Italian Calcio Serie A 2009/2010

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Brief reports from Serie A matches played on Sunday:

CATANIA 1 LIVORNO 0

Gennaro Sardo nodded in a Juan Manuel Vargas free kick on 20 minutes to give Catania victory with his first Serie A goal.

Basement club Livorno, who had David Balleri sent off in the second half, fell to their third consecutive defeat and are still without a win.

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FIORENTINA 1 JUVENTUS 1

Fiorentina maintained their unbeaten record thanks to an 89th-minute Adrian Mutu penalty, conceded for a handball by Nicola Legrottaglie.

Vincenzo Iaquinta opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he latched onto a loose header and coolly slotted the ball into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Keeper Gianluigi Buffon saved a deflected Riccardo Montolivo shot superbly with his feet, while Fiorentina keeper Sebastien Frey pushed out a thunderous Pavel Nedved effort in the first half.

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GENOA 2 CAGLIARI 0

After making a sluggish start, Genoa moved up to fifth place with their third consecutive win.

Marco Borriello gave the home team the lead in the 58th minute when he controlled the ball at the edge of the box and scissor-kicked it home. Marco Di Vaio wrapped things in the 74th with an accurate diagonal strike.

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PALERMO 1 REGGINA 1

After dominating the match, Palermo seemed destined to surrender the points when Nicola Amoruso scored for the visitors two minutes into stoppage time. But the Sicilians levelled the score two minutes later thanks to an Amauri header. Palermo defender Giuseppe Biava was dismissed in the 88th minute for a second yellow card. Reggina are still seeking their first win.

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PARMA 0 AS ROMA 3

AS Roma took the lead at Parma after just two minutes, with a low diagonal Francesco Totti drive although television replays suggested the ball might have been out of play when Mirko Vucinic made the final pass.

Parma striker Bernardo Corradi got his marching orders in the 26th minute for a second yellow card.

Totti set up Roma's second, threading the ball through to Brazilian midfielder Mancini, who fired in another angled shot in the 21st minute, and completed the rout himself eight minutes from time.

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SIENA 3 EMPOLI 0

Second-half goals by Massimo Maccarone, Tomas Locatelli and Daniele Galloppa gave Siena their first win of the season at the expense of 10-man Tuscan rivals Empoli.

The key moment came 19 minutes after the break, when Daniele Adani earned himself a second yellow card with a foul in the area on Maccarone, who converted the ensuing penalty.

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TORINO 1 SAMPDORIA 0

Eugenio Corini scored in the 88th minute to give Torino their first triumph of the campaign.

Sampdoria's Sergio Volpi was sent off on the stroke of half time for a dangerous challenge.

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LAZIO 1 AC MILAN 5

Kaka and Alberto Gilardino hit braces as the European champions ended a winless streak in Serie A that stretched back to the opening day of the season.

Lazio midfielder Stefano Mauri sidefooted home a Lorenzo De Silvestri cross to cancel out Massimo Ambrosini's opener.

Kaka restored the advantage with a spot-kick in the 33rd, after Fernando Muslera brought Gilardino down in the penalty area, and shot through Muslera's legs from a tight angle to score again seven minutes after the break. Gilardino finished off the Roman outfit with two goals in the last 20 minutes.

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Played on Saturday:

ATALANTA 0 UDINESE 0

Atalanta striker Riccardo Zampagna hit the bar with a late penalty after Aleksandar Lukovic slipped and brought down Maximilano Pellegrino.

Both sides had other chances but lacked a cutting edge.

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INTER MILAN 2 NAPOLI 1

Julio Cruz scored twice to give the champions victory over promoted Napoli.

The Argentine striker tucked away Zlatan Ibrahimovic's pass after a quick break on 20 minutes and then chested down Dejan Stankovic's chip to fire home from just inside the box on 36.

Cruz could have notched a hat-trick before halftime but his low curling effort went narrowly wide. Slovakia midfielder Marek Hamsik, who has caught the eye this season, hit the woodwork in the first half after Inter's defence dithered but Napoli finally bagged a deserved goal when Roberto Sosa headed in with five minutes to go.

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Veteran talisman Alessandro Del Piero scored 10 minutes from half-time to give Juventus a vital 1-0 victory over Genoa on Sunday and three points that keeps them hot on the tails of leaders Inter Milan.

They now trail the reigning champions by just three points, having moved back above Fiorentina into second place after the Viola's dazzling 3-0 victory over Siena in the Tuscan derby earlier in the day had briefly propelled them into second.

However it was a miserable day for European Champions AC Milan who lost 1-0 at home to Empoli and have now slipped to 10 points off the pace set by champions and bitter city rivals Inter, who won 1-0 at Reggina on Saturday.

Del Piero had signed a new contract extension until 2010 earlier in the week and he settled the affair with a crisp right foot volley from six yards following a cross from fellow veteran Pavel Nedved.

The Czech midfielder was later sent off, though, after the final whistle for appearing to elbow Abdoulay Konko while coach Claudio Ranieri was also shown red for swearing at the match officials.

Alongside Inter, Fiorentina remain the only unbeaten team left in the league and it was a spectacular goal from Giampaolo Pazzini that set them on their way after a quarter of an hour.

Franco Semioli sent the ball to Pazzini who chested it down and thrashed home a stunning volley from the edge of the area in almost a single movement.

Just after the half hour mark, Romanian international striker Adrian Mutu doubled the home side's advantage after Pazzini backheeled the ball into his path.

Siena have never won this fixture in the top flight and this match was to be no different with veteran former Italy striker Christian Vieri adding the third on 71 minutes having replaced Pazzini.

"We got off to a good start, kept the team tight and avoided long balls. Giampaolo Pazzini plays with great determination and gave the side depth," said coach Cesare Prandelli. "Are we in the title race? We just want to keep up this kind of performance."

