Round 31: Inter left in Roman Ruins

Roma 2-1 Inter
Inter were defeat by Roma at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a late winner from Luca Toni who swept home to give Roma three vital points and close the gap on the Nerazzurri to just one point with seven rounds to go. Roma started the game in confident fashion and a Julio Cesar mistake allowed De Rossi to open the scoring. Inter though were not without opportunities and hit the woodwork three times, firstly through Samuel who crashed a header against the bar with Julio Sergio stranded. After the break Diego Milito was on hand to level the score as he picked up his 18th goal of the season, though he was clearly offside when doing so. It looked then like the game had turned as Inter turned the screw but Roma had one last breath to give and did so through Luca Toni who converted on the turn after Taddei's wayward shot fell into his path. Inter should have leveled late on through Milito but he could only hit the woodwork with Sergio well beaten.

Milan 1-1 Lazio
Milan could not take advantage of the closing up of the Serie A table and only took a point off Lazio, and they were lucky to do just that. Milan started the brighter and went ahead through a Boriello penalty but after that Lazio dominated the proceedings in the first half. Mauri went close on a Van Basten esque like volley, and then Lazio leveled through a rejuvenated Stefan Lichsteiner after Ledesma's ball in was deflected around the Milan area. Lazio should have taken the lead before and after the break through defender Dias but on both occasions Dias lacked composure. It was not a comfortable night for Milan, and Lazio really should have pushed on in the second half to try to grab three points. However, they backed off when bringing off forward Rocchi and showed Milan too much respect perhaps. The point does not do a lot for either side, but every little helps.

Elsewhere
Juve finally returned to winning ways although they left it late after Atalanta leveled after a stunning freekick from Del Piero. Melo however provided the winner. Palermo however maintained their momentum, and unsung hero Miccoli weighed in with a hatrick to brush Bologna aside. Still, they needed to win as both Fiorentina and Napoli kept up the pressure with solid home wins against Udinese and Catania. Sampdoria could not do this and perhaps, as I have though before, do not have the consistency and quality in depth to secure that 4th spot. Genoa also could not win, although that was no suprise for a team who relies on the fortress that is the Marassi as Siena picked up a useful point. Bari's point against Livorno away keeps them in the top half of the table, a remarkable achievement for a side that was heavily tipped for relegation after a quiet summer mercato. Finally, Chievo and Parma shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw.