Brief reports from Italian Serie A matches played on Sunday:

TORINO 0 INTER MILAN 1

The defending champions went six points clear with four games left after Julio Cruz’s diving header from a corner sealed a hard-fought win at struggling Torino.

Inter had their backs to the wall for long periods and were lucky to come away with a victory even though striker Mario Balotelli struck a post.

Gianni De Biasi, starting his third spell in charge of 16th placed Torino, will hope similar performances over the rest of the season can stave off the threat of relegation.

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AC MILAN 5 REGGINA 1

Kaka’s hat-trick, including two penalties, kept Milan in the hunt for a Champions League spot, albeit four points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina with four matches to play.

The Brazilian was brought down for the first penalty before Clarence Seedorf was tripped for the second.

Edgar Barreto pulled one back for the visitors with a fine strike five minutes before the break but Milan crushed the relegation-threatened side in the second half with Kaka, Filippo Inzaghi and Alexandre Pato on target.

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ATALANTA BERGAMO 0 JUVENTUS 4

Alessandro Del Piero’s hat-trick means the visitors are in the Champions League qualifiers barring a bizarre set of results in the last four games of the season.

Defender Nicola Legrottaglie headed in Del Piero’s free kick in the first minute although Guglielmo Stendardo may have got the last touch. Del Piero soon hooked in from close range and then ran on to a long ball to score again.

The 33-year-old blasted in his 17th of the league campaign in the second period to boost his hopes of an Italy recall.

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CAGLIARI 2 EMPOLI 0

Roberto Acquafresca and Michele Fini scored to lift the Sardinians further from the drop zone and leave Empoli in the bottom three.

Cagliari won despite Fini being dismissed when he received a second yellow for removing his shirt in celebrating his 65th-minute goal. Team mate Francesco Pisano was also sent off in the 78th for two bookings.

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CATANIA 1 LAZIO 0

Gionatha Spinesi’s first-half penalty sent the Sicilians five clear of the relegation zone.

Lazio had Luciano Zauri sent off in the 33rd minute and Ousmane Dabo dismissed in the 58th for two quickfire bookings, playing the last 32 minutes two men short.

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PARMA 1 NAPOLI 2

The hosts are one point above the drop zone after going ahead but then having three sent off as Napoli came back.

Parma striker Igor Budan belted a penalty down the middle midway through the first half after Cristiano Lucarelli, who later had an effort ruled out for offside, was fouled.

Napoli equalised on halftime through Maurizio Domizzi’s penalty after Parma’s Kenyan midfielder McDonald Mariga was harshly sent off for impeding Daniele Mannini.

Mariano Bogliacino put the visitors ahead on 74 minutes before Parma’s Giulio Falcone and Andrea Gasbarroni were dismissed alongside Napoli’s Walter Gargano as the game turned ugly.

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SAMPDORIA 3 UDINESE 0

Antonio Cassano’s header and Claudio Bellucci’s double kept Samp’s outside Champions League hopes alive.

Cassano nodded home a free kick on 24 minutes before his strike partner’s neat finish. Bellucci then blasted in an early second-half penalty to leave Udinese fretting over a UEFA Cup berth.

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SIENA 0 GENOA 1

Abdoulay Konko’s shot across the keeper moved Genoa three points behind Udinese in the battle for a UEFA Cup spot.

Gaetano De Rosa was sent off in the first half for a professional foul on Siena’s Massimo Maccarone but the hosts held on as Maccarone missed a couple of chances.

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Played on Saturday:

AS ROMA 1 LIVORNO 1

Roma’s title hopes suffered a double blow when they were held at home by the Tuscan strugglers and lost Francesco Totti to a knee ligament injury, which is likely to keep the striker out until the start of next season.

Relegation-threatened Livorno snatched a useful point through Alessandro Diamanti’s late free kick. Striker Mirko Vucinic had put a laboured Roma in front on 54 minutes with a looping header.

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FIORENTINA 1 PALERMO 0

The home side stayed on track for the fourth Champions League place with a scrappy win over Palermo, who had Leandro Rinaudo sent off for two yellows in the second period. Midfielder Marco Donadel sent a 25-metre shot just inside the near post in the first half to boost Fiorentina ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Cup semi-final, first leg at Rangers