Inter Milan drew 0-O with bitter Serie A rivals Juventus on Sunday after the two tired sides failed to end a San Siro stalemate despite decent chances.
The result meant champions Inter finished the weekend in second spot, two points behind new leaders Lazio who beat Brescia 1-0 in Rome to move on to 13 points from six games.
Inter had the best opportunity when Marco Storari kept out Maicon’s header from a Wesley Sneijder free kick but seventh-placed Juve will feel they deserved the point.
Inter coach Rafael Benitez, in his first ‘Derby of Italy’, named the same side which beat Werder Bremen 4-0 in the Champions League in midweek so fit-again striker Diego Milito had to be content with starting on the bench.
However, the inexperienced Jonathan Biabiany was injured on the half-hour mark so the Argentine came on and had two good chances, one from a cross from the again excellent Samuel Eto’o.
Juventus also had a slight surprise in their starting lineup with Fabio Quagliarella being preferred to talisman Alessandro Del Piero and the striker had three decent sniffs at goal.
The build-up to the match between Inter, who have won the last five league titles, and Juve, Italy’s best supported and most successful domestic club, had been dominated by continuing rows over the 2006 match-fixing scandal and fans were hyped up.
Minor trouble between supporters was reported outside the not-quite-packed San Siro before kickoff but the encounter on the pitch was rather tame.
Juve’s new winger Milos Krasic forced Julio Cesar into two smart saves although Vincenzo Iaquinta was rightly ruled offside when he netted the Serbian’s cross.
Lazio hit top spot earlier on Sunday, after Stefano Mauri netted just before the break when Hernanes, bought from Sao Paulo and already looking like one of the Serie A signings of the season, used his trickery to release the recalled Italy midfielder.
“We have to reach 40 points before anything else, no joking,” experienced coach Edy Reja told Sky, still fearing another relegation dogfight for the 1974 and 2000 champions.
Palermo’s new Slovenian midfielder Josip Ilicic has also made a big impression in his first weeks in Italy and scored his third league goal with a spectacular left-footed shot to set up a 2-1 win at struggling Fiorentina.
It was a day for midfielders breaking forward and Marek Hamsik made third-placed Napoli’s pressure tell by bagging the second-half opener in a 2-0 home victory over AS Roma, who were runners-up last term but now lie second from bottom.
Claudio Ranieri’s Roma beat Inter at home last weekend for their first win of the campaign but they threatened little in Naples where the home side doubled their lead through Juan’s own goal.
Luca Toni headed home deep into stoppage time to give Genoa a 2-1 home win over Bari while Sampdoria drew 1-1 at Bologna.
Chievo drew 0-0 with Cagliari and Lecce beat Catania 1-0 before Serie A stopped for the international break.
AC Milan, in fourth, edged past Parma 1-0 on Saturday.
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