Italian champions Juventus closed the gap on Serie A frontrunners AC Milan and AS Roma on Sunday, beating Reggina 1-0 while their rivals were held to draws.
Milan had to settle for a point at lowly Lecce, needing an equaliser from Andriy Shevchenko after Ernesto Chevanton had put the southerners ahead.
Roma were held to a goalless draw at bottom club Ancona and still trail Milan by five points.
European champions Milan, who had won their previous seven league games, lead on 52 points with Roma on 47 and Juve a further point behind.
In a bad day for the big clubs, fifth-placed Inter Milan lost 2-1 at home to Udinese.
Parma moved level on points with Inter after Australian Mark Bresciano give them a 2-1 win at Siena.
Lazio hold fourth place, the final qualifying spot for the Champions League, after their 3-0 win over Empoli on Saturday.
ONLY CHANCE
Enzo Maresca grabbed the winner for Juventus in a low-key game at the Delle Alpi.
Francesco Cozza had the only chance for the visitors when he found himself one-on-one with Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon, but his attempted chip was well read by Buffon.
Just before the break, Juve had an Alessandro Del Piero effort ruled out for handball but the prospect of a frustrating second half diminished when Maresca scrambled the ball home from close range after Marco Di Vaio had headed goalwards.
Marcello Lippi's side kept firm control of the game without threatening seriously again until the final stages when Del Piero struck the crossbar.
It was a vital three points for Juve after their setback in Rome last week and the slip-ups by their rivals.
Lecce attacked Milan from the outset and went close several times in the early stages.
Milan's Brazilian keeper Dida produced a fine save from Chevanton before former Milan midfielder Max Tonnetto put over the bar from close range.
Uruguayan Chevanton then put Lecce ahead in the 19th minute with a superbly struck free-kick.
Serie A's top scorer Shevchenko equalised for Milan in the 52nd minute with a right-foot shot from the edge of the area, his 17th goal of the season.
CONSECUTIVE WINS
Milan could have little to complain about, however, as they rarely managed to find the fluidity or creativity they had shown in their run of consecutive wins.
To add to a frustrating day for Milan, their captain Paolo Maldini picked up a yellow card which means he will miss next week's derby with Inter.
Roma, who shined in their 4-0 crushing of Juve last week, were well below par against winless Ancona who, despite their impressive result, remain almost certain relegation candidates with just six points from 21 games.
Antonio Cassano struck the post for Roma in the first half and a Francesco Totti free-kick forced a great save out of Ancona keeper Sergio Marcon but Ancona coped well after the break.
Inter, looking tired after their extra-time Italian Cup defeat to Juventus on Thursday, should have taken the lead on the half hour but Brazilian Adriano fired wide after being put through by Alvaro Recoba.
Inter fell behind to an excellent 20-metre strike from Udinese's Giampiero Pinzi in the 52nd minute and then Dino Fava doubled the visitor's lead, tapping home after good work from Marek Jankulovski.
Inter gave themselves some hope with a 70th-minute goal from Julio Cruz, although there was a strong suspicion Christian Vieri had handled the ball before the Argentine fired home.
© 2024 Rediff.com -