Honours even in Florence

ByEurosport

Published 02/04/2006 at 15:06 GMT

Fiorentina and Roma fought out a 1-1 in Florence on Sunday as neither team took the advantage in their race for the Champions League. Elsewhere in Italy, a dramatic last-second own-goal from Massimo Oddo saw Empoli snatch a 3-3 draw in the capital and Chi

VIOLA OFF-KEY

Fiorentina and Roma entertained a packed house in Florence but with so much at stake, neither team could find the winning goal.

Luca Toni equalled Gabriele Batituta's club record of 26 goals in a single season in the first minute of the match.

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Benefiting from a close offside call, he raced onto a through ball to hammer the ball into the net and give La Viola the best possible start.

FOOTBALL 2005-2006 Serie A Fiorentina-Roma Cufre

Image credit: Reuters

Despite enjoying a fair amount of chances at goal, it took Roma's depleted strike force until the final quarter of the game to find the equaliser.

Leandro Cufre forced a good save with his header but was able to follow it up himself to prod the ball home and spark wild celebrations amongst the away fans.

With neither team able to find a winner in the final stages, both teams are still locked in battle for the fourth Champions League place, with Fiorentina holding a single point advantage with six games left to play.

ODDO ONE OUT

Massimo Oddo hung his head in disbelief at the Stadio Olimpico as he scored at the wrong end with the final kick of the game to hand Empoli a 3-3 draw.

Earlier, the hosts had taken a 2-0 lead through Goran Pandev and Valon Behrami only for Vottorio Tosto and Francesco Tavano to bring Empoli back on level terms.

FOOTBALL 2005-2006 Serie A Lazio-Empoli Di Canio

Image credit: Reuters

Then it was the turn of Lazio captain Paulo Di Canio to score a silky solo strike with just ten minutes remaining to seemingly win the game before Oddo's defensive calamity.

CHIEVO TAKE THE POINTS

Chievo battled to a 2-1 home win over Livorno on Sunday, thanks to a late winner from Amauri.

The hosts even had time to miss a penalty on their way to a win that puts them in the driving seat in the competition for a place in next season's UEFA Cup.

COMFORT ZONE

Palermo and Ascoli both remain firmly in mid-table after a 1-1 draw in Sicily saw them both stay away from the relegation battle while having no realistic chances of claiming a spot in Europe last season.

Andrea Caracciolo scored the opener for the hosts only for it to be cancelled out by a Pasquale Foggia strike from a quickly taken free-kick.

UDINESE IN THE POINTS AT LAST

Udinese picked up their first maximum for 14 games as they swept aside a Parma outfit well used to losing on their travels.

Antonio di Natale and Da Silva Felipe scored the goals as the hosts put a much needed four points between themselves and the relegation zone.

ELSEWHERE

Reggina and Sampdoria entertained Siena and Cagliari respectively as both treated their fans to a 1-1 draw.

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