juventus win fourth straight Serie A title with away victory at Sampdoria

Juventus have clinched their fourth straight Serie A title with a 1-0 win at Sampdoria on Saturday afternoon.

Arturo Vidal scored in the 31st minute of the game to send Juventus 17 points clear of second-placed Lazio with four games of the season left to play.

The victory secured their 31st Scudetto in Massimiliano Allegri's debut season in the Bianconeri dugout.

The Italian giants have scored the highest number of goals in the division -- 64 -- while also having the best defensive record with just 19 goals conceded.

Allegri's side have won 24 games -- five more than next-best Lazio -- and lost the the least amount of any side, with three defeats.

Two of those losses have come in April, with Juve falling 1-0 at Parma and 2-1 at local rivals Torino.

Many Juve fans were not able to witness the title triumph after being banned from both visiting Sampdoria and from the Bianconeri's final two home games of the season.

The trouble which overshadowed their defeat to Torino in the Turin derby had led to the Lega Serie A banning fans from attending both Saturday's game at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, as well as the subsequent two games at the Juventus Stadium against Cagliari and Napoli.

Juve have officially won 31 Serie A titles, but were stripped of two titles as part of their punishment for Italian football's infamous Calciopoli match-scandal of 2006.

The nine-year investigation concluded in March with no sentences ultimately decreed.

Juventus are now demanding compensation of €443 million from the Italian FA for damages they believe were caused by their relegation to Serie B, while they may also fight for the two league titles revoked to be reinstated.

Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini insists his side are as hungry as ever after winning the title, saying: "I think we demonstrated on the field that we are a side who do not settle for what we've got, but we always want more and to keep on improving.

"People were saying that we had reached the end of a cycle, but instead we have shown on the field that we are still hungry and we're even stronger than ever." 

After winning the title so soon, Juve can now focus all of their efforts on their next objective for the season, which is to win the Champions League.

They host Real Madrid on Tuesday night in the first leg of their semifinal tie, and there is no time for any celebrations just yet.

"We wanted to wrap up the title today so we can turn the page and think only about this dream we've got on Tuesday, and that's an adventure we want to pursue with all our will, courage and ddetermination," Chiellini said in Genoa.

"We are a side who can do anything and we will play that game with a great desire to win. I'm sure the atmosphere's going to be great at the Juventus Stadium."

That may give them a 12th man, but Chiellini acknowledges there will be 11 "outstanding players" on the opposition.

"We've got to respect them," he added. "But like I said, we've got to try to do our best with courage and try to do something extraordinary because we feel we can do it."

Match-winner Vidal said in the mixed zone after the game: "This will help us for Tuesday. Now we've got three finals to come - three wins in which we can win the Champions League."

ESPN FC correspondent Ben Gladwell contributed to this report.

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