Roma Rally To Retain Lead, Inter And Juventus Keep Up Chase
MILAN, Jan 13 (AFP)
AS Roma showed champion pedigree Sunday when they came from two goals down to beat Verona 3-2 and ensure they stay top of the Italian first division.
The defending Scudetto holders had trailed to two goals from Verona's Romanian striker Adrian Mutu but prevailed thanks to an injury-time goal from Argentinian substitute Gabriel Batistuta.
Earlier strikes from Assuncao and another substitute Antonio Cassano had restored parity for Fabio Capello's side.
Second-placed Inter Milan stayed within a point of Roma by winning 2-0 at Perugia in a match played in thick fog.
The goals came in the second half when Italian international Christian Vieri scored his 12th goal in just 10 matches of what for him has been an injury-hit Serie A season and then Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba bagged his first of the campaign with both chances created by Sierra Leonian forward Mohamed Kallon.
Juventus kept up the pressure by winning 2-1 at bottom club Venezia to go third ahead of 10-man Chievo. The minnows from Verona were held 2-2 by Fiorentina, who grabbed a point with an injury-time goal from Brazilian Adriano, who joined the club on loan from Inter Milan this week.
A penalty from Eugenio Corini, later sent off, and a Lorenzo D'Anna goal looked to have secured victory for the hosts after Fiorentina, whose coach Roberto Mancini resigned earlier this week, had struck early through Portuguese forward Nuno Gomes but despite this setback they still have a game in hand.
"We did not play badly," insisted Chievo coach Luigi del Neri. "It was more that Fiorentina played very well and they had someone like Adriano."
At the Olympic Stadium Verona struck first in the fourth minute of first-half injury time when Mutu took advantage of a mistake by Roma's French defender Jonathan Zebina to put his side in the lead.
And seven minutes into the second period Mutu was the man again, walking the ball into the net despite appeals for offside.
Almost immediately Brazilian midfielder Assuncao reduced arrears for Roma and then teenager Cassano, who had just replaced Marco Delvecchio, volleyed his first Serie A goal for the champions.
Batistuta then struck to ensure the status quo is maintained at the top.
"We were worried," admitted Italo Galbiati who handled the side as Capello was banned from the touchline for this match. "They had us in trouble but we could rely on players like that (Cassano and Batistuta) to get us out of this hole."
"By letting Assuncao score just after we had gone 2-0 up we gave them hope," lamented Verona coach Alberto Malesani.
Juve looked like making short work of bottom club Venezia when their French striker David Trezeguet put them ahead after only five minutes, heading home a rebound.
But on a treacherous pitch Venezia hit back after 56 minutes when their Uruguayan midfielder Federico Magallanes scored after a well-worked move with Filippo Maniero.
Fifteen minutes from time Juve defender Mark Iuliano poached the winner.
"Our minds are focused firmly on the top of the table and the team is still growing in confidence even if Venezia made it difficult for us," said Juve coach Marcello Lippi.
AC Milan failed to make a significant move when they were held 0-0 by Brescia.
AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, asked if his team's title ambitions were now compromised, said simply: "Certainly not. There is a long way to go."
Even more serious is the plight of Lazio who are rapidly losing touch with the leading pack.
Piacenza striker Dario Hubner struck his 13th goal of the season at home to Lazio, a goal that was sufficient to give his side a 1-0 win over the Roman outfit and put the player on his own at the top of the division's goalscoring charts.
Lazio coach Alberto Zaccheroni said: "With greater determination and a better attitude we could have obtained the result we wanted. We need results and unless we get them soon there is no point thinking about the Scudetto."
Parma had to settle for a 1-1 home draw to Lecce. French defender Martin Djetou gave them the lead but then Ivory Coast international Cyril Konan snatched a point for the southerners.
At Bergamo Atalanta's Cristiano Doni gave his side an early lead from the penalty spot following a foul which had seen Bologna defender Marcello Castellini sent off.
That was the recently-capped Italian international's 12th goal of the campaign and in-form Daniele Berretta then made it 2-0.
Shortly before the interval Renato Olive reduced arrears and after Berretta had been sent off Emanuele Brioschi struck late for Bologna for a 2-2 draw.
Torino pulled off a 3-1 home win against Udinese. Striker Cristiano Lucarelli put them ahead with a first-half penalty but before the break Vincenzo Iaquinta levelled the scores.
But further goals from Riccardo Maspero and Lucarelli settled the match for Torino, a boost for coach Giancarlo Camolese, reportedly facing the sack if his side had lost this match.
