Filippo Inzaghi pounced to head home an injury-time winner as AC Milan beat Palermo 2-1 at the San Siro to move up to fourth in Serie A on Sunday.
The European champions came into the match on the back of three successive draws but substitute "Superpippo" stooped to head home French midfielder Yoann Gourcuff's cross after he was left alone 6m out by Palermo's sleepy defense.
Earlier, Argentine striker Hernan Crespo preserved Inter Milan's unbeaten record by scoring a header 19 minutes from time to salvage a 1-1 draw for the leaders at Sampdoria.
Inter's lead at the top of the table was cut to nine points, though, as AS Roma snatched a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.
Milan are now above fifth-placed Fiorentina on goal difference.
Palermo took a ninth minute lead in bizarre fashion as Milan's center-backs missed a long ball into the box and Australian midfielder Mark Bresciano flicked out a leg to steer the ball around Massimo Oddo and past his international team-mate Zeljko Kalac in the Milan goal.
Palermo were worthy of their lead until they were caught napping at the back on 24 minutes, allowing Massimo Ambrosini to bundle home an Oddo cross from barely 3m out after arriving late and at pace into the box.
Former Roma striker Antonio Cassano looked like he would inflict the first defeat of the season on the champions as he gave Sampdoria a 65th minute lead, latching onto a Paolo Sammarco chip into the box and taking a touch before thrashing the ball high to Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar's left after 65 minutes.
But Inter hit back 11 minutes later as Argentine striker Crespo, enjoying a rare start, stole in front of his marker to head home a cross from Serbian Dejan Stankovic.
Roma's Braizilian Cicinho scored a second half gol to earn his side victory over Fiorentina.
Udinese's Champions League hopes were hit by a 5-3 home defeat by Genoa as hot-shot Marco Borriello scored a second-half hat-trick for the visitors.
Siena moved out of the relegation zone after a 2-2 draw at Atalanta.
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
India’s chess star Gukesh Dommaraju returned to a hero’s welcome in his home city yesterday after becoming the youngest world champion aged only 18. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai International Airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title. “It means a lot to bring back the trophy to India,” Gukesh told reporters, with garlands of flowers draped around his neck, brandishing the glittering trophy in his hand. “I can see the support and what it means to India, I
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
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