Roma and Lazio catch up with Juventus in fight for 4th place in Serie A

MILAN (AP) — With three rounds remaining, the race for the fourth Champions League qualifying spot from Serie A became even tighter on Sunday.

Juventus, Roma and Lazio all have 63 points, while Bologna is only a point behind them and Fiorentina three points further back.

Napoli leads Serie A with 77 points, three ahead of second-placed Inter Milan. Atalanta is third with 68 points.

Juventus currently occupies fourth spot but only because of a slightly better goal difference than Roma. Head-to-head is the first tiebreaker when teams are level in Serie A but Juventus and Roma played out two draws, while the Bianconeri visit Lazio next Saturday.

Roma has the better head-to-head record with Lazio.

Roma and Lazio caught up with Juventus on Sunday after Igor Tudor’s side was held 1-1 at Bologna.

The hosts got off to a miserable start when a series of mistakes allowed Juventus to take the lead in the ninth minute.

Andrea Cambiaso was given too much space to cut inside from the right and he spread the ball to Khéphren Thuram for a shot that squirmed under the body of Bologna goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski, who should have done better.

Juventus had two goals disallowed for offside before Bologna leveled nine minutes into the second half when Remo Freuler’s effort from close range was accidentally deflected in by Renato Veiga.

Claudio Ranieri’s Roma beat Fiorentina 1-0.

Just one point separated the two sides heading into the match but Artem Dovbyk’s diving header deep in first-half stoppage time was enough to keep Roma level with its capital rival Lazio, which won by the same scoreline at relegation-threatened Empoli.

Lazio's Boulaye Dia scored the only goal after just 54 seconds and both teams ended the match with 10 men.

Empoli forward Lorenzo Colombo was sent off shortly before halftime after two bookings in the space of four minutes and Lazio defender Elseid Hysaj was dismissed in the 76th minute following a second yellow card.

Empoli remained two points from safety.

Charles De Ketelaere found the back of the net in the league for the first time in 2025 with a first-half double to help set Atalanta on its way to a 4-0 win at Monza.

Third-placed Atalanta moved five points clear of the glut of teams chasing fourth spot.

Monza, which had looked doomed for months, was mathematically relegated as the result left it 12 points from safety.

De Ketelaere hadn’t scored in Serie A since December — a run of 16 matches — but ended his drought in fine fashion in the 12th minute, controlling a ball from Mateo Retegui before beating two men and drilling into the near bottom corner.

Monza showed why it is getting relegated 11 minutes later. Gaetano Castrovilli managed to intercept Retegui’s return pass towards Ademola Lookman but the Monza midfielder and teammate Pedro Pereira both just looked at the ball, allowing De Ketelaere to pounce and prod it into the bottom left corner.

Atalanta extended its lead immediately after the break when Retegui headed on a long ball over the top and Lookman beat Stefan Lekovic, who had only just come on, and raced into the area to fire past Semuel Pizzignacco.

Substitute Marco Brescianini capped a dominant Atalanta performance with a fourth, two minutes from time.

Pisa was promoted to Serie A for the first time in 34 years despite losing 1-0 at Bari.

Third-placed Spezia also lost, guaranteeing Pisa second spot in Serie B and automatic promotion to the top flight alongside second division champion Sassuolo.

Pisa is coached by World Cup-winning forward Filippo Inzaghi, the older brother of Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi.

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AC Monza's Tomás Palacios, right, and Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere in action during the Serie A soccer match between Monza and Atalanta at the U-Power Stadium in Monza, Italy, Sunday May 4, 2025. (Studio Buzzi/LaPresse via AP)

Empoli's Jacopo Fazzini, right, competes for the ball with Lazio's Boulaye Dia during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Empoli and Lazio at the "Carlo Castellani - Computer Gross Arena" Stadium in Empoli, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (LaPresse via AP)

Lazio's Boulaye Dia celebrates his goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Empoli and Lazio at the "Carlo Castellani - Computer Gross Arena" Stadium in Empoli, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Bryan Cristante, left, vies for the ball with Fiorentina's Marin Pongracic, during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Roma and Fiorentina at Rome's Olympic stadium, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Zeki Celik, right and Fiorentina's Nicolo Zaniolo collide, during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Roma and Fiorentina at Rome's Olympic stadium, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's head coach Claudio Ranieri looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Roma and Fiorentina at Rome's Olympic stadium, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus's Khephren Thuram celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during a Serie A Enilive 2024/2025 soccer match against Bologna at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Khephren Thuram scores during a Serie A Enilive 2024/2025 soccer match against Bologna at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus's Khephren Thuram celebrates after scoring during a Serie A Enilive 2024/2025 soccer match against Bologna at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family waved to a crowd of flag-waving New Year’s well-wishers gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

Standing with his wife Masako and the rest of the royal family, he wished a happy new year to people lined up below the palace balcony, some shouting, “banzai" — Japanese for "long live.”

The annual New Year’s appearance by the emperor and his family draws huge crowds to the palace’s usually cloistered grounds in central Tokyo.

People stand in long lines, weathering the cold, for each of the five appearances during the day, as the imperial family remains relatively popular.

The emperor does not have political power but holds symbolic significance for Japan. He and his family are longtime advocates for peace, although World War II was fought in the name of Naruhito’s grandfather Hirohito.

In a statement released in advance, Naruhito noted that last year marked 80 years since the end of that war. He stressed the importance of the message of peace, given that war and strife continued in parts of the world.

“I deeply feel it’s important to continue with efforts among people for dialogue, trying to deepen mutual understanding, so we can build a world of peace,” he said in the statement.

In both the statement and comments Friday, he spoke about recent natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rainfall and snow, and forest fires.

In 2024, the annual appearance was canceled because of a New Year’s Day quake in the Noto Peninsula, a coastal area in central Japan, which killed hundreds of people. In 2021 and 2022, it got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Princess Aiko, the imperial couple's only child, appeared with her parents at this year’s greeting, as did other relatives. She is at the center of a national debate about rules allowing only men to inherit to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The presence of Naruhito’s nephew, Hisahito, also drew attention, as he now takes part in adult imperial events and is a possible heir to the throne. He is second in line after his father, the emperor’s brother.

Akihito, Naruhito’s father and emperor emeritus who abdicated in 2019, was also there with his wife Michiko, the emperor’s mother.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama

Japan's Princess Kako and Prince Hisahito, daughter and son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito greets well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)