Juventus win eighth consecutive Scudetto
With five games still remaining, Juventus mathematically sealed the 2018-19 Serie A title with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina at home. They have now won 35 league titles.
The 'Old Lady' sealed their eighth consecutive Serie A title on Saturday after scraping past Fiorentina 2-1 at the Allianz Stadium. Once again, Juve have showed that the gap between themselves and Italy's other teams is vast, and this victory gave them reason to smile again after a tough week.
They could well have done it a week ago, but a much changed side couldn't get the job done against SPAL. Everything therefore hinged on today's game, in which Allegri's side licked their wounds and recovered to achieve something that shouldn't be overlooked. They have enjoyed a sensational season in Serie A, drawing just three games and losing only two (against Genoa and SPAL).
The numbers really speak for themselves: 28 wins in 33 games, 87 points and only 23 goals conceded. They once again defended as they have always done so well, boosted at the other end by the goals of the talismanic Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star took a while to get going, but was key when he did to help secure the title. He lies fourth in the goalscoring charts with 19 goals, 3 behind veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella, who he will look to overtake in the remaining fixtures.
The 20 point lead they hold over second-placed Napoli, or the 30 over third-placed Inter, speaks volumes of the inequality in Serie A - this was a trophy that from the start had Juve's name on it. The signing of Ronaldo further extended the gap in quality, and nobody was capable at any point of putting their eighth consecutive crown in doubt.
However, Juventus did suffer disappointments in the cup competitions; Atalanta thrased the 'bianconeri' 3-0 in the Coppa Italia before a youthful Ajax side stunned Allegri's men at home in the Champions League quarter-finals last week.
Despite protests from some Juve fans in the stadium, the party atmosphere was clear at the final whistle. Independent of their failures in the cup, the shine cannot be taken off of another fantastic achievement for a team that, unless something changes drastically, will more than likely take home their ninth straight Serie A next season.