In Milan the hosts' dreadful home form continued with this surprise defeat. Milan had already drawn three matches at the San Siro before losing there for the first time this season.

Hot on the heels of their 5-1 demolition of Lazio in Rome last week, this was a case of coming back down to earth with more than just a bump for Carlo Ancelotti's men.

Luca Saudati scored the winner 10 minutes after the break and at the full-time whistle the Rossneri were booed off the pitch.

Ancelotti said afterwards that he would confront his team over their poor home record.

"On Monday I will confront the squad," he said. "On home turf we have managed just three points in four games. That is a negative result and we have seen far too much difference between the way we play at home and away."

The coach also paid for his decision to leave Brazilian playmaker Kaka out of the weekend match squad, saving him for the Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.

"Kaka is important for a team like ours, but it is beyond doubt we need to do better than this when he's not in the side. This cannot be the Milan performance without Kaka," added Ancelotti.

In other games, Lazio remain perilously close to the relegation zone despite a 1-0 win at rock-bottom Livorno while Sampdoria won 3-0 against third-bottom Parma, whose coach Domenico Di Carlo is facing the sack.

The other three games ended in draws, 1-1 between Udinese and Palermo and Cagliari and Catania and 2-2 between Atalanta and Torino.

On Saturday Roma blew the lead three times in a disappointing yet scintillating 4-4 home draw against Napoli.

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European champions AC Milan continued to struggle in the Italian domestic league on Sunday as they slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to Empoli.

Rossoneri goalkeeper Dida sought and obtained forgiveness from the Milan fans before the kickoff for the antics in the Champions League match against Celtic that earned him a two-game ban.

But Empoli striker Luca Saudati was in less charitable mood, as his second-half goal saw Milan slip 10 points behind city rivals and leaders Internazionale, the Italian champions.

Milan have only won two of their eight Serie A matches this year in a spell club owner Silvio Berlusconi has described as the worst in his 21-year reign.

Alessandro Del Piero celebrated his new contract with Juventus with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Genoa.

That lifted Juve second and they held on despite the late sending-off of Pavel Nedved. Claudio Bellucci struck twice in 12 second-half minutes as Sampdoria secured a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Parma.

Vincenzo Montella also got on the scoresheet as the hosts completed victory. Fiorentina brushed aside local rivals Siena with an excellent performance in Sunday's Tuscan derby.

A first-rate display of attacking football saw the home side dominate with goals from Giampaolo Pazzini, Adrian Mutu and substitute Christian Vieri, while the visitors rarely threatened.

Gyan Asamoah struck a superb second-half equalizer for Udinese to deny Palermo all three points on their trip to the mainland.

Carvalho Amauri put the Rossaneri ahead in the 17th minute and it looked like that was the way it would stay until Asamoah's 65th-minute leveller.

Ten-man Torino produced a spirited late comeback to snatch a 2-2 draw at Atalanta.

The Bergamaschi looked to have taken control of the match when Adriano Ferreira Pinto put them ahead on the stroke of half-time and Cristiano Doni doubled the advantage from the penalty spot midway through the second period.

But, despite being reduced to 10 men thanks to Cesare Natali's dismissal for the incident which led to the spot-kick, Toro hit back with goals from Nicola Ventola and Marco Motta.

Ten-man Lazio spoiled the debut of new Livorno coach Giancarlo Camolese by edging a close encounter in Tuscany.

Goran Pandev scored the only goal on the stroke of half-time, and although the Romans were made to battle with one less player following the 62nd minute dismissal of Fabio Firmani, they held on for the win.

Alessandro Matri earned Cagliari a draw after Christian Terlizzi opened the scoring for Catania.

On Saturday, Internazionale were made to work hard for the three points at Reggina with Adriano's goal all that separated the sides after 90 hard-fought minutes.

Roma and Napoli shared a thrilling 4-4 draw. Ezequiel Lavezzi put Napoli in front after just two minutes before Francesco Totti equalized with a perfectly-taken penalty on the half-hour mark.

Simone Perrotta was on hand two minutes before the break to grab Roma's second, while Daniele De Rossi and David Pizarro both scored for the Giallorossi in a frantic second half.

But goals from Marek Hamsik, Walter Garagano and Marcelo Zalayeta after the break ensured Napoli returned from the capital with a share of the spoils.

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Juventus's flying start to the season came to a shuddering halt Saturday as they were controversially beaten 3-1 at Napoli.

Alessandro Del Piero gave the visitors the lead just a minute after the break but an equaliser from Walter Gargano and then two debatable Maurizio Domizzi penalties turned the game around for the southerners.

The defeat for second-placed Juve means that champions Inter Milan can extend their three-point lead at the top of the table away to Palermo on Sunday.

It was another impressive result for Napoli, who drew 4-4 at Roma last week, and the victory moved the newly-promoted side up to fifth in the table ahead of Sunday's matches.

But Juve were left fuming by the two spot-kicks that cost them a point. The visitors took the lead just 38 seconds after the restart as Raffaele Palladino exchanged passes with David Trezeguet before setting up Del Piero to score from six yards.

The lead didn't last long, though, as Gargano picked up the ball up in midfield and went on a mazy run, beating three players before blasting the ball home past Gianluigi Buffon.

But just after the hour mark the referee awarded the first of two questionable penalties to the hosts.

First Girogio Chiellini was adjudged to have brought down Ezequiel Lavezzi when his tackle looked clean and then Buffon was punished for bringing down Marcelo Zalayeta, who appeared to have dived.

Both times Domizzi sent Buffon the wrong way from 12 yards.

Napoli coach Edy Reja defended the referee's penalty decisions. "From my position on the bench they both seemed to be very clear spot-kicks," he said.

