Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Totti breaks record

December 20, 2004 11:46 IST

Two goals to Francesco Totti in AS Roma's 5-1 crushing of Parma have made him the club's all-time top scorer while third-placed Udinese have beaten Lazio 3-0 to close the gap on leading pair Juventus and AC Milan.

Juve's goalless draw at home to champions Milan on Saturday leaves them on 39 points with Milan four behind and Udinese now on 31 points.

A first-half free-kick from Sinisa Mihajlovic gave fourth-placed Inter Milan a 1-0 home win over Brescia and only their fourth victory of the season .

Totti's strikes for Roma on Sunday took him to 108 Serie A goals, two more than Roberto Pruzzo's previous club record, on a day when he threatened in a newspaper interview to quit the club.

"All I can say is that it is like winning the title -- an unforgettable moment. I hope I can continue and get many more goals," said Totti, who was mobbed by ball boys wearing his number 10 shirts after his first goal.

Totti set up Antonio Cassano for Roma's opening goal in the 10th minute and then made it 2-0 himself with the record-breaking goal.

Parma pulled a goal back through former Roma defender Cesare Bovo before the break but then Totti set up Cassano again to make it 3-1 five minutes into the second half.

Vincenzo Montella made it 4-1 with a fine solo goal and then Totti completed the rout with a thundering drive from over 20 metres out.

Parma had forward Andrea Pisanu sent off 15 minutes from the end of the game.

Lazio coach Domenico Caso's position looks bleak after the defeat at Udinese left his team just a point away from the relegation zone.

Sebastiano Siviglia was sent off in just the eighth minute and then goals from David Pizarro (penalty), David Di Michele and Vincenzo Iaquinta wrapped the game up before the break.

The victory was Udinese's eighth in nine games and coach Luciano Spalletti said: "The way the team are working at the moment and the way they are performing really pleases me. I'd never have expected us to have so many points at this stage".

Inter struggled against Brescia and had it not been for Mihajlovic's trademark drive, Roberto Mancini's side could easily have ended up with a 13th draw.

"It was hard work to win that one but we had three or four chances. They kept it very tight at the back and it was hard to find space but we won. That will do," said striker Christian Vieri.

Francesco Flachi scored twice for Sampdoria as they won 4-1 at Lecce, who had defender Souleymane Diamoutene sent off in the 37th minute.

Fiorentina beat Chievo 2-0 with goals from Christian Rigano and Spanish striker Javier Portillo -- his first in the league since joining the Florence club on loan from Real Madrid.

Palermo were hosting Cagliari later on Sunday.

Simon Evans
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.