Palermo stunned AC Milan 1-0 on Saturday to end a run of five straight defeats and blow the Serie A title race wide open.
Romania centerback Dorin Goian was the unlikely hero, scoring the only goal of a game that could result in Milan’s lead being cut.
The Rossoneri came into the game five points clear of champions and city rivals Inter, who were to play Lecce yesterday, while Napoli could also reduce the arrears to three points if they beat Cagliari.
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said that his team missed suspended striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“We didn’t play well in the first half and we made many mistakes in the final third,” he said. “In the second half we did better, we created a few chances, but we weren’t very clinical.”
Palermo’s win also improved their hopes of securing European soccer next season.
They got off to a great start as they took the lead after just 10 minutes from a corner.
Ezequiel Munoz rose at the back post to head the ball back across goal, where Giulio Migliaccio nodded it into the middle and the unmarked Goian had time to control the ball, turn and volley home.
Milan’s response was almost immediate as a Clarence Seedorf corner somehow flashed across the face of the six-yard box with Alessandro Nesta sliding in a fraction too late to turn it in at the back post.
Palermo in general enjoyed the better chances and Javier Pastore played a one-two with Mauricio Pinilla before rifling just off target.
A Pastore back-flick then gave Pinilla a chance, but Christian Abbiati got down low to his right to save.
Cassano had a chance on the break, but fired wildly off target before Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu came out quickly to save at Alexandre Pato’s feet.
Palermo played on the counterattack in the second half, but wasted several glorious chances to stretch their advantage.
Pastore spurned the first two with a poor pass and then bad decision-making, but when he later squared the ball across the six-yard box, Matteo Darmian put it wide on the slide.
Milan nearly made them pay on 65 minutes as substitute Robinho found space in the box and crossed for Mathieu Flamini, whose goalbound shot was punched away by Sirigu.
The visitors were pushing hard for a leveler and Sirigu made a fine save from a flying Gennaro Gattuso header.
However, in injury-time Palermo wasted another counter as substitutes Fabrizio Miccoli and Abel Hernandez couldn’t convert a two-on-one situation.
Earlier, Argentine striker Mauro Zarate scored the only goal of the game as Lazio moved back into the Champions League qualification places with a 1-0 win over Cesena.
Having lost their position in the top four for the first time since the beginning weeks of the season last weekend following their derby defeat by Roma, Lazio quickly set themselves back on track.
Udinese could reclaim fourth place, though, if they were to beat Catania at home yesterday.
Zarate gave Lazio a dream start on two minutes as he turned home a cross from Stefano Mauri.
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