ROME — Napoli kept in touch with Serie A leader Juventus with a 5-1 thumping of bottom club Pescara Sunday, while Inter Milan scraped a 1-0 win over Palermo. Two goals apiece by Gokhan Inler and Edinson Cavani and another from Marek Hamsik moved Walter Mazzarri's Napoli side within two points of Juve which defeated local rival Torino 3-0 Saturday. “We have to carry on with the same attitude we had in the second half because we played badly at the end of the first half and that angered me,” said Cavani. Inter is four points behind Juve after ending a run of three games without a win. However, its stodgy display will not inspire confidence it can sustain a serious title challenge particularly with playmaker Wesley Sneijder sidelined over a contract dispute. Lazio is six points off the pace in fourth spot after beating Parma 2-1 thanks to a 25th-minute effort from defender Giuseppe Biava and Miroslav Klose's ninth league goal of the season. Ishak Belfodil pulled one back for Parma in the 66th minute, converting the rebound after his penalty was saved. AS Roma is sixth after coming back from a goal down to win 3-1 at lowly Siena. Two goals from rejuvenated former Siena striker Mattia Destro and one by Simone Perrotta gave Zdenek Zeman's side a deserved victory in a match where it missed a hatful of chances. A first half hat trick from Alberto Paloschi and a last minute tap-in by Adrian Stoian gave Chievo a 4-2 victory at fellow struggler Genoa and its first away points of the season. Genoa's fourth straight home defeat saw it slip into the bottom three with 12 points, only one ahead of Pescara. Bologna beat Atalanta 2-1 thanks to a deflected free kick from Alessandro Diamanti in the 16th minute and a second-half goal from former Atalanta player Manolo Gabbiadini, while Udinese stayed in mid-table despite a 4-1 rout of Cagliari. ‘Milan to sell for swoop on Balotelli' AC Milan could look to sell Brazilian pair Robinho and Alexandre Pato to boost coffers for a sensational January swoop on unsettled Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, reports said Sunday. Italian media have been linking Balotelli, formerly of Inter Milan but a known supporter of AC Milan, with a shock move to the Rossoneri for several weeks. The speculation gathered pace Sunday with reports suggesting club owner Silvio Berlusconi, a known admirer of ‘Super Mario', wants to re-create Balotelli's partnership with fellow Italy striker Stephan El Shaarawy at Milan. El Shaarawy has scored a league-topping 12 goals in 15 games so far for the seven-time European champion, who is enjoying a resurgence after a disastrous start to its Serie A campaign. Both Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport carried reports Sunday claiming Milan has been looking at ways to secure Balotelli's signature for several weeks. Neither report, however, cited any sources from the clubs in question. Balotelli is enduring a turbulent season at City and two weeks ago was warned by manager Roberto Mancini to change his poor attitude to his profession or face the consequences. Mancini, who gave Balotelli his debut at Inter Milan, has remained loyal to the player despite a series of headline-grabbing incidents in the two-and-a-half years since he joined the club. Balotelli was dropped last month ahead of a 2-1 victory over Tottenham and a back injury subsequently ruled him out of a 5-0 demolition of Aston Villa. Mancini, however, has recently stated he has no intention of releasing Balotelli. — Agencies
