ROME — Juventus won Serie A for the fifth season in a row without kicking a ball Monday after Napoli, the only team that could have caught it, was sunk 1-0 by a late Radja Nainggolan goal at AS Roma.
Juventus, which has led the table since beating Napoli 1-0 in February, was left with an unassailable 12-point lead with three games each left to play as it clinched a record 32nd league title.
The match, played at a half-empty Stadio Olimpico on a sunny bank holiday afternoon, was an anti-climatic end to a season which had at one stage promised to be one of the most exciting Italian title races for years.
During the first half of the season, the lead had changed almost weekly with AS Roma, Napoli, Inter Milan and Fiorentina all taking turns at the top.
But, as its rivals faltered, Juventus, which beat Fiorentina 2-1 Sunday, put together an astonishing run in which it took 73 of a possible 75 points to snare the title with games to spare.
The clash of Serie A's two highest-scoring sides was threatening to peter out into a tame goalless draw until Nainggolan slotted the ball home in the 89th minute following a move started with a delicate pass from Roma substitute Francesco Totti.
The 39-year-old Roma stalwart, in his 24th season at the club and no longer able to command a place in the starting lineup, has made a recent habit of coming on in the last few minutes and having a major impact on games.
Roma had more possession but Napoli, whose top-scorer Gonzalo Higuain returned after a three-match ban, carved out the better chances and Jose Callejon had a first-half goal ruled out by a hairline offside decision.
Higuain, who has scored 30 goals this season, nearly gave Napoli a first-half lead with a delightful piece of control only to see his shot saved by Wojciech Szczesny.
A Napoli goal looked imminent in the second half as Dries Mertens curled a shot agonizingly wide and Antonio Ruediger saved Roma by sliding in to take the ball off Marek Hamsik's foot just before an almost certain score.
Instead, Nainggolan slotted the ball past Pepe Reina after Mohamed Salah managed to find the Belgian despite being surrounded by Napoli defenders.
Napoli, which would qualify directly for the Champions League group stage if it finish second, is now only two points clear of Roma, which is in third place, good for a berth in the final qualifying round.
Levante, Getafe stay in danger of drop
Levante and Getafe both conceded late goals in disappointing draws at home Sunday that hurt their chances of avoiding relegation from the Spanish league.
Levante couldn't stop Athletic Bilbao from scoring twice in the final minutes to finish 2-2 and remains at the bottom of the standings with only three rounds remaining.
Getafe stayed immediately above Levante after seeing its fightback frustrated when Valencia scored for a 2-2 stalemate.
Villarreal, Liverpool's opponent in the Europa League semifinals Thursday, drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad in a lackluster home match as it stayed in fourth place.
Sevilla beat Real Betis 2-0 in a derby for its first win in six rounds to warm up for its Europa League semifinal against Shakhtar Donetsk, also Thursday.
Feyenoord wins Dutch cup
Feyenoord beat FC Utrecht 2-1 Sunday to win the KNVB Cup, the Rotterdam club's first trophy since 2008.
Feyenoord, which beat five top-flight opponents — including archrival Ajax — on the way to the final, won the Dutch domestic cup for the 12th time in front of ecstatic fans at the team's own stadium, De Kuip. — Agencies
