Juventus Beats Inter
Copyright � 1998 Nando.net
Copyright � 1998 Reuters
MILAN (Oct 25, 1998 - 18:14 EST) -- Fiorentina stayed top of the table, and nine-man Juventus beat archrival Inter Milan on Sunday -- but the Serie A action was overshadowed by the revelation of a corruption inquiry.
A town mayor in northern Italy, Lorenzo Repetto, was being investigated by the football federation over allegations that he tried to bribe a referee before Sampdoria's match against Empoli.
Repetto met Farina in the referee's insurance office last week and allegedly sought to persuade the match official to help Empoli, which is run by Fabrizio Corsi, an associate of Repetto.
But Repetto later claimed it was all "a big misunderstanding" and that he had only asked for Farina's help in organizing a charity match and that the referee had simply got his wires crossed.
Back on the pitch, Juventus had Zinedine Zidane and Dutchman Edgar Davids sent off but still beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Turin on Sunday night.
Alessandro Del Piero scored the winner in the 88th minute, knocking in the rebound after Inter goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca had parried his penalty.
The win moved the champions into second place in the Serie A but will cause trouble for Inter -- and coach Gigi Simoni -- as it follows on the heels of last Sunday's humiliating 5-3 defeat to Lazio.
Edmundo was Fiorentina's hero in a labored 4-0 win over Salernitana, which had defender Salvatore Monaco sent off after just 10 minutes.
The volatile Brazilian broke the deadlock with a 50th minute header and went on to score another after setting up the first of two goals for skipper Gabriel Batistuta, the Serie A's top scorer with eight goals.
Despite keeping the lead at the top, coach Giovanni Trapattoni said: "We certainly don't think we are leaving the other sides behind.
"Today, the team found itself up against a provincial side that deserves praise for what they did.
"But we came back on for the second half determined to win. The team realized that it was something extremely important, because it could give us the confidence we need to have a great season."
As for Batistuta and Edmundo, he said: "They are well-suited to each other. They're both physically strong, creative and have real class. But I'd also say they are supported by an excellent collective effort."
