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Roma break Inter's six-month Serie A stranglehold

04-11-2010

Inter Milan's six-month stranglehold on the Serie A title race was broken on Sunday when Roma deposed them as league leaders.

Roma snatched pole position with a 2-1 win over a stubborn Atalanta which opened a one-point lead over Jose Mourinho's Inter with five matches left.

First half goals from Mirko Vucinic and Marco Cassetti gave Roma a 2-0 lead, but they were made to sweat after a Simone Tiribocchi strike in the 53rd minute.

AC Milan were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Catania and now trail Roma by four points, having come back from 2-0 down thanks to a Marco Borriello brace in the second-half.

Roma, coached by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, took command from the opening whistle at the Stadio Olimpico against an Atalanta side fighting for survival.

The Bergamo side, third-from-bottom, gifted Roma the lead on 12 minutes when goalkeeper Andrea Consigli allowed Vucinic's 25-yard effort to squirm through his grasp.

A quarter of an hour later and the Giallorossi had doubled their lead when Francesco Totti sent over an inviting centre and right-back Cassetti, who had sprinted into the box seconds earlier, buried a header from six yards.

Ranieri sent Luca Toni on for the impressive Vucinic at half-time but the home side seemed to relax and within eight minutes of the restart Tiribocchi was left in space on the edge of the box and the striker calmly placed his finish into the far corner to half the deficit.

Toni spooned Totti's pass over the bar on 70 minutes, but Valdes was causing Roma all sorts of problems as Atalanta pressed for an equaliser.

Julio Sergio had to save bravely from Tiribocchi after another fine run and pass from the Chilean as Roma clung on for the three vital points.

Catania shocked Milan at the San Siro with an enterprising first-half display.

Argentine Maxi Lopez shot home on 12 minutes before crossing for Adrian Ricchiuti to head home two minutes from the interval.

Borriello led the fightback with a 48th-minute header from a Clarence Seedorf centre and a fine turn-and-shot on 80 minutes.

Palermo stay fourth, 10 points behind Milan, after coming from a goal down to defeat Chievo, Fabrizio Miccoli weighing in with a brace.

Giorgio Chiellini's first-half header sent Juventus fifth, three points adrift of the Champions League places, ahead of the night's Genoa derby.

In the battle to stay clear of the drop zone, Lazio came back from two goals down to defeat Bologna 3-2, while Serie A top scorer Antonio Di Natale notched goal number 23 in Udinese's 2-0 victory at bottom club Livorno.

Siena's 3-2 win at home to Bari brings them to six points from safety.

On Saturday, Inter Milan, who had been top since October 3, dropped two precious points in a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina.

A goal eight minutes from time from Per Kroldrup earned the Viola a deserved point after Inter had come from behind to snatch the lead in the second half.

Prolific strike duo Diego Milito and Samuel Eto'o had each steered home right-wing centres to cancel out Keirrison's early strike in an absorbing end-to-end contest.

'After going ahead we gifted Fiorentina a second goal but these things happen in football - you're often most vulnerable after scoring,' said Inter sporting director Marco Branca, who spoke as coach Jose Mourinho is boycotting the Italian press.