Serie A - Week 12: Sunday Review

Roma took the derby spoils with a 1-0 win over rivals Lazio in Serie A. Earlier AC Milan edged Chievo to move within a point of leaders Inter but Napoli could not follow suit after a late 3-1 setback at Atalanta. Fiorentina and Udinese fell to shock 1-0 defeats.

ROMA 1-0 LAZIO
Julio Baptista stopped the rot for Roma as his second-half goal sunk Lazio in the Derby della Capitale at the Stadio Olimpico. The Brazilian striker nodded in Francesco Totti's cross after 50 minutes to hand Roma their first win in Serie A since September 28. Lazio suffered a blow after 67 minutes when Christian Ledesma was handed his marching orders following a double booking. Roma also ended the game down to 10 men after Simone Perrotta was sent off three minutes from time. The outcome has left Roma three points clear of the drop zone and 16 behind Serie A leaders Inter after 11 games played.

AC MILAN 1-0 CHIEVO
Ricardo Kaka converted a controversial penalty to give AC Milan a 1-0 victory over a Chievo side who are now bottom of Serie A. Referee Andrea De Marco harshly pointed to the spot after 15 minutes, adjudging Kaka to have been felled by Davide Mandelli and the current FIFA World Player of the Year duly converted. Chievo desperately sought the equaliser but luck was not on their side and their fifth defeat on the trot leaves them propping up the rest. Injury-ravaged Milan, meanwhile, continue to keep up the pressure on leaders Inter and are still just a point behind their neighbours.

ATALANTA 3-1 NAPOLI
Late goals from Thomas Manfredini and Sergio Floccari ended 10-man Napoli's brave resistance and handed Atalanta a 3-1 win and three vital points in Bergamo. The visitors fell behind to Ferreira Pinto's 62nd-minute strike and saw their hopes of getting back into the contest diminish when striker Marcelo Zalayeta picked up his second yellow card four minutes later. Edy Reja's men did conjure a way back into the match, though, with Marek Hamsik converting a 73rd-minute penalty. It looked as though Hamsik's goal would earn Napoli a point but Manfredini struck with a minute to go before Floccari settled the game with a third for the home side.

UDINESE 0-1 REGGINA
A stunning strike by Franco Brienza gave Reggina their first away points of the season and lifted them off the foot of the table as high-flying Udinese fell to their first home defeat. Brienza's strike on the hour mark was enough to see the visitors record only their second victory of the season. Udinese's current poor run continued, though, and a third match without a win saw them slip to seventh in the standings, having led the LEAGUE earlier in the campaign.

CAGLIARI 1-0 FIORENTINA
Fiorentina were left to rue a number of wasted chances as they went down 1-0 to Cagliari in Sardinia. The home side produced a solid defensive display to hold onto a first-half lead taken after Robert Acquafresca found the net from the penalty spot. The win takes Massimiliano Allegri's side up to 12th while Fiorentina fall seven points behind leaders Inter.

CATANIA 3-2 TORINO
Giuseppe Mascara fired a superb hat-trick to give Catania a 3-2 victory in an entertaining clash with Torino at the Stadio Angelo Massimino. The visitors took a surprise lead after just seven minutes through Riccardo Colombo, but that lead lasted barely a minute before Mascara scored his first of the afternoon. The 29-year-old then put the home side in front after 39 minutes only for Torino to draw level shortly after the break through Nicola Amoruso's penalty. The game looked to be heading for a draw until local favourite Mascara, who was born in Sicily, completed his hat-trick with 10 minutes remaining.

SAMPDORIA 3-2 LECCE
Sampdoria pulled away from the lower reaches of Serie A with an action-packed victory over Lecce in Genoa. Goals from Gennaro Delvecchio and Antonio Cassano inside the first 15 minutes set the home side on their way. Simone Tiribocchi pulled one back after 55 minutes to put the pressure on Samp, who reacted with a strike from Marius Stankevicius five minutes later. Tiribocchi grabbed a second eight minutes from the end, but Samp held on for a win which lifts them above their opponents and clear of the bottom three.

SIENA 1-1 BOLOGNA
Siena remain unbeaten at home after a 1-1 draw with Bologna, although they would have been disappointed not to have grabbed victory after substitute Emanuele Calaio missed a second-half penalty. Abdelkader Ghezzal headed the Bianconeri into a 22nd-minute lead before Marco Di Vaio levelled matters with a penalty in first-half injury time. The home side had the chance to win the game when Calaio won a 76th-minute spot-kick, but after stepping up to take the penalty himself the striker sent his effort wide.

SERIE A REVIEW:
[Thursday 13 Nov] - [Saturday 15 Nov] - [Sunday 16 Nov]