In the day's other game, Torino eased their relegation worries and compounded their opponents' with a 2-0 home success over Cagliari.

The injury-depleted Torino welcomed back Uruguay forward Alvaro Recoba but he soon limped off to be replaced by Marco Motta.

Cagliari enjoyed much of the better early exchanges and almost took the lead on 32 minutes but Daniele Conti's diving header grazed the post.

Torino too hit the woodwork in the first half as Motta's cross was headed against the post by Tommaso Vailatti Marco Fortin beaten in the Cagliari goal.

The hosts broke the deadlock on 71 minutes as a deflection left Alessandro Rosina clean through on goal to beat the helpless Fortin.

Cagliari's misery was doubled late on as Motta's header took a wicked deflection off Michele Ferri for a cruel own goal.

The match of the weekend on Sunday takes place at the San Siro as European champions AC Milan look for their first home league win of the season against fourth-placed Roma.

Milan have drawn three and lost one of their first four home league matches and already sit 10 points off Inter as they languish just four points above the relegation zone down in 11th place.

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AS Roma striker Francesco Totti has been ruled out of Sunday's big Serie A match at AC Milan with an ankle injury.

The 31-year-old captain, who took a knock in Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon, has not been included in Luciano Spalletti's squad for the trip to San Siro, Roma's Web site (www.asroma.it) said on Saturday.

Totti is set to be replaced by Mirko Vucinic, who scored a superb winning goal against the Portuguese side.

Roma are fourth in Serie A with European champions Milan languishing in midtable after eight matches

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Brief reports of Serie A matches played on Sunday.

CATANIA 2 SAMPDORIA 0 The home side took a second-minute lead when Giuseppe Mascara slotted in with precision after the defence failed to clear a cross.

Fellow attacker Jorge Martinez then headed in a corner just before halftime to send the Sicilians up to eighth.

Fiery Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano argued with team mates after being substituted just before halftime while Samp's best chance was when Angelo Palombo headed against the bar from almost on the line. - - - - EMPOLI O ATALANTA 1 Cristiano Doni broke the deadlock for the visitors in the second half of a largely forgettable match.

Empoli showed little of the fluency that helped them win 1-0 at AC Milan last weekend.

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LAZIO 0 UDINESE 1

Asamoah Gyan's close range header from Antonio Di Natale's pinpoint cross on 78 minutes gave the visitors a hard-fought victory.

Udinese striker Fabio Quagliarella had an early effort ruled out for offside by a lineswoman while 43-year-old Lazio keeper Marco Ballotta saved well from Gyan.

Depleted Lazio looked like a shadow of a team in the Champions League with striker Tommaso Rocchi heading well wide with their best opportunity.

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AC MILAN 0 AS ROMA 1 Mirko Vucinic headed in Cicinho's cross at the near post on 72 minutes to inflict more misery on struggling AC Milan and show that he can fill the boots of the injured Francesco Totti.

Mid-table Milan, who have yet to win at home in the league this season, also had Massimo Ambrosini sent off when he picked up a second yellow for pulling Daniele De Rossi's shirt and conceding an 80th minute penalty.

De Rossi missed the spot kick when he tried to chip Dida and instead sent the ball over the bar but Roma held on despite two Alberto Gilardino headers going close.

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PALERMO 0 INTER 0

Leaders Inter came closest to taking the three points when defender Cristian Chivu rattled the bar with a curling free kick.

Midfielder Dejan Stankovic went close with a volley before going off injured along with goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a late shout for a penalty but Palermo could have snatched a win too.

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PARMA 3 LIVORNO 2

Domenico Morfeo grabbed the winner for Parma on 74 minutes after a seesaw battle between potential relegation candidates.

Stefano Morrone nodded the home side into the lead following a scrappy corner but Francesco Tavano equalised midway through the first half in a counter-attack by the basement side.

Striker Tavano converted a penalty five minutes into the second half for handball by Massimo Paci, who atoned with a powerful headed equaliser four minutes later.

Morfeo then pounced before Livorno's Daniele De Vezze was dismissed in stoppage time for kicking him to the ground.

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SIENA 0 REGGINA 0

Shots on goal were rare in this turgid encounter which demonstrated why the pair now find themselves in the bottom three.

Forward Nicola Amoruso came closest for the visitors when he hit the bar.

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Playing later

GENOA v FIORENTINA 1930 GMT

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Played Saturday

NAPOLI 3 JUVENTUS 1

Two highly controversial penalties condemned Juventus to their second league defeat.

Alessandro Del Piero gave Juve the lead straight after the break when keeper Gennaro Iezzo fumbled his close-range effort into the net but Napoli hit back quickly when Walter Gargano cut through the defence to blast home a powerful shot.

Maurizio Domizzi then converted two penalties on 62 and 70 minutes after Giorgio Chiellini was harshly adjudged to have fouled Ezequiel Lavezzi and former Juve striker Marcelo Zalayeta appeared to dive over keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

David Trezeguet headed against the bar for Juve and Del Piero fired the rebound over when it was easier to score.

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TORINO 2 CAGLIARI 0

Forward Alessandro Rosina had a simple finish after Roberto Stellone's pass took a deflection into his path midway through the second half and Michele Ferri diverted a late corner into his own net.

Torino, who lost Alvaro Recoba early due to injury, struck the woodwork twice in the first period while Cagliari's Daniele Conti hit the post with a low free kick in the second.

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Brief reports of Wednesday's Serie A matches.

AS ROMA 3 LAZIO 2

Roma's eye-catching movement was again on show as they came from behind to beat rivals Lazio in the 129th Rome league derby.

Tommaso Rocchi netted after 12 minutes to put Lazio ahead but Roma, again without injured captain Francesco Totti, soon equalised with Mirko Vucinic's third goal in three games.

