Trezeguet's flick gives Juventus control in race for title

Juventus took a huge stride towards a 28th Serie A title yesterday with a 1-0 victory over rivals Milan which puts them three points clear at the top with three games remaining.

Juventus took a huge stride towards a 28th Serie A title yesterday with a 1-0 victory over rivals Milan which puts them three points clear at the top with three games remaining.

A 28th-minute header from their French forward David Trezeguet, who glanced home an acrobatic overhead kick from Alessandro Del Piero, gave Juventus a deserved victory over the defending champions at the San Siro.

Juventus, coached by Fabio Capello formerly of Milan, lead on 79 points with Milan on 76. Milan, who face Liverpool in the Champions' League final on 25 May, were second best for large parts of the game, but were furious that referee Pierluigi Collina turned down an appeal for a penalty in the 75th minute when Cafu appeared to be pulled down by Gianluca Zambrotta.

Third-placed Internazionale won 3-0 at lowly Brescia, but the battle for the fourth Champions' League qualification slot remains tight with Udinese and Sampdoria winning to remain level on 59 points.

A year ago, Real Madrid underwent meltdown in the last five games of the season to hand the title to Valencia. This time they have made it clear that there will be no repetition and won their seventh match in a row on Saturday, beating Racing Santander 5-0.

Inspired by a revived Raul, who capped his best performance of the season with a well-taken double, and Ronaldo, who took his tally this term to 20 with a goal in each half, Real eased their way to victory.

Michael Owen opened the scoring with a typically sharp finish and David Beckham produced another tireless, if slightly more subdued, performance in midfield. The England captain was booked for telling the referee where the wall should be at a free-kick in the first half and was replaced by Luis Figo 15 minutes from time.

"It was one of the easiest games we've had this season," Owen said. "But the important thing is that we keep on winning. Now we have to wait for Barcelona to slip up and we will have put them under pressure. I'm feeling more at home alongside Raul and Ronaldo. My aim was to get in the starting line-up and, in the end, that is what I've done."