Bonucci saves Juve in bad-tempered win over Roma
Turin (Italy) (AFP) - Leonardo Bonucci struck at the death as Juventus claimed the bragging rights from a bad-tempered 3-2 win over Roma that saw three expulsions and at least one dubious penalty in Turin on Sunday.
Garcia said midweek the top-of-the-table clash would be a "great advert" for Italian football.Roma coach Rudi Garcia was sent off in the first half, while Juve striker Alvaro Morata and Roma defender Konstantinos Manolas saw red in the closing minutes after the match's final, angry exchange.
And there was no lack of drama at a packed-out Juventus stadium as Roma, despite their first defeat of the season, further underlined their status as the biggest challengers to Juve's three-year grip on the Italian championship.
"It was a crazy match," admitted Juve 'keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who refused to be drawn on the controversy surrounding three penalty awards which shone the spotlight on match referee Gianluca Rocchi and left Roma icon Francesco Totti claiming Juve already had the title sewn up.
"Credit to Roma, they showed they are a very strong side. But the result doesn't reveal anything as regards the league title. It's far too early yet."
Juve midfield great Andrea Pirlo returned for his first match of the season following his recovery from injury, with Garcia preferring Greek defender Jose Holebas to Ashley Cole at left back.
The match turned in the 26th minute when Juve were awarded a freekick following Totti's foul on Pirlo, whose subsequent freekick hit the arm of Maicon in the defensive wall.After seeing an early chance expertly blocked by Seydou Keita, Carlos Tevez scored the first of a brace of penalties just before the half hour.
Players from both sides immediately surrounded referee Rocchi, who wavered before giving in to Juve's demands for a penalty.
Moments later, Tevez stepped up to beat Lukasz Skorupski to give the champions a 27th-minute lead.
To rub salt into Roma wounds, Garcia was sent off for dissent after playing an imaginary violin.
The Frenchman later said the match was a good example of why football should adopt video replays, but he admitted Roma were to blame for their first defeat of the campaign.
"We've dropped our first points of the season, so now we have to pick ourselves for our next game.""The first people to blame are ourselves, we had chances we didn't put away," said Garcia.
Five minutes after Juve had taken the lead, Rocchi awarded Roma a spot-kick after Totti was brought down in the box by Stephan Lichsteiner, despite being nowhere near the ball.
Totti stepped up to send Buffon the wrong way to level on 32 minutes.
The goals set in motion a series of dubious challenges, but Juventus Stadium was stunned into silence when Gervinho ran into the area and laied off a sublime angled pass for Juan Iturbe to run in and slide the ball past Buffon.
Roma's joy was short-lived, however. When Paul Pogba tried to gallop into the Roma area on the stroke of half-time, he fell under a soft challenge from Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic.
Despite television pictures showing the challenge to be just outside the area, Rocchi pointed to the penalty spot and Tevez stepped up to beat Skorupski for the second time.
For Totti, the decision raised an age-old belief that Juventus routinely benefit from favourable refereeing decisions.
"Juventus should have a championship of their own because they always manage to win," Totti told Sky television.
He pressed home the point when it was stressed Roma would be Juve's biggest challengers this season.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter because we'll still finish second. All three of Juve's goals were invalid."
Pirlo made way for Arturo Vidal with 11 minutes remaining, but as the hosts pressed Juve's salvation came when Roma's defence failed to deal with a corner which fell to Bonucci on the edge of the area.
The Italy defender smacked a volley through a crowded defence and past the outstretched Skorupski to give Juve an 86th-minute lead, although at least two Juventus players looked offside.
The match ended on an ugly note when Manolas was victim of a tough sliding tackle by Morata, prompting the intervention of Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri, practically both sets of players and forcing the expulsion of the players involved.