Mancini then put Roma in front before halftime after a neat one-two with Mexes and Simone Perrotta cleverly scored a third.

Cristian Ledesma pulled one back when his freekick went in off the bar but Lazio lost despite the efforts of 43-year-old goalkeeper Marco Ballotta on his 200th Serie A appearance.

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ATALANTA BERGAMO 2 CAGLIARI 2

Michele Fini's penalty before halftime boosted the visitors after Atalanta striker Riccardo Zampagna, later sent off, had blocked a cross with his arm.

Cagliari appeared to have won another penalty early in the second period but the officials changed their mind and Atalanta defender Daniele Capelli equalised from close range.

Alessandro Matri thought he had won it for the Sardinians but another peach of a freekick from Cristiano Doni brought the hosts level again 10 minutes from time.

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FIORENTINA 1 NAPOLI 0

Christian Vieri clipped in Adrian Mutu's low cross after 60 minutes to keep unbeaten Fiorentina on the tail of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

Napoli's Roberto Sosa had a header harshly ruled out for a slight push as he jumped but the visitors did not have the fluency shown in last weekend's 3-1 win over Juve.

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INTER MILAN 4 GENOA 1

Defender Ivan Cordoba nodded the leaders ahead in the eighth minute after Hernan Crespo's header rebounded off the bar from Javier Zanetti's cross.

Esteban Cambiasso tapped in the second after Luis Figo's weak free kick was spilled before Abdoulay Konko grabbed one back for the visitors.

David Suazo went straight up the other end to score his first Inter goal thanks to some chaotic Genoa defending and the Honduran was then brought down with four minutes to go for a penalty which Julio Cruz converted.

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JUVENTUS 3 EMPOLI 0

David Trezeguet bagged his second hat-trick of the season but Juventus had to wait until the second half to erase memories of Saturday's controversial 3-1 defeat at Napoli.

They took the lead five minutes after the break when Trezeguet was felled by the legs of Empoli goalkeeper Daniele Balli and then just about converted the penalty himself.

The France striker grabbed his second when he rose to head in a freekick at the near post and made it 10 goals for the season with a tap in after Balli parried Tiago's effort.

Empoli are now third from bottom.

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PALERMO 1 PARMA 1

Amauri's late penalty saved a point for the Sicilians after Stefano Morrone gave the visitors an early lead when he was left unmarked in the area to guide the ball inside the far post.

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REGGINA 1 LIVORNO 3

Livorno swapped places with Reggina at the bottom after their first victory of the season.

Nico Pulzetti put the visitors ahead when he shot through goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo's legs from the edge of the box.

Experienced striker Nicola Amoruso hit back quickly with a header after 37 minutes when the defence failed to clear.

Reggina's Carlo Valdez netted an own goal and Livorno's Fausto Rossini clinched the win with a breakaway goal late on.

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SAMPDORIA 0 AC MILAN 5

Milan earned only their third league win of the season but did it in crushing style.

Striker Alberto Gilardino was the key, setting up Kaka for a simple finish and then heading in the second before an excellent tight turn in the area allowed the 25-year-old to make it 3-0.

Yoann Gourcuff and Clarence Seedorf added the other goals for the European champions, who were without suspended midfielder Massimo Ambrosini.

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SIENA 1 CATANIA 1

Juan Vargas's late goal for Catania levelled matters after Paolo De Ceglie had scored for the hosts with 10 minutes to go.

Massimo Maccarone had a swivelling effort saved in the first half before his penalty was blocked by Ciro Polito after Lorenzo Stovini carelessly brought down Tomas Locatelli.

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UDINESE 2 TORINO 1

The home side triumphed in a frantic match which included two red cards.

Striker Antonio Floro Flores headed in Fabio Quagliarella's knock back from a corner to give Udinese the lead.

Torino midfielder Tommaso Vailatti was then sent off just before the break for kicking out at an opponent.

Swiss Goekhan Inler bagged the second for the hosts with a swerving long range effort before Udinese's Andrea Dossena was also dismissed and Nicola Ventola grabbed one back for Toro.

Udinese decided not to play striker David Di Michele amid confusion about whether his three-month suspension for illegal betting expired on Wednesday or Thursday.

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AC Milan failed to register its first Serie A win at the San Siro this season on Saturday night as they played out a goalless draw with Torino.

Under-fire coach Carlo Ancelotti watched in frustration as his side dominated for long periods but failed to take the chances which came their way with Italy striker Alberto Gilardino particularly profligate.

Saturday night's other game saw Fiorentina move up to second with a 1-0 win at Lazio. Giampaolo Pazzini netted the only goal after 19 minutes and the hosts finished with 10 men after Massimo Mutarelli was shown a red card in the final minute.

On Sunday, leaders Internazionale visit arch-rivals Juventus while Roma go to Empoli.

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Juventus winger Mauro Camoranesi fired home a 77th-minute equaliser to deny arch-rivals Internazionale a vital three points on Sunday night.

A match billed as the biggest in Serie A so far this season seemed to be heading the way of the Serie A leaders when Julio Cruz put them in front four minutes before half-time.

But substitute Camoranesi grabbed a leveller with 13 minutes to go to frustrate the Nerazzurri, whose lead at the top of the standings was cut to two points over the weekend following Fiorentina's 1-0 win at Lazio on Saturday night.

Giampaolo Pazzini grabbed the Viola's winner after 19 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma missed the chance to go second after squandering a 2-0 lead at Empoli.

The Giallorossi looked in an unassailable position at half-time thanks to goals from Ludovic Giuly and Matteo Brighi.

But the struggling hosts, and striker Ighli Vannucchi in particular, launched a fightback which was as impressive as it was unexpected.

Vannucchi reduced the arrears midway through the second half and substitute Sebastian Giovinco snatched a last-gasp equaliser to deny the Romans.

