Sampdoria ruin Juve's season-ending party

ROME, Italy (AFP) –

Sampdoria’s forward Maximiliano Lopez (L) fights for the ball with Juventus’ defender Giorgio Chiellini during the Serie A football match on May 18, 2013 at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa. Defiant Sampdoria ended Juventus’s hopes of closing their title-winning season in record fashion with a stunning 3-2 win over the Bianconeri in their final league games of the season.

Defiant Sampdoria ended Juventus’s hopes of closing their title-winning season in record fashion with a stunning 3-2 win over the Bianconeri in their final league games of the season Saturday.

Juventus claimed a record 29th title two weeks ago but saw their hopes of finishing on a new record of 93 points ended by a 1-1 draw at home to Cagliari last week.

The setback left Antonio Conte’s side with another challenge: ending the season having beaten the other 19 teams, a feat not achieved in 51 years.

However, Conte’s plans lay in tatters after Mauro Icardi put the hosts 3-1 up in the 75th minute to virtually seal Sampdoria’s second win over the Turin giants this season.

Conte left a number of regulars on the bench and Juve looked to be on the right path when striker Fabio Quagliarella gave the visitors a 25th minute lead.

Sampdoria levelled through an Eder penalty six minutes later and just before the hour mark the Luigi Ferraris stadium erupted when Lorenzo De Silvestri gave the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Conte made two substitutions, with Nicklas Bendtner making a rare appearance from the bench to replace striker Sebastian Giovinco and Swiss Stephan Lichsteiner replacing Simone Padoin.

However Juve’s task was virtually ended on 75 minutes when Argentine Icardi, who has been linked with a summer move to Inter, put the hosts 3-1 ahead.

Juventus’ forward Fabio Quagliarella (R) scores in spite of Sampdoria’s defender Shkodran Mustafi during their Italian Serie A football match on May 18, 2013 at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genova. Defiant Sampdoria ended Juventus’s hopes of closing their title-winning season in record fashion with a stunning 3-2 win over the Bianconeri in their final league games of the season.

Lichsteiner’s arrival helped make amends when he crossed for Emanuele Giaccherini to nod home for Juve in the first minute of injury time but it was too little, too late.

Sunday’s final games of the season, meanwhile, will see AC Milan and Fiorentina duel for the final Champions League place and Udinese and Lazio battle for Europa League qualification.

Milan, crowned European champions seven times, currently sit in third place — nine points behind runners-up Napoli — with a two-point lead over Fiorentina ahead of their visit to Siena.

Fiorentina have an equally manageable fixture — at least on paper — away to Pescara.

With a four-point lead on Udinese, Fiorentina have already secured one of two automatic places for next season’s Europa League.

Udinese, on the other hand, will be hard pushed to hold on to fifth place. The northerners have a two-point lead on Lazio and face a wounded Inter Milan at the San Siro in one of seven games to be broadcast in Sunday’s late slot.