Lecce managed the shock of the round by stunning Inter Milan 1-0, the defeat bringing to an end the Nerazzurri’s six-game winning. Juventus kept their undefeated record intact by defeating highflying Udinese by two goals to nil in very wet conditions in Turin on Saturday. Alessandro Matri was the hero on the night as he claimed both strikes. Genoa and Napoli played out a five- goal thriller which included a belter from Genoa striker Rodrigo Palacio while AC Milan hardly got out of second gear as they strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win over Cagliari at the San Siro.

Saturday 28th January

There were two games on Saturday, the first was in Sicily where Catania took on Parma with both teams playing out a 1-1 draw. The home side took the lead thanks to Gonzalo Bergessio who managed to find the net from a tight angle. Parma equalised just before the half-time interval and it was Francesco Modesto with the goal as his effort from just outside the area bobbled its way in.

The evening game saw Juventus at home game against high-flying Udinese. Juventus made a tactical change to mirror Udinese by playing a three man defence in a 3-5-2 formation. Three minutes before the interval Juventus opening the scoring and it was Alessandro Matri with the goal as he tapped in after Samir Handanovic made a brilliant save to deny Fabio Quagliarella. Udinese hit back from a brilliant counter-attack goal that levelled the game when substitute Antonio Floro Flores found the net. Mauricio Isla broke from deep with his speed before squaring the ball to Flores who made no mistake with a wonderful curling shot into the bottom corner. But Juventus showed again they are made of much sterner stuff this season as they again took the lead and what was to be the winner just after the hour and it was their star striker Alessandro Matri, again, who struck. Claudio Marchisio poked the ball onto Arturo Vidal and the Chilean found the feet of Matri who then turned his defender and rolled the ball past Samir Handanovic with a left-footed shot.

Sunday 29th January

The lunch time kick-off on Sunday saw the Tuscan derby take place between Fiorentina and Siena at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. It started well for la Viola in the opening minutes as Stevan Jovetic broke the deadlock  with a lovely hit into the bottom corner. It was 2-0 to the home side just past the hour when a Riccardo Montolivo’s free-kick was headed home by Cesare Natali. Siena won a late penalty when Matija Nastasic handled  the ball in the area and it was Emanuele Calaio who coolly converted from the spot.

Atalanta won away at Cesena thanks to a late own-goal fifteen minutes from time from Marco Rossi. Rossi deflected Ezequiel Schelotto’s cross into his own net. The winger showed some grace by not celebrating against his former club.

Palermo got their second win on the trot thanks to two goals from Igor Budan against relegation threatened Novara. Budan headed home in the first half from a wonderful cross from Fabrizio Miccoli. The same combination combined again in the second half as Miccoli broke from deep and glided over the pitch to feed Budan who netted his second of the game to ensure the Sicilians back to back wins for new coach Bertolo Mutti.

Two late goals from German striker Miroslav Klose helped Lazio record a 3-0 away win against the Chievo Verona. Hernanes gave the away side the lead as he bundled home from close range. With two minutes remaining it was still 1-0 but a brace from Klose killed the tie off. The German has been a hit in the capital this season and his good form continues.

Lecce ended Inter Milan’s winning streak as they shocked the Claudio Ranieri’s side by claiming a 1-0 win. The win will ease the pressure on southerners who are fighting to stave off relegation. The only goal of the game came with minutes remaining in the first half as former Milan right back Massimo Oddo found Guillermo Giacomazzi who fired home past Julio Cesar.

Roma were unable to bounce back from their defeat to Juventus last week in the Coppa Italia as they were held to a 1-1 draw to an ultra-defensive looking Bologna side. Marco Di Vaio gave the visitors the lead with a neat finish.  The Giallorossi  hit back with a brilliant free-kick just after the hour as Miralem Pjanic curled in a beauty past Jean-Francois Gillet. Roma huffed and puffed in the remaining twenty five minutes but could not break down a the resolute Bologna defence.

Genoa and Napoli played out a five goal thriller with Ligurians racing into a three goal lead which included a wonderful goal by Rodrigo Palacio who hit a smashing half volley that flew past Morgan De Sanctis. Alberto Gilardino opened up his account for his new side before Palacio added a third.  . Napoli hit back with two goals with the first one coming from Edinson Cavani. Then it was Argentine, Ezequiel Lavezzi, who registered a second for the Azzurri but Walter Mazzarri’s side were unable to find the equaliser as their inconsistent league form continues.

The last game of the weekend saw AC Milan at home game against Cagliari. The champions barely broke a sweat as they cruised to a 3-0 victory. The star of the show ,Zlatan Ibrahimovic, opened the scoring with brilliant curling free-kick before turning provider for Antonio Nocerino who volleyed home with a clinical finish.  Then with just under a quarter of the game remaining Milan added a third when veteran midfielder and club captain Massimo Ambrosini steered his shot past Michele Agazzi.

Victories to AC Milan and Juventus and the widening of the gap between them and third-placed Udinese have led to suggestions that it is now a two-horse race for lo Scudetto. Such thoughts may be premature, but, these two sides do appear the most likely to contend for the domestic league crown. These two old rivals will face each other in the next couple of weeks at the San Siro and the Old Lady will be hoping for a repeat performance of their encounter with Max Allegri’s side where they recorded a convincing 2-0 victory.

Serie A action returns on Tuesday night when Juventus travel to Parma. The match of the round of the round sees Lazio play host to the Rossoneri while their city rivals Inter will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Palermo at the San Siro.