Roma struggle to cut gap on Inter

AS Roma´s forward Mirko Vucinic shoots and scores against Genoa during their Italian Serie A football match at Olympic Stadium in Rome. Roman won 3-2.

      ROME (AFP) - AS Roma struggled to a 3-2 victory over Genoa on Saturday to cut the gap on leaders Inter Milan to just one point at the top of Serie A.

      Roma, who slumped to a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Manchester United at the Stadio Olimpico in midweek, stormed into a 2-0 lead within the first 17 minutes before Genoa levelled with two goals in the space of a minute in the second half.

      However, a Daniele De Rossi penalty 10 minutes from time secured the three points which will send Roma to Manchester next week for their Champions League quarter-final second leg clash in good heart.

      "We proved that we have real heart," said Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.

      "The result was deserved. We struggled, but Genoa play good football and are in great shape, so that was only to be expected."

      Inter face mid-table Atalanta on Sunday but will make the trip in a wary frame of mind having seen their seemingly invincible lead of 11 points cut back to just one.

      Roma, still without injured talismanic skipper Francesco Totti, were in front after 14 minutes when Brazilian import Taddei scored from a cross by Max Tonnetto.

      Montenegro international Mirko Vucinic made it 2-0 with a 20-metre drive three minutes later as Roma threatened to run riot.

      However, the second half witnessed a turnaround with Marco Rossi pulling a goal back in the 58th minute after Roma keeper Doni failed to gather a shot from Serie A top-scorer Marco Borriello.

      Honduran international Julio Cesar Leon then levelled at 2-2 just moments later.

      But just as Genoa threatened to clinch the three points, Roma were handed a lifeline when Borriello brought down Taddei and De Rossi converted the penalty.

      Later Saturday, AC Milan kept up their push for Champions League qualification with a 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Cagliari at the San Siro.

      Brazilian star Kaka, returning from injury, opened the scoring for Milan after just eight minutes with a superb free-kick before Filippo Inzaghi, also back after a lay-off, grabbed his first of the night with a header on the half-hour mark.

      Milan goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac gifted Cagliari a goal in the 49th minute when he failed to hold on to a Daniele Conti free-kick.

      Inzaghi, however, added Milan's third in the 69th minute with a wonderful dribble around keeper Marco Storari.

      The win moved Milan into fifth place in the table with 52 points, one behind Fiorentina who occupy the last Champions League qualifying slot.

      On Sunday, Inter, who have won only two of their last nine matches in all competitions, losing four times, travel to Atalanta who enjoyed an impressive 2-1 victory at Milan last week.

      Inter's Argentine striker Hernan Crespo knows the pressure is on and said his team need to concentrate on themselves.

      "It's like for a cyclist, we have to keep looking in front because if you look behind they will overtake you," he said.

      "However, we're in the middle of a difficult period. Getting knocked out of the Champions League (by Liverpool) was a bitter pill to swallow but now the old Inter is coming back."