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Rigano's double propels Messina beyond Palermo

Juventus' Alessandro Del Piero, right, breaks past Piacenza's Alan Nek during an Italian second division soccer match in Turin, Italy, on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

Christian Rigano headed in two goals on Sunday to help relegation-threatened Messina beat 10-man Palermo 2-0 and climb out of the bottom three in the Serie A standings.

Rigano made it 1-0 with the final play of the first half and scored his 11th goal of the season in the 65th minute for only Messina's second win in five months. Edgar Alvarez provided the crosses for both goals.

Palermo striker Andrea Carracciolo was sent off in the 61st minute for complaining about a tackle.

Palermo is winless in five games.

Messina is 17th in the Serie A with 23 points -- one more than Reggina, which drew 2-2 at second-from-last Parma. Inter Milan leads the division with 70 points, followed by AS Roma with 54, and Palermo with 45.

"The road to safety is still long," Messina coach Alberto Cavasin said. "We knew that [Palermo] were better than us and we had to demonstrate determined characteristics, such as prudence and concentration."

Also on Sunday, Tommaso Rocchi scored his third goal in three games to help fourth-place Lazio beat Sampdoria 1-0; Nicola Pozzi's 18th-minute volley gave Empoli a 1-0 win over Udinese; and Italy striker Luca Toni scored twice in four minutes in Fiorentina's 5-1 rout of Torino.

Cagliari beat 10-man Atalanta 2-0 on goals by David Suazo and Simone Pepe to snap a three-game losing streak; and Francesco Cozza scored a 74th-minute equalizer to help Siena draw with Catania 1-1.

In the Serie B, Alessandro Del Piero scored a hat trick to help Juventus beat Piacenza 4-0 and restore the Bianconeri's two-point lead atop the division.

After David Trezeguet opened the scoring in the first minute, Del Piero converted a 51st-minute penalty, struck again with a free kick in the 68th and got his third from close range in the 90th.
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