Juve back on track after beating Udinese 2-1

Serie A leaders Juventus got their title charge back on track with a 2-1 win over fourth-placed Udinese in Turin yesterday. The result gave Juventus 53 points from 24 matches but they have Milan snapping at their heels after the champions beat Reggina 1-0 away in the evening match.

Juve's cushion at the top had been slashed from eight points to two after they lost their previous two matches against Sampdoria and Bologna.

The 27-time champions scraped past a well-organised Udinese side 1-0 when they met earlier this season.

The return promised to be a much easier affair for the hosts when, with less than a minute gone, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic squeezed between two defenders to score his 10th goal of the season.

The visitors almost equalised just after the half-hour mark, when Dino Fava narrowly failed to connect with a low cross that bounced dangerously across the face of Juve's goal.

Udinese's hopes of pulling themselves into the match were dented soon after the break, however, when Juve midfielder Mauro Camoranesi lashed a left-foot drive into the top corner after a neat one-two with team mate Alessandro Del Piero.

Udinese were unlucky not to pull one back midway through the half, when Fava headed past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon only for his effort to be wrongly ruled offside.

David Di Michele grabbed a late consolation goal for Udinese but with less than a minute to play it arrived too late for his side to salvage anything from the contest.

Udinese's one consolation was the failure of fifth-placed Sampdoria to take advantage of their defeat.

Sampdoria had won their previous three games on the road, including a victory over Juventus, but their form deserted them as they went down 1-0 at Livorno.

Cristiano Lucarelli struck the winner with a free-kick that wriggled through the wall eight minutes from time, ensuring Sampdoria remained stuck on 38 points, two behind Udinese.

At Reggina's Granillo stadium, Milan defender Alessandro Nesta was lucky to escape with a yellow card on seven minutes after bringing down Reggina's Mesto who was running clear at Dida's goal. The Brazilian goalkeeper was superb midway through the half when holding out a Bonazzoli powerful drive.

Milan found the net in bizarre circumstances six minutes from the break when Zamboni miscued his clearance as he tried to intercept a Seedorf pass inside the Reggina box.

Dino Zoff ended a run of three defeats since being appointed Fiorentina coach last month as his side beat visiting relegation-threatened Parma 2-1, while Brescia boosted their chances of escaping the drop with a 2-0 home win over Cagliari.

Serie A

Bologna 1
Palermo 1
HT: 0-1. Att: 18,000

Brescia 2
Cagliari 0
HT: 1-0. Att: 9,000

Fiorentina 2
Parma 1
HT: 0-0. Att: 29,490

Juventus 2
Udinese 1
HT: 1-0. Att: 20,632

Lecce 3
Chievo 0
HT: 1-0. Att: 11,348

Livorno 1
Sampdoria 0
HT: 0-0. Att: 16,000

Siena 2
Messina 2
HT: 0-1. Att: 7,000

Reggina 0
Milan 1

Played on Saturday

Inter 2
Roma 0
HT: 1-0. Att: 61,000

Lazio 2
Atalanta 1
HT: 1-1. Att: 40,000

Leading Scoreres

18 goals - Montella (Roma). 14 - Adriano (Inter); Shevchenko (Milan). 12 - Esposito (Cagliari), Gilardino (Parma).

Next Fixtures

Saturday - 6 p.m. Messina vs Juventus. 8.30 p.m. Milan vs Cagliari; Udinese vs Inter.

Sunday - 3 p.m. Atalanta vs Bologna; Chievo vs Lazio; Palermo vs Lecce; Parma vs Brescia; Roma vs Livorno; Sampdoria vs Reggina; Siena vs Fiorentina.

Serie B

AlbinoLeffe vs Bari 0-1
Catania vs Torino 1-0
Crotone vs Catanzaro 3-0
Genoa vs Perugia 0-1
Pescara vs Venezia 0-0
Piacenza vs Vicenza 0-0
Salernitana vs Empoli 1-1
Ternana vs Modena 2-1
Treviso vs Ascoli (1-2) today
Triestina vs Arezzo (Friday) 2-1
Verona vs Cesena 2-1

Serie C1(A) Como vs Lumezzane 1-2; Cremonese vs Vittoria 1-0; Fidelis Andria vs Torres 1-1; Frosinone vs Spezia 2-1; Novara vs Pavia 1-1; Pisa vs Grosseto 1-0; Pistoiese vs Pro Patria 1-0; Prato vs Lucchese 1-1; Sangiovannese vs Mantova 1-0.

Serie C1(B) Avellino vs Napoli 2-0; Chieti vs Benevento 0-0; Giulianova vs Foggia 0-1; Martina vs Sora 1-1; Padova vs Vis Pesaro 3-0; Reggiana vs Teramo 3-2; Rimini vs Lanciano 1-1; Sambenedettese vs Cittadella 1-0; Spal vs Fermana 1-0.