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29 March 2024

Honda breaks Serie A duck with crucial Milan winner

AC Milan's Keisuke Honda (centre) celebrates with a teammate after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match between Genoa and AC Milan on April 7, 2014, at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy. (AFP)

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By Agencies

Keisuke Honda answered his critics by scoring the winner for AC Milan, his maiden Serie A goal, in a precious 2-1 win at Genoa on Monday which maintained the Rossoneri's hopes of European football next season.

Honda has failed to live up to expectations for Clarence Seedorf's ailing side since joining the club from CSKA Moscow in October.

But after Adel Taarabt had given the visitors a 20th-minute lead with a wonderful strike at a packed Luigi Ferraris Stadium - his third goal in eight league games - Honda latched on to the Moroccan's pass in the 56th minute to ride a challenge from onrushing goalkeeper Mattia Perin and watch the ball roll into the net.

Honda couldn't quite believe his luck, and the joy on the faces of his team-mates as they swamped him in celebration spoke volumes about the 27-year-old's frustration in his previous 11 league games for the Rossoneri.

Milan remain in 11th spot but a third consecutive win means they are now only five points adrift of fifth-placed city rivals Inter, who occupy the first available Europa League qualifying spot.

Inter's Europa hopes were dented on Saturday in a 2-2 draw at home to Bologna, their fourth consecutive game without a win.

Fernando Llorente scored twice in three minutes to keep Juventus on course for a third successive Serie A title with a 2-0 home win over struggling Livorno on Monday.

Second-placed AS Roma had brought the title race to life by slashing Juve's lead from 14 to five points in the previous eight days but Monday's comfortable win left Antonio Conte's side eight points clear with six matches to play.

Juventus, who have 84 points from 32 games, also have the easier run-in with matches against midtable Udinese, Atalanta and Cagliari and relegation-threatened Bologna and Sassuolo as well as a visit to Roma in the penultimate round of the season.

Roma must still face Fiorentina and AC Milan and finish with a tough match at Genoa.

"The championship is not over," Juventus coach Antonio Conte told Sky Sport Italia. "Juventus and Roma are getting extraordinary results and setting records. Both teams are playing well, there are six games to go and nothing is settled."

The visitors defended bravely for half an hour, occasionally threatening themselves, before Llorente opened the scoring with a superb strike in the 32nd minute, firing home on the turn.

The Spaniard struck again three minutes later, taking his tally to 13 in his debut Serie A season, with a glancing header which goalkeeper Francesco Bardi appeared to have covered but then allowed to slip through his hands.

Juventus, who are still in the Europa League, relaxed in the second half, often playing the ball around between the back three to eat up time.

Livorno stayed in the relegation zone in 18th place with 25 points, two adrift of safety.