Leaders Inter Milan crash at Napoli (2nd Roundup)

By Alberto Cagliano Apr 26, 2009, 21:08 GMT

Rome - Uruguay striker Marcelo Zalayeta came on in the second half Sunday to score the winner in Napoli's 1-0 defeat of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

The slip-up stopped Inter's march toward a fourth straight title, though the blue-blacks still hold a seven-point lead on city rivals AC Milan with five games left.

At Naples' San Paolo stadium, Zalayeta replaced Argentine German Denis and on 73 minutes fired a low shot into the lower left corner, freezing Brazilian Julio Cesar on the goal line.

Napoli had good dominance early in the game, while Inter had their best chances in the first half: with a nasty header from defender Walter Samuel that his Argentine compatriot Nicolas Navarro bravely dove to save, and with a narrowly high shot from Mario Balotelli.

Earlier Sunday, Brazil star Kaka converted two spot kicks to help Milan beat 10-man Palermo 3-0 and move to second place above Juventus, who were held to a 2-2 draw at bottom side Reggina.

Milan settled matters with the Sicily hosts in the first half, which they closed two goals up after Kaka's spot kick and a header from veteran Filippo Inzaghi, who notched his 10th goal from the last seven games.

Palermo's hopes for a comeback faded when defender Cesare Bovo was dismissed on 48 minutes and entirely vanished after a second penalty converted from Kaka.

There were no signs of recovery from Juventus, who twice fell behind against Reggina and failed to end a winless run that began on March 21.

Antonino Barilla scored his first goal in the Serie A on 27 minutes, largely thanks to a blunder from international goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who fell inside the net as he tried to parry the midfielder's header.

After Alessandro Del Piero equalized from the spot, the Reggio Calabria hosts went up again as Iceland's Emil Hallfredsson drilled a searing shot at the junction of bar and post, but Cristiano Zanetti levelled for Juve in the first game he played after a lengthy absence.

A 2-0 defeat at struggling Bologna halted Genoa's quest for a last Champions League berth that is currently available to fourth-place Fiorentina after their 4-1 crushing of 10-man Roma on Saturday.

Bologna remain in the three-team drop zone despite a win triggered by an opening penalty of Marco Di Vaio, who now leads the scorers' table on 21 goals.

One point clear of Bologna lie Torino, who beat Siena 1-0, while second-last Lecce prevailed 2-1 over Catania.

In mid-table games, Atalanta won 1-0 at Lazio, Sampdoria and Cagliari drew 3-3, and Udinese beat Chievo 2-1 on Saturday.