Fifth-placed Udinese survived some anxious moments before extending their unbeaten run to eight games with a goalless draw at Livorno while Atalanta are up to sixth thanks to a 2-1 win at Catania.

Cristiano Doni missed a penalty for the visitors in a goalless first period, but they seemed to be cruising to victory after two strikes in as many second-half minutes from Antonio Langella.

Gionatha Spinesi brought the Sicilians back into the game with eight minutes remaining but they could not find an equaliser.

Reggina came within seconds of registering their first win of the season - and handing new coach Renzo Ulivieri a debut win - only to be foiled at the death by Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi.

The struggling Amaranto had taken a 55th-minute lead through Luca Vigiani's header. And with Reggina goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo saving a 75th-minute penalty from substitute Emanuele Calaio, the visitors looked on course for their first success of what has been an awful season so far.

But Lavezzi struck just before the end to keep the Calabrians firmly rooted to the bottom of the table while Napoli climb to seventh.

Genoa were pegged back twice by Palermo as the two sides shared six goals at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

The visitors were ahead after eight minutes through Edison Cavani and veteran goalkeeper Alberto Fontana kept the home side out until the 58th minute, when a Leon free-kick brought them level.

Leon put the home side ahead for the first time in the 65th minute, but Franco Brienza levelled matters 10 minutes later.

Marco Borriello thought he had won the game for Genoa in the 81st minute, but a header from Amauri in the last minute meant Palermo left with a point, thanks mainly to their irrepressible goalkeeper.

Sampdoria won 3-0 at Cagliari thanks to first-half goals from Sergio Volpi, Andrea Caracciolo and Christian Maggio. The visitors did have Mirko Pieri sent off in the 68th minute, however.

Daniele Galloppa's late equaliser earned strugglers Siena a 2-2 at Parma.

Saturday's other game saw AC Milan fail to register their first Serie A win at the San Siro this season as they played out a goalless draw with Torino.

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Brief reports from Serie A matches played on Sunday:

CAGLIARI 0 SAMPDORIA 3

Sampdoria recovered from Wednesday's 5-0 home defeat to AC Milan to crush Cagliari 3-0 in Sardinia.

Sergio Volpi gave Samp the lead in the 33rd minute with a thunderous, right-footed shot from outside the area.

Andrea Caracciolo fired home the rebound of his own effort six minutes later and Christian Maggio headed in a Claudio Bellucci free kick to seal the win just before half time.

Samp's Mirko Pieri was sent off in the 68th for a nasty foul on Pasquale Foggia.

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CATANIA 1 ATALANTA 2

Atalanta claimed the points thanks to two Antonio Langella goals scored in the space of two minutes in the second half.

Catania reduced the deficit eight minutes from time thanks to Gionatha Spinesi's right-footed shot from the edge of the area.

Atalanta's Cristiano Doni missed a spot-kick, conceded for a foul on Sergio Floccari, in the 24th minute.

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EMPOLI 2 AS ROMA 2

The Tuscan minnows came from two goals down to earn a draw that lifted them out of the relegation zone.

French midfielder Ludovic Giuly opened the score in the 13th minute with a precise shot into the far corner after some neat passing at the edge of the box.

Matteo Brighi headed in a cross from Brazilian winger Mancini to double the lead in the 32nd.

Ighli Vannucchi pulled one back for Empoli with a long-distance strike in the 67th and Sebastian Giovinco stunned title contenders Roma with a splendid stoppage-time free kick.

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GENOA 3 PALERMO 3

The Sicilians went ahead in the eighth minute when Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani tucked away a low Fabio Simplicio pass from the baseline.

Julio Leon rifled in a free kick to equalise in the 59th and then put the home side in front seven minutes later, only for Palermo's Franco Brienza to even things up again with a header in the 76th.

Genoa thought they had won when Marco Borriello fired home in the 82nd but Brazilian striker Amauri headed in a Simplicio free kick to snatch a draw in stoppage time.

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LIVORNO 0 UDINESE 0

A second-half effort by Livorno striker Alessandro Diamanti that produced a great save from Udinese keeper Samir Handanovic was the highlight of an uneventful draw.

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NAPOLI 1 REGGINA 1

The arrival of new coach Renzo Ulivieri, who replaced the sacked Massimo Ficcadenti on Thursday, was not enough to spur basement club Reggina to their first win of the season.

Napoli's Argentine striker Ezequiel Lavezzi scrambled home a late goal to cancel out Luca Vigiani's 54th-minute header. Napoli's Emanuele Calaio missed a penalty in the 76th after Salvatore Aronica brought down Lavezzi.

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PARMA 2 SIENA 2

Parma striker Bernardo Corradi, on loan from Manchester City, broke free of his markers to slip home a Reginaldo cross in the 23rd minute.

Paolo De Ceglie levelled matters 10 minutes later with a fine, diagonal, left-footed effort.

Parma regained the lead in the second half with Davide Matteini but Daniele Galloppa earned Siena a draw with a fine strike that took a deflection on its way to the net in the closing stages.

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JUVENTUS 1 INTER MILAN 1

Inter took the lead in the 41st minute through Argentine striker Julio Cruz, who controlled midfielder Cesar's defence-splitting pass with his chest and slotted the ball past Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Juve midfielder Mauro Camoranesi came off the bench to earn his side a draw, finding the net from the centre of the penalty area in the 77th minute after Vincenzo Iaquinta's header.

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Played on Saturday:

AC MILAN 0 TORINO 0

European champions AC Milan are still seeking their first league win of the season at home after being held to a goalless draw by a dogged Torino side.

Alberto Gilardino wasted two excellent chances laid on by Clarence Seedorf in the first half.

Milan had a shout for a penalty denied after the break when Cesare Natali barged Massimo Ambrosini over in the area.

