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Hot shot Inzaghi sends Milan second

SoccerNews in Serie A 20 Apr 2009

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Veteran Filippo Inzaghi fired a hat-trick to send AC Milan second in Serie A following a 5-1 win over Torino at the San Siro on Sunday.

It was Inzaghi’s second hat-trick in his last six matches and took his tally during that period to nine goals to continue his remarkable resurrection this season.

He was not even a regular first team starter until last month and this was only his 10th league start of the campaign.

While it is Inzaghi’s name that will dominate the Monday headlines it was his combination with former England captain David Beckham that was the true architect of this victory.

Even so, the Englishman paid tribute to his team-mate.

“Everybody knows that he’s one of the best goalscorers,” said Beckham. “He always scores goals, wherever he is on the field. You put the ball in the right place and he scores.”

Beckham set up Inzaghi’s first two goals and even provided the cross for a disallowed effort for the goal-machine early on.

It was as if Beckham’s right foot and Inzaghi’s head had their own personal radar relationship.

The win moved Milan level on points with Juventus but with a better goal difference, although final league positions are decided on head to head records if teams finish with equal points.

Juve currently lead that having beaten Milan 4-2 at home in December but the two teams meet in Milan next month in what will surely be a direct battle for second place.

With Beckham restored to Milan’s starting line-up following two games as an unused substitute due to a shoulder injury, he and Inzaghi tore Torino apart.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star first found the 35-year-old forward’s head on nine minutes from a free-kick but Inzaghi had strayed offside.

But four minutes later he nodded home a Beckham corner and on 37 minutes a clever chip into the box from the Englishman again found the Inzaghi head.

After the break Milan ran riot as substitute Ronaldinho set up Inzaghi for his hat-trick on the hour mark before Kaka added a penalty after Massimo Ambrossini was brought down by goalkeeper Matteo Sereni.

Ivan Franceschini got Torino on the scoresheet 10 minutes from time but Ambrossini finished off a sumptuous team move in the last minute to round off the scoring.

Meanwhile fifth-placed Fiorentina missed the chance to move into a Champions League qualifying position after losing 3-1 at Udinese.

La Viola could have gone above fourth-placed Genoa but failed to capitalise on their rivals’ 1-0 home defeat to Lazio on Saturday as a double from Gaetano D’Agostino condemned them to defeat.

Those two results helped AS Roma reignite their own hopes of a top four finish in Serie A after a battling 3-2 home win over lowly Lecce. Roma now sit three points behind Fiorentina and five adrift of Genoa.

Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah gave hosts Udinese a 10th minute lead and D’Agostino doubled the advantage from the spot two minutes after the break.

Dario Dainelli looked to have given Fiorentina hope of salvaging something from the match on 67 minutes when he reduced the arrears but two minutes later D’Agostino notched his second to settle the affair.

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli said he still believes his side can finish in the top four for the second year in succession.

“We conceded a goal on the counter-attack and despite everything we were right in it in the first half,” he said.

“At the start of the second half we conceded a goal from a penalty, a mistake by the referee, and that changed everything.

“But I still believe we’ll qualify for the Champions League. We have all the elements to believe right to the end and we’ll keep fighting until the last.”

At the other end of the table rock bottom Reggina boosted their survival hopes with a vital 1-0 win at Atalanta that leaves them only four points from safety in a tight relegation battle that will see three from themselves, Torino, Lecce and Bologna go down.

On Saturday, 10-man Juventus grabbed a point at home to leaders Inter Milan as Zdenek Grygera’s injury-time header earned the hosts a 1-1 draw at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico.

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