AS Roma heads into the final three Serie A rounds two points behind
Inter Milan after its six-month unbeaten league run ended with a
2-1 loss to Sampdoria.
Inter beat Atalanta 3-1 on Saturday to pile the pressure on
Roma, which could not protect the lead it was given by Francesco
Totti's early strike.
Giampaolo Pazzini headed Sampdoria level at the start of the
second half before scoring the winner with five minutes remaining
to move his side into fourth spot.
Inter is top with 73 points while Roma is seven points clear
of third-place AC Milan, which remained on 64 points after losing
3-1 to Palermo on Saturday.
"We have to get three wins and hope that Inter draws at least
one of its games," Roma coach Claudio Ranieri said. "We were
masters of our own destiny but not anymore."
"One point or no points would have had the same effect and I
wouldn't have been happy as we needed the win."
Sampdoria occupies the final Champions League spot on 60
points.
"We weren't ourselves in the first half," Pazzini said. "We
put it right in the second, though, and we must continue like this
to reach the Champions League."
"In the first half, I think we were a bit tired. But we
improved in the second."
Roma, which last lost a Serie A match on Oct. 28, started
well, with Juan volleying wide acrobatically from close range and
Simone Perrotta forcing goalkeeper Marco Storari into a save.
Totti opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a sidefooted
finish from Mirko Vucinic's cross.
Roma maintained the pressure for the rest of the half but
could not add to its lead as Totti hit the post in the 20th minute
then volleyed wide after Storari failed to hold Jeremy Menez's
shot.
Roma paid for its profligacy when Pazzini equalized in the
52nd minute, Antonio Cassano crossing to the far post for the
striker to head home unmarked.
Storari continued to deny Roma, keeping out Luca Toni's
header in the 68th minute and later tipping wide a shot from John
Arne Riise.
Pazzini struck for a second time when he slid in a cross from
Daniele Mannini in the 85th.
"We have to go to Parma and play our normal game," Ranieri
said. "We have to go and keep fighting till the end. Tonight we had
the best first half we've had since I've been here but I couldn't
keep it up in the second, but that's football."
Juventus kept its Champions League hopes alive with a 3-0 win
over Bari, courtesy of two goals from Vincenzo Iaquinta and a
penalty by Alessandro Del Piero. Juventus is now six points behind
Sampdoria.
"I was happy with our overall showing and I hope we continue
to play as we did today," Juventus coach Alberto Zaccheroni said.
"I thought Bari didn't give us a thing and played excellently, from
the goalkeeper to the attacking players."
Juventus began slowly and did little to threaten Bari's goal.
Del Piero and Mauro Camoranesi worked hard to try to create an
opening, but Claudio Marchisio's weak shot from the edge of the
area summed up Juventus' early efforts.
Juventus eventually found some momentum, with Diego denied a
penalty after being bundled over by midfielder Massimo Donati, and
Del Piero hitting the bar just before halftime.
After the break, Juventus improved and only good reactions
from goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet kept out Giorgio Chiellini's
shot.
"I changed things for the second half so we had more pace,
because we needed to get the ball forward quicker," Zaccheroni
said. "That said, in the first half we played well and played with
pace and put Bari us under pressure."
Juventus made the breakthrough in the 53rd when Del Piero
chipped a ball over the defense for Iaquinta to round Gillet and
clip the ball into the unguarded net.
Diego had a goal ruled out in the 67th, but two minutes later
he won a penalty and Del Piero made no mistake from the spot.
With four minutes remaining, Iaquinta grabbed his second as
he poked the ball home at the far post from Antonio Candreva's low
cross.
Napoli fell behind Juventus following its 0-0 draw at home to
Cagliari.
Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik came closest to making a
breakthrough but Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti was in
inspired form, making a number of fine saves.
Cagliari had midfielder Andrea Cossu sent off with 11 minutes
remaining but held on for the draw.
Also Sunday, it was; Bologna 2, Parma 1; Fiorentina 0, Chievo
Verona 2; Genoa 1, Lazio 2; Livorno 3, Catania 1; Udinese 4, Siena
1.
