Fiorentina slip-up in Champions League pursuit

Fifth-placed Fiorentina missed the chance to move into a Champions League qualifying position after losing 3-1 at Udinese on Sunday.

La Viola could have gone above fourth-placed Genoa but failed to capitalise on their rivals’ 1-0 home defeat to Lazio on Saturday as a double from Gaetano D’Agostino condemned them to defeat.

Those two results helped AS Roma reignite their own hopes of a top four finish in Serie A after a battling 3-2 home win over lowly Lecce.

Despite playing well throughout, Fiorentina never looked like taking anything from the match from the moment Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah gave hosts Udinese a 10th minute lead.

D’Agostino doubled the advantage from the spot two minutes after the break after Alessandro Gamberini’s handball in the box.

Dario Dainelli looked to have given Fiorentina hope of salvaging something from the match on 67 minutes when he reduced the arrears but two minutes later D’Agostino notched his second to settle the affair.

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli said he still believes his side can finish in the top four for the second year in succession.

“We conceded a goal on the counter-attack and despite everything we were right in it in the first half,” he said.

“At the start of the second half we conceded a goal from a penalty, a mistake by the referee, and that changed everything.

“But I still believe we’ll qualify for the Champions League. We have all the elements to believe right to the end and we’ll keep fighting until the last.”

In Rome, Luciano Spalletti’s Roma cruised into a two-goal lead after just 13 minutes after goals from captain Francesco Totti and Matteo Brighi.

But Roma’s makeshift defence, deprived of regular centre-backs Philippe Mexes and Juan, as well as veteran utility back Christian Panucci, always looked vulnerable and Lecce had drawn level within 10 minutes of the restart.

Gianni Munari scored the first after half an hour and Greek substitute Dimitrios Papadopoulos added the second.

But Totti snatched the win from the spot after a penalty award for a foul on Julio Baptista.

At the other end of the table rock bottom Reggina boosted their survival hopes with a vital 1-0 win at Atalanta that leaves them only four points from safety in a tight relegation battle that will see three from themselves, Torino, Lecce and Bologna go down.

On Saturday, 10-man Juventus grabbed a point at home to leaders Inter Milan as Zdenek Grygera’s injury-time header earned the hosts a 1-1 draw at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico.

Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for the reigning champions on 64 minutes after a rapier counter-attack but Grygera arrived unmarked on the six-yard box to head home Sebastian Giovinco’s late corner.

The draw leaves Inter still 10 points clear of their rivals with just six matches remaining while Juventus could lose second place to AC Milan if the rossonero beat Torino in Sunday’s late match.