AC Milan drops

AC Milan drops point to Parma; waits for crown

ROME (Reuter): Gianfranco Zola scored a late penalty as Parma held AC Milan to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, ensuring the Italian league leader would have to wait at least another week to claim their third successive championship.

Juventus, which with Sampdoria would have had to lose to hand the title to Milan, closed the gap on the champion to six points with a 1-0 home win over Internazionale.

Sampdoria, which started the day equal second, managed only a scoreless draw at Cremonese and dropped to third place.

Daniele Massaro gave Milan the lead in the 72nd minute with his 11th goal of the season - a sharp volley from a Roberto Donadoni free kick.

But with five minutes remaining Donadoni bundled over Argentine defender Nestor Sensini in his own penalty area. Zola made no mistake with the spot kick for his 17th goal of the season.

Milan - 47 points from 30 games - still needs three points from their final four matches to be sure of the title.

Antonio Conte headed the 85th minute goal from a Roberto Baggio cross which handed Inter their fourth successive league defeat.

At the bottom of the table, Atalanta's 1-1 draw with Udinese condemned Atalanta to second division soccer next season.

Parma has won a reputation as Milan's bogey team, having beaten the champion on its last two visits to the San Siro.

In the 24th minute history looked like repeating itself when Tomas Brolin beat the offside trap to round goalkeeper Sebastiano Rossi.

But with the goal at his mercy the Swedish international underhit his shot, allowing defender Alessandro Costacurta to recover and clear the ball off the goal-line.

Real toppled

In Madrid, Real Madrid tumbled 3-2 to bottom team Celta in the Spanish league on Saturday as arch-rivals Barcelona pulled away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Lerida.

Two penalties in the final seven minutes saved Real Madrid from total humiliation, but they were cold comfort for the club whose chances of the championship title now appear slim.

Real remain in third place on 40 points, with Barcelona on 43, level for 24 hours at least, with leaders Deportivo La Coruna. Deportivo play mid-table Real Oviedo on Sunday.

Saturday's game was all too familiar for Real Madrid who have struggled to keep up with the title chase this season. They started the game looking stronger than Celta but failed to capitalize on several goal chances.

In the second half, their concentration went, and Celta, looking ever more dangerous, scored three goals in a 20-minute blitz. Serbian Milorad Ratkovic scored the first in the 48th minute, Croat Stjepan Andrijasevic made it 2-0 11 minutes later, while Bosnian striker Vladimir Gudelj notched the third in the 69th minute.

Real's two face-saving penalties in the 83rd and 86th minutes came from Emilio Butragueno and Fernando Hierro.

PSG

Meanwhile in Paris, runaway leader Paris St Germain extended their unbeaten run to a record 27 matches with a 2-1 home win over Cannes in the French first division on Saturday.

They also widened their lead in the championship to seven points with second-placed Marseille managing only a 1-1 draw at Sochaux.

With only six matches remaining in the season it made it almost certain the Paris club, who have not lost since August 15 last year, will clinch the title.

Their unbeaten run bettered their previous best of 26 matches in a row set in 1986 - the year they won their first and only French championship.

Results

Italian 1st Div

Atalanta 1, Udinese 1; Cremonese 0, Sampdoria 0; Foggia 1, Piacenza 0; Genoa 1, Lazio 1; Juventus 1, Inter 0; Lecce 1, Torino 2; Milan 1, Parma 1; Reggiana 1, Napoli 0; Roma 2, Cagliari 0

Spanish 1st div

Lerida 1; Barcelona 2; Celta 3, Real Madrid 2

French 1st Div

Paris St Germain 2, Cannes 1; Sochaux 1, Marseille 1; Angers 1, Bordeaux 3; Montpellier 1, Lille 3; Lyon 1, Toulouse 0; Martigues 1, Monaco 3; Lens 5, Le Havre 1; Metz 0, St Etienne 1; Caen 3, Strasbourg 1

Portuguese Cup semifinal

Sporting 6, Lourosa 0; Estrela Amadora 1, Porto 2

Dutch 1st div

PSV Eindhoven 2, Cambuur Leeuwarden 0; Go Ahead Eagles 2, RKC Waalwijk 0