Milan: Inter Milan's lead in the Serie A was
cut to five points after Samuel Eto'o scored a second-half
equalizer in a 1-1 draw with AS Roma.
The Cameroon forward struck in the 48th minute to level
after Mirko Vucinic had given Roma the lead in the 13th at the
San Siro yesterday.
Inter has 29 points. Juventus is next. AC Milan won 2-1
at Lazio to rise to third with 22 points. Fiorentina won 1-0
at Udinese to have 21 points, as do Sampdoria after losing 2-0
to Cagliari for a third straight game without a win.
Also yesterday, it was: Bari 1, Livorno 0; Bologna 3,
Palermo 1; Genoa 4, Siena 2 and Parma 2, Chievo Verona 0.
Vucinic should have scored in third minute when he burst
through the defense, but Lucio made a last-ditch tackle to
stop the Montenegrin after he rounded goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Ten minutes later, though, Vucinic did find the net. Roma
defender Marco Motta hit a long ball into the box, and Vucinic
rose above Lucio to head past Cesar.
Inter's Diego Milito and Sulley Muntari both went close
before halftime, but goalkeeper Julio Sergio was equal to the
shots.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho sent on Wesley Sneijder after
the break to give his team more invention, and his presence
was immediately felt as Eto'o picked up a loose ball, spun and
shot past Sergio.
Milito and Roma's Ricardo Faty and Jeremy Menez all had
good chances later in the match to score.
Despite both sides playing in European competition
midweek, both maintained a high tempo until the final whistle.
Milan scored first in the 22nd when Thiago Silva headed
in from Andrea Pirlo's free kick. Milan doubled its lead when
Ronaldinho crossed from the left, and Alexandre Pato got in
front of Aleksandar Kolarov to head past goalkeeper Fernando
Muslera in the 34th.
Mauro Zarate was Lazio's main threat, and it was his shot
that led to the hosts' goal in the 64th. The ball rebounded
off defender Massimo Oddo into the path of Thiago Silva, who
inadvertently deflected the ball past Dida for an own-goal.
Zarate continued to cause problems for Milan and twice
forced Dida into sharp saves, while Lazio captain Tommaso
Rocchi failed to the hit the target with a header from the
Argentine striker's cross.
Sampdoria appeared tired and lacking in inspiration
against Cagliari, its only chance coming from Angelo Palombo's
free kick in the first half.
Daniele Dessena missed a great opportunity to give
Cagliari the lead when he blasted wide after Davide Biondini
had hit the post in the 30th.
Daniele Conti reacted quickest to a loose ball to head
past Castellazzi in the 85th, and Sampdoria's defense was
equally hesitant in the 89th as Alessandro Matri headed home
from a corner.
In heavy rain, Juan Vargas produced the only moment of
inspiration to earn Fiorentina its win against Udinese,
curling in a free kick with five minutes remaining.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, November 09, 2009, 12:39