Juventus Vs Lazio, 2012 Serie A: Final Score 2-1 Juventus As Del Piero Strike Puts Hosts Top

Juventus moved back into pole position in the Scudetto race with a thrilling 2-1 win at home to Lazio. Although the hosts dominated virtually minute of the match, it took an 82nd minute goal from veteran striker Alessandro del Piero to win it for the Bianconeri after Stefano Mauri had cancelled out Simone Pepe's opener.

Despite predictions that Lazio's style of play would make the match a dull affair, things began brightly with a host of chances falling Juventus' way. Mirko Vukunic was tearing up the left side, and Fabio Quagliara forced what will probably go down as the greatest nasal save in all history when Federico Marchetti took a bad bounce square in the face. Juve managed, somehow, to avoid scoring until the 27th minute, which a beautiful chipped pass found Pepe alone in the box and the forward finished acrobatically.

Things very nearly went from bad to worse for Lazio as Arturo Vidal came within a couple of inches of scoring from inside his own half, forcing Marchetti into a stunning fingertip save to keep the score at 1-0. But just as it looked like Juventus pressure was going to produce a rout, the visitors scored with their first chance of the game. Mauri was left bizarrely unmarked on a Lionel Scaloni right-wing cross, and the big striker nodded superbly into Gianluigi Buffon's top corner.

The second half basically featured Juventus trying to score and finding new ways of failing until del Piero decided to take things into his own hands, marking his 700th appearance for the club with a free kick that wrong-footed Marchetti and fizzed in past his right-hand post. It was to prove enough for the win, and Juventus' task was made even easier when Lazio substitute Libor Kozak received his marching orders for a flying elbow in injury time.