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On Sunday, the remaining 6 matches of the Italian league were played. "Inter" club rose to the top of the table again, taking advantage of the failures of their competitors "Roma" and "Palermo." Victories were achieved by "Fiorentina," "Udinese," and "Torino," while a goal from Tomas Danilevičius helped "Livorno" once again defeat their opponents.
The "Inter" club climbed to first place by securing a hard-fought victory at home against the underdog "Catania" with a score of 2-1.
In the 15th minute, the visitors took the lead after an incredible goal by Giuseppe Mascara. Seeing that the sun shining in the face of "Inter" goalkeeper Julio Cesar, the player kicked the ball almost from the sideline and scored a superb goal past the goalkeeper of the Milan club. However, "Inter" immediately attacked the opponent's goal and half an hour into the game Dejan Stankovič headed in a cross from Luís Figo to equalize the score.
In the 67th minute, the Milan club had a chance to take the lead – "Inter" forward Julio Ricardo Cruz brought down the opponent's defender Mauro Minelli in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick to the visitors. The Argentine himself stepped up to take the shot, but the "Catania" goalkeeper saved his shot, keeping the result the same. Nevertheless, the champions of the previous season managed to secure the victory. In the 75th minute, Dejan Stankovič scored his second goal of the match with a low shot and earned three valuable points for his team.
Another favorite to win "Serie A" this year, "Roma," suffered an unexpected defeat. The capital team lost 0-1 away to the "Reggina" club.
The hosts secured victory in the 48th minute with a goal from Nicola Amoruso. The Italian received the ball in the opponent's penalty area and sent it into the "Roma" goal with a precise shot. The "Roma" players tried to prove to the referee that the player was offside during the shot, but the official ignored their protests.
"Palermo" suffered their first defeat at home this season, losing to "Atalanta" 3-2 in a thrilling match.
In the 13th minute, Cristiano Doni scored with a header to put the visitors ahead. However, five minutes later the score was levelled – Australian Mark Bresciano equalized with a precise shot into the opponent's goal. Half an hour into the game, the visitors once again took the lead thanks to Claudio Rivalta's goal, but just before the break, the score was levelled again when Eugenio Corini successfully converted a penalty kick. However, the visitors managed to snatch victory, as in the 56th minute Fernando Tissone beat the "Palermo" goalkeeper.
"Livorno" continued their solid performance in the championship, defeating the "Ascoli" club 2-0 away from home. In the second consecutive game, Tomas Danilevičius stood out with a goal. The Lithuanian striker scored in the 24th minute after a pass from Antonio Filippini, scoring his third goal of the season. "Livorno" sealed the victory in the 63rd minute with a great goal from A. Filippini.
"Fiorentina" continues to prove that their poor start to the season was just an accident. This time, the club won 2-1 away against "Empoli." Although the Florentine club was in a chasing position since the 28th minute, goals from Adriano Mutu and Luca Toni added 3 points to the "Fiorentina" account.
Victory was also achieved by "Udinese." The club won 3-0 away against the helpless team of "Parma" this season. The main architect of the victory, as expected, was the team's leader Vincenzo Iaquinta, who scored twice in the match.
"Torino" finally managed to secure their first win of the season. The Turin club defeated the "Chievo" team 1-0 at home. The victory was brought to the club in the 48th minute by a goal from Roberto Stellone. The Italian received a pass from Roberto Muzzi and beat the opponent's goalkeeper with a long shot.
Meanwhile, Rome's "Lazio" failed to defeat the "Cagliari" club at home. The capital team had a great opportunity to win, but Massimo Oddo failed to convert a penalty kick. Towards the end of the game, there was a heated dispute on the field - "Cagliari" player Joe Bizera was sent off for a controversial foul, and "Lazio" captain M. Oddo was also shown a red card for arguing with the assistant referee.
Results of Sunday's matches:
"” 2 – 1 "” 16` [0 – 1] Giuseppe Mascara 29` [1 – 1] Dejan Stankovič 75` [2 – 1] Dejan Stankovič
"” 1 – 0 "” 49` [1 – 0] Nicola Amoruso
"” 2 – 3 "” 14` [0 – 1] Cristiano Doni 18` [1 – 1] Mark Bresciano 31` [1 – 2] Claudio Rivalta 45` [2 – 2] Eugenio Corini (Penalty) 56` [2 – 3] Fernando Tissone
"” 0 – 2 "” 23` [0 – 1] Tomas Danilevičius 63` [0 – 2] Antonio Filippini
70` Giovanni Pasquale ("Livorno") sent off from the field
"” 1 – 2 "” 28` [1 – 0] Davide Matteini 67` [1 – 1] Adrian Mutu 77` [1 – 2] Luca Toni
"” 0 – 3 "” 8` [0 – 1] Sulley Ali Muntari 11` [0 – 2] Vincenzo Iaquinta 66` [0 – 3] Vincenzo Iaquinta 74` Sulley Ali Muntari ("Udinese") sent off from the field
"” 1 – 0 "” 48` [1 – 0] Roberto Stellone
"” 0 – 0 "” 90+1` Joe Bizera ("Cagliari"), Daniele Conti ("Cagliari"), 90+3’ Massimo Oddo ("Lazio") sent off from the field
The most productive players of the championship:
1-6. Mario Frick ("Siena") – 4; Luca Toni ("Fiorentina") – 4; Rolando Bianchi ("Atalanta") – 4; Vincenzo Iaquinta ("Udinese") – 4; Christian Rigano ("Udinese") – 4; Eugenio Corini ("Palermo") – 4. … Tomas Danilevičius ("Livorno") – 3.
