Juventus earned a 3-2 victory over Venezia on final matchday to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Coming from behind, goals Kenan Yildiz, Randal Kolo Muani and Manuel Locatelli gave the Old Ladies the victory.
The UCL spot looked to be slipping away as Juve conceded an early goal. Ridgeciano Haps’ pinpoint pass into the six-yard area allowed Daniel Fila to confidently send a volley past Michele Di Gregorio, after just two minutes.
Juventus responded three minutes later, as Alberto Costa slotted home a rebound after Ionuț Radu spurned the initial effort. However, they were denied by VAR, as the right back appeared to have handled the ball in the build-up.
With AS Roma already winning at Torino, the UCL qualification positions was closed to shifting to their nearest rivals.
Juve pushed for the equaliser as Kolo Muani’s almost made it 1-1, only to be denied by Joel Schingtienne’s brilliant goalline clearance.
Juve eventually got their response, after a quick throw-in allowed Kenan Yildiz to torment Marin Sverko with dazzling feet before beating Radu with a nice strike.
Kolo Muani then silenced the home crowd with the second goal, as he fired in a rocket that flew straight into the net.
Venezia, who looked to avoid relegation, gave their home fans some hope, as they levelled in the second half. Haps, who already had an assist to his name, composed himself with a brilliant finish.
However, the hosts were heartbroken as Locatelli won it for UCL-bound Juventus in the 73rd minute via the penalty spot. Francisco Conceicao had drawn a clumsy challenge from Caviglia, and the Italian midfielder made it count from the spotkick.
Juventus have now secured qualification for next season UCl, alongside Napoli, Inter Milan and Atalanta, despite Roma’s win.
Meanwhile, Venezia have relegated to the second division, Serie B, following Lecce’s 1-0 victory over Lazio.
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