Genoa 0-0 Lazio
Genoa managed to hold a dominant Lazio to a scoreless draw during the first half of this fixture, but the visitors were forced to defend for most of in the second - net-minder Fernando Muslera performing superbly, as he has many times this season. Lazio have a small squad, and on days like today when talented attacking midfielder Hernanez and striker Mauro Zarate are off form, they will struggle to score.
This was a disappointing result for those of us who backed Lazio, but an encouraging one for their defence, who kept a clean sheet for the first time in 6 outings.
Udinese 2-0 Chievo
Udinese showed considerable fortitude today in holding on to a 2-0 advantage despite the dismissal of their Roman midfielder Giampiero Pinzi in the 35th minute, and despite having missed a penalty late in the first half.
Though they forced a late equaliser against 10-man Juventus in their last game, Chievo couldn't make the numerical advantage count today.
Udinese's goals were provided by Alexis Sanchez and yes, you guessed it, Antonio DiNatale.
Palermo 3-0 Sampdoria
Rather than securing the draw we were hoping for, Sampdoria instead suffered their heaviest defeat of the season. Fabrizio Miccoli, Giulio Migliaccio and Massimo Maccarone all found the net for Palermo in a performance which got them off to a perfect start to 2011. If they can keep the excellent Miccoli fit and scoring goals, Palermo will be serious contenders for one of the European qualifying places.
Other Serie A results from Thursday 6th January 2010:
Juventus 1-4 Parma
Roma 4-2 Catania
Bologna 1-1 Fiorentina
Brescia 1-2 Cesena
Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan
Lecce 0-1 Bari
Inter Milan 3-1 Napoli
Serie A returns on Sunday, so make sure to return for selected match previews and betting tips!
