TNT Sports
Milan cruise past Parma
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Published 23/04/2005 at 19:51 GMT+1
Goals from Kaka, Tomasson and Cafu were enough to lift Milan 3 points clear at the summit of Serie A. The rossoneri were in vintage form as they cantered to a comfortable victory. Udinese won 3-2 in Siena to take the all-important Champions League-earning
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MILAN MOVE CLEAR
Milan, without the injured Andrea Pirlo and the suspended Gennaro Gattuso, dominated from the outset and took the lead after 34 minutes.
Rui Costa had a shot parried by Parma keeper Sebastien Frey and, after Andriy Shevchenko's follow-up was blocked, Kaka pounced on the loose ball.
Clarence Seedorf and Shevchenko wasted good chances after the break while Frey produced a fine save with his feet to foil Tomasson.
European Footballer of the Year Shevchenko also played a part in the second goal when he broke down the right and slipped the ball into the path of Tomasson who beat Frey.
Milan made it 3-0 when Ukrainian Shevchenko's shot was half blocked and Cafu lashed in the rebound.
Frey, linked with a move away from Parma at the end of the season, made another fine stop to thwart Tomasson as Milan threatened to run riot.
Carlo Ancelotti's side face freshly crowned Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
EUROPEAN DREAM
Udinese will be dreaming of joining Milan in Europe next season after getting a grip on the fourth place which brings a spot in the qualifying round of the Champions League.
Udinese are in pole position with 53 points while Sampdoria, who are at home to struggling Roma on Sunday, have 52. Palermo (48) are at bottom club Atalanta.
Siena, recent winners over Roma and Milan, twice fought back to level before Vincenzo Iaquinta's 66th-minute goal decided the outcome.
Di Michele put Udinese ahead in the sixth minute with a superb volley from 20 metres. Three minutes later Massimo Maccarone brought the home side level with a glancing header from an Enrico Chiesa free kick.
Udinese went back in front through Di Michele following a 53rd-minute error by Siena defender Bruno Cirillo.
It again proved a short-lived advantage for the visitors as four minutes later Brazilian Rodrigo Taddei found the target with a deflected shot after Chiesa dummied a pass from Maccarone.
Udinese clinched maximum points when Iaquinta turned sharply inside the area to fire past Siena's Austrian keeper Alex Manninger.
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