MILAN: This season’s Serie A title race is shaping up to be the most interesting in years and it took another turn on Sunday when Juventus fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat at Sampdoria.

Colombian Duvan Zapata, Uruguayan Lucas Torreira and Italian defender Gian Marco Ferrari put Sampdoria 3-0 up in the second half before six-time reigning champions Juve threatened an astonishing stoppage-time comeback with a penalty from Gonzalo Higuain and a strike from Paulo Dybala.

Two second-half headers from Mauro Icardi gave Inter Milan a 2-0 win at home to Atalanta in the evening match, which took them two points above Juve into second place to stand two points behind Napoli, who beat AC Milan 2-1 on Saturday.

Napoli are top with 35 points from 13 games to Inter’s 33 with Juve on 31 and Roma fourth a point back with a game in hand, after beating Lazio in a pulsating Rome derby on Saturday. Sampdoria are sixth with 26 points, two points behind Lazio.

Juve rested goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Andrea Barzagli, who both confirmed their international retirements after playing in Monday’s 0-0 draw with Sweden which meant Italy failed to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

They missed a host of first-half chances then collapsed after the break as Samp maintained their perfect home record.

Zapata headed Sampdoria ahead in the 52nd minute, Torreira blasted the second on 71 minutes Ferrari turned in Fabio Quagliarella’s cross from the byline for the third eight minutes later.

Juve were awarded a penalty after Ivan Strinic fouled Douglas Costa with Higuain getting the visitors’ first on 91 minutes, while Dybala added the second in the final act of the game.

It will be a blow to Juve’s confidence ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Barcelona.

“Explaining this match is difficult, it’s a match which leaves you with your mouth open because we didn’t let them have almost any chances,” said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri. “We played very well in the first half but if we didn’t score it means we weren’t good in finishing. Then we conceded a goal on their first chance, that’s also football.”

Argentine international forward Icardi put Inter ahead in the 52nd minute against Atalanta when he got away from his marker to head in Antonio Candreva’s free kick and struck again with a superb glancing header from Danilo DAmbrosio’s cross on the hour to bring his tally to 13 in as many league games.

Luca Rigoni’s first-half goal got new Genoa boss Davide Ballardini off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory at Crotone on Sunday.

But promoted Benevento suffered their 13th defeat in as many games, falling 2-1 to Sassuolo, to set a new European record.

The side from outside Naples — with a witch on their crest — eclipsed Manchester United who lost 12 matches in a row at the start of the 1930-1931 season.

Torino striker Andrea Belotti had a second-half penalty saved by Stefano Sorrentino as the Bulls were held 1-1 at home by Chievo, while Fiorentina’s match at SPAL ended with the same scoreline and Cagliari won 1-0 at troubled Udinese.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2017