Internazionale took a huge step to securing the Scudetto this weekend.
While title rivals Roma could only manage a 1-1 draw against lowly Livorno at Olimpico on Saturday night, Inter ground out a 1-0 win away at Torino on Sunday to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to six points. Argentine target man Julio Cruz got the only goal of the game after 30 minutes of an ill-tempered match.
Third-placed Juventus have hit a rich vein of form which suggests they may even overtake Roma in 2nd place. Having thrashed Parma 3-0 in midweek, Juve recorded a comprehensive 4-0 victory at Atalanta on Sunday, with long-serving forward Alessandro Del Pierro bagging a hat-trick.
Fiorentina remain on course for 4th place after a 1-0 win over Palermo in Florence. Milan are still in contention after a resounding 5-1 demolition of Reggina, thanks to a hat-trick from Kaka and a goal apiece from Pippo Inzaghi and Brazilian wonderkid Alexandre Pato. The other two teams with European aspirations – Sampdoria and Udinese – met in Genoa on Sunday, with Sampdoria winning 3-0 thanks to two goals from striker Bellucci and one from Italian star Antonio Cassano, currently on loan from Real Madrid.
At the bottom, Cagliari are in a strong position to avoid the drop after a 2-0 win over Empoli. Parma were beaten 2-1 by Napoli and remain very much in the mire. Catania beat Lazio 1-0 at home to move themselves into 14th place and give themselves a realistic prospect of survival. However, with a mere five points separating 20th from 14th, there is still plenty to play for with four games to go.
By Houman Barekat