MILAN, 31 October 2005 — Third-placed Fiorentina moved within five points of Serie A leaders Juventus after Danish winger Martin Jorgensen struck an 82nd minute winner in the 2-1 victory over Cagliari yesterday.
Juventus, who lost 3-1 to AC Milan on Saturday, lead on 27 points with Milan two points behind them and Fiorentina third on 22 points.
French defender Philippe Mexes headed an injury time winner for 10-man Roma who beat Ascoli 2-1 despite having Romanian defender Cristian Chivu sent off.
Lazio fell to a 1-0 defeat at lowly Reggina — an own goal from Luciano Zauri deciding the game — while Livorno move up to fifth place thanks to a 2-0 victory over Parma.
Udinese host Palermo later on Sunday.
Fiorentina had to fight back from a goal down to get the three points against Cagliari and once again it was Italy striker Luca Toni who was the key figure for Cesare Prandelli’s team.
Honduran striker David Suazo put Cagliari ahead in the 23rd minute after taking advantage of sloppy defending from Fiorentina’s Marco Di Loreto.
Toni brought Fiorentina level eight minutes into the second half, finishing off a superb defense-splitting pass from Stefano Fiore.
The striker then turned provider when he put over a low cross, while being harried by two defenders, which Jorgensen confidently converted.
Cagliari’s disappointment was enhanced by two late dismissals — Daniele Conti and Michele Canini both being handed red cards in the final stages of the game.
Toni, currently Italy coach Marcello Lippi’s first choice striker, remains the top scorer in Serie A with 12 goals from 10 matches.
The win continues an excellent campaign from Fiorentina who, after winning promotion back to Serie A in 2004, only avoided relegation on the final day of last season.
Roma may have turned a corner in the past week after Wednesday’s impressive 3-2 win at Inter Milan was followed up by a battling victory over Ascoli.
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti was without captain and inspiration Francesco Totti, who was suspended, and it was defender Christian Panucci who put the home side ahead with a fine angled header. Chivu was sent off in the 81st minute for an elbow on Ascoli forward Sasa Bjelanovic and two minutes later the visitors drew level thanks to a thundering 20-meter free-kick from Maurizio Domizzi.
Two superbly taken first-half headers from Cristiano Lucarelli and Stefano Morrone were enough to give Livorno a 2-0 win over injury-ravaged Parma.
Celtic Beat Dundee United to Go Top
In Glasgow, Celtic took full advantage of Hearts’s derby slip-up and went top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference with a 4-2 win at Dundee United yesterday.
Hearts went down 2-0 to city rivals Hibernian on Saturday for their first defeat of the season and Celtic’s victory at Tannadice allowed them to match the Edinburgh club’s total of 32 points from 13 games.
Chris Sutton had a role in most of the significant action in an eventful first half and started his busy afternoon by heading a Barry Robson cross into his own net in the fourth minute for United’s opener.
The English striker made immediate amends by dummying a pass at the edge of the box to allow the ball to run to John Hartson and the Welshman squeezed a low shot under keeper Derek Stillie for the 17th minute leveller — his 99th goal for Celtic.
Sutton flicked the ball wide of the keeper for 2-1 just before the half-hour mark after Shaun Maloney had cut in from the left and dragged the ball across two defenders, cracking in a low shot from 20 meters.
But United equalized with a stunning turn and shot inside the box from Trinidad and Tobago forward Collin Samuel on the half hour.
The fifth goal of the half came along two minutes later when a Maloney corner was diverted into his own net by United defender Alan Archibald, with Sutton applying the pressure for the 3-2 halftime lead.
It was not until the closing stages that substitute Stephen Pearson slid home Celtic’s fourth from close range to leave the top two four points in front of Hibernian and 10 ahead of champions Rangers.
Feyenoord Beat Willem II 3-1 to Stay in Touch
In Amsterdam, Feyenoord cruised to a 3-1 win at Willem II Tilburg yesterday to stay in touch with the leaders at the top of the Dutch first division. Canadian Jonathan de Guzman scored his first goal for the Rotterdam side after nine minutes, latching onto a deflected ball and bundling over the line from close range.
Romeo Castelen doubled the lead on the counter attack before the interval and Dirk Kuijt set up Patrick Paauwe to make it three on the hour. Hans Denissen grabbed the home side’s consolation goal in injury time.
Feyenoord remain one point behind leaders PSV Eindhoven, who beat Twente Enschede 1-0 on Saturday, and level on 24 points with AZ Alkmaar, who beat ADO Den Haag 2-0. AZ have a better goal difference.
Ajax Amsterdam, who were held to a goalless draw by Heerenveen on Friday, slipped to sixth with 15 points.
In two of Sunday’s other matches, Nassir Maachi scored twice on his debut for Utrecht as his new team beat bottom side RBC Roosendaal 4-1, while midfielder Danny Buijs struck 11 minutes from time to hand Groningen a 1-0 win over Roda JC Kerkrade.
