Vieri Stars for Inter Milan; AC Milan, Juventus Hit Trouble
Copyright � 1999 Nando Media
Copyright � 1999 Agence France-Presse
MILAN (August 29, 1999 8:46 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Christian Vieri showed why he is the world's most expensive footballer on Sunday, bagging a hat-trick on his debut for Inter Milan, as AC Milan and Juventus both ran into trouble.
Vieri, the $50 million man, secured a 3-0 win over Verona, but two other Serie A newcomers caused upsets, with Lecce holding champions Milan 2-2 and 10-man Reggina earning a historic point with Juventus.
Reggina's first ever Serie A match in the club's 85-year history ended 1-1 in Turin, and there were identical draws for two of Juventus' other title rivals, Parma and AS Roma.
The happiest fans in Italy were at San Siro, where Vieri banished the nightmare of last season's disastrous campaign.
All three goals came from long balls punted 30 or 40 meters upfield for Vieri to run on and score, starting in the 16th minute.
Ronaldo, made to wait on the subs bench, replaced Ivan Zamorano in the secon half, but it was Vieri who continued to find the target, scoring again in the 53rd and 65th minutes.
Inter coach Marcello Lippi said: "We weren't depressed about the fact that we didn't have a brilliant pre-season run, and we're not euphoric now.
"But it was a good win. Everybody knows how hard it is against a team who have just been promoted to Serie A."
Lippi, who is re-building the team, said: "For us at the moment, it's all work-in-progress. But what I've seen so far is looking good."
As for the performance of Vieri, who Lippi had at Juventus in 1996-97, the coach said: "He cost a fortune, but today you all saw why. He is definitely a better player than he was three years ago."
Vieri himself played down his achievement, saying: "It was 10 out of 10 for the whole team and not just for me.
"We wanted to prove to ourselves, more than to anyone else, that all the work we've put in over the last month and a half has paid off. We haven't been wasting our time, and today it showed.
"I'm dedicating these three goals to my teamates, because they're the ones who've put me in a position to score."
AC Milan misfired in the first league match of its centenary season.
Substitute George Weah opened the scoring, drilling a rebound into the roof of the net after hitting the post, but Lecce were soon level with a fine header from defender Alberto Savino.
Milan looked set for victory in the 72nd minute when Weah hooked a high cross into the area, Oliver Bierhoff headed the ball down and Ukrainian newcomer Andriy Shevchenko swept it home.
But Cristiano Lucarelli leveled for Lecce in the 81st minute, pouncing to fire on a loose ball in the Milan area.
Milan's disappointed coach Alberto Zaccheroni said: "They (Lecce) were sharper and more determined than we were. We lacked attention and just weren't in the match as much as they were."
Dismissing the steamy conditions, he said: "The heat was the same for both sides, even though we have been playing at night recently. The problem was more in our approach to the game."
The draw was only one of several surprises on the opening weekend, headed by the David and Goliath game in Turin.
Reggina, from the southern poverty of Reggio Calabria, were facing the richest and most successful club in the history of Italian football and found themselves a goal down after half an hour.
French star Zinedine Zidane threaded the ball through and Filippo Inzaghi steered it deftly past the keeper.
But Reggina bounced back with an equalizer just two minutes after the re-start - teenager Mohamed Kallon of Sierra Leone heading in a corner - and then holding on for a draw despite having Andrea Bernini dismissed.
Inzaghi said: "They hadn't had a single shot at the target and then we conceded an absurd goal on a corner."
Reggina coach Franco Colomba admitted: "It's a point we didn't expect."
AS Roma skipper Francesco Totti scored the first goal of the millennium season, a 14th minute penalty against perennial strugglers Piacenza.
But Fabio Capello's men were caught out by Giovanni Stroppa's superb 82nd minute free-kick into the roof of the net.
Parma, denied a European Champions League place by Glasgow Rangers, needed Croatian Mario Stanic to nod home a late equalizer after Renato Olive had chipped lowly Perugia into a 46th minute lead.
However, Fiorentina made no such mistake against battling Bari - new striker Enrico Chiesa poking home the only goal on his debut.
Coach Giovanni Trapattoni, forced to rest skipper and star striker Gabriel Batistuta, was just happy to get the three points.
"I think most of the other teams found it hard today," he said. "And this was an important match for us."
Bari coach Eugenio Fascetti lamented: "We played well and put on a good performance, so it is disappointing to have lost. But we made one mistake and Chiesa punished us for it."
Venezia earned a 1-1 draw with Udinese, while Lazio, who toppled Manchester United in the European Super Cup, faces Cagliari on Monday.
