Serie A - Week 4: Sunday Review

Sampdoria refuse to concede ground at the top of Serie A after beating Siena 4-1 to maintain their perfect start, on a day when both the Milan giants also triumphed, Genoa lost and Roma beat Fiorentina.

Sampdoria 4-1 Siena
Sampdoria continued their stunning start to the Serie A season with a 4-1 home victory over Siena. First-half goals from Angelo Palombo and Daniele Mannini set the hosts on their way and substitute Marco Padalino made an immediate impact to bag the third three minutes after the break. Michele Fini pulled one back for the visitors midway through the second half but Padalino soon restored his team's three-goal cushion as the Blucerchiati posted their fourth straight win to extend their 100 per cent start and move level with Juventus at the top of the table.

Cagliari 1-2 Inter
A quickfire double from Argentina striker Diego Milito helped champions Inter up to third place in Serie A with a 2-1 win at Cagliari. Jose Mourinho's side were slow out of the blocks after their goalless UEFA Champions League draw with Barcelona in midweek and Cagliari took advantage with Jeda scoring only the second goal of the Sardinians' season with a 16th-minute penalty. However, Inter displayed their character and two goals in four second-half minutes from Milito helped the Nerazzurri record their third win from four games to lie two points behind Juventus and Sampdoria, who have both won all their matches so far.

Roma 3-1 Fiorentina
Francesco Totti fired Roma to a thumping 3-1 victory over Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico. The Roma captain got the ball rolling for the hosts by converting from the penalty spot after 27 minutes before adding his second of the evening shortly after. Totti then provided the assist for Daniele De Rossi to make it 3-0 before half-time to Claudio Ranieri's side. Fiorentina mustered little in the opening half but showed more determination after the restart and Alberto Gilardino got a consolation goal with six minutes remaining.

Chievo 3-1 Genoa
Chievo shattered Genoa's 100 per cent start to the new Serie A campaign with a 3-1 victory in Verona. After three successive wins which yielded eight goals, the Grifoni were hoping to maintain their healthy position at the top of the table - but two goals in the first seven minutes proved their undoing. Michele Marcolini put Chievo ahead from the penalty spot in the fifth minute, and they doubled their lead through Erjon Bogdani. Sergio Floccari got one back after 65 minutes but Sergio Pellissier soon restored Chievo's two-goal advantage. Floccari had a late chance to make things interesting from the penalty spot but saw his effort saved.

Milan 1-0 Bologna
AC Milan left it late to pick up their second win of the season with a narrow victory over a defensive Bologna at the San Siro. Clarence Seedorf grabbed the winner in the 75th minute after the visitors had held firm against Milan's steady, yet rarely convincing attacks. The performance indicated that Milan are still short of their top form, but the result at least takes them back in the right direction after picking up just one point in their last two Serie A matches.

Bari 4-1 Atalanta
Bari poured more misery on struggling Atalanta by handing out a sound 4-1 thrashing, which mounts more pressure on new coach Angelo Gregucci. Emmanuel Rivas and Paulo Vito Barreto grabbed two goals in the space of three minutes early in the game and Edgar Alvarez made it 3-0 six minutes before the break. Bari, unbeaten so far this term, could have had more as Barreto missed a penalty early in the second half, so it fell to former Atalanta player Massimo Donati to stick the knife in his former club just after the hour mark, with Gianpaolo Bellini's late strike for Atalanta scant consolation for a club still seeking their first points of the season.

Parma 1-0 Palermo
Christian Zaccardo scored the only goal to give himself and Parma coach Francesco Guidolin a Serie A win over their former club Palermo. Guidolin guided the Sicilian side into the top flight during his time in charge, then took them into the UEFA Cup, but it was his current side that came away with their second win of the season at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. While the first half was all Parma, the second period belonged to the visitors and Guidolin could be grateful to a string of good saves from Antonio Mirante.

Catania 1-1 Lazio
Catania earned their first Serie A point of the season in a 1-1 draw against Lazio. Substitute Julio Cruz's 57th-minute equaliser for the Rome club cancelled out Jorge Martinez's first-half opener for the hosts. Gianluca Atzori's side were unlucky not to claim all three points with Martinez being denied by the post shortly after the hour mark. The Sicilian outfit dominated the game and should have taken their first win of the campaign but failed to make the most of their chances.

SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 19 September] - [Sunday 20 September]