Antonio Nocerino scored a hat--trick to lead AC Milan to a 4-1 win over Parma on Wednesday, moving the defending champions within two points of the Italian league lead.
Nocerino, who joined Milan from Palermo in the final minutes of the off-season transfer window, scored in the 30th, 32nd and 90th minutes at the San Siro.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic added another for the Rossoneri in the 73rd and Sebastian Giovinco pulled one back for Parma in the 78th to match Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale for the league scoring lead with his sixth goal.
Juventus, who beat Fiorentina 2-1 on Tuesday, lead with 16 points, followed by Udinese and Lazio — who each missed out on chances to go top — with 15 each.
Milan and Napoli are next with 14 points each.
Napoli beat Udinese 2-0 and Lazio were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Catania.
Inter’s struggles continued with a 1-1 draw to Atalanta, with Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar exiting at halftime with a left thigh problem; and Juraj Kucka scored an 89th-minute winner as Genoa beat Roma 2-1.
Also, it was: Cesena 1, Cagliari 1; Chievo Verona 0, Bologna 1; and Novara 1, Siena 1.
In Milan, Nocerino’s opening goal came from the edge of the box after he was left unmarked inside the area and his second came with a spectacular shot to the top corner from beyond the area.
Ibrahimovic then dribbled by a defender and easily shot past Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante and Nocerino scored again with a header following a cross from Antonio Cassano.
In Genoa, Bosko Jankovic put the hosts in front in the 38th following an error by Roma defender Gabriel Heinze. Roma’s 20-year-old forward Fabio Borini equalized in the 82nd following a setup from Marco Borriello and Kucka then scored the winner off his leg without realizing it as he stood by the post for a corner.
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