Turin, Italy – Juventus kicked off the new year on the wrong foot, throwing away the lead in a 2-1 loss to 10-man Sampdoria at Juventus Stadium on Sunday.
The Turin club looked as if it would cruise to an easy victory after Sebastian Giovinco converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute and Sampdoria's Gaetano Berardi was sent off seven minutes later.
But the visitors battled back and stole all three points from the reigning champions as Mauro Icardi bagged a second-half brace.
The 19-year-old Argentine striker brought Sampdoria level seven minutes after the halftime interval and notched the game-winner midway through the second period to see the club snap a three-game losing skid in league play. Delio Rossi's men improve to 20 points on the season.
Juventus remains on top of the Serie A table on 44 points, but its lead dwindles to five points after second-place Lazio picked up a third straight victory on Saturday.
Udinese 3, Inter Milan 0
Udine, Italy - Inter Milan began the new year in disappointing fashion as it was on the wrong end of a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Sunday.
The two sides were level until the 64th minute when Antonio Di Natale put Udinese in front. Inter was dealt a major blow when defender Juan was sent off a minute later, giving the Bianconeri the impetus to claim all three points behind Luis Muriel's goal in the 75th minute and Di Natale's second 11 minutes from time.
Inter is winless in its last three Serie A outings, staying put on 35 points. Udinese, unbeaten in its last five league matches, climbs into the top-half of the table with 27 points.
AC Milan 2, Siena 1
Milan, Italy - AC Milan bounced back from a disappointing defeat to Roma before the start of Italy's winter break, earning a 2-1 win over Siena at the San Siro on Sunday to begin the new year on a positive note.
Milan was in pole position in the closing stages as Bojan Krkic opened the scoring in the 67th minute before Giampaolo Pazzini doubled the advantage from the spot in the 80th minute. Michele Paolucci pulled one back for Siena three minutes from time but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal.
AC Milan improves to 30 points to inch closer to a spot in Europe while Siena remains bottom of the table on 11 points, losing its fifth successive league match.
Napoli 4, Roma 1
Naples, Italy - Napoli climbed up to third place in the Serie A table on Sunday, cruising to a 4-1 defeat of Roma behind Edinson Cavani's hat trick.
Cavani put Napoli in front in the third minute before extending the club's lead with goals in the 48th and 69th minutes. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo pulled one back for Roma in the 72nd, but the visitors were dealt a major blow two minutes later when Miralem Pjanic was sent off.
Christian Maggio put an exclamation point after the emphatic result, scoring in the 90th minute to see Napoli climb to 37 points. Roma, which has lost two of its last three league games, remains sixth in the table on 32 points.
Genoa 2, Bologna 0
Genoa, Italy - Marco Borriello bagged a second-half brace at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday to see Genoa claim a 2-0 win over Bologna.
The 30-year-old got Genoa off the mark in the 57th minute before doubling the club's advantage 16 minutes later. Tiberio Guarente was sent off deep into stoppage time to make matters worse for Bologna, which has lost two straight in league play to remain on 18 points.
Genoa, unbeaten in three Serie A matches, improves to 17 points to climb one point clear of the relegation zone.
Pescara 2, Fiorentina 0
Florence, Italy - Lowly Pescara earned a shock result to begin the new year, defeating Fiorentina 2-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday.
The visitors sustained some pressure but managed to gain the lead in the 57th minute through Jonathas. Mervan Celik put the win beyond any doubt, scoring in the first minute of added time.
Fiorentina, on 35 points, drops to fourth place after Napoli defeated Roma later on Sunday while Pescara, on 20 points, pulls further away from the relegation zone.
Parma 2, Palermo 1
Parma, Italy - Parma earned a dramatic 2-1 win over Palermo at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Sunday, getting all three points thanks to a late goal from Amauri.
The match was scoreless until the 62nd minute when Ishak Belfodil put Parma in front. Palermo thought it had done enough to earn a point when Igor Budan leveled the score five minutes from time, but Amauri struck in the second minute of added time to see Parma improve to 29 points with a third straight league win.
Palermo has lost two straight and remains second from bottom on 15 points.
Chievo 1, Atalanta 0
Verona, Italy - Chievo narrowly picked up three points on Sunday, riding a first-half goal from Isaac Cofie to a 1-0 defeat of Atalanta at the Stadio M.A. Bentegodi.
Cofie struck in the 37th minute and Chievo kept a clean sheet the rest of the way, helping the club improve to 24 points through 19 games.
Atalanta is winless in its last three Serie A outings and falls two points behind Chievo.
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