[attach id=239481 size="medium"]Francesco Totti scores a penalty for Roma.[/attach]
Inter made amends for some terrible defending as they came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Catania in Serie A yesterday while Gian Piero Gasperini’s second debut of the season with Palermo ended in a goalless draw at Torino.
Inter, without striker Antonio Cassano following a dressing-room row, trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes but in one of the season’s most dramatic fightbacks, half-time substitute Rodrigo Palacio scored twice, including a stoppage-time winner.
Inter’s win took them level on 47 points with Lazio in fourth place, one behind Milan who are in the Champions League qualifying round spot. Juventus lead with 59 points followed by Napoli on 53.
Struggling Palermo managed a fortuitous 0-0 draw at Torino as Gasperini bizarrely began his second stint as their coach almost exactly a month after being fired.
The Sicilians, who began the weekend bottom of the table, moved level on 21 points at the bottom of the table with Siena and Pescara, who both lost.
Fiorentina beat Chievo 2-1 and Argentine Mauro Icardi gave Sampdoria a 1-0 win over Parma.
Francesco Totti moved level with Gunnar Nordahl as the second-best all-time scorer in Serie A as the Roma skipper netted his 225th goal in his team’s 3-1 win over Genoa.
Totti struck on 16 minutes when the home side were awarded a penalty and the former Italy international blasted the ball home.
Genoa threatened to spoil Totti’s party when they drew level courtesy of another penalty scored by Marco Borriello three minutes from the break.
But Roma seized the initiative after the interval and it was young debutant Alessio Romagnoli who put them back in front before Simone Perotta sealed the win late on as Roma moved up to seventh place on 43 points.
Catania and Inter started their match with 15 South Americans between them and the Sicilians, whose campaign has surpassed expectations, got off to a flying start.
Inter defender Juan Jesus made a hash of a clearance and Argentine forward Gonzalo Bergessio took advantage to drill the ball home after seven minutes.
There was more poor defending from the visitors as Giovanni Marchese, the game’s only non-Argentine scorer, headed the second 12 minutes later when he was picked out by Francesco Lodi’s floated free kick.
The game changed dramatically after Palacio entered the fray at halftime.
Seven minutes after coming on, he sent a cross over from the right and Ricky Alvarez stooped to head Inter’s first, then Palacio scored himself in the 70th minute, also from a header following Alvaro Pereira’s cross.
Esteban Cambiasso missed a chance to win the game for Inter when his volley flashed wide in the dying minutes but Palacio made no mistake in the second minute of stoppage time, scoring from close range.
Palermo lived dangerously throughout the match at Torino as Rolando Bianchi hit the post for the hosts in the first half and Giuseppe Vives fired over the bar from close range. The hosts missed a host of other chances.
Serie A
Bologna 3
Taider 5; Diamanti 19; Pasquato 90;
Cagliari 0
HT: 2-0. Att: 18,174.
Red card: Pisano (C) 57.
Catania 2
Bergessio 7; Marchese 19;
Inter 3
Alvarez 52; Palacio 70, 90;
HT: 2-0. Att: 20,000.
Fiorentina 2
Pasqual 4; Larrondo 78;
Chievo 1
Cofie 38;
HT: 1-1. Att: 22,905.
Pescara 0
Udinese 1
Di Natale 8;
HT: 0-1. Att: 9,000.
Roma 3
Totti 16 pen; Romagnoli 58; Perrotta 89;
Genoa 1
Borriello 42 pen;
HT: 1-1. Att: 40,000.
Red card: Kucka (G) 78.
Sampdoria 1
Icardi 58;
Parma 0
HT: 0-0. Att: 22,489.
Siena 0
Atalanta 2
Bonaventura 3, 68;
HT: 0-1. Att: 8,155.
Torino 0
Palermo 0
Att: 14,000.
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Juventus | 27 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 54 | 18 | 59 |
| Napoli | 27 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 47 | 22 | 53 |
| Milan | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 48 | 32 | 48 |
| Inter | 27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 44 | 36 | 47 |
| Lazio | 27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 32 | 47 |
| Fiorentina | 27 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 48 | 33 | 45 |
| Roma | 27 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 57 | 48 | 43 |
| Catania | 27 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 36 | 34 | 42 |
| Udinese | 27 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 36 | 34 | 40 |
| Sampdoria (-1) | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 34 | 30 | 35 |
| Bologna | 27 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 38 | 36 | 32 |
| Torino (-1) | 27 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Parma | 27 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 32 | 36 | 32 |
| Cagliari | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 32 | 47 | 31 |
| Atalanta (-2) | 27 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 36 | 38 | 30 |
| Chievo | 27 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 27 | 38 | 30 |
| Genoa | 27 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 26 |
| Siena (-6) | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 27 | 39 | 21 |
| Palermo | 27 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 39 | 21 |
| Pescara | 27 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 20 | 54 | 21 |
Next fixtures
Friday: 20.45 Genoa vs Milan.
Saturday: 20.45 Udinese vs Roma.
Sunday: 12.30 Atalanta vs Pescara. 15.00 Cagliari vs Sampdoria; Chievo vs Napoli; Juventus vs Catania; Palermo vs Siena; Parma vs Torino. 20.45 Inter vs Bologna; Lazio vs Fiorentina.
Top scorers
18 goals: Cavani (Napoli).
16 goals: El Shaarawy (Milan).
15 goals: Di Natale (Udinese).
12 goals: Pazzini (Milan).
Prima Divisione ‘A’
AlbinoLeffe vs Reggiana 3-0; Cre-monese vs V. Entella 1-1; Feralpi-Salo vs Tritium 1-0; Lumezzane vs Carpi 1-1; Pavia vs Como 2-1; Portogruaro vs Cuneo 1-0; SudTirol vs Treviso 2-1. Today: 20.45 Lecce vs Trapani.
Standings: Lecce 44; Trapani 42; SudTirol 40; V. Entella 36; Carpi, San Marino 35; Lumezzane, FeralpiSalo 34; Pavia 33; Cremonese 30; AlbinoLeffe 29; Portogruatro 27; Como, Cuneo 24; Reggiana 22; Treviso 12; Tritium 10.
Prima Divisione ‘B’
Andria vs Benevento 1-1; Barletta vs Gubbio 1-2; Frosinone vs Latina 2-1; Nocerina vs Catanzaro 1-1; Perugia vs Avellino 1-1; Pisa vs P’nese 0-0; Prato vs Carrarese 2-1; Viareggio vs Sorrento 2-1.
Standings: Latina 43; Avellino 42; Perugia, Nocerina 37; Frosinone, Pisa 34; Benevento 33; Prato 30; Viareggio, Catanzaro 29; Gubbio 28; Paganese 27; Andria 23; Sorrento 16; Barletta 14; Carrarese 13.