Italian Serie A reports

Brief reports from Serie A matches played on Sunday:

INTER MILAN 2 FIORENTINA 0

Esteban Cambiasso and Mario Balotelli grabbed the second-half goals as Inter restored their four-point lead with five games to go.

Visiting keeper Sebastien Frey did his best to repel Inter but Cambiasso broke the deadlock on 55 minutes after good work from Patrick Vieira. Teenage striker Balotelli added the second soon after.

Fiorentina’s defeat gives fifth-placed AC Milan hope of overhauling the four-point gap in the race for the final Champions League spot.
 
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EMPOLI 1 PARMA 1

Cristiano Lucarelli’s deflected early header put Parma ahead but Sebastian Giovinco picked his spot to bring strugglers Empoli level after half an hour.

Empoli are one from bottom but just a point behind Hector Cuper’s Parma, who are one place above the drop zone with a game in hand at Juventus on Wednesday.

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GENOA 3 TORINO 0

Marco Di Vaio tapped in to give Genoa a deserved lead early in the second half after the home side had dominated the first period.

Strike partner and Serie A top scorer Marco Borriello then bagged his 19th of the season after Torino had failed to clear and Giuseppe Sculli made it three for Genoa, who have an outside chance of UEFA Cup qualification.

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LAZIO 1 SIENA 1

Simone Loria snatched a late equaliser for the visitors after Lazio’s Massimo Mutarelli had cracked home from outside the box just before the break.

The home side rested several players for Wednesday’s Italian Cup semi-final first leg with Inter Milan.

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LIVORNO 1 CAGLIARI 2 Robert Acquafresca scored twice to boost Cagliari’s hopes of beating the drop and leave the hosts in trouble at the bottom.

Livorno’s Fabio Galante slid home Antonio Filippini’s low cross after just two minutes but the Sardinians soon equalised when Acquafresca scored on the rebound and he grabbed his second with a confident finish in the second half.

Francesco Tavano missed a glorious chance for the hosts before Cagliari’s Alessandro Agostini struck the woodwork from distance. - - - - NAPOLI 2 ATALANTA BERGAMO 0

Slovakia’s Marek Hamsik broke the deadlock in the mid-table battle with a controlled finish after Ezequiel Lavezzi’s shot had been saved and the midfielder returned the favour when he crossed for Lavezzi to bundle home three minutes later.

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REGGINA 1 SAMPDORIA 0

Franco Brienza rounded the keeper to give Reggina fresh hope of avoiding the drop in Sampdoria coach Walter Mazzarri’s first return to his former club.

Reggina are third from bottom and a point from safety with five games to go.

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UDINESE 1 AS ROMA 3

Roma underlined their title aspirations by coming from behind to beat the UEFA Cup hopefuls.

Antonio Di Natale headed in at the far post to give Udinese the lead, prompting Roma keeper Doni to go eyeball-to-eyeball with team mate Christian Panucci, who was marking the Italy striker.

Roma deservedly equalised when Mirko Vucinic chested down David Pizarro’s pass to finish and Rodrigo Taddei put them ahead when his shot hit the woodwork twice before rolling in. Ludovic Giuly grabbed a third late on.

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Played on Saturday:

PALERMO 1 CATANIA 0 Substitute Fabrizio Miccoli curled in a marvellous free kick five minutes from time to give mid-table Palermo victory in the Sicilian derby and leave Catania in trouble.

The visitors, in Walter Zenga’s second game in charge, had the better of the first half with striker Gionatha Spinesi stabbing over but Palermo gradually improved with Amauri going close twice before former Juventus forward Miccoli struck.

- - - - JUVENTUS 3 AC MILAN 2 Bosnian winger Hasan Salihamidzic scored twice from close range as Juventus came back from 2-1 down to beat Milan 3-2.

The victory puts third-placed Juve in sight of a Champions League qualifying place and means Milan in fifth are likely to miss out.

Alessandro Del Piero put the hosts ahead before ex-Juve striker Filippo Inzaghi scored two trademark goals. Salihamidzic equalised on halftime and headed the winner 10 minutes from the end after Milan’s Daniele Bonera was sent off for a bad foul on Mohamed Sissoko