Juventus Earns 2nd Straight 3-0 Win, Como Gets First Serie A Point in 2 Decades 

Juventus' Dušan Vlahovic scores the 0-3 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Juventus FC, in Verona, Italy, 26 August 2024. (EPA)
Juventus' Dušan Vlahovic scores the 0-3 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Juventus FC, in Verona, Italy, 26 August 2024. (EPA)
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Juventus Earns 2nd Straight 3-0 Win, Como Gets First Serie A Point in 2 Decades 

Juventus' Dušan Vlahovic scores the 0-3 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Juventus FC, in Verona, Italy, 26 August 2024. (EPA)
Juventus' Dušan Vlahovic scores the 0-3 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Juventus FC, in Verona, Italy, 26 August 2024. (EPA)

Juventus became the only Serie A team to win both of its opening two matches of the season after Dušan Vlahovic scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Verona on Monday.

Right-back Nicolo Savona also scored on his full debut as Juventus earned a second straight 3-0 win.

Vlahovic put the visitors ahead after 28 minutes when he found space in the Verona backline and fought off the attention of three defenders to steer the ball home from 12 yards.

Savona doubled the lead with a header 11 minutes later and Vlahovic rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot eight minutes into the second half.

Verona is ninth with three points.

Meanwhile, Como earned its first Serie A point in more than two decades when Cesc Fabregas’ team came back from a goal down to draw 1-1 at Cagliari.

Fabregas, the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder, helped guide Como back into the top flight last season after a 21-year absence, but the Lombardy-based club lost its opener 3-0 to Juventus.

However, it showed resilience on a sunny evening in Sardinia.

Roberto Piccolo put the host ahead when he stole in between a hesitant defender and goalkeeper to nod home after 44 minutes.

The goal marked the fifth season in a row that the 23-year-old striker has scored for a different Serie A club, after previous stints with Lecce, Empoli, Atalanta and Spezia.

Como equalized eight minutes into the second period. Alberto Dossena headed down a corner kick from the right and Como-born Patrick Cutrone was on hand to dispatch the ball high into the net.

Both goalkeepers made good saves in the last 15 minutes to maintain the stalemate.



F1 Constructors’ Title Now Wide Open, Says Wolff 

Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)
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F1 Constructors’ Title Now Wide Open, Says Wolff 

Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - August 25, 2024 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the race. (Reuters)

McLaren and Dutch Grand Prix winner Lando Norris have blown the Formula One constructors' championship wide open with Red Bull in danger of being overhauled, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Norris took the chequered flag 22.8 seconds clear of Red Bull's home hero Max Verstappen at a windy Zandvoort on Sunday, finishing with a fastest lap flourish to secure an additional point.

While the Briton is a massive 70 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' standings with nine races remaining, McLaren are now only 30 behind reigning champions Red Bull in the constructors' battle.

"He (Norris) has basically annihilated all of the competition with that fastest lap at the end, with a 42-lap old hard tire and a 20 second gap," Wolff told reporters after the race.

"So I think this championship, the constructors' championship, is wide open in my opinion and that's good for Formula One."

With sprint races inflating the available points tally at some weekends to come, the gap is one that could be closed relatively quickly.

Red Bull scored 54 points from the China sprint weekend alone in April while McLaren scored 27 points more than Red Bull in Hungary last month.

McLaren have outscored once-dominant Red Bull in eight of the last nine races while Mercedes, fourth overall, have done so in four of the last five.

There have been seven different race winners so far, the most since 2012, and while McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have triumphed with both their drivers, Sergio Perez has become Red Bull's Achilles heel.

The Mexican has scored just 36 points in his last nine races but his team have stuck with him in the hope his contribution will pick up again - and the absence of a clearly better alternative.

While Mercedes are 158 points off the top, they have won three races this season - the same as McLaren and one more than third-placed Ferrari who are 34 points behind Norris' team and have their home Italian Grand Prix next up on Sunday.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner pointed out that Sunday was still only the fourth time this season that triple world champion Verstappen had come away from a race weekend with his points lead reduced.

He recognized, however, that Red Bull - who started the season with Verstappen taking seven successive poles and winning seven of the first 10 races - had issues to resolve and McLaren currently had the quicker car.

"It can change very quickly, and that means it can change back the other way as well," he said.

"McLaren has been the benchmark car over the last few races, we're very acutely aware that we need to respond to that.

"We're used to being in championship fights over the years. We'll dig deep and we're going to fight with everything we've got over the remaining nine races."