EuroMix: Inter and Mourinho march on but Twente and McClaren slip up

Jose Mourinho: heading for another title / Fotosports.com

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sport Features Communications

LONDON: Italian league leaders and champions Internazionale strolled closer to a fifth successive Serie A title with a confortable home win over Cagliari. Inter’s 3-0 success was sparked by Goran Pandev’s third goal since rejoining the Nerazzurri from Lazio last month.

Defender Walter Samuel then powered in a header from a corner and Argentina's Diego Milito netted his 14th goal of the league campaign just after the interval.

Roma overtook Milan to go second after winning 1-0 away to Fiorentina on a late strike from Mirko Vucinic. Milan, meanwhile, were held goalless at Bologna – their fourth successive game without a win. Coach Leonardo rested David Beckham who had played all five leagues games since arriving for a second loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy.

In France Marseille thrashed Valenciennes 5-1, their biggest win of the season, to move up to fifth place on a cosmopolitan mixture of goals from Brazil's Brandao, Argentina’s Lucho Gonzalez, Senegal's Mamadou Niang and Frenchmen Benoit Cheyrou and Mathieu Valbuena.

Marseille thus shuffled within one point of Lyon who had Jean Makoun sent off in a goalless draw with Toulouse.

In Germany Borussia Dortmund lost touch with the leaders after surrendering a 2-1 lead and going down 3-2 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. Dortmund remained fifth but now nine points behind joint leaders Bayern Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

In Holland Ajax Amsterdam handed Steve McClaren's Twente Enschede their first defeat of the season with a 3-0 victory. Demy de Zeeuw put Ajax on track midway through the first half and Marko Pantelic added a second when he netted a rebound after Luis Suarez had hit the post. Dennis Rommedahl scored the third 15 minutes before time.

In Spain Mallorca set aside their cash worries to maintain their 100 per cent home record. Their 10th win in 10 home came courtesy of a 1-0 win over Villarreal on a late header from Portuguese defender Nunes. Mallorca thus went fourth, overtaking Sevilla who lost 2-1 at Zaragoza after red cards for Alvaro Negredo and Marius Stankevicius.

Keywords · Italian football · Internazionale · Pandev · Beckham · Twente · McClaren · Bordeaux · Mallorca

For more information contact:
Laura Walden ()
Keir Radnedge ()

All original materials contained in this section are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Sports Features Communications, Inc the owner of that content. It is prohibited to alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), United States Olympic Committee (USOC), or the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of any country.

Disclaimer Notice: By providing links to other Web Sites, Sports Features Communications® does not guarantee, approve or endorse the information or products available at these web sites, nor does a link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked Web Site to http://www.sportsfeatures.com.