Serie A - Week 14: Sunday Review

A late Diego Milito penalty earned Inter a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina that lifted them seven points clear of new closest rivals AC Milan, who left it late to beat Catania 2-0, while Juventus were undone by Cagliari.

Inter 1-0 Fiorentina
Inter extended their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points, but left it late to beat a strong Fiorentina 1-0 at the San Siro. A penalty from Diego Milito five minutes from time earned the Nerazzurri all three points after the Viola had gone close to scoring with Alberto Gilardino hitting the post. Inter also had a Walter Samuel goal harshly ruled out in an evenly-contested game which could have gone either way, but finished in favour of the defending champions. The result saw Jose Mourinho's side take another step closer to yet another title as they opened up an seven-point lead over city rivals Milan.

Catania 0-2 Milan
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar sprang from the bench to lift AC Milan up to second in Serie A with two last-gasp goals to beat Catania 2-0. In a tense and largely tame encounter at the Stadio Massimino, only Ronaldinho really managed to perform at the kind of level Milan fans have become used to from their side in recent weeks. Catania failed to muster even one shot on goal, but they still deserved a point which was cruelly taken from them in stoppage time by Huntelaar, who broke the home fans' hearts with two goals - the second a sublime lob - to take Milan above Juventus and to within seven points of league leaders Inter.

Cagliari 2-0 Juventus
Juventus fell eight points behind leaders Inter after going down to their second away defeat of the Serie A season, losing 2-0 at Cagliari. Nene opened the scoring after half-an-hour with substitute Alessandro Matri claiming the winner at the death as the Sardinians climbed to seventh. It concluded a miserable week for Juve, who meet Inter in the big showdown next Saturday night, after they were beaten by Bordeaux with the result putting their Champions League progress in doubt.

Parma 1-1 Napoli
Nicola Amoruso's late penalty earned Parma a point as their strong showing following last season's promotion continued. Napoli had led through German Denis' first-half strike but a foul by Salvatore Aronica, deputising for the suspended Leandro Rinaudo, on Davide Lanzafame allowed Amoruso to level matters with four minutes remaining. The visitors had Matteo Contini sent off for taking his protests at the penalty decision too far. The result took Parma to 24 points and meant they have still only been beaten once at home in advancing to fifth place on their return to the top flight. Napoli are just four points worse off but drop to 11th place as a result of the late setback but remain unbeaten under Walter Mazzarri after seven games.

Atalanta 1-2 Roma
Roma came from behind to see off Atalanta 2-1 and extend their unbeaten run to five matches. The struggling hosts, who were beaten by lowly Lumezzane in the Coppa Italia in midweek, took a shock lead through Fabio Ceravolo but Mirko Vucinic equalised just before half-time and Simone Perrotta grabbed the winner 19 minutes into the second period. It was a deserved win for the Giallorossi and gave further weight to the theory that Claudio Ranieri is starting to have an impact in the Italian capital.

Bari 2-1 Siena
Substitute Giuseppe Greco completed a rousing second-half fightback from Bari with an injury-time winner as they beat bottom club Siena 2-1. It was harsh for a visiting side, led for the first time by new coach Alberto Malesani, who took the lead in just the third minute through Simone Vergassola and defended their slender advantage for 75 minutes before Andrea Masiello's equaliser. That set the scene for Greco to convert fellow replacement Filippo Antonelli's 92nd-minute cross and ensure Siena remain rooted to the bottom of Serie A on six points.

Chievo 1-0 Palermo
New Palermo coach Delio Rossi got a reminder of the task in front of him as he lost his first Serie A match in charge of the club 1-0 at Chievo. Rossi had seen his team thrash Serie B's Reggina 4-1 in midweek in the Coppa Italia, but just in case he thought things were going to be straightforward, he was brought back to earth. Elvis Abbruscato got the only goal after 56 minutes to settle a game in which Palermo created chances without truly worrying Chievo. A disappointing afternoon for the visitors was completed in stoppage time when Fabio Liverani was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Lazio 0-0 Bologna
Lazio's run without a Serie A win continued as they were held to a goalless draw by fellow strugglers Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico. The Roman outfit, without a league victory since August 30, dominated the midfield and created the best chances with the visitors limited to counter-attacks. However, the Biancoceleste's struggles in front of goal continued, with Davide Ballardini's men having now failed to find the back of the net for the last three games. The visitors picked up the pace after the break but mustered little. The draw meant Lazio remained in 15th place in the table, level on 13 points with Bologna, heading into next weekend's city derby against Roma.

SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 28 November] - [Sunday 29 November]