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Inter held by Siena, Roma cuts lead to one point

Sun 11th, May 2008

Milan, Italy (Sports Network) - Inter Milan failed in its second attempt to secure a third straight Serie A title, finishing 2-2 with Siena at the San Siro while Roma beat Atalanta 2-1, cutting Inter's lead to just one point with one game to play.

Inter will finish the season at relegation-battling Parma, while Roma will hope Inter drops points for the third consecutive game and the capital club secures all three against Catania.

Patrick Vieira put Inter ahead 11 minutes into the match, but Siena answered 20 minutes later through Massimo Maccarone. Mario Balotelli's third goal of the season right before halftime gave the Nerazzuri a 2-1 lead, but the visitors responded once again through a terrific strike from Houssine Kharja with 20 minutes to play.

Inter was handed a chance to get the win in the 78th minute when Marco Materazzi drew a questionable penalty kick, but his effort from the spot was stopped by Siena goalkeeper Alex Manninger.

The home side got off to a great start with Balotelli's corner kick finding the head of Vieira inside the box. The former Arsenal man then headed his side ahead by beating Manninger from close range.

The Inter defense gave the goal back in the 31st minute, however, when Siena's Kharja split the back line with a through ball, allowing Maccarone to get in on goal and slip the ball underneath Inter keeper Julio Cesar.

Another dead-ball situation allowed Inter to take a one-goal lead into the half as Maicon's long throw into the box was flicked through the face of goal by Vieira to Balotelli, who was left with an easy finish at the back post.

The home side was just 45 minutes away from the title, but Kharja put the celebrations on hold with a fantastic effort from 25 yards that found the lower corner to level the match.

Inter had one last chance to grab the title eight minutes later when Siena's Christian Rigano was called for bringing down Materazzi inside the box. It was a debatable call, but Manninger made it a mute point when he came up with a diving stop to deny the Inter defender from the penalty spot.

Roma got goals from Christian Panucci and Daniele De Rossi to hold off Atalanta, giving themselves a shot to steal the title on the season's final day.

Third-place Juventus finished 1-1 with Catania, which is now two points clear of the drop zone, while last-place Livorno will be headed down next year after losing 1-0 to Torino.

Empoli is in trouble after losing 2-0 to Reggina, leaving the team three points from safety with one game left. Parma occupies the final relegation spot heading into the last week after they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Fiorentina, which jumped into fourth place after AC Milan was stunned 3-1 by Napoli.

Sampdoria improved its European chances with a 2-0 win over Palermo, Cagliari downed Udinese 2-0 and Lazio got goals from Goran Pandev and Tommaso Rocchi in a 2-0 win over Genoa.

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