Dejan Stankovic gave the visitors the lead in the 16th
minute and it appeared Inter was in total control when he went close minutes
later.
However, Udinese equalized soon after through Cristian
Zapata and by halftime was leading 2-1 after Antonio Di Natale scored from a
free kick.
Inter Milan's Javier Zanetti, of Argentina, left, is
challenged by Udinese's Alexis Sanchez, of Chile, during a Serie A soccer match
between Udinese and Inter in Udine, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011.
Inter Milan's Javier Zanet… AP - Jan 23, 7:42 a.m. EST
1 of 25 World
Soccer Gallery AdChoices In the second half, Maurizio Domizzi added a third
after the defense was again unable to clear the danger, snapping Inter’s run of
five straight wins under Leonardo since the Brazilian took over from Rafa
Benitez in December.
“We started the match well and with the right mentality,”
Leonardo said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t come back, but it is a difficult
stadium to come to and Udinese is in great form.” Napoli kept up its pressure
on AC Milan at the top of the standings with a 2-0 win at Bari.
Ezequiel Lavezzi diverted Edinson Cavani’s free kick past
goalkeepr Jean-Francois Gillet in the 38th minte.
Bari had to play the last 23 minutes with 10 men after
Alessandro Parisi earned a second yellow card for elbowing Napoli defender
Christian Maggio in the face.
Edinson Cavani wrapped up the win in the 87th with his 14th
goal of the season.
Bologna, meanwhile, won 3-1 at home to Lazio.
Sergio Floccari gave the Rome side an early lead, but Gaston
Ramirez and Marco Di Vaio put the hosts in the lead by halftime.
In the second half, Lazio did little to threaten and Di Vaio
added his second goal of the game in stoppage time.
Both sides finished with 10 men. Henry Giminez was sent off
for Bologna and Lazio’s Andre Dias earned two yellow cards.
Also Sunday, it was; Chievo Verona 0, Genoa 0; Fiorentina 1,
Lecce 1 and Sampdoria 0, Juventus 0.
Inter nearly fell behind in the ninth minute when Maicon
went close to lobbing his own goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi after he had miscued
a cross by Giampiero Pinzi.
Stankovic’s goal appeared to settle Inter’s nerves. Thiago
Motta laid the ball into his path, and Stankovic shot low into the far corner.
The Serb almost doubled his tally in the 19th. Udinese’s
defense failed to clear a corner and Stankovic hit a volley from the edge of
the area that goalkeeper Samir Handanovic saw late and pushed over the bar.
Two minutes later, Udinese was level as Inter’s defensive
problems began to show. The ball wasn’t cleared and from just inside the area
Zapata shot past Castellazzi.
Di Natale then put Udinese into the lead when he curled a
free kick over the wall.
After halftime, Udinese maintained the pressure and Di
Natale and Domizzi went close to extending the host’s lead.
Udinese scored a deserved third in the 69th. Inter’s defense
was unable to clear Di Natale’s free kick, Zapata headed back into the box and
Domizzi reached the ball first and flicked it past Castellazzi.
“Physically we are in good shape and playing well,” Di
Natale said. “It is always difficult against Inter, and it is a team that will
be involved in the title race right till the end. That said, we are playing
well and deserved to win today.”
Barca marches on at top; Valencia wins
Barcelona cranked up the pressure on Real Madrid by moving
seven points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday after sweeping aside
Racing Santander 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
Pedro, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta scored the goals that
that earned Barca a 14th consecutive league victory, equalling the previous
club record set under Frank Rijkaard when they won a La Liga and Champions
League double in the 2005-6 season.
The champions moved on to 55 points from 20 games while
second-placed Real, who drew in Almeria last weekend, host Real Mallorca on
Sunday.
Valencia climbed to third on 40 points after Aritz Aduriz
grabbed a last-minute goal to earn his side a thrilling 4-3 comeback win at
home to nine-man Malaga.
Earlier, Luis Fabiano’s hat-trick fired Sevilla to a 4-1 win
over Levante that put them seventh with 29 points.
Racing were chasing the game from the second minute after
Messi combined with Iniesta in the area and lifted the ball over the diving
Tono, for Pedro to chest the ball into the net.
Barca created numerous openings before David Villa was
brought down for a penalty in the 33rd minute, which Messi converted, and
Iniesta sealed the points with a deflected shot in the 56th.
Racing, who are in the process of being bought out by Indian
businessman Ahsan Ali Syed, forced Victor Valdes into a couple of fine saves in
the first half but otherwise offered little.
Barca coach Pep Guardiola was unwilling to make title
predictions and said Real would take the race to the end of the season.
“Against a rival like Real Madrid nothing is ever decided
until the very end,” he told reporters. “Tomorrow they will be four points
behind us again because they have the best coach in the world and a very good
team.” Malaga’s new-look side deservedly took the lead at Mestalla when Jose
Rondon stroked in an 11th-minute opener, but they were quickly down to 10 men
as Martin Demichelis was sent off for tripping Juan Mata in the area.
The Spain winger levelled from the penalty spot, only for
Malaga’s Rondon to score again from a freekick in the 35th.
Valencia were whistled off by their own fans at the break
but substitute Roberto Soldado equalized with a low shot soon after the
re-start.
Malaga then lost defender Helder Rosario to a straight red
card in the 65th after he shouted at the linesman, and another Valencia substitute
Ever Banega fired the hosts in front at a corner two minute later.
Malaga courageously pressed forward and with 10 minutes left
Julio Baptista cut inside and drove a fierce shot past Vicente Guaita to level
the score at 3-3, only for Aduriz to send them home empty handed with a
last-ditch winner.
In Seville, Brazil striker Luis Fabiano scored with a
header, a penalty, and a shot from the edge of the area to boost Sevilla ahead
of next week’s King’s Cup semifinal against Real.
Fabiano guided a majestic header into the top corner from a
Jesus Navas cross in the 28th minute, and Julien Escude doubled Sevilla’s lead
at a corner in the 39th.
The hosts went in 3-0 up at the break when Fabiano netted
from the penalty spot.
