Serie A

Juventus moved back to within four points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan with a comprehensive 4-1 victory away to Roma tonight.
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Vincenzo Iaquinta scored twice with Olof Mellberg and Pavel Nedved also on target for Claudio Ranieri's side, who showed no mercy for a depleted Roma side.

Roma's consolation came from Simone Loria, who responded to the first of Iaquinta's goals to bring the home side level three minutes into the second half, but there was no way back after Iaquinta grabbed his and Juve's second in the 55th minute.

League leaders Inter host Reggina tomorrow and can restore their seven-point lead at the top of the table with a win while Roma can slip five points behind fourth place if either Genoa or Fiorentina win tomorrow.

Roma were without 11 members of their first-team squad due to injury and suspension, leaving coach Luciano Spalletti with a battle on his hand just to get 11 fit players on the pitch.

He succeeded, but that was the only victory he was able to celebrate on a torrid night at the Stadio Olimpico.

It could have started perfectly for the Giallorossi had John Arne Riise's first-minute volley finished inside of the post.

Minutes later, the home side had another good chance with Riise chasing down a ball which Zdenek Grygera had left to go out for a goal kick. The Roma full-back reached the ball and pulled it back to Jeremy Menez, but Giorgio Chiellini threw himself in front of the Frenchman's shot.

Juve went ahead in the 34th minute with a fine team move which started with a determined tackle from Cristian Molinaro deep in his own half.



He sent Christian Poulsen on his way and the Dane exchanged passes with Sebastian Giovinco, who in turn played the ball into the path of Iaquinta, who shifted into the penalty area onto his preferred right foot before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the far corner past Doni.

Roma got the start they needed to the second half with an equaliser coming after less than three minutes.

Menez's low corner from the left made its way through a crowd of players to Loria, who swivelled to place his left-footed shot into the bottom corner of Gianluigi Buffon's goal.

Juve were back in front in the 55th minute as Iaquinta grabbed his second of the night.

Grygera's cross deflected up off Riise to the Juve striker, who beat Philippe Mexes to the ball and nodded it past Doni from five yards.

Seven minutes later Juve should have added a third, but they squandered the chance, despite having four men up against two Roma defenders.

Alessandro del Piero put Iaquinta through, but he could not get a shot in this time as the ball squirmed loose back to Del Piero, whose shot was saved on the line by Riise.

Mellberg did add a third in the 68th minute when he rose to meet Del Piero's corner with a determined header into the top corner of Doni's goal.

Nedved completed the scoring just minutes after coming on to replace Tiago with a fine volley from 20 yards which, again, left Doni no chance in the Roma goal as he picked the ball out of the back of his net for the fourth and last time in the 74th minute.

In Saturday's other game Catania beat Lazio 1-0 thanks to a Michele Paolucci goal. Goran Pandev missed a penalty for Lazio.