Filippo Inzaghi fired into the side netting when clean through on goal in the 78th minute.

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LAZIO 0 FIORENTINA 1

Giampaolo Pazzini pounced to score the winner in the 19th minute after a blunder by Lazio's 43-year-old keeper Marco Ballotta, who let go of the ball as he tried to stop a back header going out for a corner.

Pazzini almost made it 2-0 in the 74th when he shot against the crossbar.

Fiorentina's French keeper Sebastien Frey did well to keep out an angled Massimo Mutarelli effort eight minutes from time. Mutarelli was sent off in stoppage time after picking up a second yellow card.

The victory maintained Fiorentina's unbeaten record.

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Brief reports on Italian Serie A matches played on Sunday.

ATALANTA BERGAMO v AC MILAN

Abandoned after seven minutes with the scores at 0-0 after fans tried to break down a glass barrier keeping them from the pitch.

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FIORENTINA 1 UDINESE 2

Second-placed Fiorentina went down to their first defeat in 21 games in all competitions since April.

Italy forwards Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Di Natale scored either side of halftime for Udinese, who are now fifth on 22 points, with Fiorentina striker Giampaolo Pazzin netting inbetween.

The hosts were hampered late on by defender Manuel Pasqual being dismissed on 83 minutes.

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INTER MILAN v LAZIO

The match was postponed until an undecided date after a Lazio fan was accidently shot by a policeman during clashes with Juventus supporters at a service station near Arezzo before kick off.

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PARMA 2 JUVENTUS 2

Juventus rose to third after rallying from two down at coach Claudio Ranieri's former club Parma.

Andrea Gasbarroni's penalty just before halftime and Andrea Pisanu's strike on 57 minutes put struggling Parma on top before Nicola Legrottaglie and Vincenzo Iaquinta netted from close range for the visitors.

Juve's Giorgio Chiellini and Parma's Domenico Morfeo were sent off for wrestling in between Juve's two goals. Parma's Ferdinand Coly was also sent off in stoppage time when Iaquinta had a goal ruled out for a foul.

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REGGINA 2 GENOA 0

Reggina moved off the bottom with new coach Renzo Ulivieri beginning to work his magic.

Experienced striker Nicola Amoruso netted on half an hour and the home nerves were eased with Inacio Jose Joelson's finish nine minutes from time.

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SIENA 2 LIVORNO 3

Livorno's pick-up in form continues but they remain in the bottom three despite being on nine points with Siena in 16th.

Francesco Tavano gave the visitors a 17th minute lead but Massimo Maccarone hit back straight away, only for Martin Bergvold to restore Livorno's lead on 31 minutes.

Dario Knezevic increased their advantage before halftime and Simone Loria's stoppage-time strike was too late for Siena to salvage the Tuscan derby.

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TORINO 1 CATANIA 1

The home side took the lead after a quarter of an hour through Dominique Malonga but Jorge Martinez grabbed an equaliser for Catania on 63 minutes despite the Sicilians being reduced to 10 men on 26 minutes when Juan Vargas was sent off.

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AS ROMA v CAGLIARI

Late game postponed as a result of violence at other games and as mark of respect to their city rivals Lazio following the death of one of their fans.

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Played on Saturday:

SAMPDORIA 3 EMPOLI 0

Samp took an early lead when Sergio Volpi's free kick went in off defender Guillermo Giacomazzi.

Experienced striker Vincenzo Montella doubled their advantage before halftime and Paolo Sammarco tapped in a late third to help the Genoa-based side erase memories of the 5-0 hammering by AC Milan in their last home game.

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PALERMO 2 NAPOLI 1

Palermo came from behind to win thanks to a second-half double from Giovanni Tedesco.

The first top-flight meeting between the sides in 34 years lost some of its edge when Napoli fans were banned from the Stadio Renzo Barbera because of recent crowd trouble. But the players still served up an entertaining game.

Mariano Bogliacino gave promoted Napoli a surprise lead in the second half but midfielder Tedesco levelled on 57 minutes when his clever lob took a deflection on its way into the top corner.

The derby of the two Sicilies, so called because of former monarchs who ruled Sicily and the kingdom of Naples, was settled in the 67th minute when Tedesco turned in a corner from close range.

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Brief reports from Serie A matches played on Sunday:

JUVENTUS 5 PALERMO 0

Juve went second after overrunning the Sicilians with some clinical play.

Serie A's top scorer David Trezeguet netted his 11th of the campaign when he cleverly hooked in Nicola Legrottaglie's header from a corner before Vincenzo Iaquinta scored at the second attempt on 41 minutes following Mauro Camoranesi's great cross.

Substitute Alessandro Del Piero bent in a trademark second-half freekick, Marco Marchionni kept his cool to make it four and Del Piero completed the rout from the spot after Pavel Nedved was adjudged to have been fouled in stoppage time.

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Played earlier on Sunday:

CAGLIARI 1 MILAN 2

Andrea Pirlo's late freekick which somehow evaded home keeper Marco Fortin helped Milan come from behind for victory.

The home side had got off to a perfect start under new coach Nedo Sonetti when Robert Acquafresca powered in a header from a corner on four minutes.

Milan were awarded a soft penalty just before halftime when Paolo Bianco was adjudged to have pulled Ronaldo's shirt as the Brazilian, making his first appearance of the season, tried to reach Gennaro Gattuso's header. Fortin dived to his right though to turn away Kaka's penalty.

Ronaldo hit a post and Acquafresca nearly put the bottom side back infront when Daniele Bonera cleared his effort off the line. Gilardino grabbed Milan's equaliser when he took advantage of some sloppy defending to flick home on 61 minutes.

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EMPOLI 0 TORINO 0

The game ended goalless despite Torino playmaker and Italy hopeful Alessandro Rosina again pulling the strings with some exquisite play.

