Black day for Juve as defeat compounds points deduction

MILAN — A bad day for Juventus turned worse when a 4-1 loss at Empoli on Monday saw its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League implode.

Before kickoff, Juventus was hit with a 10-point penalty for false accounting. That dropped the club to seventh in Serie A, five points behind fourth-placed AC Milan. Juve hosts Milan next weekend in one of its final two matches.

"It was a mental collapse which is normal after a surreal season," Juventus coach Max Allegri said. "At this point it's enough, it's one thing after another. They (league organizers) need to decide once and for all where we are.

"The guys did their best. It's not an excuse, but finding yourself with 10 points less a quarter of an hour before the match is at least mitigating circumstances. It's been a really tiring year, always going back and forth. And on the pitch, we are second-best."

Another route into the Champions League ended last week in a loss to Sevilla after extra time in their Europa League semifinal.

Despite the points penalty — which it could still appeal — Juventus knew a win at Empoli would still leave its chances of a Serie A top-four finish in its own hands.

Juventus thought it took an early lead when Arkadiusz Milik headed a corner off the crossbar and Federico Gatti bundled in the rebound but it was ruled out for a foul by Bremer on the goalkeeper.

Instead, Empoli went in front from a Francesco Caputo penalty in the 18th minute after Milik fouled Nicolo Cambiaghi.

Sebastiano Luperto doubled Empoli's lead three minutes later, tapping in the rebound after Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny brilliantly parried a Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro effort at close range.

After the break, Akpa Akpro stole the ball off Alex Sandro and bore down on goal before rolling across for Caputo to dink over Szczesny.

The only good news for Juventus came late when Federico Chiesa scored his first league goal in more than a year. Chiesa was out for 10 months last year with a knee injury.

There was still time for Roberto Piccoli to cap a brilliant night for Empoli.

Roma held

Roma was held 2-2 at home by Salernitana but had its Champions League hopes boosted.

Salernitana twice took the lead through Antonio Candreva and Boulaye Dia but was twice pegged back by goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and Nemanja Matic.

Roma started the day seven points off then fourth-placed Inter Milan but, despite dropping points, moved to within four points of the top four following Juve's punishment.

Roma can also qualify for the Champions League if it beats Sevilla in the Europa League final on May 31.

Roma was on a five-match winless run and got off to a miserable start at the Stadio Olimpico when Salernitana took the lead in impressive fashion in the 12th minute. Lassana Coulibaly floated a long ball over the top and Candreva sprung the offside trap, waited for the ball to dip, before volleying into the top right corner.

Roma boss Jose Mourinho made a triple change at the break which had an immediate impact. Two minutes after the restart, one of those substitutes, Lorenzo Pellegrini, saw his freekick saved and El Shaarawy fired home the rebound.

Matic — another halftime substitutes — rescued a point for Roma seven minutes from time.

Agencies via Xinhua