AC Milan moved a step closer to winning the Serie A this season with a 3-0 win against Sampdoria, with city rivals and defending champions Inter Milan were beaten 2-0 at Parma.
Milan, who were playing without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic, took only 20 minutes to break down the Sampdoria defence as when Clarence Seedorf curled a free-kick from over 25 around the wall and into the bottom corner.
Milan doubled their advantage nine minutes into the second half when Antonio Cassano scored from the penalty spot after Massimo Volta was adjudged to have intentionally handled the ball inside the area.
Cassano then set up Robinho for the third, crossing for the Brazilian to head in after exchanging passes with Seedorf. With the win Milan moved six points clear of Napoli, who host Udinese on Sunday.
Two points behind Napoli, Inter suffered a huge blow to their title defence after a fourth loss in five games in all competitions. Eliminated from the Champions League in midweek, Leonardo’s men were beaten by goals from Sebastian Giovinco (35) and Amauri (85). Victory lifted Parma to 15th, four points above the drop zone.
Also on Saturday, Roma’s hopes of grabbing a Champions League qualifying place took a hit when they lost 3-2 at home at Palermo. Roma are now four points behind fourth-placed Lazio who play Catania on Sunday.
photo credit: americanistadechiapas