Ranieri showers praise on Juventus

BEIJING, April 29 -- Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri thanked his side for giving him its full backing after Sunday's 5-2 win over Lazio sealed a Champions League qualifying place.

Third-placed Juventus has achieved the feat in its first season back in the top flight following its relegation to Serie B for match-fixing and immediate promotion back.

Former Chelsea and Parma coach Ranieri, who took over in June after the departure of Didier Deschamps, said the players deserved their success after all the club had been through.

"A great thank you goes to the lads because it has not been easy to end up where we are. Compliments to everyone. It was not easy to be third three games from the end of the season. They have had a fantastic season," he told Sky television.

"The lads were great to follow me straight away. It was not easy for me to arrive at Juve, build a team and immediately win. Could we have done more? It is fine like this. I feel I have a team that has great personality, they know what they want and are able to achieve it."

Juventus is five points behind second-placed AS Roma and still has a chance of overhauling it and securing a berth in the full Champions League without needing to play a qualifier.

Alessandro Del Piero, who was in the Juventus team which won the Champions League in 1996, scored his 18th goal of the league season against Lazio to confound those who thought the 33-year-old would not be able to cope back in the top flight.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has overlooked him for recent squads but the striker is improving his chances of a call-up for Euro 2008 all the time.

Also, Julio Ricardo Cruz and Marco Materazzi scored in Inter Milan's 2-1 win over Cagliari that pushed the Nerazzurri to within one victory of the Serie A title.

Inter stayed six points ahead of AS Roma, which beat Torino 4-1, with three rounds left. Inter will win its 16th championship, and third in a row, if it beats AC Milan on Sunday as it has a superior head-to-head record with Roma.

Filippo Inzaghi scored a hat-trick in Milan's 4-1 win over Livorno.

Elsewhere, it was: Napoli 0, Siena 0; Palermo 0, Atalanta 0; Reggina 2, Parma 1; and Udinese 2, Catania 1.

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)