Buffon breaks record as Juventus win again
MILAN (Reuters) - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon set a goalkeeping record for the longest run without conceding a goal on Sunday as the Serie A leaders won 4-1 at neighbours Torino.
Buffon overtook Sebastiano Rossi's previous record of 929 minutes for AC Milan, set in the 1993-94 season, in the fourth minute.
Having kept 10 successive clean sheets, the Juve keeper was finally beaten early in the second half when Andrea Belotti converted a penalty for Torino to end Buffon's run at 974 minutes.
Juventus were already 2-0 ahead by then thanks to a free kick by Paul Pogba and an individual goal by Sami Khedira, who collected the ball near the halfway line and ran through the heart of the Torino midfield before scoring.
Torino were denied an equaliser when Maxi Lopez had a goal ruled out by a hairline offside decision and Juve took full advantage as Alvaro Morata, who replaced the injured Paulo Dybala in the first half, added two more.
Khedira was sent off late in the game although it was not immediately clear what the German had done wrong.
Juventus, knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday after squandering a two-goal lead, moved on to 70 points, six clear of second-placed Napoli who were at home to Genoa later on Sunday (1700 GMT).
EXTRAORDINARY KEEPER
"He deserved the record, he is an extraordinary goalkeeper and an extraordinary lad," Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri said of Buffon.
Asked about Torino's disallowed goal, he added: "I didn't talk about the referee when we suffered in the Champions League and I won't do so now."
Fiorentina's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took a knock when they were held 0-0 at Frosinone, leaving them in fourth place with 55 points, five behind third-placed AS Roma.
Carpi, playing in Serie A for the first time, moved out of the relegation zone when Kevin Lasagna's free kick gave them a 2-1 win at bottom side Verona.
The win took them ahead of Palermo on goal difference, with the two sides level on the head-to-head record.
Sampdoria are four points clear of the danger zone after a 1-0 home defeat by Chievo, with Riccardo Meggiorini scoring the only goal midway through the first half for the Flying Donkeys who also missed a penalty.
(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Ken Ferris)