Late Inter comeback rescues point v Catania
Reuters - Sunday 04 March 2012, 22:13
Diego Forlan and Diego Milito
scored in the last 20 minutes to give Inter a 2-2 home draw with
Catania on Sunday, ending a run of five successive defeats
without scoring and possibly saving coach Claudio Ranieri's job.
Ranieri looked set for the chop after Alejandro Gomez and
Mariano Izco gave the Sicilians a 2-0 half-time lead at a
restless San Siro and the visitors could easily have notched a
third before Inter hit back.
Lazio secured a 2-1 derby win over bitter rivals AS Roma who
had goalkeeper Marten Stekelenburg sent off after eight minutes
and Napoli's 2-1 win at Parma came courtesy of a hugely
controversial late goal from Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Hernanes put Lazio ahead from the penalty awarded as a
result of Stekelenburg's foul on Miroslav Klose, only for Fabio
Borini to level six minutes later.
However, a 62nd-minute goal from Stefano Mauri enabled Lazio
to go third in the table and complete the double over their
neighbours after winning by the same score earlier in the
season.
Lazio, in the Champions League play-off spot, have 48 points
from 26 games, two ahead of faltering Udinese who were held 0-0
at home by Atalanta.
AC Milan lead with 54 points and Juventus, who have a game
in hand, are on 51.
Ranieri has only been in the Inter hot seat since September
but the former Chelsea, Juventus and AS Roma coach has been the
subject of increasing speculation following a miserable run of
four defeats in Serie A and one in the Champions League.
Ranieri dropped playmaker Wesley Sneijder from the starting
line-up but the move back-fired when Gomez broke the offside
trap to score with an angled shot in the 20th minute.
Eighteen minutes later, Giovanni Marchese broke down the
left and cut the ball in for Gomez's fellow Argentine Izco to
tap in.
Inter left the pitch at half-time to predictable jeers from a
half-empty San Siro and Sneijder came on for the re-start.
With Inter attacking desperately, they were vulnerable to
counter-attacks, one of which saw Gonzalo Bergessio just lob the
ball over the bar.
Uruguay forward Forlan, who has had a difficult first season
since his move from Atletico Madrid, began the fightback when he
chested the ball down on the touch-line, twisted pass two
defenders and scored with a vicious, swerving shot.
Argentina's Milito blasted the equaliser with 10 minutes
left and an end-to-end finale could have seen a winner for
either side with Felipe Seymour missing a good chance for
Catania and Giampaolo Pazzini denied at point-blank range by
Juan Pablo Carrizo at the other end.
The Rome derby got off to a fiery start when Klose broke
through and appeared to be tripped by Stekelenburg. After taking
his time to decide, the referee awarded a penalty and dismissed
the Dutch goalkeeper amid furious Roma protests.
Brazilian midfielder Hernanes gave replacement goalkeeper
Bogdan Lobont no chance from the penalty and celebrated with an
ambitious somersault.
But Roma levelled when defender Juan's shot hit the post and
Borini tapped in the rebound before Giuseppe Biava could clear.
After that, there were chances at both ends in a match also
marred by constant histrionics and angry protests over almost
every refereeing decision.
Mauri's winner was followed by copious amounts of
time-wasting by Lazio, who had Lionel Scaloni dismissed in the
86th minute for a second yellow card and had a lucky escape from
Francesco Totti headed narrowly wide.
Lavezzi scored an 86th-minute winner at Parma with the hosts
claiming he was offside.
Cavani had given Napoli the lead before half-time, scoring
from a rebound after his own penalty was saved by Antonio
Mirante for his 16th league goal of the season. Cristian
Zaccardo levelled for Parma in the 72nd minute.
Fiorentina beat bottom club Cesena 2-0, Lecce drew 2-2 at
home to Genoa and Siena beat Cagliari 3-0.