Serie A - Week 20: Sunday Review

A Ronaldinho hat-trick helped AC Milan record a 4-0 victory over Siena that hauled them to within six points of the Serie A summit, on a day when Juventus slipped to fifth due to a 1-0 loss at Chievo. Elsewhere Roma eased to a 3-0 win over Genoa while Napoli were held by Palermo and Fiorentina lost.

Milan 4-0 Siena
Ronaldinho netted a hat-trick as AC Milan cruised to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Siena at the San Siro. The Brazil playmaker struck a first-half penalty, a second-half header and a stunning long-range shot late on after Marco Borriello had hit the Rossoneri's second with a wonderful volley on the half-hour. Siena's efforts to kick-start a dismal season were undermined by the 10th-minute dismissal of goalkeeper Gianluca Curci, which led to Ronaldinho's opening spot-kick as Leonardo's side cut the deficit to six points with a game in hand and the two Milanese clubs meet for the Derby della Madonnina next Sunday.

Chievo 1-0 Juventus
The pressure continues to mount on Ciro Ferrara after the Juventus boss saw his side's poor form continue with a 1-0 defeat at Chievo. Gennaro Sardo's stunning first-half strike proved to be the only goal of the game as Juve turned in a performance lacking energy and confidence which comes on the back of a 3-0 hammering at the hands of AC Milan in their last league outing. The Juventus board have voiced their confidence in Ferrara, and Wednesday's 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Napoli had boosted morale, but he is likely to come under scrutiny once again following an awful display in Verona.

Roma 3-0 Genoa
Luca Toni bagged his first goals since returning to Italy as Roma beat Genoa 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Toni scored his first since joining the Eternal City outfit on loan from Bayern Munich this month on the stroke of half-time after team-mate Simone Perrotta had put Roma ahead after 17 minutes. And Toni put the game beyond Genoa's reach on the hour mark. The outcome allowed Claudio Ranieri's side to leapfrog former club Juventus into third in the standings ahead of next week's clash between the pair in Turin.

Napoli 0-0 Palermo
Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis saved a penalty to help his team maintain their unbeaten home run this season with a stalemate against Palermo. De Sanctis parried away Fabrizio Miccoli's 22nd minute attempt after Rinaudo had brought down Edison Cavani inside the area. The result left Napoli in fourth position in the standings, just one point behind third-place Roma. The hosts have not lost in Serie A since Walter Mazzarri took over from Roberto Donadoni in October. Meanwhile, Palermo have now gone six games without a loss.

Fiorentina 1-2 Bologna
First-half goals from Henry Gimenez and Marco Di Vaio earned Bologna a surprise but valuable 2-1 away win at Fiorentina. Gimenez put the visitors ahead after 28 minutes and Di Vaio added a second on the stroke of half-time. Adrian Mutu pulled a goal back six minutes into the second half but Fiorentina could not find a second and Bologna secured only their fifth win of the season. The Rossoblu knew a defeat in Florence could see them drop into the relegation zone. But they secured a first away win of the campaign and hindered La Viola's Champions League ambitions.

Atalanta 3-0 Lazio
Lazio's unbeaten start to 2010 came to a shuddering halt at Atalanta as their woeful away form resurfaced with a 3-0 defeat in Bergamo. The Biancoceleste have only managed to collect five points on their travels since a 2-1 win at Chievo in August and they were second-best throughout against an Atalanta side which started the day second-from-bottom in Serie A. The result was never in doubt after Cristiano Doni's double inside the opening nine minutes put them in total control and it was no surprise when Simone Padoin added a third 10 minutes before the break. It represented a debut win for new boss Bortolo Mutti, who took over this week following the resignation of Antonio Conte. The win moves Atalanta up a place but they remain three points from safety.

Sampdoria 1-1 Catania
Sampdoria's winless run was extended to seven games in all competitions after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Catania in an uninspiring clash in Genoa. The home side, whose last Serie A victory was back in November, fell behind to a superb Cristian Llama free-kick but star striker Giampaolo Pazzini won and then converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give the hosts a share of the spoils. It was a well-earned point for Catania but not enough to take them out of the relegation zone. Indeed, the result sees them slip a place to 19th while fourth-bottom Bologna's win means the gap to safety now stands at three points.

Parma 0-0 Udinese
Neither Parma nor Udinese were able to put an end to their dismal runs of form as they recorded a goalless draw at the Stadio Tardini. Parma played for an hour with only 10 men after Daniele Galloppa was sent off while Nicola Amoruso had a penalty saved midway through the first half, but neither side managed to find the back of the net. The result leaves Udinese hovering above the bottom three and sees Parma lose further ground on the clubs challenging for a place in Europe next season.

SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 16 January] - [Sunday 17 January]