Enmpoli, who made the UEFA Cup after a stunning league performance last season, edge off the bottom with the point.

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LAZIO 1 PARMA 0

Fabio Firmani's last-minute goal gave the home side an emotional victory after they remembered fan Gabriele Sandri, shot dead by a policeman two weeks ago.

Andrea Gasbarroni shot over after a strong first half run for the visitors and Lazio defender Lionel Scaloni hit the post with a searing shot before Firmani smacked the woodwork from long range.

Lazio's Lorenzo De Silvestri, a friend of Sandri, had his name sewn into his boots while before kick off players from both sides paid their respects at a huge photo of Sandri behind the goal.

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LIVORNO 3 SAMPDORIA 1

Livorno's Croatian defender Dario Knezevic headed in Giovanni Pasquale's cross on eight minutes before Francesco Tavano quickly doubled the home side's advantage when the striker cleverly turned in a free kick from the right.

Tavano was on fire and soon had a dipping free kick tipped over the bar among other efforts as Livorno made a mockery of their lowly league place.

Claudio Bellucci's acrobatic effort gave Sampdoria hope in the final 10 minutes but it was too late and Tavano grabbed a deserved second in the final stages.

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NAPOLI 2 CATANIA 0

Former Juventus striker Marcelo Zalayeta put Napoli ahead just before the break when he ambled through a gap in the Catania defence and kept his cool to finish expertly.

The Uruguayan repeated the trick midway through the second half to help promoted Napoli continue their strong return to the top flight.

Influential Napoli midfielder Ezequiel Lavazzi went close with a well-worked effort on half an hour and the home side could have scored more on several occasions.

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REGGINA 0 FIORENTINA 0

The visitors, without injured striker Adrian Mutu, lacked their usual cutting edge and flowing style in a dull draw.

The home side appealed for handball inside the box in the first half but the referee awarded a freekick to Fiorentina for pushing.

Fiorentina were without coach Cesare Prandelli, who missed the trip because of illness.

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UDINESE 2 SIENA 0

The hosts moved up to joint second after comfortably beating the Tuscan strugglers despite being reduced to 10 men at the break.

Italy forward Fabio Quagliarella avoided being flagged offside when he tapped in for Udinese on 43 minutes but the home side's joy was soon tempered when defender Felipe was dismissed for a second booking.

Home boss Pasquale Marino, who signed a new long-term contract on Saturday, looked stunned by the decision in the dugout but was relieved when Antonio Di Natale finished off international team mate Quagliarella's pass late on.

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Played on Saturday:

INTER MILAN 2 ATALANTA 1

Honduran striker David Suazo put leaders Inter ahead in the 10th minute when he drilled home following a neat one-two with Julio Cruz.

Argentine forward Cruz tapped in after a Suazo cross bounced off the far post to double the lead on 30 minutes.

Sergio Floccari pulled one back for the visitors six minutes before halftime with a splendid right-footed strike from the edge of the box.

Atalanta's Simone Inzaghi was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time.

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GENOA 0 AS ROMA 1

Former Genoa player Christian Panucci rose to head home a David Pizarro freekick in the 90th minute in a carbon copy of the late goal he scored to hand Italy a 2-1 victory over Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier last weekend.

The home side were lucky not to give away a penalty in the 55th minute when defender Francesco Bega tugged Roma striker Mirko Vucinic's shirt in the area.

Genoa's Matteo Paro hit the post with a powerful strike from outside the box in 69th minute while home goalkeeper Rubinho deflected a Vucinic header onto the crossbar and blocked Daniele De Rossi's attempt to knock in the rebound in the 75th. (Reporting by Mark Meadows and Paul Virgo; Editing by Justin Palmer)

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Brief reports from Italian Serie A matches played on Sunday:

TORINO 1 GENOA 1


The points were shared in a midtable scrap which burst to life after a dull first half.

Former Milan striker Marco Borriello scored his seventh of the season when he slid home Fabiano's low cross early in the second half to put Genoa ahead.

The hosts, who peppered the goal after the break, equalised soon after when a goalmouth scramble was finished off by Salvatore Lanna on the line.

Torino's on-loan Inter forward Alvaro Recoba, picked with fellow attackers Alessandro Rosina and David Di Michele for the first time this term, wore a face mask after undergoing dental surgery to alleviate a muscle problem.

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ATALANTA 5 NAPOLI 1

The Bergamo side romped into sixth place and brought Napoli's run of good form to a sudden halt.

Sergio Floccari started the rout on six minutes before Antonio Langella and in-form midfielder Cristiano Doni extended their advantage.

Moris Carrozzieri added another after the interval and Ferreira Pinto made it five but Napoli's Roberto Sosa scored the pick of the bunch with a fabulous dipping shot, albeit in vain.

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CAGLIARI 0 LIVORNO 0

A goalless draw with very few chances which will help neither of the strugglers, although Livorno will be more satisfied with the away point.

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CATANIA 3 PALERMO 1

The home side easily won the Sicilian derby to hand Francesco Guidolin an unhappy start to his fourth spell in charge of Palermo.

Visiting fans were banned from attending after a policeman was killed outside last season's corresponding fixture in February. The Palermo bus was pelted with eggs this time but there were no reports of major trouble.

In the first half, Giuseppe Mascara put Catania ahead and striker Gionatha Spinesi netted a 41st-minute penalty. Fabio Caserta dragged Palermo back into the game on 63 but was soon harshly sent off for showing one set of studs in a tackle.

Jorge Martinez completed Catania's victory a minute from time with a superb curling effort.

- - - -

FIORENTINA 0 INTER 2

Inter maintained their lead in the standings with Luis Jimenez opening the scoring on 10 minutes with an emphatic finish after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's clever pass before the Swede also played in strike partner Julio Cruz to make it two on halftime.

