ROME, 10 April 2006 — Brazilian playmaker Kaka scored a second-half hat-trick as AC Milan came from behind to beat Chievo Verona 4-1 and hang on to second place in Serie A yesterday.
Having been caught cold by Sergio Pellissier’s 13th-minute strike, the Champions League semi-finalists hit back with a goal by Alessandro Nesta and three from Kaka — the second from the penalty spot — to give them 73 points from 33 matches.
They are two ahead of Inter Milan, who beat Ascoli 2-1 on Saturday. Fiorentina are keen for a victory to go back above AS Roma who moved into the fourth Champions League spot on 63 points with a 3-1 win over Lecce.
Chievo had failed to earn a point in four previous Serie A matches against Milan at the San Siro and seemed unlikely to break their duck as the home side dominated the early stages.
Chievo’s response to Milan’s lengthy periods of possession was to pump long balls forward — a tactic that unexpectedly paid off in the 14th minute, when Marco Malago nodded on for Pellissier to volley past Dida.
Their goal, however, failed to change the balance of the contest. Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf had already forced a good save from Alberto Fontana with a long-range effort before Kaka laid the ball off to Nesta to score the third Serie A goal of his 12-year career just before the half hour mark.
Milan kept up the pressure in the second half and went ahead just after the hour mark, Kaka tapping-in from close range after Fontana had parried a snap shot by Filippo Inzaghi.
Kaka doubled their lead with a 70th-minute penalty after Malago’s handball, and completed his hat-trick late on when he drilled the ball in from the edge of the area.
While Kaka’s first hat-trick for Milan kept them ahead of Inter in the battle for the second automatic place in the group stage of next season’s Champions League, AS Roma continued their bid for a return to Europe’s top club competition. Goals by Cristian Chivu and two by Mancini gave them the points against Lecce.
It was also a good day for Roma’s city rivals Lazio, who moved up to sixth — and into the UEFA Cup places — with a 3-2 win over Siena, courtesy of goals by Stefano Mauri, Tommaso Rocchi and Ousmane Dabo.
At the other end of the table, basement side Treviso became the first club to be relegated when they lost 3-1 to Messina.
Chelsea Close In on Title
In London Ten-man Chelsea roared back from a goal down to trounce West Ham United 4-1 and close in on a second consecutive Premier League title yesterday, despite a 2-0 win for Manchester United over Arsenal.
With five games left, champions Chelsea have 82 points — seven more than second-placed United after England striker Wayne Rooney scored one and made the other for South Korean Park Ji-sung in a pulsating clash at Old Trafford. Third-placed Liverpool stay five points behind United, having played a game more, after striker Robbie Fowler celebrated his 31st birthday with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers.
Newcastle United beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside in the northeast derby, while the Midlands derby finished 0-0 between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion.
PSV Retain Dutch Title; Ajax Beat Alkmaar
In Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven retained the Dutch league title yesterday with a 1-1 draw at home to Groningen, moving on to 80 points with two games left to play.
Second-placed AZ Alkmaar lost 1-0 at fifth-placed Ajax Amsterdam and remain on 70 points, also with two matches left.
PSV coach Guus Hiddink, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, told Tele 2 TV: “This is a beautiful championship, especially because nobody, including ourselves, considered us candidates for the title.
“If I consider how my team has played this season, I have to pay my respects to them.” PSV made a struggling start against Groningen, who are still chasing a playoff spot, and went 1-0 down when Erik Nevland struck four minutes before the interval.
Club top scorer Jefferson Farfan lifted his total to 19 when DaMarcus Beasley set him up 90 seconds into the second half to level the score.
Nourdin Boukhari sealed Ajax’s win against Alkmaar when he netted a cross from Hatem Trabelsi after 33 minutes.
Ajax remain fifth with 54 points, one behind fourth placed Utrecht, who were beaten 1-0 by Vitesse Arnhem. Teams finishing second to fifth go to a post-season playoff for a Champions League third qualifying round spot and two UEFA Cup berths.
