Roma draws 1-1 against Juventus. Milan ultras protest during 3-3 draw with Genoa
MILAN (AP) — Roma attempted to bounce back from European disappointment but could only draw 1-1 against Juventus in Serie A on Sunday in a result that did little to help its hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Bremer canceled out Romelu Lukaku's first goal from open play against Juventus. Both teams also hit the woodwork as Juve's winless run continued.
Third-place Juventus, which is winless in its last five matches, is six points ahead of fifth-place Roma with three rounds remaining. The top five in Serie A qualify for the Champions League after Italy earned an extra spot in next season’s competition.
Roma is just three points above sixth-place Atalanta, which has also played two matches fewer.
Roma was looking to recover from a 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday, and started positively with Rasmus Kristensen's header coming off the crossbar in the 11th minute.
The capital side took the lead just four minutes later in somewhat chaotic circumstances. Paulo Dybala pulled the ball back from the byline and Bryan Cristante's shot was blocked by Juventus defender Federico Gatti on the line but went straight to Lukaku for the tap in.
It was his first goal against Juventus from open play after netting from the spot against the Bianconeri for Inter.
Juve leveled in the 31st minute when Federico Chiesa whipped in a cross from the right and Bremer headed it in at the back post.
Chiesa came close to firing his team in front right at the start of the second half but his effort went off the right post and across the face of goal.
MILAN PROTEST
AC Milan's hardcore fans protested during the team's 3-3 draw against Genoa.
There was a strange atmosphere at San Siro as the Milan ultras — who also unveiled banners calling for more ambition, communication and a clear transfer strategy — remained silent during the match and left 10 minutes before the final whistle.
Milan was leading 3-2 by then, after recovering from Mateo Retegui's early penalty, but conceded a comical third goal as Morten Thorsby's cross ricocheted off Retegui and home defenders Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw. It went down as an own-goal by Thiaw.
It was a sixth straight match without a win for Milan, which nevertheless is second and mathematically assured of Champions League soccer next season.
RELEGATION BATTLES
Hellas Verona boosted its chances of Serie A survival with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina as fellow strugglers Empoli and Frosinone played out a disappointing 0-0 draw.
All three teams had been locked on 31 points ahead of the weekend, just two points above the relegation zone.
Verona was helped by Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano opting to rotate his team ahead of the second leg of the Europa Conference League semifinal on Wednesday. Fiorentina beat Club Brugge 3-2 in the first leg last week.
And the visitors gifted Verona the opener Sunday in the 13th minute when, in a mix-up with Fiorentina defender Luca Ranieri, goalkeeper Oliver Christensen failed to gather an innocuously seeming long ball and instead brought down Tijjani Noslin. Darko Lazović converted the resulting penalty.
Gaetano Castrovilli, who had earlier hit the post, leveled shortly before halftime for his first goal since returning recently from a knee injury that had sidelined him for almost a year.
Verona restored its lead in the 59th when Nikola Milenković could only send Darko Lazović’s cross as far as Noslin, who thumped it into the roof of the net.
Verona moved five points clear of 18th-place Udinese, which hosts Napoli on Monday. Sassulo was level with Udinese after surprisingly beating newly crowned Serie A champion Inter Milan on Saturday.
Cagliari inched four points clear after it conceded a late goal to draw 1-1 against Lecce after playing the entire second half with 10 men. Winger Gianluca Gaetano was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Lecce midfielder Ylber Ramadani shortly before halftime.
Cagliari had been leading through Yerry Mina's strike but Lecce laid siege to the goal after the break and Nikola Krstović eventually leveled with six minutes remaining. Lecce also hit the post twice in the dying minutes.
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