Juventus humbled by rampant Roma
 |
Roma captain Totti scored from the penalty spot.
Story Tools
|
ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Roma dealt a huge blow to Italian champions Juventus' title defense with a 4-0 win, but AC Milan maintained their five-point lead over Fabio Capello's side.
Antonio Cassano scored twice and Olivier Dacourt and Francesco Totti were also on target for Roma at the Olympic Stadium.
A stunning free-kick from Rui Costa and an Andrea Pirlo penalty gave AC Milan a 2-1 win -- their seventh in a row in Serie A -- over Perugia.
Third-placed Juve, who are now eight points behind the leaders, endured a miserable evening in Rome with defender Paolo Montero sent off and a missed penalty from David Trezeguet adding to their woes.
French midfielder Dacourt broke the deadlock on 13 minutes and Roma doubled their lead on 53 minutes when Montero upended Cassano in the area and Totti slotted home the penalty.
Three minutes later Uruguayan Montero was dismissed after a heavy challenge on Totti.
Cassano added the third on 71 minutes, although Juve could have pulled one back shortly afterwards when Cristian Chivu pulled down Alessio Tacchinardi in the area.
But Frenchman Trezeguet shot straight at keeper Ivan Pelizzoli to waste the chance and Cassano completed the scoring with a header five minutes from time.
Long wait
Milan dominated possession against winless Perugia but had to wait until the 74th minute for the breakthrough.
Costa's freekick fired Milan to victory.
|
|
It came via a thundering free kick from 20 meters by substitute Rui Costa which crashed in off the underside of the crossbar.
Having gone almost three years without a goal the Portuguese midfielder has now scored two in the last three games.
Milan doubled their lead three minutes later when Pirlo converted a penalty after Perugia's Australian keeper Zeljko Kalac brought down Filippo Inzaghi.
Carlo Ancelotti's side suffered a late scare, though, when defender Giuseppe Pancaro was sent off for a foul inside the area on Massimiliano Fusani and Salvatore Fresi converted the penalty.
"It was a difficult game against a Perugia side that has improved a lot," said Ancelotti.
"They were more together and more compact than earlier in the season but it was a respectable performance and an important three points," he added.
Surprising decision
Fourth-placed Inter Milan fell even further off the pace with a 2-2 draw at Sampdoria, despite leading twice through Christian Vieri.
Inter coach Alberto Zaccheroni made the surprising decision to leave Brazilian striker Adriano, who had scored four goals in his previous two games, on the bench but with Vieri back from injury Inter caused Sampdoria plenty of problems.
Inter led at the break thanks to a Vieri header from an Alvaro Recoba cross but Giacomo Cipriani pulled the home side level with a volley on the hour.
Four minutes later Vieri went close twice -- heading against the post then shooting narrowly wide but he looked to have decided the game in the 78th minute when he fired home after a scramble on the edge of the Sampdoria area.
Five minutes from the end, Fabio Cannavaro was harshly adjudged to have pushed over Cipriani and Cristiano Doni smashed home the spot kick to give eighth-placed Sampdoria a point.
Lazio are Inter's biggest threat to that fourth place after winning 3-0 at sixth-placed Parma thanks to two goals from Argentine striker Claudio Lopez.
Lopez put the Rome side on their way with a penalty after Bernardo Corradi had been brought down and then Corradi set up his strike partner for the second which Lopez struck home from close range in the 57th minute.
Lopez returned the compliment in the 65th finding Corradi's head with a pinpoint cross.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