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli took charge of his side for the first time since his wife died last week.

The hosts welcomed back talismanic striker Adrian Mutu from injury but the Romanian, along with substitute Christian Vieri, could not inspire a comeback.

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PARMA 1 EMPOLI 0

New Empoli boss Alberto Malesani had an unfortunate return to Parma, where he won the 1999 UEFA Cup, as the home side clinched the battle of the strugglers thanks to Massimo Paci's first-half goal.

- - - -

AS ROMA 2 UDINESE 1

Roma went up to second with victory over nine-man Udinese, who had come into the match in great form.

Brazil defender Juan tapped in following Ludovic Giuly's shot but Italy striker Fabio Quagliarella equalised immediately for fourth-placed Udinese. Rodrigo Taddei put Roma ahead again on 27.

In the second half Udinese had Gianpiero Pinzi sent off for a tackle from behind and Andrea Dossena dismissed for protesting straight afterwards but Antonio Floro Flores still missed a good chance to level late on.

- - - -

SIENA 1 LAZIO 1

Lazio's hangover from their midweek Champions League defeat by Olympiakos continued at lowly Siena.

Goran Pandev put the Rome side ahead with a cool left-footed finish before Massimo Maccarone equalised just after the half hour when 43-year-old Lazio keeper Marco Ballotta dropped the ball at his feet.

- - - -

Played on Saturday:

SAMPDORIA 3 REGGINA 0 The home side moved on to 20 points with this comfortable victory and increased struggling Reggina's woes.

Antonio Cassano controlled the ball on the edge of the box before threading a pass for strike partner Claudio Bellucci to slot home on five minutes.

Paolo Sammarco poked home to extend the lead on 56 before Bellucci shot high into the net for his seventh of the campaign moments after Reggina defender Maurizio Lanzaro was dismissed for a second yellow.

- - - -

AC MILAN 0 JUVENTUS 0 Milan have still to win at home in the league this season after being held to a lively goalless draw by Juventus. Second-placed Juve had the better chances with David Trezeguet, the league's top scorer on 11 goals, striking the near post on 12 minutes after Cristiano Zanetti's superb lob over Milan's defence.

Stuttering Milan, who went close when new Ballon d'Or winner Kaka was denied by Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon, have now drawn five and lost two of their home Serie A games.

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Internazionale brushed aside struggling Lazio with an easy 3-0 victory to maintain their three-point lead over closest rivals Roma.

Roberto Mancini's side produced a stylish display with Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic opening the scoring with a well-taken penalty before Maicon added a second to give the Nerazzurri a two-goal lead at the break.

David Suazo, handed a start by Mancini alongside Ibrahimovic, justified his selection by netting his third goal of the season on 55 minutes to wrap up the win.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo Taddei's brace handed Roma a comfortable victory over Cagliari as the Giallorossi kept up the pressure on leaders Inter.

The Brazilian midfielder opened the scoring at the Stadio Olimpico on 28 minutes before adding his second eight minutes later.

Although Roma dominated the game for an hour, Cagliari did have their chances to equalize but failed to take advantage and left the Italian capital empty handed.

The outcome leaves Luciano Spalletti's side trailing three points behind Inter, but allows Roma to establish a five-point cushion over third-placed Juventus.

Both games were played on Wednesday after being postponed last month due to the death of a Lazio fan.

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Internazionale extended their lead at the top of Serie A to five points on Sunday after the Nerazzurri thrashed Torino while second-placed Roma could only draw 1-1 at Livorno.

Inter were in imperious form once again and extended their unbeaten start to 15 games with a 4-0 thrashing of Torino at the San Siro.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic set the hosts on their way after 37 minutes and second-half strikes from Julio Cruz, Luis Jimenez and Ivan Cordoba completed a comfortable win.

Roma had a much tougher afternoon in Leghorn.

Daniele De Rossi put the Giallorossi ahead after four minutes but Diego Tristan equalized two minutes later.

Juventus closed the gap on Roma to just three points after a late strike from Pavel Nedved was enough to give Claudio Ranieri's men a 1-0 win over Atalanta.

Fourth-placed Udinese came from behind to see off Sampdoria 3-2.

In an open game at the Friuli Stadium, it was the hosts who took the lead through Antonio Di Natale's strike midway though the first half but Claudio Bellucci equalized from the penalty spot shortly after.

Christian Maggio gave the visitors a 2-1 lead before the break.

However, Udinese hit back in the second half and Fabio Quagliarella restored parity on 70 minutes before scoring his second late in the game.

Individual performance of the day came from Empoli's Nicola Pozzi, who scored four times to lift his side off the foot of the table thanks to a 4-1 defeat of Cagliari, who slip to the bottom as a result.

Daniele Conti grabbed Cagliari's goal but it was a dismal performance from the Sardinians.

Another side struggling at the wrong end of the table, Siena, won 3-1 at Genoa. Genoa were blown away by three goals in the first 24 minutes with some shocking defending gifting the visitors all three points before the interval.

Two-goal Mario Frick scored the opener in the 11th minute with a Simone Loria goal sandwiched in between that and his second in the 24th minute.

Genoa substitute Lucho Figueroa scored a consolation with practically the only shot on goal in the second half.

On Saturday, there were wins for Lazio and Palermo.

Tommaso Rocchi and Goran Pandev netted for the Biancoceleste in their 2-0 win over Catania while Francesco Guidolin won his first game in his fourth spell as Palermo coach as the Rosaneri defeated Fiorentina by the same score.

Goals from Fabrizio Miccoli after 17 minutes and Fabio Simplicio 10 minutes from time settled the contest.

Marcelo Zalayeta scored the only goal as Napoli edged out Parma 1-0 in the evening game.