Five-goal Roma ease to victory over Novara

EUROPE: AS Roma moved to within four points of third place in Serie A after a 5-2 win against lowly Novara and Inter Milan triumphed 5-4 over Genoa in Andrea Stramaccioni’s first game in charge yesterday.

Novara took the lead when Andrea Caracciolo deftly headed home but Roma hit back when Marquinho equalised after 25 minutes. They took the lead nine minutes later through Osvaldo and three second-half goals from Simplicio, Bojan Krkic and Eric Lamela sealed the win.

Diego Milito bagged a hat-trick in Inter’s nine-goal thriller at the San Siro. The hosts raced into a 3-0 lead, with Milito scoring twice and Walter Samuel sliding home Lucio’s cross in the 38th minute. Genoa refused to lie down and goals from Emiliano Moretti and Rodrigo Palacio Inter a fright. A 74th-minute Mario Zarate goal looked to have sealed the win but a frantic final ten minutes, in which three penalties were scored including Milito’s third goal, almost helped Genoa snatch a point.