Lazio joins Inter on table top
Rome, Sept. 27: Lazio joined reigning champions Inter Milan at the top of Serie A on Sunday after a second-half goal from Argentine striker Mauro Zarate brought a 1-0 win at fellow high-riders Chievo.
Zarate, who had a spell in the English Premier League with Birmingham, ought to have calmed the visitors’ nerves prior to his neat low finish past keeper Stefano Sorrentino with a brace but missed a simpler early chance from point blank range. Chievo had been looking for a win which would have taken them top after winning three of their opening four games — but Zarate instead ensured that Lazio moved onto ten points from four games, level with Inter after the latter’s 1-0 loss Saturday to Roma.
Chievo stay third, a point off the pace, as do promoted Brescia, whose own hopes of snatching top spot were dashed by a 1-2 reverse at Bari, Emanuel Rivas and a penalty from Brazilian Barreto cancelling out a Panagiotis Kone strike.
Much of the weekend talk centred on contrasting fortunes on Saturday for the two Milan clubs as Rafa Benitez’s champions Inter slumped to a stoppage time header from Mirko Vucinic who gave Roma their first win of the season in dramatic fashion.
“It can happen that you concede a late goal but we just didn’t play with enough intensity,” opined Benitez. Not everyone in the Roma camp was happy as skipper Francesco Totti was visibly angered at giving way to Vucinic and left the ground early.
Coach Claudio Ranieri preferred to gloss over that fact. “Totti fought like a lion out there. Totti will see that the essential thing was to beat Inter. We are now on the right road,” said the former Chelsea boss.
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