Juve stay on course for Scudetto

Juventus moved a step closer to the Serie A title with a thumping 4-0 win at struggling Novara. Mirko Vucinic got two, opening and completing the scoring, while Marco Borriello and Arturo Vidal were also on target as Juve retained their three-point lead over AC Milan at the top. Second-bottom Novara are almost down, though, this defeat leaving them eight points from safety with three games left. Juve were quick to establish their superiority, with Borriello shooting narrowly wide and Vidal also trying his luck before Vucinic opened the scoring in the 16th minute. The Montenegrin fired high into the roof of the net from inside the area following Andrea Pirlo's free-kick. Andrea Mazzarani had the hosts' first sight of goal in the 24th minute, but his effort went well wide. But the Turin giants were soon on the attack again and Emanuele Giaccherini almost put them further ahead only for his shot from a tight angle to go just wide. Mazzarani headed narrowly wide from six yards after being picked out by Giuseppe Gemiti's cross, but the hosts fell two behind five minutes before the break. Borriello met Giaccherini's cross and planted a point-blank range header into the bottom corner. It was 3-0 five minutes after the break, Vidal finding the bottom corner from inside the area. It was now a matter of damage limitation for Novara, but they conceded again in the 64th minute. Vucinic got his second of the game with another smart finish, sending a right-footed effort low into the corner of the net. Vucinic was replaced by Eljero Elia just after and the substitute was keen to make an impact, having two shots saved by goalkeeper Alberto Fontana. At the other end Gianluigi Buffon had to be alert to save from Simone Pesce as Novara looked for a consolation. They could not find one, though, and instead Juve might have netted a fifth, but Borriello was denied by Fontana and Pirlo hit a post with a free-kick.