Inter weather Napoli storm

Serie A leaders hold out for 0-0 draw to go seven points clear over Roma at the top.

Milito
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Diego Milito (right) fights for the ball with Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro [AFP]

Serie A leaders Inter Milan withstood a furious barrage from Napoli to earn a 0-0 draw and end the weekend with a seven-point advantage in Italy.

Roma beat Palermo 4-1 on Saturday to keep up the pressure on Inter ahead of the meeting between the sides in Rome in March.

Marek Hamsik rattled the bar early on amid a host of early chances for fourth-placed Napoli before Jose Mourinho’s side struck the woodwork through Sulley Muntari and Fabio Quagliarella thumped a drive against the post for the home side.

Alessandro Del Piero earlier converted a controversial penalty to give Juventus a 3-2 home win over Genoa and lift the Turin club to sixth after only their second victory in nine Serie A matches.

It was the first victory under new coach Alberto Zaccheroni.

Genoa’s Marco Rossi opened the scoring, but Amauri pulled Juventus level before half time.

Serie A results

Saturday February 13

undefined Roma 4-1 Palermo
undefined Sampdoria 2-0 Fiorentina

Sunday February 14

undefined Cagliari 3-1 Bari
undefined Catania 0-0 Atalanta
undefined Chievo 0-1 Siena
undefined Juventus 3-2 Genoa
undefined Livorno 0-1 Bologna
undefined Parma 0-2 Lazio
undefined Napoli 0-0 Inter Milan 

Del Piero gave Juventus the lead in the 61st minute, but Rossi scored his second two minutes later. However, Del Piero won a penalty and took it himself to give Juventus their first win in six games.

“We still seem fragile,” Zaccheroni said.

“The players are nervous and that is the reason for dropping down the league and for our recent performances. We should have done better.

“We have to try to improve in the next few games, even if it will be hard to win every one.”

At the bottom of the table Lazio moved out of the relegation places with a 2-0 away win over Parma in Edy Reja’s first match since becoming coach.

Guglielmo Stendardo and Mauro Zarate scored the goals.

Source: News Agencies